Chapter 9: Manipulations and Mana

A more tiring morning than usual. And it wasn’t just her.

“Honestly, you should know your limits.”

“Haha, sorry…”

Even the hero had dark circles under his eyes, offering a sheepish smile. Serin subtly nudged his side, solidifying their affection.

The other two echoed her sentiment, while simultaneously sending envious glances towards Serin for her comfortable relationship with the hero. And Rui… she was swaying on her feet, her eyes barely open.

“Rui, are you alright?”

“Wah.”

“What, you didn’t sleep either? We’ll leave soon, just hold on until then.”

You didn’t sleep either? It sounded as if she, like the hero, had foolishly been affected by the incident and had stayed up all night devising a plan to regain their trust. She was different from that blockhead. And the blockhead, for some reason, was avoiding her gaze.

But well, her sleepiness was an undeniable fact. She swayed, unable to fight off the overwhelming drowsiness.

“Rui.”

The hero’s voice, which had been distant, suddenly sounded close, but she couldn’t focus. Sleep was a more pressing need.

“You awake?”

An unfamiliar ceiling… no, it was the familiar sky. And a familiar face, a familiar composition, a familiar position.

That’s right. She was once again riding on a horse, nestled in the hero’s arms.

“Ugh… my head…”

She reached out and pulled some water from a subspace to drink. The ice-cold water instantly cooled her sleep-warmed body and cleared her mind.

“…How long have we been traveling?”

“About an hour.”

That wasn’t long, but considering they were traveling, it could be considered a good nap. Fortunately, they were still quite far from the flower field meant for Raphilia’s event.

They had traveled quickly yesterday due to the village’s urgent situation, but there was no such need today. That’s probably why the white horse was walking at a leisurely pace.

“Everyone worked hard yesterday, so we’re taking it easy today.”

“Then why didn’t we just leave tomorrow?”

“We’re taking it easy, but if we leave tomorrow, we’ll be late to the next location.”

“I see.”

After that, the conversation between them died down. She was usually quiet, but the hero was different.

He would usually ask questions whenever she made the slightest move. But now, he was avoiding her gaze and not responding, even when she looked at him.

Wondering why he was acting like this, she suddenly remembered yesterday’s incident. He had stayed up all night training after hearing she had fought an orc.

“…Hero.”

“…Yes?”

“Do you feel… guilty towards me or something?”

“…”

It was true. Even though she had introduced herself as a support mage, not a combat mage, did they think she needed to be prepared for a life-or-death struggle against a mere orc!?

The disheveled appearance they had been so surprised by was simply from falling into a ditch; she hadn’t received a single scratch, even from the fight with the demon. Her robe detected hostile intent and her own will to activate its defenses; it didn’t work against variables like ditches.

“Hero.”

“…Yes.”

“I really wasn’t injured. I looked like a mess yesterday because I fell into a ditch.”

“You don’t have to worry about me, Rui.”

Worry? What worry?

“Hero, do you like the gloves I gave you?”

“Of course. They were so useful in yesterday’s battle.”

“There are more than ten magic formulas incorporated in them. Do you think I wouldn’t include formulas for my own protection?”

“…”

“I introduced myself as a support mage because the main purpose of my magic is support and creation. But I can use it for attack if I want to.”

Like how a sickle, meant for cutting grass, could become a deadly weapon if swung at a person. She had created the drill to dig tunnels, but she used it to kill a demon.

“So don’t be upset that you missed one orc and I had to deal with it. That’s actually insulting to me.”

“…!”

Imagine if this story reached other people’s ears:

The hero’s party’s mage fought a fierce battle with an orc and returned in tatters. Because of this, the hero blamed himself and trained day and night for several days to become stronger…

Those who didn’t know the details would think:

• She barely managed to defeat an orc, and she has the nerve to join the hero’s party?

• It’s the hero’s fault for letting that mage join the party.

• He’s unnecessarily exhausted, what if he loses an important battle because of this?

“I… hadn’t thought of that.”

This is why being too emotional and solely focused on your companions wasn’t good. It could lead to unexpected difficulties. Moreover, the hero carried the faith of many people, so the repercussions were even greater.

‘Let’s not mention the demon.’

If she tried to prove her strength, it would likely result in another interrogation with all the companions present. It was more important to gain their trust with the current facts.

“Hero, hold my hand.”

To earn his complete trust, she decided to show him her mana capacity.

‘Well, it’s not entirely my mana…’

But if she was the one using it, it could be considered hers, right? Imagining the hero’s surprised face, she confidently extended her hand.

“…Uh, huh?”

But the hero reacted strangely, avoiding her gaze. Wondering what was wrong with him again, she grabbed his hand, which was holding the reins, and intertwined their fingers.

This was the best way to directly show him her mana capacity.

‘And it won’t be visible to the other heroines.’

They were dozing on their horses, checking their equipment, or attending to other personal tasks. This was a small act to build trust, but it could be misinterpreted by the other heroines, so she had to be careful.

“Um, uh.”

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing. So, why the hand?”

“I want to earn your trust.”

With those words, she closed her eyes and channeled the mana circulating within her body to the hand clasped with the hero’s. Since the mana within her body alone might not be enough, she drew additional mana from a device connected to her internal mana circuits.

The hero’s expression shifted to a different kind of bewilderment.

“…This is…”

“Mana. What I can use at any time.”

“I don’t know much about magic, but I can tell that the amount of mana you just showed me is enormous.”

“Then can you trust me now?”

She shrugged and gave him a smug look, and finally, the worry disappeared from the hero’s face.

“Yes, I trust you. I’m sorry for not trusting you until now.”

“Good to know.”

Hehe.

She smiled slightly and released the hero’s hand. His hand was so much larger than hers that it took a bit of effort to pull her hand free.

‘A bit rough.’

He frequently held the holy sword and trained every day, so his hands were bound to be rough. Unfortunately, neither the holy sword nor the gloves had a function to soften hands.

“As an apology, I’ll grant you one wish later.”

‘Yes!’

A wish from the hero himself! If she asked for the Demon King’s heart as an ingredient, would he gladly give it to her after the subjugation?

Magic and magic tools using the Demon King’s heart as an ingredient… Just imagining that brilliant future made her heart pound.

“Everyone, I think we’ll arrive at the next stop soon. Let’s hang in there a little longer!”

Next stop?

At the hero’s words, she took out the map and checked their current location. She had been so engrossed in her conversation with the hero that she hadn’t realized the time for her plan had arrived.

She peeked behind her and looked at Raphilia, who was following. Raphilia, who had been smiling dreamily at the sky, noticed her gaze and looked back.

Click.

Without a word, she gave a thumbs-up and nodded. Raphilia, who seemed momentarily confused, suddenly blushed crimson.

‘Just follow the plan.’

Not far from their next stop, there was a small group of monsters. The hero and Raphilia had to eliminate them.

For that, she needed to keep Aria and Serin occupied.

‘I’ll take care of them too, one at a time.’

A short while later, they arrived at the stop. The hero’s party’s temporary resting place was in the middle of a forest filled with towering conifers. It was a flat area next to the road, with a stream nearby.

“I-I’ll go scout the area…!”

Raphilia, desperately trying to hide her blushing face, shouted at them. It was beginning.
The first step was for Raphilia to leave.

And the second step was for her to keep the other two heroines occupied.

“Aria, Serin, shall I take a look at your equipment?”

“Equipment? If you’re talking about the gloves, they’re still fine.”

“Mine are fine too! They’re still perfect even after all that movement yesterday!”

“No, I mean the equipment you were originally using. Like your breastplates.”

She pointedly mentioned their… prominent assets. Blushing, the two whispered, glancing at the hero.

“T-then, please…”

“Me too… It’s been feeling a little tight lately…”

And the final step.

“Then I’ll prepare the camp…”

“No, I have a favor to ask you, Hero.”

“Huh? What is it?”

To send the hero to Raphilia.

“According to the map, there’s a flower field nearby. There’s a rare flower there that I’d like you to get for me.”

“Oh, then after I finish preparing…”

“No, now. That flower only blooms before sunset. I’ll take care of the camp preparations.”

Camp preparations were easy; she just needed to give them the keys. Still, the hero hesitated, as if sensing something.

Sighing internally, she approached the hero and whispered,

“…After seeing me undressed.”

“!!!”

Technically, her shoulders and stomach weren’t visible unless she was undressed, so she wasn’t lying. And the hero had told her to ask him for anything after that incident, so this was practically a checkmate.

“O-okay. I’m really sorry about that.”

“If you’re sorry, get the flower for me. You’ll know it when you see it.”

The hero fled into the forest. The two remaining heroines had changed out of their breastplates and into more comfortable clothes inside the rooms created by the keys she had given them. Now, all that was left was to adjust the size of their equipment and wait for the results.