I Kidnapped the Hero's Women-Chapter 204: Tue. Gift Offensive (3)

"No. It's you. It feels like you're appearing in my dreams constantly. It's clearly a memory from my childhood, but somehow, you appear there, fully grown."

"···"

Irene pushed me against the wall, trapping me by holding my shoulders with both arms, then placed her knee between my legs, effectively restricting my movement. I had nowhere to escape and had no choice but to face her directly.

With Irene's direct question, I felt my lips tremble from the nervousness.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well... heh... there's something like that. Memories from the past keep flooding into my dreams, and the man’s face that appears there looks like you. Do you have any idea what’s going on?"

"It’s just a dream. Aren’t you reading too much into it?"

"Really? Is that true? Did you mess with my dreams or something?"

"I’ve never heard of such a thing being possible."

"···So you really didn’t do anything?"

Irene kept her suspicious gaze on me, not taking her eyes off me. Was she suspecting that I was somehow involved in her dream?

It would make sense, after all. Without any prior knowledge, I doubt she would think that I went back in time and met the younger Irene.

‘I don’t even know how to explain this to Irene...’

It wasn’t too hard to deal with the emperor’s sister finding out. I just went back in time, helped the younger Empress, who had human-phobia, after I first acquired the Elder Dragon’s eyes, and that was that. Nothing more, nothing less.

Thanks to that, I’m only seen as someone who helped her. But with Irene, it's different.

I made a careless slip of the tongue with Irene.

I had told her that someday, someone would appear for her to rely on and trust, or rather, that I would be that person.

For Irene, the idea of that "trustworthy person" being me, Aslan, was something unimaginable. At that time, Aslan was just a child, and I was one of the people who had led Irene down into despair.

It was my soul, not the original Aslan, who promised to appear for her. But to explain that, I would have to reveal that I am not from this world but have taken over Aslan’s body.

‘I've never told anyone about being reincarnated, so it’s only natural that I have to be careful.’

This wasn’t something to decide impulsively. I haven’t even told Charlotte, Yuria, or Sylvia, who has been by my side all this time, that I’ve taken over Aslan’s body.

I don’t know if it’s okay to tell them or how to explain it, let alone what the consequences would be. I have no idea what will happen.

"Alright. I’ll let you go for now, since there’s no solid evidence. After all, I can’t just give my brother away after receiving such a big gift without proof..."

"Yes, sister."

"You should be mentally prepared. You’d better come up with an excuse. I might be able to uncover all your secrets soon."

"Yes..."

Irene let go of her hold, then chuckled as she gently stroked my cheek. I froze up with goosebumps all over my body.

I quickly broke free from her touch and hurriedly got into the carriage as if escaping.

Then, Sylvia, who seemed to have been waiting for me, was happily munching on some bread and looked up with a bright smile.

Just seeing her face made a wave of heat spread through me.

"Have you arrived, Lord?"

"Why is it that when the Lord is getting beaten, the bodyguard just stands there? Are you even a swordmaster? Can't you react to that speed?"

"It’s not that I couldn’t react, it’s just that I didn’t. I didn’t see any intent to harm the Lord from Lady Irene, so I just stayed still."

"Then what about the bruise on my neck?"

"Well, maybe it’s a sign of the strong bond between siblings? Like the mark that connects the Lord and me?"

"···"

Sylvia smiled and loosened her collar to show me the mark engraved on her neck. That innocent smile left me speechless.

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

She wasn’t entirely wrong. With a little help from Yuria, this kind of bruise would heal in no time...

"Now that you’ve become a swordmaster, can you also see people’s intentions? You used to react like a sharp blade whenever anyone came near me."

"Yes... How should I explain this... It feels like I can see a moment into the future? With enough information, I can almost see what the opponent will do next. However, since my reaction speed is faster, it feels like I can predict the future."

"Wow..."

It was like the principle boxers use when predicting their opponent's next move by watching their shoulders. A swordmaster’s level of skill seems to allow them to predict the immediate future and respond accordingly. No wonder the gap between a swordmaster and non-swordmaster is enormous.

I couldn’t help but be amazed at this ability.

"Is it always active, or does it stop when you’re exhausted?"

"As long as I’m enveloped in my aura, it seems to be constantly active. I’ve never experienced any kind of overload. Since I first wrapped myself in the aura, I haven’t removed it once, Lord."

"So, there’s no burden at all with using it?"

"Yes, I believe that’s correct."

"What happens if you remove the aura now?"

"Huh? Let me try it."

It had been about a week since I first wrapped myself in the aura. Even when I lost consciousness, it didn’t deactivate, so it seemed like the aura worked independently of my consciousness, much like the heart.

What would happen if I consciously tried to deactivate it?

Sylvia tilted her head, then squeezed her eyes shut.

"Aura, deactivate!"

"···!? "

"Ah?"

[The evil god, ‘Kali’, says our bodyguard has gotten even cuter, and it’s caught her by surprise!]

At that moment, Sylvia’s body began to shrink rapidly. Her figure shrank, and the clothes that had fit her perfectly became loose.

It was just like when she became younger from the side effects of mana corrosion.

That’s right. She looked exactly like she did back then.

"Why... why is this happening? Why did I turn back again...!"

"The aura had been replacing your mana sensing system, so it seems that when it’s deactivated, the side effects return."

"Ah! So that’s it! In that case, I’ll quickly wrap the aura back around me..."

"No, wait. Hold on."

"Understood, Lord."

I walked over to the confused, frozen Sylvia and sniffed the top of her head.

Her scent was the same as when she was an adult...

But, strange. Why did I feel like it smelled even more pleasant when she was in her younger form?

It seemed like I was misinterpreting something, but now that I was reassessing, I could clearly tell it was the same scent.

"It must have been a visual illusion playing tricks on my brain..."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Never mind. You can wrap yourself in the aura again. Let’s return to the mansion."

"Understood, Lord."

By the way, does this mean I can summon the younger version of Sylvia whenever I want...?

My pupils flickered uncontrollably, and I instinctively swallowed hard.

···If that’s the case, could I also raise Sylvia as a bride?

Sigh... Why is all this happening when I didn’t even ask for it?

Irene let out a deep sigh, but she couldn’t completely erase the smile that lingered on her lips.

Not long ago, the underground facility, which had been used as an illegal hideout, was completely transformed into a warehouse with tight security.

Inside, treasures glittered, filling the entire space.

These were the items that would be used as operating funds for the newly established Vermont Investment Corporation.

And 10% of these treasures would be Irene’s share, as she had taken on the role of managing director.

Irene still couldn’t believe it—whether this was a dream or reality.

"After all that, you still trust me...?"

Up until now, Irene had only felt pure malice towards Aslan. She had lived only for the revenge of bringing him down.

She had tried with all her might to harm Aslan, but she was stopped.

And yet, he still trusted her?

"Lady Laura, what do you think?"

[···!]

"It seems Lady Laura agrees with me. This Aslan guy... something’s off."

[···!!]

Was this possible, even if a person were to change? At first, Irene had brushed it off.

If Aslan had come to his senses and revived Vermont, there would be no reason for her to dislike him.

So she hadn’t suspected much.

But after stepping back and thinking it over, she realized something wasn’t right.

First of all, even if someone were to "recover," could they really change so drastically?

The only thing that had remained the same between the old Aslan and the current one was his wicked face and his cruel impression.

Everything else—his actions, speech, even the smallest habits—was completely different.

It felt like he had turned into a completely different person overnight...

And that wasn’t all.

While Aslan had the ability to command thugs, he was hopeless when it came to managing a business.

But later, when she saw him—someone who had never studied business in his life—speaking fluently in business terms and leading operations with ease, she was left stunned.

[···!!!]

"Yeah, I thought it was just my imagination, but it seems like he really doesn’t remember."

But the most striking thing was this.

Aslan no longer feared seeing Laura’s avatar. Up until recently, he would tremble in fear when he saw the miniature version of Laura.

But after the day Aslan had changed so drastically, he had started to find Laura’s avatar cute instead.

"This is probably just a shell; the contents have completely changed, right?"

[···!]

Though there was no concrete evidence, the situation was becoming increasingly clear in Irene’s mind.

The Aslan she knew was no more.

Irene came to this provisional conclusion.