I Kidnapped the Hero's Women-Chapter 252: Birthday (1)

"Lord, recently Yuria and her team's performance has been increasing rapidly."

"...."

[The Evil God, 'Cali,' is proud of our healer.]

Clunk. Sylvia placed the latest Vermont Security performance report in front of me, along with the morning newspaper.

The first thing that caught my eye when I opened the first page was the performance section.

Yuria's team’s performance had skyrocketed. No, the word 'skyrocketed' didn’t even do it justice. Their previous performance looked pitiful by comparison. Yuria's team was already boasting the highest performance in Vermont Security, now standing as the unrivaled leader.

"How did this happen?"

"I think it’s thanks to your advice, Lord."

"I told her to lighten the load a bit, not to push herself like this."

"This is the result of not overworking. Look here. Yuria’s break time has significantly increased compared to before."

"...That’s true."

As Sylvia said, despite the soaring performance, Yuria’s break time had increased. Before, she had worked non-stop, but now, after finishing her tasks quickly, she either used the remaining time to rest or went home early without overtime.

Still, why had her performance gone up?

The answer lay on the next page.

‘Efficient role delegation and successful teamwork...’

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What Yuria used to handle by herself was now shared by the entire team. Her role was now limited strictly to offense. Before, she had been in charge of everything, from reconnaissance and protecting clients to hitting the target, but now, focusing on one area of responsibility had drastically increased her efficiency.

‘I see Yuria’s story in Irene’s report too...’

Thanks to this, Yuria had gained a reputation as a madwoman who recklessly charged into enemy territory. It seems the rumors about her had even spread in the underworld, where people feared her. After all, it was hard not to be terrified of someone who could recover from injuries without a scratch, even after successfully ambushing their target.

"Is this a good thing...?"

"Yes. The satisfaction of the team, including herself, has greatly increased. She has learned to rely on her teammates, as you wished, so I think it’s going well."

"Right...?"

It was a change from the person who always tried to do everything alone, so it was definitely a good thing... but why did it feel so unsettling?

Something felt off, but I decided to think of it as a good thing and not dwell on it.

‘By the way... are the kids preparing for their entrance exams properly?’

The year had changed, and winter break was already halfway through. By March of this year, the Imperial Magic Academy would be welcoming a new batch of freshmen, and Charlotte and Yulia were preparing for their entrance exams.

Although the headmaster had threatened me not to let them in, I reminded him that it was my influence and the additional funding for the school’s dark magic department that made it happen. After that, he immediately backed off. So, Charlotte and Yulia wouldn’t face any disadvantages in the entrance exam.

‘It’s good that the school is getting talented students. I don’t understand why he’s so opposed to it.’

It was hard to understand. Wouldn’t it be a good thing for the headmaster if smart, capable students came in and shone on the graduation list?

Although, I knew there would be some small incidents along the way, like breaking the exam orb, a prophecy book about the hero of the great wizard being revealed, or even a cult-like organization forming around one student. But those things weren’t my concern, so I didn’t care much about them.

"Charlotte, how’s the entrance exam preparation going?"

"Uncle! I was just practicing something to show for the entrance exam! It’s a new technique, wanna see it? Wanna see it?"

"Alright, show me."

I came to the back garden, where it was noisy, and true to my expectations, Charlotte was waving her super strong sword around in a dramatic manner. Now that I thought about it, Charlotte was applying for the Combat Magic Department, right?

After all, she could never sit still and study, so there weren’t many options for her.

She waved the sword around while telling me to pay attention. When I gave her a signal to focus, she raised the sword above her head.

"Urrrgh...!"

"Charlotte!?"

Whoosh!

A violet aura shot up into the sky.

The once clear blue sky quickly darkened, now tinted with a deep violet.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

The aura had grown much bigger than when it had previously split mountains—it seemed like it could create a canyon now.

Panicking, I ran to stop Charlotte, but just before the aura hit the ground, it started to spiral into the sword with a strange sound.

"Whoosh!"

"...!?"

The aura disappeared into the sword in an instant, and the sky returned to its original state as if nothing had happened.

I was sweating coldly.

"How was it? I called it ‘Urrrgh!’, it’s an illusion spell that looks like a big attack!"

"What? That was an illusion spell?"

"Yep! This is the Imperial Magic Academy, and I thought swinging swords endlessly wouldn’t be much fun. I’d probably top the class no matter what, so I decided to join the magic department instead. I’ve been practicing it hard!"

"Ah..."

[The Evil God, 'Cali,' sheds tears of joy seeing our dark knight’s thirst for knowledge.]

So that was an illusion spell.

I was startled. The light effect when the aura surged and the chilling vibrations that shook the heavens were so perfectly done that I almost fell for it myself.

Moreover, Charlotte, who was already at a swordmaster level, wanted to go into a magic-related department instead. Given that she had sword skills comparable to a swordmaster, there wasn’t much more for her to gain at an undergraduate level. If she studied, it would be at a master’s level to be useful.

In that sense, choosing a magic department instead of a swordsmanship department was a very productive decision.

What a clever girl.

"Excellent choice. If you practice various techniques, they will surely be useful. By the way, I always thought you had no talent for magic, but it seems you have an unexpected side."

"Hehe. Other magic is still difficult for me, but illusion magic is fun! I’ll practice it and try to pass the entrance exam!"

"The execution of the magic was great, but the details were a bit lacking. The point of illusion magic is to make sure no one notices it being cast. If you can’t hide the mana fluctuations when casting, it’s pointless. And you’ll need to replicate the same kind of wave as the aura to trick anyone. I’ll teach you that part."

"Really!? You’re the best, Sister!"

Slightly frustrated, Sylvia stepped forward and gave advice. After being in charge of swordsmanship training, it seemed she was now going to teach magic too.

In both the original story and here, Sylvia had always been the teacher.

Seeing Charlotte fawning over Sylvia made me feel a little jealous, but I didn’t show it. After all, I wasn’t such a petty person.

Phew. Today, I managed to remain a broad-minded and respected adult.

‘I wonder if Yulia is preparing well?’

As I was about to go check on Yulia, I realized I had no need to worry about her.

Considering her talent as a spirit mage, Yulia was already set to enter as a top student.

Even if she challenged another department, she would easily pass the entrance exam with flying colors. Although she didn’t have the best memory for numbers, she was exceptional at studying.

Still curious about how she was doing, I headed to the study.

"Yulia, are you here..."

"Ah?!"

"...?"

The moment I opened the door, Yulia jumped up from behind the desk, quickly hiding something behind her back.

"Uh, uh, what is it? I’m here, what’s going on? ...I mean?"

"Don’t act so surprised."

"Surprised? No way! Not at all! I’m completely calm right now! ...Right?"

"...."

Yulia spoke with a trembling voice, using an incredibly unnatural tone. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of it, but I decided to play along.

"I must have misunderstood."

"Uh, of course, you did. Ah! And Aslan! Just remembered! It’s not like I’ve been planning this for ages or anything, but... next Thursday, please prepare a birthday party for me...!"

"Next Thursday? Sure. But why that day?"

"U-uh, just because? No real reason, just... you know?"

"...."

A birthday party.

I had forgotten about that. Charlotte and Yulia didn’t know their real birthdays, so we had decided to celebrate on an arbitrary date instead.

It’s been almost a year since we decided on a date and they still hadn’t told me, but it looks like they finally chose a day after much thought.

But wait...

Next Thursday?

‘Could it be the day Irene brought Charlotte and Yulia to the mansion?’

It was the day we met for the first time a year ago.