Chapter : 20
‘So I started having this absurd thought—if it were that person, maybe they’d be able to deal with the arrogant Duke and Duchess of Seind.’
There was no basis for it at all, but to Elin, that tiny hope was desperately precious.
Because of that, she minimized her reports about Eani and merely watched carefully to see whose side she should take.
‘In the end, I hesitated too long and got caught.’
No matter what punishment she received, she had no right to complain.
But hoping that at least her younger siblings would be spared, Elin poured out her circumstances in a desperate voice.
“Hmm—.”
After hearing everything, Eani tilted her head to the side.
“So, in short, you got completely played by a loan shark and the Duchess working together?”
“Ah… yes, that seems to be the case.”
“Then should I give you a good dusting?”
Dusting…?
As Elin blinked in confusion at the inexplicable remark—
“All right. I’ve decided. Your punishment.”
Finally!
Elin steeled herself and squeezed her eyes shut.
“I’ll obey anything…!”
But no matter how long she waited, Eani said nothing further.
Puzzled, Elin cautiously cracked her eyes open—just as something lightly tapped her forehead.
‘What…?’
That was the moment.
A searing pain exploded through her head.
“Ah!”
Elin cried out involuntarily and clutched her head.
It was nothing like an ordinary headache. It felt as if the inside of her skull were melting in blazing fire.
As she writhed, unable to cope with a pain she had never felt before—
“Elin, swear it.”
Strange.
Even in the midst of that terrible agony, only Eani’s voice rang out clearly.
“You will abandon all future choices and will of your own, and serve only me as your master. If you ever lie to me or betray my trust, you will lose your life.”
When Eani was in a good mood, she often spoke as if singing.
Yet, contrary to her lovely voice, the content was chilling.
As Elin flinched, Eani asked,
“Why? You don’t like it?”
Instinctively, Elin understood.
The mage before her was about to do something terrifying to her.
But there was no way she had any real choice.
Summoning the last of her courage, Elin spoke.
“If—if I swear… my siblings will—”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure the punishment for this falls on you alone~.”
‘…Right. That’s enough.’
As long as I endure it again this time.
Steadying her heart, Elin nodded.
At that instant, the scorching pain vanished.
Instead, a cool, refreshing sensation swept from her head to her toes.
“Haah!”
She sucked in a deep breath and collapsed onto the floor.
Relief at being freed from the pain and anxiety about what awaited her now washed over her at the same time.
As Elin sat there in confusion, Eani reached out her hand.
“Good work, Elin. Come on, take my hand and get up.”
Panting, Elin cautiously took Eani’s hand.
Then—whoosh.
Eani pulled her up in one swift motion and drew her close.
She leaned in and whispered into Elin’s ear.
“Don’t overthink it. You just need to faithfully follow what I say.”
“B-but…”
“Listen, Elin.”
Eani’s voice was unbearably sweet.
“You don’t have to struggle alone anymore. You don’t have to shoulder everything by yourself.”
As long as you’re beneath me, you can set that heavy burden down.
At those words, Elin’s eyes trembled.
‘Responsibility…’
The word that had supported her all this time.
And the word that had bound her the most.
Hearing that she could be freed from it made her heart race, even amid her anxiety.
A sudden realization struck her.
‘Ah—. This… this is what I wanted most.’
I always wanted to run away from this “responsibility.”
When someone else acknowledged the feelings she herself had ignored, emotions she had tightly locked away came pouring out.
She wanted to throw off the crushing load she had carried on her back for so long.
I lived diligently without rest. I don’t think I did anything wrong.
‘But the problems I had to solve just kept piling up like a snowball.’
Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to run away. She couldn’t even complain about how hard it was.
She felt stifled by herself, yet had no idea how else she was supposed to live after spending her whole life this way.
And yet…
‘In the end, the only person who put a leash on me… was the one who understood my heart.’
Her throat tightened.
Unable to hold back the tears flowing again, Elin bowed her head deeply.
As she sobbed with a different meaning than before, Eani quietly waited for her.
After some time passed—
Elin, having steadied herself, spoke.
“Yes, Lady Eani.”
The person before her was her true master.
Thinking so brought her peace.
At the same time, she felt she wanted to obey any command Eani gave.
“I will always be loyal to you.”
Had she seen through even this sincerity?
Eani smiled brightly.
‘Looks like I got myself a decent pawn~.’
The magic I cast on Elin was the magic of “Submission.”
Naturally, it’s an extremely difficult and dangerous spell—but for me, it wasn’t much of a problem.
‘To begin with, submission magic depends far more on the target’s will than the caster’s.’
No matter how powerful the mage, if the subject doesn’t fully consent, the oath of submission cannot be completed.
That’s why I couldn’t use it on the Duke and Duchess.
‘Those arrogant nobles would never sincerely submit to anyone.’
But Elin was different.
Unlike the prideful Duke and Duchess, Elin was simply a diligent, highly responsible girl.
On top of that, her guilt over her mistake and her desperation to protect her siblings made it easy to cast the spell.
‘More than anything, I said exactly what she most wanted to hear.’
The strength of the submission magic is determined immediately after the oath, based on what kind of resolve the target holds.
And Elin, deeply moved by my words, pushed that strength to its highest level.
All in all, not a bad harvest for me.
‘And I was just starting to need a trustworthy confidant.’
Moreover, it made it easier to firmly bind her siblings, who trusted and relied on their older sister so much.
Is this what you call cost-effective loyalty—one plus two~?
“Hehehe~.”
Humming softly, I flipped another page of the catalog.
The Duke and Duchess had caused a commotion and withdrawn that very night, which gave me this bit of breathing room.
I’d thoroughly softened Hanton up, and I’d decisively crushed the Duke and Duchess too.
‘Now it’s time to move on to the next stage.’
With that in mind, I carefully examined the catalog—then slightly furrowed my brow.
‘The Mage Tower really is expensive.’
What I was looking at was a construction catalog published directly by the Mage Tower.
It contained all kinds of building materials, as well as photos of example structures.
‘All the building designs are flashy and antique.’
Since the Mage Tower’s clients are mostly nobles, it seemed tailored to their tastes.
More importantly, every material listed here cost at least two to five times the industry average.
‘They say it’s because the Mage Tower imbues each material with mana.’
Items made from such materials can accept magic far more stably—that was the justification.
At the very front of the catalog, there were even research results explaining how large the difference was between items made with ordinary materials and those made with mana-infused ones.
I scanned it with interest.
‘The research itself may be accurate, but…’
Even so, those prices were excessive.
And the fee for hiring a mage to work with these materials was separate.
‘No wonder the sisters’ parents went bankrupt after hiring a mage.’
But there was no way to stop this kind of profiteering.
Everyone wanted magic, and only the Mage Tower could provide it.
‘In modern terms, the Mage Tower is like a massive dinosaur corporation that’s achieved a monopoly.’
“A dinosaur corporation, huh….”
From my perspective, just starting a business, there was no reason to make an enemy of the Mage Tower.
As I picked up a pen and checked items to purchase in the catalog, Elin entered the room.
“Lady Eani, a letter has arrived for Bellin!”
I immediately opened the letter Elin handed me.
I was curious—and quietly hopeful—about how the negotiations with the hotel restaurant staff had gone.
After quickly reading through it—
“Looks like we’ve got a new visitor coming to the island.”
“Yes?”
I handed the letter to Elin to read and smiled gently.
Meno—the central figure and leader among the restaurant women—had expressed her wish to visit the island in person.
