Chapter 42: The Old Man Freezes the Room

Alicia-san’s expression was freezing over before my very eyes.

The look of concern vanished, and the light rapidly faded from her beautiful blue eyes.

In its place dwelled a dark, cold, stagnant light, as if she were staring into a bottomless abyss.

“…Sen… sei… what in the world… are you doing…?”

The thin voice that escaped her trembled like that of a broken doll.

“Who… are… those… shameless… women… in their underwear…?”

“A-Alicia-san!? N-No, you’ve got it all wrong! It was just a little accident… and… their clothes ripped because of a weird gust of wind… and when I tried to help them, I tripped, too…”

I rattled off a string of what I knew were incoherent excuses.

No… that’s right… I’ll have Emma-san and the others explain the situation.

They should know I’m innocent.

With that thought, I turned to face Emma-san and the others.

But… the expressions on Emma-san and Mira-san, who had been watching calmly just a moment ago, had transformed into something even more grim and dark than Alicia-san’s.

Even though the battle was over, Emma-san was for some reason gripping the hilt of her dagger so tightly it was creaking.

As for Mira-san… she was completely expressionless, just staring intently at me, and at the Sisters pinned underneath me, with eyes that held a bottomless darkness.

The atmosphere in the room was now even more frigid than the tense air before the fight.

This is bad… I have to do something…

From her corner of the room, only Fel seemed to be observing my predicament with some amusement.

“Hmm, it seems the nature of the strong cannot be hidden, even when playing the fool. As they say, heroes have ever been fond of women. Well… I have had little opportunity to interact with other individuals, so I do not understand the preferences of males… but this sheer number is quite the spectacle.”

As usual, Fel was spouting nonsense.

As for Alicia-san, far from calming down, she was now clenching both her fists so hard they were trembling.

She looked like she was about to pounce at any second.

I remembered the time she destroyed a wall at the guild with a single blow, and a chill went down my spine.

Just then, Emma-san stepped in.

“Alicia-sama, please try to calm yourself.”

Emma-san’s voice was calm, but it had a certain ring to it that permitted no argument.

“Shuzo-san was trying to protect us. What’s more… he even showed mercy to those insolent women by choosing not to deal a finishing blow. At the end… well… it seems something unexpected happened… Isn’t that right, Shuzo-san?”

“Eh? Ah, y-yes! That’s right!”

I nodded desperately, my voice barely a squeak.

To be honest, I was just desperately trying to run away from them, but there’s no point in saying that now.

In any case, Emma-san saw the whole thing, so she must have understood that I had no ill intent.

“And so… Shuzo-san… perhaps you should get away from those individuals…”

Emma-san said, clearing her throat before shooting me a stern look.

“Y-Yes!”

I scrambled away from the half-naked Sisters.

Just then, Mira-san approached Emma-san and whispered something to her.

“Mother…”

“Yes… I know. To so easily neutralize the ‘Shadow Needles,’ the so-called dark side of the Holy Church… I am once again in awe of his power… but really… for Shuzo-san… to attract yet another pack of vixens… It seems we must be the ones to properly protect Shuzo-san from them, mustn’t we…”

Is it just my imagination, or do I sense a certain darkness… no, a shadow in their expressions…?

In any case, Emma-san’s words seemed to help Alicia-san regain some of her composure.

Seeing my desperate expression and the state the Sisters were in, she must have concluded that this wasn’t intentional.

“…Y-You’re right… I cannot imagine Sensei would do something so shameless on purpose… My apologies. It’s just… when it comes to you, Sensei… I find myself… unable to remain calm… Ahem… In any case… I am glad that you and everyone else are safe…”

Having said that, Alicia-san let out a breath of relief.

Just as the atmosphere in the room eased up slightly, Emma-san coldly questioned the Sisters collapsed on the floor.

“Now then, members of the ‘Shadow Needles.’ Perhaps you’ll tell us who filled your heads with this foolish nonsense and ordered you to attack my mansion.”

The Sisters, still with their skin boldly exposed and cheeks slightly flushed, answered without breaking their resolute demeanor.

“…We will say nothing.”

“Failure in a mission is paid for only by death… Now… kill us.”

In their eyes, I could see the resolve of assassins and a deep sense of resignation.

“Oh? So even among humans, there are those who possess a pride similar to the laws of nature. Is that not admirable?”

Fel, who had been silent until now, suddenly said something outrageous, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

“Hey, Master, grant them their wish. It is the victor’s mercy. One should not humiliate the defeated forever.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa… hold on… Fel… what are you talking about?”