Chapter19 - Curious

The next morning…

The breakfast table at the Count of Dumer’s residence was Fran’s solo stage.

She talked and talked happily…

The cause of Fran’s cheerfulness was evident.

As a servant and a teacher at the same Magical Girls’ Academy, Lou’s official duties would begin today.

For starters, she would accompany him on his shopping trip to buy clothes and other necessary items.

After returning home, they would have a meeting together to discuss the spring semester.

Fran was very excited and dreamy about all the activities with Lou.

Adelaide smiled and kept repressing her beloved daughter.

Fran gave off the vibe of a young child before going on a field trip.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Fran said with a toothy grin…

Adelaide was taken aback, but she couldn’t help but smile.

Because it was hard to believe that Fran was the same person as that one, who had always carried a gloomy and harsh expression on her face.

“Still! “You’re not the one doing the shopping; Lou is.”

“Hahaha, it’s fine. Protecting Fran ――― It doesn’t change what I’m going to do anyway, right?”

While listening to the exchange between mother and daughter, Lou’s expression remained as calm as ever.

***

Breakfast was over, and it was time for Lou and Fran to go out.

“Would you like me to prepare the carriage, Ojou-sama?”

Zeimon asked Fran.

Fran said she wanted to walk around the streets of the royal capital with Lou.

“No, Zeimon. We don’t need to get a carriage. I’m going to walk with Lou to the business district where the shops are. Yes, we’ll take our time. It’s a beautiful day today.”

“Very well. Then, Lou, please take care of ojou-sama.”

“Hahaha, leave it to me!”

“Also, tell me about that weird technique you used later.”

Lou smiled vaguely and retreated as the battle-crazed Zeimon reminded him.

Lou and Fran walked downstairs, hand in hand, and opened the door to go outside.

It was, as Fran had said, a clear, crisp and pleasant morning.

They walked towards the gate in the warm spring sunshine.

“What a pity…this is as far as we go.”

“Aah!”

When they were halfway there, Lou let go of Fran’s hand.

With her hand suddenly released, Fran stared at Lou petulantly.

Unperturbed, Lou took a step or two forward and scanned the surroundings.

“Rest assured. No one in the vicinity is looking at the house with malicious intent at the moment. Let’s go, Fran.”

“Already! Well, it can’t be helped…”

Fran glanced at her hand that Lou has been holding just now…

Eventually, she chuckled as if she’d given up.

Then she jogged and walked closer to Lou, snuggling up to him.

***

A short walk from the gates of Count Dumer’s residence in the noble district took them to the central square in about ten minutes.

In St. Helena, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Valentine, the royal palace stood tall in the center of the city, surrounded by a vast central square.

From this vast central square, various city blocks were separated by roads radiating in a stretch out from it.

So, when they came out to the central square, they walked around the royal palace.

The combination of a beautiful blonde noblewoman and a thin, slender man with black hair and dark eyes was enough to attract attention.

A number of people kept pointing and looking back at Lou and Fran.

And then a small incident happened.

Out of nowhere!

A disheveled young man, apparently the son of some aristocrat, blocked Lou and Fran’s way.

Behind him were about ten of his henchmen, who seemed to have been hired for money.

“Ohh! You’re quite cute. Why don’t you distance yourself from this guy and come hang out with us?”

This kind of man, if you refused him…

He had a number of henchmen who could kidnap a woman…

There was also a frightening air about him.

Fran looked troubled, but before she knew it, Lou stood between him and the man.

“You, out of the way!”

The young man’s face burned with hatred, and he seemed to have slammed his fist as hard as he could into Lou in front of him…

But Lou ducked easily, and the man who had swung at him fell over from the force of the blow.

The man who fell down got up immediately and threw another punch at Lou, screaming strange animal-like noises.

Lou easily dodged again, and this time he casually grabbed the man’s fist.

The man’s fist produced a sickening cracking sound as he grabbed it.

“Gyaaaaah!”

The intense pain distorted the man’s face, and an ugly cry came out of his mouth.

The henchmen behind the man no longer remained silent at this point.

They tried to lunge toward Lou.

But Lou whispered something in the man’s ear.

The man went rigid, as if he had been struck by an electric shock.

The man hurriedly waved his free left hand to stop his henchmen from approaching.

Lou whispered to the man again.

“I would like to talk to you alone peacefully…so tell your henchmen to back off.”

“G-G-Guys, come now, back off! Stand down!”

The henchmen, with a hint of frustration, retreated a short distance away, as their master had ordered.

Lou smiled wryly at their actions.

“I’m pretty much the same, but you’re terrible at hitting on women too…Well, that’s fine. What’s your name and age?”

When Lou questioned him, the man couldn’t resist for some reason and honestly told him his name.

“F-F*ck! L-Lazare Barbier, 17 years old! M-My father! He’s B-Baron Barbier!”

As expected, the man was the son of a nobleman.

But Lou wasn’t at all perturbed.

“Haha, your father doesn’t have much to do with it, you know? So, what do you usually do?”

“…………”

“Hey, hey, if you keep your mouth shut, your fist will end up crushed.”

The man still did not answer Lou’s question.

Liu put pressure on the man’s fist, which he gripped mercilessly.

The man’s face twisted in pain again as he heard the sound of bones cracking.

“A-gyaaaaah, s-stop it! I-I’ll tell you. I’m a second year student at the Valentine Boy’s Magical Royal Academy!”

Lou probed in…

Through Barbier’s magic wave aura, his memories came pouring.

…Barbier and his cronies apparently approached various women on the street, like they did today, and abducted and abused a number of them like rogues.

To clean up the aftermath…

He used his noble status to hush the women up against their will…

A rare shadow of displeasure appeared on Lou’s normally calm countenance. 

“…You’ve done a lot of terrible things to a lot of women. But it’s over now. If you have any conscience left, turn yourself in to the guards or the royal knights.”

Barbier went rigid as he felt Lou’s terrifying killing intent.

“E-eep!”

Lou gave Barbier a cold stare and said in a voice devoid of any inflection.

“I am her servant, but if you ever lay even one finger on her…”

The moment Lou said that, Barbier’s throat rumbled.

It was because the magic wave aura of Lou’s quiet but ruthless anger flowed in him all at once.

A completely different tone sounded in Barbier’s ears.

Lou’s ruthless voice carried nary a hint of jest.

“I’m going to torture not only those henchmen, but also you and your entire family to death.”

Lou’s warning made Barbier tremble, so much that he couldn’t stand.

In an instant, Lou magically showed him the image of Barbier’s parents being brutally murdered.

Trapped in fear, Barbier could no longer do anything but nod helplessly.

It was at this point that some guards finally rushed in.

They interrogated and questioned the onlookers who were present…

Both sides did not draw their swords, and Lou offered little resistance.

…So, after a stern admonishment, it was treated as a minor dispute, and both parties were acquitted.

Barbier grew paler when he learned of Fran’s true identity from the guards who rushed to the scene.

He found out that the person he was trying to kidnap was the daughter of a Count, a woman of higher rank than his own father.

Barbier was completely frightened and was drained of his courage.

He did not respond to the calls of his henchmen, but returned to the house dragging his heavy feet and turned himself in to the guards that night.

***

When the guards’ interrogation was over, Lou and Fran were about to head back to the business district…

Two girls who appeared in their mid-teens watched them.

Both of them had well-trained and burly for women, as proven by the muscles in their arms.

Each wore leather armor of a different color, and they had a magic enchanted shortsword at their waist.

The two were hiding in the crowd, especially so that Fran would not notice them.

They seemed acquainted with Fran.

“That’s definitely our school’s [Iron Mask], isn’t she..?”

“Yes, definitely. But I’ve never seen her smile like that before.”

The one who called Fran [Iron Mask]…

She was a blue-eyed girl with short blonde hair.

The one who agreed was a chocolate-eyed girl with light brown hair in a ponytail.

They were both students of the Magical Girls Academy.

“Is it because…because of that guy?”

“Perhaps. He’s dressed like an aristocrat…but he’s a servant. That’s…but still, that black hair is…”

The girls were observing Lou’s appearance and trying to identify him.

“Hey, you’re quite curious, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, pretty…yeah.”

The girls whispered to each other…

They started to follow Lou and Fran, who were walking ahead of them, without separating from them.