Volume 3 Chapter 11 I'm Not Into That Kind of Hobby
Suzu did a lot of work on it, thanks to her, and now it's safe.
So, I untied the rope that had been binding the girl and left her lying in the corner of the workshop.
Lene and I decided to get to work.
The apprentices had already gone home, and Belle was in the process of preparing dinner.
Minori and Suzu are reading together in the workshop, their backs to each other.
As always, they get along so well.
"Hmm... Alchemy is a deep subject indeed...Since it uses Magic Power, it's not just simple chemistry, is it?"
"That's right. But the root of it is chemistry. You need to know at least a certain amount about chemical theory to practice Alchemy."
Lene is explaining the work to Aine.
That scholar had been shouting with so much emotion just a moment ago, but I quieted her down by giving her a gentle tap on the head.
"Uh...? Huh...? Where am I...?"
"Oh, you've woken up."
I stop what I'm doing when the girl wakes up.
She slept well despite the clanging sounds all around.
Well, she had died once, after all.
"...Eh? What!? Why!? What are you doing!?"
"Don't worry, this is our house. I carried you here while you were unconscious."
I tried to explain it to the confused girl, but she didn't seem to like it. She immediately got up, drew a dagger, and charged at me, but...
"...Huh?"
"Oh!"
She suddenly collapsed, and I caught her.
It's true, she's so light!
I wonder if she's eating enough.
"hat you ho..."
Her words seemed to stumble over each other, barely coherent.
What was she trying to say?
"What did you do?" Maybe she was thinking that since I suddenly went limp when I was about to kill her, it must be my doing.
"While you were asleep, Suzu put a magic Constraint on you. If you harbor any harmful intentions, your strength will drain away."
Suzu, who had somehow crept up beside Lene, Aine, and Minori, clarified everything.
Quick to react, huh?
Yeah, I brought this girl back, and I asked Suzu to put a few magicConstraints on her.
My genius magician's Constraints are powerful.
Even if she has some knowledge of magic, unlocking them would be extremely difficult.
"By the way, trying to harm yourself or escape will have the same effect. It's pointless to even try."
"No... that can't be true..."
The color drained from the girl's face, turning ashen.
She must be realizing how dire her situation is, considering why she's still alive.
"Alright, let's get some answers. Start with your name."
* * *
The girl had been putting up a fierce resistance, refusing to share any information, but we finally managed to get her name out of her.
It's Ai, apparently.
"That's a lovely name."
"......"
She just glared at me, silent and unresponsive.
Despite my compliment, she turned away.
It's kinda sad.
"Looks pretty tough."
"Dad is sad."
"Who do you think you're calling your daughter?!"
As I was complaining to Lene, who gave a wry smile, a sharp retort cut in.
Oh? So they can talk like this.
"Big Bro Ryuuji, it's almost dinnertime, but Ai-chan is covered in mud. Shouldn't we do something about it?"
"Oh, right. Good point."
Minori was right.
We were all clean, but Ai was still caked in mud.
It wouldn't be hygienic to have dinner like this.
"Well then, Ai, how about we take a bath together?"
"...Huh?"
Ai had a look on her face that said, I have no idea what you're talking about.
Oh, I see. I guess I need to explain.
"My house got an extension recently, and we built a Sakura-style bath. It takes a fair amount of firewood, but staying clean is important, after all."
"No, that's not it."
Oops, Ai's shaking her head like she's trying to ward off a headache.
I guess I got a little carried away showing off my home.
She's right, that's not it, not at all.
"Ai, you can't be apart from Big Bro Ryuuji, so you gotta take a bath with me too."
"I don't need dinner or anything, and a bath... Wait, what are you saying──Ack!? Help me──Eek!"
It seems like Ai tuned out Suzu's explanation, because she's opening her eyes wide and trying to bite her little sister, but then the magicConstraint activates and she collapses.
A bit pitiful, really.
"Now then, Ai-Ai. Since it's come to this, how about all 3 of us take a bath together? Don't worry, I'll keep watch, and I won't let Ryuuji do anything weird, okay?"
"Hey Lene, that's a bit hurtful, so cut it out with the jokes, will ya?"
What's she going on about, this wife of mine?
And I'm always with my sisters around the clock, so I'm used to seeing these girls in the buff at this age, anyway.
"H, h-help..."
Ai was being dragged off to the bathhouse by me and Lene, and my sisters sent her off with looks of sympathy.
As for Aine, she said, "They're getting all cozy...!" while biting her lip.
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