I Kidnapped the Hero’s Women

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 87 - A Mysterious Complex

“Before that, let’s have a talk. Man to man.”

“Yes, Count. As you say... Wait, what?”

Yuri's brow furrowed deeply.

Fortunately, thanks to the mask, Aslan couldn’t see her expression.

Yuri couldn't hide her discomfort to that degree.

“You seem to find it quite difficult to deal with me, so if there are any misunderstandings, I’d like to clear them up.”

“...Yes.”

Clench.

Aslan gripped Yuri’s shoulder tightly, pulling her close.

Yuri recoiled in shock.

It felt like Aslan was hugging her.

...Or perhaps it was just a normal gesture of camaraderie between men.

‘Does he really think I’m a guy!?’n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Yuri’s blood pressure shot up.

Well, it was somewhat natural given that he was in disguise.

Her hair was cut short.

She wore no makeup.

Her voice was gruff.

And she was dressed in neat trousers and a simple shirt.

At first glance, people always mistook her for a boy.

But that impression never lasted long.

After a brief conversation, students and professors at the academy alike would soon get that puzzled look, unable to hold back their curiosity, and end up asking if she was really a boy.

Despite being all covered up, her femininity still managed to peek through, which was incredibly frustrating.

...At least that’s what she thought.

Until she met someone so oblivious that, even after sitting in the same carriage, shoulder to shoulder for hours, he didn’t notice Yuri was a girl.

‘How can you not tell!? Most people notice!’

It was truly infuriating.

It wasn’t like they’d only met a few times.

They’d seen each other at the academy twice, at the training grounds multiple times—countless encounters.

And it wasn’t as if Aslan was completely uninterested.

Aslan had even growled at her to take off the mask, clearly suspicious of Yuri’s relationship with his servants.

Didn’t that mean he was paying attention to her?

How could he not know?

When she was about to give a fake name, she’d gotten flustered and accidentally said Yuria.

Yuri could be used as a male name, so maybe that was confusing, but...

How could he still think Yuri was a boy after seeing "Yuria"...?

Surely he didn’t think Yuri was some pervert who enjoyed cross-dressing so much that she even changed her name to a girl’s one...?

...No, that couldn't be, right?

Coming up with a plausible hypothesis, Yuri’s pupils began to quiver.

“...Anyway, I’m placing a lot of expectations on you.”

“Yes.”

“So. Do you have anything you’d like to say?”

“...”

What was the conversation about again?

Yuri knew Aslan was saying something.

But with all the confusion in her head, not a word stuck.

Yuri stammered in a panic before giving a vague reply.

“No. I have nothing to say.”

“That mask. You really don’t intend to take it off?”

“...Yes.”

Casually.

Aslan reached out to lift the mask.

Yuri lowered her gaze, avoiding his eyes.

Aslan let out a long sigh.

With a somewhat disappointed expression, Aslan rose to his feet.

Aslan left first, taking feeble steps, as if discouraged.

Left alone, Yuri’s shoulders began to tremble.

‘You don’t see me as a girl? Ughhh…!’

It was really annoying.

Disgusting.

It made her feel awful.

Yuri clenched her trembling fist tightly, tears welling up.

‘I can’t just leave Charlotte and Julia with a guy like him!’

The wariness that had briefly eased now surged back.

The hatred that had nearly faded thanks to the Dark Mister’s letter recharged instantly.

“Huh?”

Rustle.

At the sound of rustling bushes, Yuri’s head whipped around.

It wasn’t a noise made by Aslan.

Then…?

.

.

.

“Waaaah…!”

Panting and stumbling, Charlotte and Julia fled without even paying attention to the rustling sound in the bushes.

They had witnessed a shocking scene!

“That was Yuri just now, right? It was, wasn’t it?”

“Y-Yes, I think so. But why is Yuri here…?”

The face revealed beneath the mask that Aslan had lifted.

It was undoubtedly Yuri’s face.

It was already astonishing enough that Yuri was here.

“But more importantly, why is Aslan making a move on Yuri!!!”

“Julia. Shh. Shhhh…”

What shocked them even more was how Aslan touched Yuri as if they were incredibly close.

He hadn’t reached out to them like that yet.

How long had Yuri known Aslan to be so comfortable around him…?

Seeing Aslan's uninhibited touch, as if dealing with a boy, Charlotte and Julia felt like they were going to faint from the sheer bewilderment.

“I think… we’re far enough now. Haah. Haaaah…”

“We didn’t even run that much, and you’re already out of breath?”

“Unlike you… haah… I don’t have great stamina… Huff…”

“But why did Yuri come all the way here?”

“Isn’t it obvious? She said she’d come back to rescue us. She must have thought we were being treated poorly at the Vermont estate since then. That’s why she snuck in, hiding her identity.”

“Aha! So that’s why the mask…!”

Charlotte clapped her hands, her eyes widening.

Everything finally made sense.

It was indeed something Yuri would do.

It might have seemed a bit foolish, considering what they knew about Aslan Vermont’s true nature.

But if they thought about how scared they’d been of him until recently, it made sense how precarious things might have looked to an outsider.

Knowing how Yuri must have felt, it made approaching her even trickier.

“Shouldn’t we tell Yuri? That we’re actually doing well, despite the rumors?”

“No. We have to be careful. If it’s Yuri, she might think we’ve been brainwashed into speaking well of Aslan.”

“Ah. Yeah, if it’s Yuri, she might really think that… So what do we do?”

“If we tell her outright, she’ll get suspicious, so we have to reveal it subtly. As long as she believes we haven't seen what's under that mask, our words will have more credibility.”

“Credi… what? Never mind! I think you're right anyway!”

Charlotte grasped Julia's meaning, even if she didn’t understand the word exactly.

If they just sat Yuri down and tried to calmly convince her, she’d probably just let it in one ear and out the other.

Yuri always considered the worst-case scenario first, so she’d definitely think they’d been brainwashed.

But if they acted like they knew nothing and subtly showed they weren’t being treated poorly by Aslan?

Since it wasn’t an outright attempt to convince her, Yuri wouldn’t be able to suspect brainwashing.

She’d soon realize what kind of person Aslan really was.

“Great! Then we can ease Yuri’s worries!”

“Yes. And one more thing. We need to get Yuri away from Aslan as soon as possible.”

“Oh…”

Remembering what they’d forgotten for a moment, Charlotte's mouth fell open.

That Mister…

He seemed really fond of Yuri.

‘There must be no more competitors for Julia!’

‘If the maids are right, Aslan is a shady pervert who can’t resist pure commoner girls! We must protect Yuri from him!’

Charlotte and Julia’s eyes met.

Though their thoughts were completely different…

Their one goal was the same. The two nodded, sharing a glance.

***

‘This awkwardness is unbearable.’

The carriage set off again.

The interior, which had gathered in small groups, fell into silence once more.

Was it Yuri’s fault for sitting there in silence with the mask on?

Charlotte and Julia also seemed a bit reserved, not displaying their usual vibrant selves.

‘Seems like using the Dark Mister’s influence failed.’

I had thought that a man-to-man conversation might get him to open up.

I had been straightforward, even throwing away my dignity as a noble.

But instead, the brat had retreated like a timid girl, only strengthening the walls around him.

Alright. That kid isn’t just some handsome boy; he’s an imitation girl.

I fully understand now.

Since he was the protagonist, I thought he’d have the qualities of a bold man and a great hero, but it turned out he was just a cowardly and timid kid.

It’s clear now that I need to approach things differently.

[The Evil God, 'Kali,' is fretting, saying our apostles seem to be in a power struggle.]

A power struggle?

What nonsense is that?

It’s just an awkward atmosphere. How could this be a power struggle?

Kali’s judgment couldn’t be trusted.

Shaking my head, I sighed deeply.

The children must have grown tired because soon enough, they dozed off.

At first, they seemed to be sleeping peacefully, but at some point, both Charlotte and Julia began leaning closer and eventually each took one of my arms.

“...”

“...”

Across from me.

From behind the mask, I felt Yuri’s gaze piercing through me.

Even though he shouldn’t have been able to sense mana, the thick air of killing intent was palpable, almost suffocating.

I knew well that the more I behaved like this, the more Yuri’s misunderstanding and hatred would deepen...

‘But I’m sorry, your friends are already quite attached to me.’

I couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable sense of superiority welling up.

[TL/N: Yuri’s gender has finally been confirmed to be “female.”]

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]