“Y-you came all this way just to say that?”
“No? I’m borrowing some mana.”
Suddenly, the sensation of having her mana stolen.
With so many things happening one after another, Mia felt dizzy.
“Wha-what are you─”
“Hmm, it really is a good attribute.”
The moment Mia saw the small [Chain] spinning at high speed on Luke’s palm, she was at a loss for words.
“It goes without saying for [Healing], [Lightning] and [Chains] are also excellent. I see, [Lightning] can also be used to enhance physical abilities. Since its fundamentals differ from fortification magic, it can ignore mana tolerance, there are limits but it’s a good attribute. [Chains] linked with [Information Magic] for automated interception could be interesting.”
The single [Chain] on Luke’s palm increased to five.
Even Mia could only manifest two at the same time.
And not only that. [Lightning] was imbued in each of those chains, crackling with electricity, leaving her unable to close her wide open mouth.
“Y-you…”
Amazing. He’s really amazing.
I thought I knew about Luke, no, I only thought I did. Mia realized in this moment.
──[Monster]
What stood before her was a monster wearing the skin of a human, her heart, not head, understood.
“Hmm.”
In an instant, the magic Luke had activated was erased.
“Now then, I came to make a proposal to you. ──Won’t you become my [pawn]?”
“….Huh?”
Mia didn’t understand what she was being told. She grasped the meaning of the words, but his train of thought was so disjointed her brain refused to comprehend it.
“[Subordinate], [Servant], call it whatever you want. An existence that never doubts my words and serves me wholeheartedly. I want that kind of thing right now.”
Luke spoke as if it were an ordinary, casual conversation.
“Th-there’s no way I could─”
“If you become my [pawn], you’ll never have to feel like this again.”
“─Ah”
“As you saw before, I can guide you. You want power, don’t you? You hate feeling like this again, right? Then become my [pawn]. I’ll liberate you from [fear]──of defeat.”
She should have just ignored it as something no sane person would say and laughed it off.
But Luke’s words had some kind of inexplicable persuasiveness.
And contained a dangerous sweetness. The kind that makes you unconsciously want to [believe].
(W-why am I─)
Mia was honestly terrified.
Because she realized that somewhere along the way, the option of becoming Luke’s [pawn] had somehow naturally become established within her.
Without realizing it, she had seriously been considering becoming Luke’s [pawn].
It was because she suddenly came to her senses and recognized that fact from an objective perspective that she felt fear.
However──her heart had already been corrupted by that sweet poison.
That’s why she couldn’t help but ask.
“Wh-what does a pawn…have to do…?”
“─Heh.”
From Mia’s expression, her slightly trembling voice, these subtle pieces of information, Luke was certain this “experiment” had been relatively successful.
“It’s nothing difficult. I just want you to lend me your power when I need it. That’s all,” said Luke.
“You need…my power?”
“That’s right. I need your power.”
“…………”
The moment she heard those words, Mia’s heart shook with a start.
She hadn’t been comforted with kind words, nor tenderly embraced.
Despite not wanting to see anyone, she had been half-forced to open the door, and on top of that was told to become his [pawn], unbelievable words.
──Yet.
(Luke said he needs my power. Just that fact, simply──makes me happy.)
She felt a terribly instinctive, intoxicating joy.
The time she had interacted with Luke wasn’t particularly long.
Rather, it was short. Yet despite that, each and every one of his words melted her soul, sweet and warm like waves rocking her.
──I want to be needed more.
She was possessed by that irresistible, intense desire. However──
“….Give me some time to think about it.”
If she followed her heart, she would have readily agreed to Luke in two words.
But somehow she endured. This was something she absolutely shouldn’t decide immediately.
She had to calm down and think it over properly, the last vestiges of her reason warned her.
“….I see, alright.”
“─Ah”
Luke looked just a little disappointed.
Just that, just seeing that alone, Mia tasted indescribable guilt, as if her chest had been slashed through.
This choice is definitely wrong. What have I done?
Such self-reproach washed over her like waves.
I have to correct this immediately, I need to correct this right away.
The moment Mia resolved that─
“I’ll ask again tomorrow. I’m expecting a good answer,” said Luke, lightly placing his hand on Mia’s shoulder.
The instant he touched her, she experienced a tingling sensation, as if her mind was numbing, and shook slightly.
“Ah…”
Her waist gave out, and she plopped down limply on the spot.
“Huh? What’s wrong, what happened?”
This was also an unexpected development for Luke. Since she crumbled down limply like a broken doll just from lightly touching her shoulder, he no longer understood the meaning.
And the situation became even more chaotic.
“Wh-what are you doing!?”
A third party voice called out.
When Luke looked, the two people there were──[Lily] and [Abel].
///
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scene transition
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They had also been worried about Mia, and came to check on her again.
“A-are you okay!?”
“…………”
Mia’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes somewhat empty. Clearly abnormal.
However, in truth there was nothing wrong with her.
She just had various emotions explode from Luke’s touch being the trigger, and had fallen into a bit of a trance.
But of course, Lily who had just appeared wouldn’t know that.
What she saw was the clearly abnormal Mia sitting limply and Luke next to her.
“You! Luke right!? What did you do to her!?”
“……I didn’t do anything. Annoying woman, don’t yell so loudly all the time.”
“What the?”
Luke judged his objective had already been accomplished.
There was no need to deal with this noisy woman further. Having concluded that, he started walking.
Ignoring Lily who was still chattering sharply.
And the moment he passed by the silent Abel,
“Luke came because he was worried about her too, right?” said Abel.
“….Huh?”
Luke was taken aback, but Abel just smiled faintly, not saying anything more. As if words were unnecessary.
(What’s with that [I understand] look… That’s not it at all but….)
After this, Luke didn’t say anything either. Simply because he was tired.
He went back down the stairs as is, returning to his room. Lying down on the bed, he pondered for a bit.
(Increasing my pawns is more troublesome than I thought. Guiding the other party’s heart towards the goal of [Loyalty] to me through words and actions. It’s just that when you boil it down, but depending on the circumstances, there may even be a need to stage a tragedy.)
This [experiment] had far too convenient conditions.
Either Mia or Lloyd would definitely lose and have greater emotional fluctuations. That’s when gaps in the heart form. Whether it was Mia or Lloyd didn’t matter to Luke. Either was fine.
Also, this being the [“first”] defeat was another good condition.
Humans are creatures that [get used to things]. The emotional fluctuations from defeat would likely be smaller the second time compared to the first, and smaller the third time compared to the second.
That’s why this ranking match was perfect.
──For the experiment of [increasing pawns].
However, the results didn’t meet his expectations as much as he had hoped.
Luke was confident he could make Mia his pawn, but that didn’t happen.
“Well, it was a good first try. ──Tch, still unpleasant,” he muttered.
But through this incident, Luke further realized [Yorand’s] value.
──[A pawn that can increase pawns]
Its rarity is immeasurable. Far too valuable.
There’s no way he could readily let go of something like that.
“Haa, maybe I should swing a sword around.”
To shake off these stagnant thoughts, there was nothing like swinging a sword.
Luke took up the sword leaning against the wall and left the room once more.
The next morning.
Around the time the milky white dawn was beginning to chase away the darkness.
“U-um…it’s fine if I become it. ──Your pawn, I mean.”
“…………”
Mia, who had come to Luke’s room first thing in the morning, said that somewhat hesitantly, seemingly embarrassed.
Since Luke thought this attempt had failed, combined with it still being early morning so his head wasn’t working yet, he was at a loss for words for several seconds.
──Yorand’s appearance.
Meeting that man, who didn’t appear in the original work, sparked Luke’s interest in [pawns].
And so he experimented. An experiment to increase his pawns.
As a result, the girl who should have eventually become a [Magic Knight] chose to become Luke’s [pawn]──.
3
Mia snapped open her eyes.
There was no intermediate state between sleep and waking, the moment she opened her eyes she was already in the awakened state.
It seemed fatigue still remained in her body however, probably because various things had happened yesterday.
It appealed to remain in this comfortable world of light drowsiness like warm mud.
But she didn’t take it as good.
She immediately sat up, leaning against the bed frame. Then she gently placed her hand on her chest.
(….As expected, it hasn’t changed.)
After a night’s sleep, her will hadn’t wavered.
Then she should take action. Hesitating and missing opportunities would be foolish.
Mia’s heart had settled.
“…………”
At that time, Luke’s figure somehow floated up in her mind.
No matter how positively she interpreted it, she understood Luke yesterday couldn’t be evaluated as a [good person]. Mia knew that as well.
Yet──for some reason she feels drawn to him.
Chewing over Luke’s words repeatedly inside her heart, emotions she didn’t understand herself gushed forth endlessly.
[──Won’t you become my [pawn]?]
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