The Main Heroines are Trying to Kill Me

Chapter 483: Side Story - The Social Gathering (7)

“Just to remind you, if you’re caught writing erotica, you’re fired on the spot.”

“...Understood.”

After a long time persuading her, I finally managed to stop Arianne from going off the rails.

“As long as it’s not erotica, right...? Then it’s fine, isn’t it...?”

“...”

“Honestly, if you make it too obvious, it’s not that great. There’s an art to subtlety...”

Wait, will she really stop?

- Drip...

Arianne, whose face had turned red, was trying to avoid my gaze when blood started trickling from her nose.

Seeing that it became clear she didn’t fully understand what I was saying.

“You’re having a nosebleed.”

“Oh.”

Rubbing my aching head, I wiped the blood running from her nose with my hand and gently pinched her nose while tilting her head back.

“Do you bleed often?”

“N-No...”

“Take it easy, please. I’m worried about you.”

I used to think Arianne didn’t sleep much because she was a bookworm like Irina.

Little did I know it was because she stayed up late secretly writing erotica.

“If you keep this up, it could get serious.”

Irina might be fine without sleep since she’s a dragon, but Arianne’s situation is different.

Even though she’s a descendant of Dragon Slayers, she’s still human.

“...”

As I looked at her with concern, helping to stop the bleeding, Arianne’s face flushed even more as she stared at me.

“W-With... a f-friend’s boyfriend... an u-unforgivable relationship...”

“What?”

And then she started muttering strange things again.

“T-The man who stole her one and only friend... forces her head back... as she loses control of her body...”

- Drip, drip...

“...Sniff.”

Suddenly, she began gulping as if she were in pain.

“Sniff, ugh... ah...”

“Her nosebleed is getting so bad it’s going down her throat. Young Master... she’s choking... on her blood.”

As I stared at her in confusion, Kania sighed and muttered.

“C-Can’t... ugh... ah... B-Breathe.”

“Look, there’s a doctor right here, so just calm...”

“I-I wonder if this is what it feels like to have your throat c-choked.”

“Damn it.”

Of course, this happens.

.

.

.

.

.

“Why are the people around you all like this?”

“....”

Miho, who was shoving a fox bead into Arianne’s nose to stop the bleeding, asked me with a tired expression.

“Is there not a single normal person around you?”

Normally, I would’ve wholeheartedly agreed, but considering Miho, the one asking the question, wasn’t exactly normal either, I decided to keep quiet.

“I-I’m normal, though?”

Then, picking up on my silence, Miho raised her voice defensively.

“Normal people don’t fall in love with a man who forcefully kissed them and drained their vitality...”

“If you add ‘handsome,’ then it makes sense.”

“...Sigh.”

“Besides, the one who got kissed likes it, so what can you do?”

Serena let out a sigh, her attempt to reason with Miho falling flat.

“Well, Miho is the most reasonable one, after all.”

Breaking the silence, Serena muttered, and I unconsciously nodded in agreement.

Among the madness that surrounded me, Miho was practically a breath of fresh air.

- Wiggle, wiggle...

As I pondered this and stared blankly at Miho, her tail began wagging furiously in excitement as she gave me a hopeful look.

“So, what’s your answer?”

“...”

“Are you going to take care of me?”

Once again, I reiterate—I have no plans to take on more wives.

“Human?”

As I averted my gaze, Miho peeked out and tapped me with her tail.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

To avoid her gaze, I turned my head to the side and ended up locking eyes with Alice, who had been fidgeting nearby.

“So, what about you?”

I had almost forgotten about her thanks to Arianne’s overwhelming presence, so I asked her quietly.

She lowered her gaze and spoke softly.

“Well...”

Bracing myself for yet another bizarre answer, I began sweating as Alice finally spoke.

“I want to atone for the pain I caused you...”

“Pain?”

“What pain...?”

Serena and Roswyn’s eyes lit up with curiosity as they started questioning her.

“L-Lord F-Frey’s left arm... Mmff!?”

“I’ll hire you. It’s fine.”

Panicking, I clamped my hand over her mouth and glanced nervously at Serena.

“What about his left arm?”

“It’s nothing, ha ha.”

“Frey?”

“...”

Alice was genuinely a good person who had come to atone for her sins.

The problem is if she said that out loud right now, she probably wouldn’t live to see tomorrow.

“Hmm...”

“But aren’t you currently employed by Lecane?”

“Dual contracts are illegal, you know.”

As I continued to keep her mouth shut while maintaining a forced smile, the Horizon sisters asked their questions.

“S-She got permission. She’s allowed to work both jobs at the same time...”

“Tch.”

“It’s going to be troublesome if too many people start working here...”

Feeling exasperated, I threw them another question.

“Come to think of it, you two also wanted to work as maids, right?”

“Uh, yes.”

“If you let us, we’ll work really hard.”

“No.”

“...What?”

The other people, well, they had some valid reasons, but...

“S-Sister, were we just rejected?”

“I-I think so.”

But what’s the deal with these two?

“H-He doesn’t get carried away by the atmosphere... What do we do now?”

...Why do I get the feeling my house is being treated like a tourist spot?

“Even with just Kania, our mansion runs like clockwork. It’s flawless, I actually don’t need another maid.”

“Fufufu.”

For some reason, Kania chuckled with satisfaction at the sight of me using her as an excuse to turn the twins away.

“That’s right. Kania alone is enough to handle everything.”

“...I’m sorry, but legally speaking, I’m now Kania Raon Starlight.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll take over cleaning Frey’s room.”

“Rejected. I can’t let you have that.”

But that was short-lived, and soon enough, the tension between Kania and Serena flared up again.

“Anyway, there’s no reason for me to hire you.”

“Ugh...”

“But...”

“Let me hear it. Why would two young women with bright futures ahead of them want to work as maids at my mansion? I don’t get it.”

Ignoring the now-familiar squabble, I threw out the question.

The twin noble ladies lowered their heads and started confessing.

“T-To be honest... We came because we wanted to see the animals that you and your companions are raising...”

“Specifically, the spirits.”

They were talking about Serena’s Owl, Ferloche’s Gugu, Clana’s chick, Irina’s dog, and my silver cat.

I had only recently discovered that they were actually spirits, but they’re our family and friends.

But why would these two want to see them so much?

“Well, it’s tied to the Elf Kingdom... things are a bit complicated...”

“The elders... they’re actually spirits, and...”

Just as I started to listen to their nervous, sweat-soaked explanation, it happened.

- BOOM! BOOM!

- CRASH!!!

“...!?!!”

A deafening noise echoed throughout the hall.

“A-An attack?”

“That’s impossible. There’s maximum security in place...”

Startled, Roswyn jumped up, and Serena rushed over to me, trying to reassure us.

“I-I even cast a barrier spell at their request.”

Arianne, who had been groggy from anemia, muttered as she wobbled beside the still-tipsy Eurelia.

“Cooo!!”

“Guuguugu!!”

Then, suddenly, familiar voices rang out in the hall.

“Woof! Grrrr...”

“Chirp, chirp!”

“Meow!”

Five spirits smashed through the windows.

“P-Please, elders! Calm down!”

“T-The Elf Kingdom is desperately looking for you!!”

The spirits rushed straight toward the Horizon sisters.

“You need to return to the kingdom immediately! Waaaaah!”

“The World Tree is withering! Without the Spirit King, the cycle... WAHHHHH!”

Before I could react, the spirits had already grabbed the twins, clamping their beaks and paws over their mouths, and started dragging them out of the hall.

“Ouch! It hurts! I said it hurts, you old geezers... Ugh.”

“Do you have no shame pretending to be pets? No matter how fascinating these people’s stories are, you can’t just leave your thrones behind... Guh.”

What in the world is happening in this tiny tea hall?

“T-Teacher...”

As I watched the two sisters flail their arms in the hallway, I suddenly felt something soft in my hand.

“I like you, Teacher...”

This is getting ridiculous.

Eurelia, who had somehow woken up, was hugging my arm, giggling sleepily.

“Y-You’re my first love...”

“You already said that.”

“But it’s true... I’m not joking...”

“Let go.”

“The first person who ever taught me... was you...”

The atmosphere, already in disarray, was descending into complete chaos.

“You were different from those stupid teachers and tutors... You shattered my arrogance and taught me something new...”

“Go back to sleep.”

“...Hehe.”

I quickly pressed down on the back of Eurelia’s neck, making her pass out.

She slumped against my shoulder, still wearing a goofy smile.

“Someone take her home—and while you’re at it, snap some pictures of her like this and send them along too.”

“An arrogant lady imposing herself onto her Teacher... This is crazy... what’s with this storyline... so hot...”

- Flick!

Sensing that any further chaos would lead to even worse outcomes, I began to rapidly take control of the situation.

“Ouch, that hurts.”

“If you make one more lewd comment, I’ll make it hurt more.”

“...Oh.”

I handed the dazed and exhausted Arianne over to Kania.

“U-Um, what about me?”

“Oh, by the way, did they say that the leader of the fox tribe was attending today’s meeting, Kania?”

“Yes, I saw him earlier in the adjacent hall at the council meeting.”

“...Yippp!”

Using a little trick to escape from Miho’s advances felt a bit underhanded, but it worked.

“As for those who were hired today, Kania will fill you in on the details later. For now, let’s all wrap it up and go home.”

“...Young Master?”

As for the rest, I left them in the capable hands of Kania.

“Well, I’ve got things to do, so I’ll be going now...”

“Ummm.”

I had just about finished everything and was trying to make my escape when suddenly someone called out.

“W-What about me?”

“...Ah.”

Aishi’s shy voice from behind me froze me in place.

“A-As a princess... I’ve officially proposed to you, so... You can’t just ignore that...”

“I’m doomed.”

Or rather, to be more precise—

- Creak...

The moment her voice echoed, the door to the tea hall opened, and someone walked in, freezing the entire room.

“So, you’re telling me...”

“”...!!!””

With that person’s arrival, a terrifying tension immediately filled the once-chaotic tea hall.

“The princess of the Cloud Kingdom...”

“Uh, um...”

“...Proposed to my son?”

Just her mere presence was enough to make the entire empire tremble.

The pinnacle of the old imperial power.

“...How amusing.”

It seemed she had grown bored since the tea hall had been settled far too easily.

“Don’t you all agree?”

The Duchess of Starlight had arrived.

“Mind if I sit beside you for a moment?”

“...Please be gentle, Mother.”

“Hoho.”