Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20: A WEEK OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS

If I’m honest, I didn’t want to be born into a noble family . They often have to learn etiquette and dance, and I don’t like how there are so many lip services in the conversation with nobles .

However, there are also moments where I thought that it’s good to be born as a noble . I get to eat sweets regularly . And the price to eat such a delicious sweet frequently is not something that ordinary people could afford .

Sometimes I bought them myself and sometimes I received it as a gift from the queen and other nobles .

Today I’m going to eat the cookies sent by the queen . The cookies must be tasty since it’s something chosen by the queen .

「Rita, please brew me a cup of tea . 」

「Please wait, my lady . 」

My maid Rita brews a delicious tea, and she does her job perfectly . If only she isn’t on my father’s side, she could be the perfect maid .

I’m so happy that today I can enjoy a good cup of tea with delicious cookies .

…Oh? I feel the tea tastes different from the usual . The tip of my tongue is tingling, did she change the tea leaves? Perhaps it went bad .

「Hey, is this the usual tea? 」

「Hai, this is the same tea as usual . 」

It feels like sandpaper on my tongue . I’m satisfied with the sweets that I bought in downtown . I don’t think becoming a noble is suitable for me .

The tea that I drank on the next day tastes strange too . Maybe I’m starting to catch a cold, though I’ve never caught a cold .

「Excuse me, am I speaking with Miss Yumiela? 」

When I was on my way back to my room after school to take a break, I was stopped by a man I’ve never seen .

「Yeah, I’m Yumiela . 」

「My name is Alastor, and I’m from the Magic Tool Development Department . I wanted you to cooperate with magic tools experiment . 」

Even though I don’t have any responsibility to cooperate with him, but I will since I was interested in the tools that were being developed .

「Sure, as long as it doesn’t take too much time . 」

「No, it will be quick . I already prepared an empty classroom over there . 」

The fact that he’s been talking to me told me the experiment would be something like an endurance test . I thought I’d be taken somewhere, but it seems the experiment was done in the school’s classroom .

「It’s a new type of magical handcuffs, and we want to test whether it can stand your power as the strongest in the kingdom . 」

Alastor showed me the magic equipment shaped like handcuffs . The handcuffs are a magic tool that restrains the target’s magic .

He put on the handcuffs on me . I don’t know what it is made from, but I can feel the weight of iron . They are built to be strong, both physically and magically .

A man being alone with a handcuffed schoolgirl in an empty classroom, somehow this looks like a crime scene .

「Should I try to use my magic in this situation? 」

「Yes, please gradually increase the magical output . If the handcuffs can’t stand the magic, I’ll give you a sign to stop . 」

I did as he said, but when I tried to activate my magic a little, nothing happened . Gradually I increased the amount of magical power that I release, but there’s no sign of any change happen .

In the end, I tried to use my magic with all my might, but still, nothing happened . This magic tool is the first one ever to stand my magic .

「This is all I can do . This magic tool is impressive . 」

I can’t hear what Alastor said over the trembling of half shock and half excitement that this might be the first time in my life I’m defeated .

「All right! I’ll kill you! 」

No, I haven’t lost yet . If I can’t do it with magic, let’s try to defeat it with something physical .

「Uaaghh! 」

I tear the handcuffs with all my strength . The chains were easily broken . OK, with this, the fight between me and the handcuffs have ended in a draw .

「Eh? 」

I found myself surrounded by armed men when I noticed . Alastor gave orders to the armed men with vile expression .

「Hey, what are you doing! Kill her off . 」

「Ano, excuse me . 」

「Ah, yes . The experiment is just a lie that I made up . I never thought I could catch you so easily . 」

「I’m sorry I broke this . 」

「What? 」

The rest of the armed men went rigid as they saw me tore away the handcuffs, and Alastor seemed too late to realize the fact .

His face that looks elated gradually grew pale .

「See, I’m not joking . Thank you for asking me to participate in this experiment . Well, let’s get this over . 」

「No… That’s impossible . 」

It appears that I was about to be killed . It’s a shame that he thought he could make me feel powerless by restricting my magic .

Alastor and the men were captured and handed them over to this kingdom’s soldier . The principal says I need to be careful since there must be some people in the school that guided them .

Two days later, I woke up feeling a sense of discomfort in my chest . And before me was a man with a face covered with a mask . Is he a pervert or something? Did he touch my chest?

「Ha, you fool… 」

When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see the man holding a knife in his hand . My clothes have a hole in the chest . Did he stab me? But I didn’t feel any pain?

「Etto, you’re an assassin, right? 」

「Hii, monster! 」

I was about to be killed again . I don’t know this assassin’s level, but I think it would be easy to kill him .

「They have been trying to get me assassinated twice . You should probably stay away from me . 」

I spoke to him in the school corridor, telling him we’d better stay away for a while .

「But I don’t mind being bothered by Yumiela . It happened twice, what’s one more time . 」

Hey Patrick, don’t say such a disturbing thing . I almost get assassinated three times in a short time .

「Hey, look out! 」

An arrow flew from outside of the window . Even though it won’t hit and hurt him I still don’t want his clothes getting torn, so I grab the arrow with my hand .

「I’ll catch the archer! Patrick, find somewhere to hide! 」

I jump out of the window, trying to catch the culprit . I will not forgive them, what if it hits Patrick?

Perhaps the academy has become a den for assassins . I’m going to get out of the academy since tomorrow is a holiday .

「Surround her, quick! Don’t let her get away, stab her! 」

Twenty ruffians surrounded me in the Royal Capital’s hidden alleys . They were armed with spears and swords .

「Haa, Dark Bind . 」

「Uaaaahh, what is this?! 」

They are restrained by the arms that extend from the shadow . I have no patience for this crap .

So far, the assassins’ interrogation was entrusted to the soldiers, but to this day, they haven’t been able to identify the real mastermind . It’s about time I started looking for the culprit .

「Who is your leader? 」

No one gave me a name, but I can see their eyes focused on one man . He is the man who gave orders to surround me .

「You are the leader? Who gave you the order to put a hit on me? 」

「I don’t know . 」

「Shadow Lance . 」

A spear flies out of the shadow and goes through the man’s abdomen . The blood scattered all over the place .

「Kyaaaaaaaa! 」

Then I heal his injury with recovery magic . There will be no scar left on him .

「Heal . How many times I have to do this until you talk, hmm? 」

I don’t have any skill that could torture someone effectively without killing them, so I did this on repeat . It’s a humane torture because he will never die and didn’t suffer any wound .

「This is horrible . 」

「This isn’t something human do . 」

「She’s really a demon . 」

I thought what I was doing was something humane, but their reactions didn’t seem right .

「It doesn’t have to be your leader that talk to me, isn’t it? 」

As soon as I looked around, they shut their mouth and turned their gaze away from me .

「Please believe me, I really don’t know! I don’t see their face, but he told me to kill a black-haired girl from the Royal Academy . 」

The leader makes a desperate plea .

「That’s not enough . Don’t worry, even if I have to repeat this a hundred times, I still have enough magic . 」

「No! I swear I’m not lying about this! Please believe me!! 」

In the end, he burst out crying . Apparently, he really doesn’t know .

The stranger probably asks the other assassins in the same way . I can understand why there’s little progress to the investigation .

I was attacked in my room, a place where I rest . One night they just sneaked into my room, but now I’ll be safe because I’ve put a barrier in my room .

There was a plan to flying in the sky riding on Ryuu’s back, but it would burden him since he couldn’t sleep when he flies .

Now that I’m in my room, I let out a sigh while drinking the tea that Rita had prepared for me .

The tea still tastes strange for me . Should I consult a doctor if this continues? But everything else tastes normal .

Even so, their latest assassination attempts were getting more and more sloppy . Speaking of assassination, they usually use poison…

「Hey, Rita . Can you taste this tea? 」

When I offered the cup of tea I was drinking to Rita, she began to tremble, and her face paled .

「P-please forgive me . My sister is being held hostage… 」

Is that so? This past week I’ve been drinking poisoned tea . Maybe the poison is weak and had little effect .

「What kind of poison did you put into this? 」

「Um, I was given a poison that’s lethal in a drop dose . I put five drops every time… 」

And I barely noticed this .

The in-game poison was differentiated for their strength and had fixed damage; in reality, it depends on the poison .

I might have been dead now if the damage was fixed . No, will I have noticed when I was on the brink of death? It would be a disaster if that ever happens because my HP was bottomless .

「Because of that, I was ordered to… 」

The one who told Rita to poison me probably was her employer .

「Master ordered me to . 」

She confessed that to me, Rita seems given up knowing she couldn’t escape .

My father was the one who is trying to kill me .