Chapter 157: Vassal Rianna

“Ahem.”

Magic Tower Master Legant, who had been verbally slain by Rianna for his smell, cleared his throat.
Smirks still lingered on the faces of the Grandmaster and Nameless, but they refrained from laughing out loud, sensing the conversation would grind to a halt if they did.
After all, such stories only became funnier the more one could relate.

“The need for a muzzle is becoming more pressing. You said she even broke one made of iron?”

“Yes, that’s right. Does the Magic Tower have anything stronger?”

I had thought that, being the Magic Tower, they might be able to create something like high-purity iron using one of their massive furnaces.

But Legant simply clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“We’re Mages, not Blacksmiths.”

“Well, whatever it is, we need something to cover her mouth. I can’t keep covering it with my hand.”

“I like it.”

“…”

Isaac gently covered Rianna’s mouth with his hand. The way she now seemed to wait for his touch and surrender to it stirred a strange feeling within him.

“Even if it breaks, we need something to block it for now—.”

“No, there’s no need for that. Why not just use a muzzle that can’t be broken?”

A muzzle that can’t be broken?

“There’s a spell called Silence. It completely blocks the target’s voice. If we cast that on her, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Hmm.”

Satisfied with the solution, Isaac nodded. This way, nothing would break, and Rianna wouldn’t be uncomfortable.

“Excellent. I’ll ask you for that, then.”

“…This isn’t a shop, you know. It requires some preparation, so come back later.”

As Legant turned to leave, the Grandmaster and Nameless playfully fired shots at his back.

“Hmph, try to wash up next time.”

“This is what you get for being cooped up in your room all day researching Magic.”

“…Ah, one more thing, Isaac.”

Pretending not to hear them, Legant turned back to Isaac.

“If you can, try to cover your face when you walk around.”

“…Pardon?”

Isaac asked, bewildered by the sudden remark. Rianna quickly added from the side.

“Isaac is handsome.”

…She really thinks about that at every possible moment.

Through this Vassalization, Isaac had been made aware several times of just how highly Rianna regarded him. Before the curse, he had never heard a single word of the sort.

“That’s the problem.”

Legant nodded as if Rianna had hit the nail on the head.

“Are you aware that items modeled after you are being secretly traded throughout the Magic Tower?”

“…Pardon?”

“Ah! I was going to talk about that!”

Nameless quickly inserted herself between Legant and Isaac. This must have been what she had been so eager to talk about earlier.

With an amused smile, Nameless explained.

“Pupil, did you know that dolls, pictures, and even novels based on your appearance are being sold? When you left for Evergard, the Mages started making them to entertain themselves.”

“What in the world is that—.”

Isaac asked, a look of disbelief on his face, but the explanation was simple enough.

Mages typically spent their time cooped up in their labs or rooms, reading theses, researching Magic, or studying. No matter how superior they believed themselves to be as Mages, they were still human and naturally accumulated stress. For the female Mages, Isaac’s existence was like a sweet, refreshing nectar.

First and foremost, he was a handsome man.

Was there a shortage of handsome men in the Magic Tower? Of course not.

But just look at the Magic Tower Master, Legant. He was unkempt from not washing properly, and often smelled of stale cigarettes or alcohol. On a good day, he smelled of dust from old paper. The male Mages, who proudly strode around in robes that hadn’t been washed in who-knows-how-long, sadly failed to meet the standards of the female Mages. Conversely, the male Mages didn’t classify the female Mages as women, either.

And into that environment, Isaac appeared.

A man handsome even among the handsome. His hair was tied back neatly in a ponytail, and a faint, lingering scent of Rose clung to him. He was fit from constant exercise, yet possessed a decadent charm, with a hint of sorrow and regret always present in his eyes.

“You’ve raised the Mages’ standards too high.”

Now, to the female Mages, the male Mages had become nothing more than water bears crawling on the street.

“That’s hardly my fault, is it?”

“In any case, be aware of it. If a fireball comes flying your way on the street, just accept it. It’ll probably be from some man blinded by jealousy.”

“…”

Isaac looked utterly dumbfounded, but Legant was quite serious. He had noticed that the warm greetings and lingering gazes from the female Mages were even more intense than before he had left.

It seemed that when their daily source of vitality suddenly vanished, they had found replacements.

“…”

While the others were unsure how to react, the one who responded most vehemently was, of course—

“How dare they do this with Isaac—!”

—Rianna, who was incapable of controlling her emotions.

The thought of novels with unspeakable content about her ex-husband, of women clutching dolls in his likeness as they slept… Just imagining it was a gut-twisting feeling.

Her reaction had been fierce when she’d seen it herself, and this time was just as ferocious.

“Mmmph!”

Not knowing what brutal words might spill out, Isaac quickly clamped his hand over her mouth and made a request to Legant.

“You are the Magic Tower Master. Such acts are unpleasant, so please put a stop to them.”

“Tsk, I tried, but the backlash was quite severe. Well, if you, the person in question, come and voice your opinion directly… I suppose it could be resolved.”

Legant shrugged, saying he would talk to them. With a sigh, Isaac decided he had to get out of there before Rianna truly caused a catastrophe.

“Hmm.”

“Why are you so quiet?”

“I take after our father.”

“…”

Hearing the conversation between the Grandmaster and Sharen behind him, Isaac stepped outside, only to come face-to-face with an unexpected pair entering the crystal spire.

A man and a woman with blue hair. Comrades-in-arms, of a sort, from his time in the Northern Region. They were Rayan and Marlin, the siblings from the Leviase Family, famous for their Magic Sword.

“Oh? Baron Logan! I heard you went to Evergard, but you’re back!”

Rayan greeted Isaac with a bright smile. Before, there had been a clear sense of vigilance and hostility, but now, perhaps because of their shared experience in battle, his greeting was quite warm.

Marlin, beside him, remained silent as ever. She glanced at Rianna, who stood next to Isaac, and spoke quietly.

“…So you rescued her.”

“Ah, Lady Rianna! I’m so glad to see you have returned safely!”

Reian Levice also rushed over to Rianna, his face beaming. It seemed his affections for her had not yet faded.

“Ah! How can you be so beautiful even in this state? I believe a flower is best left as it is, but—!”

When they had met in the Northern Region, Rianna had been as polite to Rayan as possible.

“Even this restrained appearance stirs a man’s heart like a forbidden fruit. You are truly a sinful woman, for the word ‘beautiful’ follows you no matter your form!”

He was, after all, a young lord of the Leviase Family. With Helmont in a precarious position, there was no need to make enemies or be rude.

“Isn’t it astonishing that even a divorce is no blemish on you? I, Reian Levice, to you—.”

“Just shut up.”

“…Pardon?”

But that was then. The Rianna who would have offered a perfunctory, ‘Yes, yes,’ was no more. In her place was Vassal Rianna, who could only speak her mind.

Isaac tried to subtly cover her mouth, but Rianna, seeing her chance, twisted her head slightly to evade his hand.

“Stop talking. I don’t feel happy hearing those words at all. In fact, it’s unpleasant. Honestly, it’s just irritating.”

“…”

“And stop trying to act so handsome. You’re not handsome at all. As a man, you’re not just unappealing, you’re completely repulsive. Look at Isaac here.”

“…”

“See? This is the man I lived with. Now, go look in a mirror. You think I’d be interested in you?”

“…”

“That’s enough. Now go, and be grateful my hands are tied. If they weren’t, I would have split you in half with Ragnavel.”

“How fiery.”

The Grandmaster clapped, letting out a dry laugh. Sharen nodded in agreement and added.

“Just as I thought, sister takes after Mom. I take after Dad.”

Isaac moved behind Rianna and gently covered her mouth as she was about to continue. This time, as if she was done, she didn’t resist and leaned her body subtly against him.

“Why have you come here?”

Rayan stood with his mouth agape, offering no answer to Isaac’s question, which was meant to change the subject. Finally, his younger sister, Marlin, answered.

“Primeval Transcendents have been appearing indiscriminately on the Northern Front. We came to the Magic Tower to seek advice on how to stop them.”

Marlin took a long breath. For her, the explanation was unusually long. With Rayan unable to speak, she must have felt it was up to her.

“…”

“…”

In the awkward silence, Rianna calmly looked at Rayan, then let her words slip through the gap between Isaac’s fingers.

“What are you looking at?”

“…”

“…”