Chapter 100

Chapter 100

The Heroine of the 1st Playthrough Remembers My Training.

Episode 100: The Family Matters Of Calliope Epilogue (1).

It was an unbelievably peaceful series of everyday events.

Sometimes, when I walked down the corridor and met Cale, I would smile, causing him to run away. At night, I would alternate between calling Garcia and Reika, sometimes both at the same time, to have a tryst.

…And now, I was in the middle of teasing Emma, who had come to clean the room.

“…Hah…! Young Master… You can’t… do this…!”

“Even though you say you can’t, you’ve soaked your panties? Were you expecting this?”

“…N-No..! Hah… I just… came to clean… the room!… Huh… I really… shouldn’t… do this..!”

“Then should I stop?”

As I whispered while pulling my hand away, Emma tightly grabbed my wrist.

“…Please continue.”

“Emma, you’re so honest, it’s cute.”

“…Hah…! But… this… is… unforgivable…! I’m a maid… and you’re… the Young Master…”

Despite having been in a relationship, Emma suddenly spouted lines that could only come out of an erotic novel.

“….”

Not knowing what to say, I kept my mouth shut, and Emma glanced at me.

Recently, she had been hanging around the library; she must have been reading those kinds of novels.

Sighing briefly, I decided to play along with Emma.

“…Shut up and spread your legs! Do you, as a maid, dare to defy my words?”

“…Hah… O-Okay… P-Please forgive me… Young Master…”

ㅡKnock Knock.

Just as Emma hastily removed her panties and lifted her hips, a knock sounded.

“Young Master, it’s Alfredo.”

“…Ah! B-Butler! Y-Young Master… J-Just a moment! I’m… not here, okay?”

Startled by Alfredo’s sudden appearance, Emma hid herself under the blanket.

“Sigh…”

Shaking my head, I quickly put on my pajamas and opened the door.

“Good morning, Young Master.”

“Yeah, Alfredo, how are you?”

“I’m always well, thank you. …By the way, is someone else in the room with you?”

Sharp-eyed Alfredo glanced around the room and called out a name.

“Emma.”

“…!”

The blanket wriggled as if to advertise her presence.

Even though she thought she hadn’t been discovered, Emma had no intention of coming out.

“…Emma, you should come out now.”

“Hehe… Oh? B-Butler… G-Good morning?”

Emma peeked her face out from under the blanket.

“What are you doing there?”

“W-Well, I was cleaning the blanket…”

“Cleaning? I see. Excellent. But what about the panties on the floor?”

“Huh!”

Emma’s face turned red upon seeing the black panties on the floor, but Alfredo continued without blinking an eye.

“…Emma, it’s fine to play with the Young Master, but it’s still work hours. If you’re aiming to become the head maid, you need to show more diligence.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Yes, you need to be more diligent.”

Nodding in agreement with Alfredo’s admonition, I added a word.

“…Young Master, I clearly told you this wasn’t right…!”

Emma looked at me with an aggrieved expression.

But I was just as wronged.

Of course, it started with me patting Emma’s butt as she cleaned the room.

But wasn’t it Emma’s fault for wearing a skirt short enough to reveal her panties?

And when I patted her butt, even though Emma said, “Young Master… You can’t do this…” anyone could tell she wanted more, so how could that mean she really wanted me to stop?

Most importantly, Emma herself asked me to do more in the end, so I was clearly innocent.

“…I don’t remember.”

“Young Master! That’s so mean! Really! That’s too much!”

Ignoring Emma’s pouting beside me, I spoke to Alfredo.

“So, what’s up, Alfredo?”

“…The head of the family has summoned you, Young Master.”

“Father? Why?”

“I don’t know. I am just a messenger… But he seemed quite pleased.”

Feigning ignorance, I knew there was only one reason Father would call me now.

‘It’s decided.’

Erden had been confirmed as the next head of the family.

It was natural.

If Garcia and Reika had given up in the family head contest, Cale should have taken action, but with a chastity belt on, he wouldn’t have had the time to think about other things.

“Yeah, got it. I’ll change and go right away.”

“Understood. Shall I accompany you to the room?”

“No need, you’re busy enough.”

“Yes, Young Master, then I’ll return to my duties.”

As Alfredo bowed and left the room, Emma, who had dressed herself neatly, scampered off.

“…I…I’ll go back to cleaning.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. Emma, you’ll be in charge of cleaning the toilets for a week.”

“…Huh! But that’s… that’s what apprentice maids do…”

“Understood?”

“…Yes.”

Emma tried to find a way out, but Alfredo’s words crushed her resistance.

“Emma, hang in there.”

As I patted her head, Emma lowered it sadly.

“…Young Master, I hate you.”

“Shall we stop then?”

“…Please continue.”

“Honestly, I was surprised.”

Eddard Calliope naturally opened his mouth as he descended the stairs to the underground.

“How did you solve something I’ve been struggling with for years in just a few weeks? What method did you use?”

My heart thumped at Eddard’s question.

No matter how it was, I couldn’t tell my father that I had trained my stepmother and stepsister.

“…It was just a matter of sincere conversation.”

“If they were someone you could talk to, I would have finished it a long time ago.”

“…”

I tried to think of an excuse, but nothing came to mind that would convince Eddard.

“….”

“….”

As the silence became suffocating, Eddard smirked and spoke.

“So, you don’t even want to reveal it to your father… I see, you must have a hidden card.”

“…Thank you for understanding.”

“Enough of that, the reason I called you here is to give you a reward.”

“…A reward?”

“How long do you plan to play dumb? You must have realized as soon as you came here.”

Of course, I had realized it.

At the end of these stairs was only the ‘Calliope’s Underground Vault’.

“We’re here.”

When Eddard lifted the candlestick, a huge door resembling a shield, the symbol of Calliope, appeared.

“Step back.”

As I took a few steps back, Eddard cut his fingertip with a dagger and let the blood drop on the wolf head-shaped handle.

Rumble—!

At that moment, the pattern engraved on the door lit up, and it began to open with a great vibration.

Eddard gestured with his chin and spoke.

“…Go inside and choose one thing you want.”

“Can I really take anything?”

“Yes, didn’t I say from the beginning that I value rewards and punishments? Preventing the tragedy of fratricide deserves this much reward.”

“Then I won’t hold back.”

I only glanced around the vault for a moment, but there were so many things I wanted to take.

‘Baldur’s Spear, Dragon Sword… even the Staff of Rooster.’

Nothing in the vault was not a treasure, fitting the name Calliope.

‘But still…’

After briefly watching the treasures, I entered without hesitation.

And I grabbed the small drop-shaped crystal placed in the deepest part.

“I’ll take this.”

“…Do you know what that is?”

I nodded at Eddard’s question.

「Essence of Frost」

An item that enhanced affinity and abilities related to ice, and granted resistance to cold.

In other words, it granted cold immunity among the cold and heat resistance.

“There are many other good items. Do you have to take that one?”

“I like this one.”

“…Hah, how did you even know… Well, what do you plan to do with the ‘Essence of Frost’? You don’t intend to sell it, do you?”

“Of course, I intend to consume it.”

“…Consume it?”

For the first time, Eddard’s expression hardened.

“No, I can’t allow you to consume it.”

“Isn’t consuming it the only way to use it?”

“You can make weapons or armor.”

“It’s too wasteful to use the essence like that. Even though the effect will be weaker, it can be mimicked with magic. Consuming it is the best.”

“Don’t think of it as an ordinary elixir. You might die.”

“Sometimes you need to take risks.”

Eddard glared at me as if he could never allow it, but I stared back at him without backing down.

The chance of side effects from consuming the ‘Essence of Frost’ in ‘Academy Trainer’ was 10%.

However, the lower one’s abilities, the higher the chance of side effects, so in my current state, it would be about 15%.

The side effect here meant death, so it was roughly a 15% chance of dying.

It wasn’t an absolutely low probability, but I was confident.

“You only see the future, but you don’t see the burning heart of a father…”

After a long sigh, Eddard spoke.

“…Fine. Do as you wish.”

“Thank you.”

“But consume it now. If any side effects occur, I can at least do something.”

“Understood.”

Since it didn’t matter where I consumed it, I immediately swallowed the ‘Essence of Frost’.

“…!”

It felt like a glacier had gone down my throat.

A sensation so cold it felt hot.

As the essence settled in my chest, a freezing chill spread through all the blood vessels in my body.

‘Side effects…!’

Crack—!

White breath flowed out, and frost settled on my lips.

Seeing this, Eddard raised his eyebrows and shouted.

“You foolish boy! Didn’t I warn you! Just wait a moment!”

“…Just… a little… more…”

Eddard tried to touch me to extract the cold, but I stopped him with my stiff mouth.

If he expelled the cold now, both our lives would be at risk.

‘…Wake up quickly.’

Although the pain from breathing with frozen lungs was tearing me apart, I was sure.

It would appear soon.

When my mind became foggy from the cold…

◆◇◆◇Ba-dum!◆◇◆◇

「The seed of the World Tree awakens from its slumber!」

‘The seed of the World Tree’ absorbs nutrients from the ‘Essence of Frost’!

─The seed of the World Tree evolves into a sapling of the World Tree.

─The grade of the World Tree’s blessing increases!

─Recovery abilities significantly increase.

─All abilities slightly increase.

The long-awaited message descended.