Chapter 17 : I just want you to know that I have no impure intentions

On the sixth day after asking Keira for an item, a package arrived at the mansion under her name.

“This person was definitely the master’s academy friend, right?

But what is this?”

“Well, I need to check that myself.”

A box wrapped with a ribbon, just like a birthday present.

When I pulled on it lightly, the ribbon untied easily, revealing the contents inside.

“This… this is…”

Inside was a short leather strap with a small mana stone embedded around the middle.

At first glance, it resembled a belt, but it was far too short to fit around a person’s waist.

If I had to consider where on the body it could be worn… it was just the right size for the neck.

—Ordo’s gaze as he looked at me was anything but comfortable.

His eyes, filled with a mixture of reproach and disdain, seemed to silently say, 

“So you’ve resorted to that now?” 

The pressure was palpable.

I felt wronged.

I never expected it to be made in this shape.

Not in a million years.

Hurriedly, I pulled a communication crystal from my drawer and rubbed it.

Soon, Keira’s face appeared in the crystal, and strangely, she looked even more refreshed than when I last saw her.

That alone irritated me.

“Oh, do you like the item, dear customer?”

“What the hell is this?

You remember what I asked for, right?”

“Of course.

I put all my heart into making it just for you.”

Oh, so you put all your heart into screwing me over.

Her innocent tilt of the head, as if she truly didn’t understand my frustration, only made me angrier.

“But is there some kind of problem?”

“Problem?

Are you kidding me?

This is a collar, isn’t it?

This is for a person!

You’re not seriously expecting someone to wear this, right?”

I asked, clinging to a sliver of hope.

“Ersi, the important thing is performance.

Being fixated on appearances is not ideal.”

Keira sighed softly, then had the audacity to act like I was the unreasonable one.

This damn performance-obsessed woman.

“And yeah, it looks a bit weird, but there’s a reason for that.

You asked for a tool that would help someone with a weak heart use mana, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“Then it needs to be worn as close to the heart as possible.

Considering the flow of mana, the neck is the only viable place.”

Mana originates from the heart, but it travels to the brain to be converted into magic.

Her explanation made sense, but… this was still unacceptable.

If it were for me, I wouldn’t care.

But this was for Serena.

“Couldn’t you have made it into something like a necklace?”

“Nope.

It has to fit snugly against the body for it to work as you requested.

Do you think I wouldn’t have considered that?”

Right.

Keira wasn’t at fault.

She had just made exactly what I had asked for.

I knew that.

I really did, but…

“But don’t worry.

The length can be adjusted however you want, so there’s no risk of choking.

Plus, all you have to do is replace the mana stone periodically!

Convenient, right?

Do you like it?”

“Yeah.

Thanks.

I’m so touched I could cry.”

Thanks to you, my longtime butler just looked at me like I was the lowest form of life.

But still, if Keira was so confident, then at least the item’s effectiveness was guaranteed.

That was some small consolation.

After ending the communication, I let out a small sigh.

Ordo had listened in on the conversation, so at least he understood now.

But there was still one more person I needed to convince.

“…Ordo, go call Serena.”

“Trash.”

Serena’s words were direct and merciless.

Hearing such harsh words from those small, soft lips made me feel like a piece of my dignity had just crumbled away.

It hurt.

“Serena, you shouldn’t judge something just by its appearance.”

I tried reasoning with her by repeating what Keira had told me.

“Pervert.”

That did absolutely nothing.

It had been a while since I last heard that word, but maybe because of the long absence, it hit harder than usual.

Did she really think I wanted to put a collar on a little girl?

Like hell I did!

I was suffering here too!

…But then again, knowing Serena, maybe she’d be a little interested.

“Your eyes look suspicious.

Pervert.”

“S-Stop!

Just listen to me first!”

As Serena kept inching away from me, as if widening the distance between us both physically and emotionally, I had no choice but to kneel.

Why did I have to be the one groveling when this was for her?

Thankfully, maybe because I was being so pathetically submissive, her gaze softened a little, like she was willing to hear me out.

This was my chance.

I had to convince her now.

“Serena, I understand why you’re upset.

A collar on a person?

That’s trashy.

That’s awful.”

Yes.

I am that trash.

“But I’m not doing this for a bad reason.

If you wear this, you’ll be able to use magic safely.

You saw what I showed you before, right?”

“…Ugh.”

She wavered.

The memory of what I had demonstrated earlier must have resurfaced in her mind.

Yes.

You want to shoot fire from your hands and fly around, don’t you?

What child wouldn’t dream of that?

Sensing that she was close to giving in, I planted my hands on the floor and put on my most desperate expression.

“So please, I’m begging you!

I know you don’t like it! But this is for you!

Please understand how sincere I am!

If you really don’t believe me, you can step on my head right now!”

“Ugh…

Ughh…”

When I slightly lifted my head to check, I saw the turmoil in her face.

She was really struggling with this decision.

That should be enough proof that I was serious.

Now, just accept it.

Don’t worry—I’ll pamper you like a puppy to make up for it!

After much contemplation, Serena finally reached out and took the collar from my hands.

Yes!

Victory!

I cheered internally—

And then.

“…Hey, what are you doing?”

Serena fastened the collar around my neck.

By the time I realized what she was doing, it was already too late.

“Serena?

This is for you to wear.

It’s useless on me.”

“I know.

I just… wanted to see if it suited you.”

“Oh, really?”

I’m glad.

For a moment, I really thought she saw me as some kind of beast.

That being said, even though it wasn’t actually choking me, the collar still felt uncomfortably constrictive.

Maybe it was just a natural human reaction, an instinctive aversion to something meant for animals.

Either way, the thought of wearing a collar like a dog was, honestly, a little embarrassing.

“…So?

How does it look?”

“It suits you.

To an annoying degree.”

Her unexpectedly high evaluation left me feeling strangely conflicted.

After unfastening the collar from my neck, Serena held it in her hands, hesitating for a moment before finally wrapping it around her own neck.

Since fastening it herself would be tricky, I helped her secure it in place.

But as I did, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was doing something very inappropriate for a child, and my heart pounded with a sense of guilt.

It almost felt like I was marking her as mine or something…

“…Why do you have that look on your face?”

“A-Ah, sorry.

Just got lost in thought for a second.”

With the collar now secured, it actually looked surprisingly natural on her.

Combined with her cute features, it almost seemed like an accessory rather than a restraint.

Although, judging by the way she frowned, she was feeling just as stifled as I had.

I asked if she could feel anything from the collar, but she shook her head.

It seemed she wasn’t even sure if it was working.

Well, it made sense.

Without an understanding of mana flow, how could she tell?

“Alright, let’s test it out.

Let’s see if you can use magic properly now.”

To verify, we headed to the garden.

The mansion’s servants whispered among themselves as we passed, but I ignored them.

“Oh my, look at that.

The master has finally gone that far…”

“Poor young lady, what a shame.”

“Would reporting him to the guards even help?”

Nope.

I had to ignore them.

—Before Serena could attempt any magic, she needed to sense mana properly first.

That was the foundation of all magic users.

“I didn’t have to do that before, though.”

Of course, there was an exception to every rule, and that exception was standing right in front of me.

Still, she had to learn how to control her limits, which made this process necessary.

Not to mention, saying she was already “good” at magic was… debatable.

“So what do I do?”

“First, close your eyes and focus all your senses on your heart.

Imagine a vast pool of water inside you, gently rippling.

If you concentrate, you should be able to feel something.”

“…I don’t get it, but I’ll try.”

It wasn’t an easy concept to grasp, but at least she was willing to give it a shot.

Serena closed her eyes.

At first, her face was peaceful, like she was simply dozing off while standing.

But as the silence dragged on, her expression twisted in frustration.

Eventually, she let out a long sigh and opened her eyes, looking utterly dejected.

She could use magic, but she couldn’t sense mana?

What kind of contradiction was that?

Still, I had been through something similar once. I reassured her that this was normal.

“Alright, this time, I’ll help.

Try again, just like before.”

Maybe because of her earlier failure, her competitive streak flared up.

She nodded firmly and shut her eyes again.

I moved behind her and gently placed my fingertips on her back.

She flinched slightly at the contact, but when I told her to relax, she settled down quickly.

Then, I channeled a tiny droplet of my own mana into her, hoping to create a resonance with her own energy.

But…

‘…? That’s strange.

There should be a reaction.’

Like a droplet falling into a pond, her mana should have responded in some way.

But there was nothing.

No reaction at all.

I tried again.

Still nothing.

Furrowing my brows, I decided to pour in a bit more mana.

It might be overwhelming, but for some reason, I had a gut feeling that wouldn’t be a problem.

And then—

‘There it is!’

Finally, I felt something.

And in the same instant, I froze in shock.

‘What the hell?

How is there so much?!’

I had simply assumed Serena was incredibly talented.

But what I was sensing now was beyond talent.

Most people, even skilled mages, had mana reserves no larger than a pond.

But Serena?

Hers stretched out endlessly—an entire ocean.

Even lifelong magicians never reached this level, yet here she was, a child barely in her early teens, possessing something utterly unfathomable.

This didn’t make sense.

This wasn’t the protagonist I knew from the game.

No—even in the game, this wouldn’t have been possible.

And suddenly, as my memories of my past life clashed with the reality in front of me, I had a terrifying realization.

What if the player’s role in the game was never to shape the protagonist’s destiny, but simply to witness it?

What if Serena had always had this limitless potential, with or without my intervention?

“Uh… how long do I have to stay like this?”

Serena’s voice snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts.

…Right.

I could think about this later.

For now, I needed to focus on what was in front of me.

I pulled my hands away and told her she could open her eyes.

When she did, she immediately turned to me, her gaze shining with expectation.

“Well?

Well?

Did you feel anything?”

Yeah.

A lot.

But—

I couldn’t tell her that yet. If she knew the truth, she might grow arrogant, or worse, lose control.

So I kept it vague.

“…Kind of.

But you didn’t feel anything yourself, right?”

“Mm.

I tried, but it’s not working.

It was so easy when I breathed fire last time.”

Serena pouted, looking even more discouraged than before.

Seeing her small, slumped figure, I was reminded once again—despite everything, she was still just a kid.

“Don’t worry.

You’ll feel it soon enough.

There’s no need to rush.”

Everyone goes through this uncertainty at some point.

In a way, that simplicity, that normalcy, was almost reassuring.

Smiling, I reached out and ruffled her hair.

“The important thing is to keep going.

There will be tough times, but I’ll always be here to help.

So don’t give up.”

“…Huh.”

For a brief moment, she looked surprised.

Then, slowly, her cheeks tinged pink.