“Captivation”
“Thanks to the young lady, the villagers were spared from harm. I’m truly grateful.”
“Oh, no. I’m glad I could be of help.”
Although Sara was thanked by the village chief, she seemed to be holding complex emotions, likely because she knew that this incident might be related to us. This situation prompted me to resist the urge to explain each time the villagers thanked her, “It’s not what you think. It’s not like that.”
“Sis!”
“Ah, Rolando-tan! …It’s over now. With this, it’s okay right?”
Sara hurriedly ran over, displaying a charming little sibling act as she approached. She whispered to me, so I just nodded for now. I’ll wait to inquire about this after we leave the village.
After that, the whole village turned into a festive atmosphere, with a small event of disassembling the ogres. We participated briefly in the festival, but I still couldn’t fully enjoy it due to lingering guilt.
We stayed at the festival for a while and then informed the village chief that we intended to leave. At first, he tried to persuade us to stay, but eventually, he gave in, likely because he knew we were on a journey to the Demon Lord’s city.
“You don’t need to leave so soon, you know? At least stay for two or three days, and no one will be angry.”
“I appreciate the offer, but my family is waiting.”
The village chief tried to convince us otherwise, but it was clear that it was best for us to leave and continue on our way.
As a token of gratitude for saving the village, we received some materials from the disassembled ogres. While we could have taken all the materials from the defeated ogres, we decided to accept only a portion as an apology for the trouble we caused.
“Thank you very much! Be careful on your journey!”
As we were bid farewell by the villagers, Sara and I left the village. After walking for a while, we finally found ourselves alone. This was my chance to ask her.
“So, what was that all about?”
“W-What do you mean?”
Sara tried to feign innocence, but she seemed to understand what I was asking due to her obvious unease. I decided to intensify my questioning.
“You know what I mean. What was that magic? Why did you keep the fact that you can use such powerful magic a secret?”
“W-Well…”
“With that magic, even if you couldn’t defeat the Ogre King we encountered earlier, you could have created an opportunity to escape. Why didn’t you use it then?”
“…”
My questions seemed to make Sara uncomfortable, and she eventually fell silent. If she thought she could avoid things by staying quiet, she was mistaken. Alright, let’s go deeper.
“Actually, I possess a skill called ‘Super Analysis’ that allows me to see an opponent’s abilities. When I tried to use it to gauge your abilities, I couldn’t discern much. You should know the reason behind that. Care to explain?”
“I-I’m sorry. I can’t answer that right now.”
Realizing that she couldn’t escape my inquiry, Sara admitted that she couldn’t answer honestly. She looked at me with a serious expression, hinting at some kind of special circumstances.
However, she should understand that she couldn’t escape me with just that… Very well, I’ll use that method.
“I see. Well, if that’s the case, I have no choice. If you won’t answer, then I’ll have to force it out of you.”
“W-What do you intend to do? Even if you torture me, I’ll never answer!”
“I really didn’t want to resort to this… If you won’t answer, then I have no choice!”
As Sara realized that I was resorting to a more forceful approach, she became visibly wary. She braced herself for whatever was coming, observing me closely.
I tilted my head slightly downward and continued to approach her, making sure she couldn’t see my expression. When I was close enough, I suddenly reached out with both hands, wrapping them around her waist and holding her in a position where she clung to my waist.
Then, I abruptly lifted my face that had been lowered, directing my full-fledged little brother mode towards her, and spoke to her with all my might.
“You absolutely won’t tell me?”
“Ah!”
Yes, the option I chose wasn’t torture; rather, it was a strategy of enticement using the most effective little brother mode.
Seeing Sara’s exaggerated response to my full-fledged little brother mode, it seemed to have quite an impact on her, more mentally damaging than the pure physical pain of torture. In fact, I could almost see a phantom message saying, “Sara’s mind has taken 300 points of damage from witnessing my full-fledged little brother mode.”
“Big sister Sara, it’s sad that you’re keeping secrets from me… I really want to know what you’re hiding. Will you tell me?”
“N-No, I-I can’t possibly say… No, I mustn’t. This is Rolando-san’s ploy to extract information from me. Stay strong, resist, endure!”
“Big sister Sara, I love you so much.”
“Ah, no, guh, stop it!”
In response to my fierce assault, Sara seemed to be in a state of confusion and gave incomprehensible shouts. It was as if she was enduring something, struggling against an unbearable pain while also reaching out to resist the temptation before her.
I attempted to captivate her using my little brother mode, but Sara’s hidden secret seemed to be quite weighty. No matter how much I tempted her, she didn’t reveal anything.
“Darn it, I went through all the embarrassment of going full-force into little brother mode… I never expected her to endure this far.”
“Huff, huff, huff, huff…”
Having endured my ‘torture,’ Sara lay on the ground, her breath ragged, and her head drooping weakly.
At this point, I still didn’t know what secret Sara was holding. However, secrets have a tendency to come to light eventually, no matter how perfectly they are hidden. This time, it seemed I had been defeated, so I decided to end my pursuit of Sara’s secret here.
“Hey, don’t lie around on the ground forever. Let’s hurry up and head to the Demon Lord’s city.”
“Are you done with the interrogation?”
“If that torture didn’t work, then I’ve concluded that trying to extract information from you is futile. So, let’s just prioritize our original goal of lifting the Magic Power Fixed curse and head to the Demon Lord’s city.”
While Sara caught her breath and got up, she asked, “Couldn’t you just leave me here and head to the Demon Lord’s city alone? That way, you might avoid getting involved in troublesome matters.”
However, I laughed at that suggestion and replied,
“Don’t underestimate me. Even if your secret could bring some disadvantages to me in the future, I have the power to overcome them. Besides, you owe me for teaching you how to lift the Magic Power Fixed curse. No matter what secret you’re hiding, I promise to escort you all the way to the Demon Lord’s city.”
“Is that so… Rolando-san, actually, I…”
Sara seemed to have sensed something in my words. She attempted to whisper her secret, but her words didn’t reach my ears. I intentionally refrained from asking her to repeat it.
No matter what secret Sara might be holding, I believe I could handle most situations at my current level, and I was confident that I could find a solution no matter how challenging it might be.
Whether my determination reached her or not, I caught a glimpse of her turning her face toward me with a faint smile. As if ignoring her reaction, I decided to change the topic to our next destination.
“Indeed, from what the village chief said, it would take from twenty days to a month and a half to reach the Demon Lord’s city…”
“Yes, that’s right. I never imagined I would be transported that far.”
“For now, my plan is to reach the Demon Lord’s city within a week, so just stay still.”
“Huh, wait, Rolando-san!?”
As I said that, I scooped up Sara. It was the kind of situation that girls dream of, the princess-carry, but being a guy, I didn’t really have any particular thoughts about it, so I didn’t hesitate.
“[Fly Levitation]”
With Sara in my arms, I used flight magic to lift us into the air. And then, at an overwhelming speed, we headed straight for the Demon Lord’s city.
In hindsight, I could have done this from the beginning without riding the Manticore. However, that would imply that the Manticore’s efforts were in vain, so for the sake of the Manticore’s honor, I refrained from saying it aloud.
Suddenly being lifted and then flying in the sky, Sara was making a commotion, as usual.
“R-Rolando-san! We’re flying! It’s fast! Please stop!!”
“But I refuse! One of my favorite things is giving stubborn women who won’t reveal their secrets a hard time!!”
“What on earth is that?! You just want to take out your frustration for not getting me to spill under torture, right?”
“…”
I couldn’t hear it. If I said I couldn’t hear it, I couldn’t hear it. Did she think I was resorting to an ‘Aerial Roller Coaster Punishment’ to vent my frustration for her not revealing her secret even after I went through the embarrassment of using my full-fledged little brother mode?
Well, in reality, I was twelve years old now, and in society’s eyes, I was still considered a child, so even if I were to do something childish like that, it would likely be dismissed as a childish prank. But I was like a certain child detective from a certain anime – “a child in body but an adult in intellect.” My actions required a certain level of rationality. TLN: Detective Conan/Case Closed
“Ora ora ora ora! The crime of humiliating me is a serious one, I tell you!!”
“Kyaaahhhh!”
It took a few hours for me to regain my composure after that, but thanks to it, we managed to cover quite a distance. Looking back, my actions were quite childish, but I have no regrets or remorse.
On the other hand, Sara, who ended up being tossed around by my childish behavior, had no choice but to be caught up in it. However, she should consider herself lucky to experience my full-fledged little brother mode.
And so, by using my flight magic to cover the distance for a week, as I declared, we successfully reached the Demon Lord’s city.
“Captivation”
“Thanks to the young lady, the villagers were spared from harm. I’m truly grateful.”
“Oh, no. I’m glad I could be of help.”
Although Sara was thanked by the village chief, she seemed to be holding complex emotions, likely because she knew that this incident might be related to us. This situation prompted me to resist the urge to explain each time the villagers thanked her, “It’s not what you think. It’s not like that.”
“Sis!”
“Ah, Rolando-tan! …It’s over now. With this, it’s okay right?”
Sara hurriedly ran over, displaying a charming little sibling act as she approached. She whispered to me, so I just nodded for now. I’ll wait to inquire about this after we leave the village.
After that, the whole village turned into a festive atmosphere, with a small event of disassembling the ogres. We participated briefly in the festival, but I still couldn’t fully enjoy it due to lingering guilt.
We stayed at the festival for a while and then informed the village chief that we intended to leave. At first, he tried to persuade us to stay, but eventually, he gave in, likely because he knew we were on a journey to the Demon Lord’s city.
“You don’t need to leave so soon, you know? At least stay for two or three days, and no one will be angry.”
“I appreciate the offer, but my family is waiting.”
The village chief tried to convince us otherwise, but it was clear that it was best for us to leave and continue on our way.
As a token of gratitude for saving the village, we received some materials from the disassembled ogres. While we could have taken all the materials from the defeated ogres, we decided to accept only a portion as an apology for the trouble we caused.
“Thank you very much! Be careful on your journey!”
As we were bid farewell by the villagers, Sara and I left the village. After walking for a while, we finally found ourselves alone. This was my chance to ask her.
“So, what was that all about?”
“W-What do you mean?”
Sara tried to feign innocence, but she seemed to understand what I was asking due to her obvious unease. I decided to intensify my questioning.
“You know what I mean. What was that magic? Why did you keep the fact that you can use such powerful magic a secret?”
“W-Well…”
“With that magic, even if you couldn’t defeat the Ogre King we encountered earlier, you could have created an opportunity to escape. Why didn’t you use it then?”
“…”
My questions seemed to make Sara uncomfortable, and she eventually fell silent. If she thought she could avoid things by staying quiet, she was mistaken. Alright, let’s go deeper.
“Actually, I possess a skill called ‘Super Analysis’ that allows me to see an opponent’s abilities. When I tried to use it to gauge your abilities, I couldn’t discern much. You should know the reason behind that. Care to explain?”
“I-I’m sorry. I can’t answer that right now.”
Realizing that she couldn’t escape my inquiry, Sara admitted that she couldn’t answer honestly. She looked at me with a serious expression, hinting at some kind of special circumstances.
However, she should understand that she couldn’t escape me with just that… Very well, I’ll use that method.
“I see. Well, if that’s the case, I have no choice. If you won’t answer, then I’ll have to force it out of you.”
“W-What do you intend to do? Even if you torture me, I’ll never answer!”
“I really didn’t want to resort to this… If you won’t answer, then I have no choice!”
As Sara realized that I was resorting to a more forceful approach, she became visibly wary. She braced herself for whatever was coming, observing me closely.
I tilted my head slightly downward and continued to approach her, making sure she couldn’t see my expression. When I was close enough, I suddenly reached out with both hands, wrapping them around her waist and holding her in a position where she clung to my waist.
Then, I abruptly lifted my face that had been lowered, directing my full-fledged little brother mode towards her, and spoke to her with all my might.
“You absolutely won’t tell me?”
“Ah!”
Yes, the option I chose wasn’t torture; rather, it was a strategy of enticement using the most effective little brother mode.
Seeing Sara’s exaggerated response to my full-fledged little brother mode, it seemed to have quite an impact on her, more mentally damaging than the pure physical pain of torture. In fact, I could almost see a phantom message saying, “Sara’s mind has taken 300 points of damage from witnessing my full-fledged little brother mode.”
“Big sister Sara, it’s sad that you’re keeping secrets from me… I really want to know what you’re hiding. Will you tell me?”
“N-No, I-I can’t possibly say… No, I mustn’t. This is Rolando-san’s ploy to extract information from me. Stay strong, resist, endure!”
“Big sister Sara, I love you so much.”
“Ah, no, guh, stop it!”
In response to my fierce assault, Sara seemed to be in a state of confusion and gave incomprehensible shouts. It was as if she was enduring something, struggling against an unbearable pain while also reaching out to resist the temptation before her.
I attempted to captivate her using my little brother mode, but Sara’s hidden secret seemed to be quite weighty. No matter how much I tempted her, she didn’t reveal anything.
“Darn it, I went through all the embarrassment of going full-force into little brother mode… I never expected her to endure this far.”
“Huff, huff, huff, huff…”
Having endured my ‘torture,’ Sara lay on the ground, her breath ragged, and her head drooping weakly.
At this point, I still didn’t know what secret Sara was holding. However, secrets have a tendency to come to light eventually, no matter how perfectly they are hidden. This time, it seemed I had been defeated, so I decided to end my pursuit of Sara’s secret here.
“Hey, don’t lie around on the ground forever. Let’s hurry up and head to the Demon Lord’s city.”
“Are you done with the interrogation?”
“If that torture didn’t work, then I’ve concluded that trying to extract information from you is futile. So, let’s just prioritize our original goal of lifting the Magic Power Fixed curse and head to the Demon Lord’s city.”
While Sara caught her breath and got up, she asked, “Couldn’t you just leave me here and head to the Demon Lord’s city alone? That way, you might avoid getting involved in troublesome matters.”
However, I laughed at that suggestion and replied,
“Don’t underestimate me. Even if your secret could bring some disadvantages to me in the future, I have the power to overcome them. Besides, you owe me for teaching you how to lift the Magic Power Fixed curse. No matter what secret you’re hiding, I promise to escort you all the way to the Demon Lord’s city.”
“Is that so… Rolando-san, actually, I…”
Sara seemed to have sensed something in my words. She attempted to whisper her secret, but her words didn’t reach my ears. I intentionally refrained from asking her to repeat it.
No matter what secret Sara might be holding, I believe I could handle most situations at my current level, and I was confident that I could find a solution no matter how challenging it might be.
Whether my determination reached her or not, I caught a glimpse of her turning her face toward me with a faint smile. As if ignoring her reaction, I decided to change the topic to our next destination.
“Indeed, from what the village chief said, it would take from twenty days to a month and a half to reach the Demon Lord’s city…”
“Yes, that’s right. I never imagined I would be transported that far.”
“For now, my plan is to reach the Demon Lord’s city within a week, so just stay still.”
“Huh, wait, Rolando-san!?”
As I said that, I scooped up Sara. It was the kind of situation that girls dream of, the princess-carry, but being a guy, I didn’t really have any particular thoughts about it, so I didn’t hesitate.
“[Fly Levitation]”
With Sara in my arms, I used flight magic to lift us into the air. And then, at an overwhelming speed, we headed straight for the Demon Lord’s city.
In hindsight, I could have done this from the beginning without riding the Manticore. However, that would imply that the Manticore’s efforts were in vain, so for the sake of the Manticore’s honor, I refrained from saying it aloud.
Suddenly being lifted and then flying in the sky, Sara was making a commotion, as usual.
“R-Rolando-san! We’re flying! It’s fast! Please stop!!”
“But I refuse! One of my favorite things is giving stubborn women who won’t reveal their secrets a hard time!!”
“What on earth is that?! You just want to take out your frustration for not getting me to spill under torture, right?”
“…”
I couldn’t hear it. If I said I couldn’t hear it, I couldn’t hear it. Did she think I was resorting to an ‘Aerial Roller Coaster Punishment’ to vent my frustration for her not revealing her secret even after I went through the embarrassment of using my full-fledged little brother mode?
Well, in reality, I was twelve years old now, and in society’s eyes, I was still considered a child, so even if I were to do something childish like that, it would likely be dismissed as a childish prank. But I was like a certain child detective from a certain anime – “a child in body but an adult in intellect.” My actions required a certain level of rationality. TLN: Detective Conan/Case Closed
“Ora ora ora ora! The crime of humiliating me is a serious one, I tell you!!”
“Kyaaahhhh!”
It took a few hours for me to regain my composure after that, but thanks to it, we managed to cover quite a distance. Looking back, my actions were quite childish, but I have no regrets or remorse.
On the other hand, Sara, who ended up being tossed around by my childish behavior, had no choice but to be caught up in it. However, she should consider herself lucky to experience my full-fledged little brother mode.
And so, by using my flight magic to cover the distance for a week, as I declared, we successfully reached the Demon Lord’s city.
