Tilea's Worries

I found myself face-to-face with a man who appeared to be Timu-chan’s hired servant, Ortissio.

Earlier, I thought he had an ordinary face, but now, it just looked stupid. It’s true what they say—your actions shape your face.

With people like this, reasoning won’t work.

“Are you sure about this? If you don’t move, you’ll regret it,” I warned.

“Hah! Regret? A mere plaything dares to challenge me, Ortissio-sama, Tilea-sama’s top servant and a major executive? You’re hilarious, puppet!” he sneered.

Ortissio, the servant, kept his mocking tone, laughing at me and calling me a puppet.

Him? A major executive? Just a servant, pretending to be some kind of ex-general?

This was pure delusion.

“…I warned you.”

He was rude and clearly unhinged, but also an amateur. As a student of the Magic Academy, I had some pride. I didn’t want to seriously injure a civilian. Just a little twist of the arm should do.

I cast a Body Enhancement spell to boost my strength.

**Strengthen Arm!**

With the spell activated, magic power flowed into my arms, making my biceps bulge slightly.

It had been a while since I’d used body enhancement magic.

I shook my arm a little to check for any problems, then grabbed Ortissio, who stood proudly in the middle of the corridor, and twisted his arm—wait, it didn’t move!?

W-what? Why won’t it budge?

I was using body enhancement magic, meaning my strength should exceed that of an average adult. I had just applied twice the force of a grown man, but… nothing.

“What’s the matter, puppet? Weren’t you going to make me regret this?” Ortissio taunted, amused.

“I-I’ll get serious! I won’t be responsible for any injuries!” I retorted, feeding even more power into my arm, enough to break bones if needed.

But… it still wouldn’t move.

At first, I was holding back to avoid hurting him. Now, I was using my body enhancement spell to its limit, twisting with all my strength. And yet, not even a millimeter of movement.

W-what the…?

My attack wasn’t working. I’m a student of the Magic Academy. No way could an amateur overpower me. So, Ortissio wasn’t just an ordinary servant after all.

This man… was a warrior in service to the royal family.

The thickness of his arm, the firmness I felt when I grabbed it—this was the body of a trained warrior, not some servant used to carrying luggage.

It wasn’t visible from his clothes, but up close, I could see the chiseled muscles in his chest, abs, and upper body through the gap in his shirt. This man’s physique was sculpted like steel.

Ortissio stood confidently, wearing a sinister grin.

“Hah! You still think you’re putting up a fight?” he laughed cruelly.

“Ugh… what strength…” I groaned.

“Finally realized how puny you are? You’ve been acting all high and mighty, using Tilea-sama’s favor as a shield. You’re nothing but a defective puppet!”

“S-shut up!”

Fueled by anger, I aimed a kick at him.

My magically enhanced leg struck Ortissio squarely in the shin.

And at that moment—

“Ahhh! It hurts!!”

A sharp, intense pain shot through my leg.

I instinctively grabbed my foot in agony.

It hurts! It hurts so much, I rolled around on the ground.

How could someone be so hard? It felt like I’d kicked a block of iron.

I took off my boot to check my foot.

It was swollen, red, and throbbing with pain. Thankfully, I could still move it, so the bone didn’t seem to be broken, but I’d definitely strained a tendon. Walking was going to be tough for a while.

Ortissio’s body was as hard as iron. Maybe he really was a captain of the royal guards. I had completely underestimated him.

“Now then, it looks like this foolish puppet needs a proper punishment,” Ortissio sneered, his grin widening.

Oh no. I had made a terrible mistake.

I had picked a fight with a soldier, and while his brains might be lacking, his strength was real. Now, this powerful warrior was approaching me with clear hostility.

I could get seriously hurt. If I handled this wrong, he might even kill me. With my injured foot, there was no way I could run.

What do I do?

Right! I’ll explain everything to Tilea-san and ask for her help.

“I’ll call Tilea-sa—”

“You fool! How dare you refer to Tilea-sama without honorifics?!” Ortissio bellowed in fury.

His voice was terrifying…

As I suspected, Tilea-san must have a very high status. The way Ortissio reacted made it clear she held a superior position—oh no!

Because I had been disrespectful by saying “Tilea-san,” I had only fueled Ortissio’s anger.

There’s no way he’ll let me talk to her now.

What do I do?

Just as I was sinking into despair, a serious-looking young man appeared.

He was probably one of Timu-chan’s subordinates, too. His sharp movements and posture were definitely those of a soldier. Maybe he was a colleague of Ortissio’s?

Unlike Ortissio, though, this man had intelligent eyes. Maybe I could reason with him.

“H-help me…” I begged.

“Captain Ortissio, what’s happening here?” the young man asked.

“Tch—”

He called Ortissio “Captain” and bowed his head.

So this man was Ortissio’s subordinate. Instead of helping, another enemy had appeared.

“Oh, Gil, it’s you. I was just teaching this insolent puppet its place. I was about to give it a little discipline.”

“Captain Ortissio, is this not the puppet named Miless that Tilea-sama and Camilla-sama spoke of?”

“Yes, that’s right. A disloyal fool who’s taken advantage of Tilea-sama’s favor.”

“Then it’s not wise to injure it. You know how much displeasure you’ll cause if you harm something that both Tilea-sama and Camilla-sama treasure.”

“R-right… I almost… I…”

Did the situation just change?

The murderous intent from earlier suddenly faded.

Ortissio, who had been so confident, now looked visibly flustered and panicked.

It seemed he had realized that if he harmed me, it would reflect poorly on him.

“H-hey, are you okay? You’re not broken, are you?” Ortissio asked, concerned.

What kind of mouth says that!?

Ortissio was suddenly extremely worried about me.

“I-I’m fine. It’s just a sprained ankle…”

“A sprain!? Let me see it!” Ortissio demanded.

“H-hey…”

I was caught off guard by his insistence and pointed to my swollen right foot.

“What!? It’s black and blue! And it’s just from a kick? And look, you’re covered in scratches!” he exclaimed.

Scratches?

Oh, right. When I was rolling around in pain, I must have scratched myself on the thorns in the grass. Now that he pointed it out, the stinging pain started to register.

“Such fragility… You’re like a glass figurine,” Ortissio murmured.

“Captain Ortissio, this is bad. The swelling on the foot is severe. If it leaves a mark, we’ll be in real trouble.”

“W-what do we do? What do we do?! I’ve injured Tilea-sama and Camilla-sama’s precious possession!”

Ortissio began pacing back and forth, arms crossed.

You really don’t have to worry that much…

The scratches would heal on their own. The sprained ankle, though painful, didn’t need a potion. With some herbs and rest for four or five days, it would be fine.

“Um… I know I kicked you, but you really don’t need to be that concerned,” I tried to reassure him.

“Hah!? What do you know!? This is no ordinary trinket! I’ve damaged something precious that belongs to Tilea-sama and Camilla-sama!” Ortissio shouted, grabbing me by the collar and shaking me.

“Ow! Ow! That hurts!”

If you’re so concerned, stop being so rough! My foot hurts!

Also, what’s with this? You’re worried, yet you keep treating me like an object. This is all so absurd.

“Captain Ortissio, we must start treatment immediately,” Gil said.

“Yes, of course. Come with me,” Ortissio commanded.

“W-wait, hold on!”

Ortissio picked me up in a princess carry and began running somewhere.

Ignoring my complete bewilderment, he continued on his way.

Where are we even going?

He said something about treating me, so maybe we’re heading to the medical room? Maybe I’ll get some herbs there?

Or, considering how panicked he is, perhaps I’ll get a potion?

Not that my injury is serious enough to warrant that...

“Um, my foot hurts a bit, but I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about treatment. Just give me some bandages, and I’ll handle the rest.”

“Hang in there. The injury’s not too bad.”

“Y-yes, but just bandages would—”

“Ugh, I’m going to get in trouble! I must fix this quickly!”

He’s not listening. Ort

issio kept muttering to himself while running.

Oh, there are stairs…

Just as I thought, we descended into a basement.

There were plenty of workers here…

So many of them. They must all be Timu-chan’s subordinates.

And this place is huge—way too huge. This basement is enormous!!

Ortissio led me down into this vast underground area.

Ahead of us...

There were countless rooms and luxurious furnishings far more expensive than anything upstairs.

Isn’t this even more impressive than the Arcdas royal palace?

Wow, what’s even going on beneath the capital?

Timu-chan isn’t just a high-ranking noble anymore. She’s royalty among royalty. A true princess.

Now that I think about it, Ortissio had mentioned this area was off-limits, right? He never explained why.

…Could this be some secret stronghold of the Eastern Kingdom?

Can they really let an outsider like me in here? This is like trespassing into a foreign royal palace without permission.

This is starting to get scary.

“Um, really, I don’t need any bandages. Please, just put me down,” I pleaded.

“Hang in there. The injury’s not serious,” Ortissio repeated.

“I’m telling you, it’s just a sprain!” I insisted.

No matter how many times I repeated myself, Ortissio wasn’t listening. I couldn’t even escape his grip—it was too strong.

Eventually, we reached a room.

Ortissio looked around and started giving orders to the people nearby. They moved quickly, filling a large container with some sort of liquid.

W-what are they doing?

I had a bad feeling about this.

Once the container was full of liquid, Ortissio suddenly shouted, “There you go!”

“Kyaaa!”

He threw me into the container.

W-what’s wrong with him? What does he think he’s doing!?

What is this sticky liquid?

Ugh! Gross! *Pleh! Pleh!*

Hmm? This bitter taste in my mouth…

This is a potion.

I recognized it from the training exercises where we had to drink potions when injured. And judging by the concentration, this was a very high-quality potion. And he’s using it without a second thought!

For a simple sprain like this, a single vial of a low-quality potion would more than suffice. Potions are expensive and valuable. You wouldn’t use one for such a minor injury—herbs would do the job just fine.

But here he is, using this much… it’s like I’m bathing in a potion.

I can’t believe it. With this amount of high-quality potion, you could heal dozens of gravely wounded people.

What is he thinking? This isn’t just wasteful—it’s beyond ridiculous.

Anyway, I’m not going to stay here for this nonsense. I braced my foot on the edge of the container to try and climb out.

“Hey, don’t get out on your own!” Ortissio barked.

“Kya!”

He stopped me.

Ortissio, muttering “heal, heal” under his breath, began dunking me into the potion as if he were washing laundry.

“Stop it! You’re holding me too tightly! I’m going to—urk—drown!” I gasped, struggling to breathe.

Why is he treating me like this? I’m not an object!

“Hah… hah… I-I can’t breathe…”

Thanks to the potion, my bruises and scratches were completely healed, but I was suffocating. The potion was going up my nose, and I couldn’t breathe.

“Why? Why is it getting weaker…?” Ortissio wondered aloud.

“I can’t… breathe…”

I could barely speak, the words catching in my throat.

Ortissio continued to press me down into the potion, utterly oblivious to the situation.

Am I really going to die here at the hands of this idiot?

Just when I was about to lose hope, I heard Gil’s voice.

“Captain Ortissio,” he said.

“Gil? What is it?” Ortissio asked.

“Isn’t she drowning?”

“What?”

“Her breathing is shallow. The potion might be entering her nose, causing respiratory issues,” Gil explained.

“Tch, this defective puppet. Drowning in the bath—what a fragile thing,” Ortissio muttered.

You’ve got to be kidding me! You almost drowned me, and now you’re blaming *me* for being fragile!?

But Gil’s intervention saved me. Ortissio, following Gil’s advice, pulled me out of the container.

Gasping for breath, I lay on the floor, trying to recover.

“H-hey, get a hold of yourself. Can you hear me?” Ortissio called.

“Ugh… yeah…”

“Answer me!”

Ortissio kept shouting, but I couldn’t respond. I’d just nearly drowned, for goodness’ sake. Think for a second.

“I have no choice. I’ll have to give you artificial respiration,” Ortissio said.

Artificial respiration?

What is he talking about?

I already felt sick from all the potion in my throat...

What’s he going to do next?

As I lay on the floor, still catching my breath, Ortissio leaned in close.

Wait… too close!

His face was right next to mine.

What is he—wait, no!?

“Kyaaa! What are you doing, you pervert!? You creep! You’re insane!” I screamed.

He had tried to kiss me!

I turned my head just in time, but he still grazed my lips.

Unforgivable. He drowned me, and now he was trying to take advantage of my weakened state.

This guy is a total creep! I won’t let him get away with this!

“I’ll sue you! Just die already!” I screamed, firing off a magic blast at him.

“Hey! Stop it! Don’t destroy my bedroom!” Ortissio shouted.

“Shut up! Die! Die!” I roared, unleashing blast after blast of magic at him.

“Tch! You’re getting too full of yourself just because I’m holding back to avoid breaking anything,” Ortissio muttered.

“I was trying to help you!” he yelled.

“What kind of help is this!? You’re disgusting! I won’t let you off for this!” I shouted back.

I was livid. Absolutely furious.

I might have been angrier than when Elizabeth harassed me. I didn’t hold back, blasting him with magic as much as I could.

Panting heavily, I began to calm down a little.

No matter how tough Ortissio was, after taking that many magic blasts, he was bound to be seriously injured. If I killed one of Timu-chan’s royal guards, I wouldn’t get away with it. It could even spark an international incident.

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

But to my surprise, Ortissio was completely unharmed. Not even a scratch.

…As expected of one of Timu-chan’s royal guards. It seems his boasts of being a top executive weren’t for show.

I see. He might be an idiot, but his strength is the real deal. That’s probably how he rose to the rank of royal guard.

Still, no matter how much he was at fault, blasting him with magic was basically an act of war. I needed to apologize for that.

“I’m sorry. Are you okay?” I asked reluctantly.

“Jeez, don’t act so wild. I was only trying to help,” Ortissio grumbled.

“W-what? What are you talking about? Stop messing around!” I retorted.

“I’m not messing around.”

What is wrong with this guy?

I had tried to be the bigger person, but he refused to acknowledge his faults. On top of that, after all his perverted actions, he still insisted he was trying to help.

I couldn’t believe it.

“You *are* messing around. Why would you need to kiss me to save me? Don’t mock me!” I shouted.

“That wasn’t a kiss. I told you it was artificial respiration!” he protested.

“What’s the difference!? It’s the same thing!” I shot back.

“It’s not the same. To be precise, it’s ‘mouth-to-mouth.’ I had to blow air into your mouth. A shallow kiss wouldn’t have worked. Now, open your mouth,” Ortissio said.

…He’s insane. Absolutely insane.

Blowing air into a girl’s mouth like that?

“No way! Absolutely not! I won’t open my mouth!” I refused.

“What’s the matter? How dare you complain when you’re the one being rescued?” Ortissio growled.

“Of course I’m going to complain! If you keep pulling any more weird stunts, I’ll kill you by any means necessary!” I warned.

“Tch, are you really that opposed to it? Well, I suppose artificial respiration *is* a hassle. How about I give you a heart massage instead?”

“A heart massage!? Are you seriously suggesting you’re going to… grope me!?” I gasped.

“Yes, that’s right. Though, technically, I’d be pressing down, not groping,” Ortissio explained.

Pressing down!? How far do you plan to take this!?

If he comes any closer, I’ll bite his throat off.

Just as I was glaring at him with open hostility, Gil spoke again.

“Captain Ortissio,” Gil called.

Despite the madness of the situation, Gil remained calm and composed. He seemed like a serious young man, but he was clearly complicit in Ortissio’s perverted behavior. He must be the quiet, perverted type.

“What is it, Gil?” Ortissio asked.

“I don’t believe this puppet requires artificial respiration,” Gil replied.

“Why not? Isn’t that what

 you’re supposed to do after someone nearly drowns?” Ortissio asked.

“Yes, but this rescue technique is only necessary when the person has stopped breathing or is barely breathing. This puppet has been moving around quite vigorously, so its breathing is clearly normal again,” Gil explained.

“I see. That makes sense,” Ortissio muttered, finally realizing.

It seemed I had been saved, thanks to Gil.

Ortissio nodded to himself in agreement, but I couldn’t agree at all. I had just narrowly avoided losing my first kiss to this pervert. I’m seriously considering taking this matter to the royal court.

“You… How could you even think of something like that? I’m disgusted,” I spat.

“How dare you doubt Tilea-sama’s wisdom! This method was taught to me directly by Tilea-sama herself,” Ortissio claimed.

Tilea-sama said that?

Sure, Tilea-san does say some outlandish things. But there’s no way she’d ever teach someone to do something as shameless as this. This is clearly Ortissio’s own misunderstanding—or a complete lie.

“Are you sure? You’re clearly the careless type. If you’re misinterpreting your master’s intentions, you’re a disgrace as a servant,” I said.

“Hm, now that you mention it… I might have remembered wrong,” Ortissio admitted.

“Of course you did!” I exclaimed.

“Hmm… It was artificial respiration *and* a heart massage. They’re supposed to be done alternately,” Ortissio explained.

I give up.

Ortissio said this with a completely straight face.

Kissing while groping—that’s what he thought was supposed to be done alternately.

He’s a genuine pervert.

And Gil, agreeing with him, said, “That’s correct. If necessary, I’ll handle the heart massage from now on. We’ll work together.”

Multiple people? So Gil’s the quiet pervert, and Ortissio is the blatant pervert. Together, they make the worst combination.

I can’t stay with these two any longer. Who knows what they’ll do to me next?

I need to call for Tilea-san or Timu-chan.

“Stay away from me. I’m going to get Tilea-sama or Camilla-sama,” I declared.

“Hah? Don’t you dare try to accuse me of anything!” Ortissio panicked, moving closer to me.

“Stay back!” I shouted.

“Hmm… this puppet is getting way too full of herself,” Ortissio muttered, coming even closer.

“Don’t come any closer! Don’t come any closer!” I screamed, throwing whatever I could find at him in a fit of panic.

Panting heavily, I tried to catch my breath.

Breathing had become difficult. I had overexerted myself while low on magic. I might have even caused mild oxygen deprivation. Sweat dripped down my forehead, and my breathing became ragged.

“Captain Ortissio, this is bad. I think she’s hyperventilating,” Gil pointed out.

“What!? You’re right, Gil. Your observation skills are impressive. This must be the hyperventilation Tilea-sama warned us about,” Ortissio replied.

H-hyperventilation?

What are they talking about?

As I struggled with my erratic breathing, feeling lightheaded, Ortissio grabbed a bag from a nearby table. I saw that the bag was filled with coins—gold and silver. There must have been nearly thirty million gold coins in there. I couldn’t believe they’d just left such a fortune lying around like that.

Ortissio then dumped the contents onto the table. Coins scattered, a few rolling onto the floor.

He didn’t even bother picking up the fallen coins. Not that it mattered—just a few of those coins could cover an average citizen’s monthly income. Between the potion bath and this, I had to wonder if Ortissio had any concept of money at all.

He shook the now-empty bag to make sure it was completely empty, then began walking toward me with it.

I had a very bad feeling about this.

He was definitely about to do something perverted again.

What was he planning to do with that bag?

I’d already been thrown into a potion bath, nearly drowned, and nearly kissed—and now he was about to do something else. I was so anxious that my breathing became even more erratic.

“Hah… hah… What are you planning—kyaaaa!!”

Ortissio suddenly put the bag over my head.

I-I can’t breathe! My vision went dark, and I started to panic.

What is wrong with this guy!?

As he covered my head with the bag, Ortissio calmly asked, “How about now? Feeling better?”

How am I supposed to calm down with a bag over my head!? You’re out of your mind!