The Black Sky Pirate Smiles Under The Moonlight. The Red Magus Roars Towards The Stars (50/63) Chapter 48: Overlimit Skill Hold
Vol 3: Chapter 48
Thud. I threw a pebble at a window. Then, after waiting for about 10 seconds, a figure appeared on the other side of the windowーbehind the thin curtain. Thud. Thud. Thud. I threw three more pebbles. The curtain was then parted open and Her Highness Anastasia appeared.
She opened the window and I slipped in.
The illumination from the magic lamp made the interior of the bedroom stand out.
Her Highness's bedroom was about the same size as Muge-san's warehouse, and a canopy too big for one person alone sat in the center.
『My heart is thumping.』
Her Highness wrote on a memo paper.
There was a reason why I visited Her Highness Anastasia's room late at night. To pull out Her Highness' skill orb. If this fact is ever revealed, I can say bye-bye to my head, so I wore a hood deep over my eyes and wrapped a piece of cloth around my mouth. I looked like a cat burglar no matter how you looked at it.
Her Highness, who expressed she was thrilled, was wearing a light blue silky dress. Nightwear, I suppose... The lives we live are way too different. The nightwear seems to be more expensive than the formal wear I borrowed at the guesthouse for the audience.
That made the bandage wound around her neck all the more painful to look at.
「This is the[Mana Control]skill orb.」
After we met during the day, I looked around the Empire to buy a skill orb. Lev people can't use skill orbs, so I thought it might not be sold here, but they were sold at general stores like normally. No, it wasn't even a specialty store but just a general store, so it might not be that normal.
They didn't have a 2-star, so I bought two[Mana Control ★].
「Let's hurry.」
Her Highness nodded as I urged. We were tense about two things. One, if someone would find it, and the other, if all goes well, Her Highness might be able to speak again.
Her Highness' peculiar constitution is that[Fire Magic]is automatically invoked by voice. If her skill of controlling mana improves, the activation of magic should naturally be suppressed.
The High Elf royal family should have understood this much immediately, but maybe they didn't because[Fire Magic]is just that much of a taboo for elves... Is a princess adored by[Fire Magic]just that much of a stain to their honour?
...Let's not think about that right now. Concentrate.
I had Her Highness sit on a chair in the room. I have tried[Orb Detachment]several times, so there should be no problem.
「For the time being, I will extract all the skill orbs. Are you ready?」
Her Highness does not know what kind of skill orbs she has. To think even she doesn't know it herself... Her Highness being in such a circumstance made my heart feel disconcerted, but now is not the time to be swayed by my emotions.
Since there is a skill orb like[Orb-See]in this world, the Emperor must have investigated the orbs that Her Highness possesed.
Her Highness nodded in response. I went around in front of Her Highness and reached for her chestーHer Highness quivered with a start.
「Ah. S-Sorry for being impolite. I will have to touch there to pull out the skill orbs. It may be unpleasant to be touched by me, but please bear with me a little.」
「.........!」
Her Highness' face turned red and shook her head sideways. She straightened her back and placed her hands on her knees.
......A guy came into a woman's room late at night, made her sit on a chair, and within the small illumination or the magic lamp on the floor, he tried to touch her chest.
This is not something I can talk out of if witnessed by an outsider, right?
...Let's hurry up.
This kind of thing must be finished quickly.
I put my right hand on Her Highness' chest—her body twitched a little, but that was all.
As my right hand trembled from the feel of Her Highness' soft, smooth and warm skin, I formed the image of pulling out skill orbs in my mind.
「...su...!」
A voice leaked from Her Highness' throat. As soon as it did, flames rose as if butterflies were dancing in the air and disappeared. This is the automatically invoked[Fire magic], huh... with just such a small voice.
A black skill orb was held in my hand. Pale glowing words emerged.
[Orb Camouflage ★★★]
Orb Camouflage?
What even is this?
Anyway, I have to pull out all the rest for the time being.
The next thing that came out was a red orb—black is "Orb Strengthening", while red is "Physical Characteristics".
[Reproductive Disruption ★]
When I saw the words emerge on the orb, I was at a loss for all words.
What the...
What the hell is this!
[Reproductive Disruption]——In other words, it means Her Highness will not be able to bear children?
Ah... that's what it was.
The[Orb Camouflage]that appeared first was probably to avoid[Orb-See]and other such skills in order to hide the true nature of the skill orbs inside Her Highness' body.
Her Highness was "gifted" to another country.
This skill orb means "don't make a child" in that country.
Does the High Elf royal family think they have the right to play as they please with Her Highness' life?! The life of this girl named Anastasia?! Don't screw with me! Already born with a burdensome body constitution, and the High Elf royal familyーis this something her own family should do to her?!
「............?」
Her Highness stared puzzled as I trembled with anger.
Since she has seen me pulling out skill orb once, Her Highness did not let out a voice the second time. But I don't think she has seen the skill orb I was holding just yet.
「...I'm going to pull out the rest of the skill orbs.」
I decided to keep the talks for later. I put the skill orb in a leather bag and reached for Her Highness' chest.
The last skill orb that came out was extremely rare—it was a blue skill orb, which is "Magic Characteristics".
[Mana Propagation ★★☆☆]
It had a star pattern that I had never seen before. There were four stars, but two of them seemed hollow.
Honestly speaking, I was relieved. I was worried if the next skill orb would be something like [Short-lived]or [Misfortune].
However-
「Huh!?」
The moment the last skill orb was pulled out, mana erupted from Her Highness's body—at the same time, fiery sparks danced around the surroundings.
Crap. Was[Mana Propagation]something that contained Her Highness' mana?
「Here!」
I took out the two[Mana Control ★]I bought and handed it over to Her Highness. When she absorbed the two skill orbs into her body, the torrent-like mana seemed to subside.
「How do you feel?」
「............」
Her Highness looked at me silently and nodded. There was no more indication of her mana going wild.
「Try making a small sound.」
I reached out and removed the bandage around Her Highness's neck.
「............」
「It's okay. Don't be afraid.」
「!」
As I gently grasped Her Highness' hand, she opened her small mouth.
「Ah......」
I heard Her Highness' voice for the first time—not the voice that unexpectedly leaked just now, but the voice that she herself wanted to make.
A crystal clear beautiful voice.
Tiny sparks danced around. But that was all.
「!」
Her Highness looked at me.
I nodded.
「Let's train. If you have a[Mana Control]skill orb with more stars, you can control it perfectly.」
「————」
Tears formed in the corner of Her Highness' eyes. And it dropped.
「~~~~~~~~~」
Her Highness Anastasia was suppressing her voice even when she was crying in happiness.
I didn't even want to imagine the life she must have lived since birth. But it's going to be different from hereafter. One day, she will be able to laugh aloud or sing a song whenever she wants to.
It happened at that moment. When I was feeling relieved having pulled off this mission.
Maybe I had also dropped my guard a little.
Even if I had been careful, it was just too sudden.
The glass window broke all of a sudden and something flew in. It stabbed me in the left shoulder. It was coated with poison. Paralysis poison.[World Ruler]warned me so, but power slipped out of my body and I finally collapsed.
「——Anastasia-sama.」
An elf came in through the window.
It was Polina-san of the Golden Brigade.