Chapter 268

Charm Magic [Part 1]

"C-Can I really have this, Joanna-sama?"

Lunch break, the day after the Stuart siblings' return to the academy

Surprised gasps could be heard from the students surrounding the Holy Maiden Joanna.

"Yes. This is the fabric that the Church bought after it was rejected by the Kingdom merchants. As the shortage of cotton has made everyone troubled over it, so I asked the bishop to share some. Please make new underwear with this."

With a smile, Joanna handed out the cotton fabric brought from the Church.

"S-She is indeed the Holy Maiden..."

"The real deal is surely different..."

"Have you heard? Emma-sama of House Stuart said to just wear silk if you don't have cotton, you know?"

"Good heavens! Rich people only live in their own world, don't they? I'm pretty sure she knows nothing about how ordinary people live."

"Moreover, wearing silk for underwear is against the Church's doctrine. What a sinful person... But it can't be helped. She's the fake holy maiden, after all."

The Church had bought all the cotton that the Rothschild Company refused to purchase for its high price and terrible quality. Very few people knew that the expenses were covered by the large amount of donations the Church received every year.

"Sure enough, Joanna-sama is the real Holy Maiden."

"It's not for nothing that Emma-sama isn't acknowledged by the church."

The students gratefully took the cotton, which the Church purchased at a much higher price despite its poor quality. And while doing so, they didn't stop singing Joanna's praises and condemned Emma.

Joanna took in the scene with a satisfied face. One more. Just one more person. Seeing me distribute this cotton to more people, their fascination with me will only increase more and more.

"You too, feel free to take it."

From afar, some noble male students were watching the students crowding around Joanna and the cotton. Having noticed them, Joanna thought, 'Let's bless those guys too,' and offered them the cotton fabric.

"...No, thank you."

One of the male students first took the cotton into his hand, but returned it right after noticing its quality.

"?"

The male student's action puzzled Joanna.

Joanna's POV

Strange.

I couldn't believe someone could turn down my grace in this situation.

Right now, the area within a 10-meter radius around me was the effective range of [Charm] magic.

I had made sure to enchant each piece of this shabby yellowed cloth to make it appear better.

Touching this should amplify my charm magic on them, but the male student before me had somehow managed to stay sane.

"Pardon me, but... will you not have a hard time without cotton?"

The amount of cotton the Empire planned to sell to the Rothschild Company, a.k.a, the Kingdom's wealthiest merchant, was enormous. And all of that amount is now in the Church.

The cotton the imperial merchants traded separately to the nobles and other companies alone should be far from enough to meet the demand. Therefore, cotton is not easily available in the Kingdom at present.

"I'd rather use silk or hemp material than wear underwear made from this cotton."

The male student glanced at the yellowed cotton fabric and shook his head.

My magic... failed?

Magic that affects the mind is selective on its targets. The effects vary based on a person's mental capacity, it would be weaker on a strong-willed person, someone who has escaped death, or someone with no desire.

But this was probably the first time for it to be completely ineffective.

So it meant that this male student... either had an unbreakable will, had knocked on death's door many times and had zero worldly desire?

At a glance, he looked no different from the ordinary noble male students around here, though.

"Um, then, the students at the back...?"

It's not wise to take the trouble to deal with this mentally tenacious student who can't be charmed. And thus, I switched my target and spoke to his friends behind him.

This male student had caught me off guard, but shouldn't cause any troubles just because the magic failed to charm a single student. Rather, I would win over his accompanying comrades and isolate him little by little.

"...It's yellow, huh... I also don't need it."

"...I'll have to politely refuse, but thank you for the thought."

"Woah... this... I'm good, thanks..."

However, before I could rejoice, I received a big slap from his friends, who refused the cotton fabric one after another.

"Wha—!"

I couldn't believe this.

My charm magic didn't work on any of them.

"A-All of you there! Don't you know it's rude to refuse Joanna-sama's kindness?"

"You don't have to mind them, Joanna-sama. Those students have always been a little strange."

End of Joanna's POV

When Joanna stood frozen in her spot, unable to hide her surprise from this unforeseen situation, the students who were charmed by her magic started arguing.

"Huh? No, no, no. Of course you wouldn't want to make this kind of fabric into underwear, right?"

"I really can't understand the fixation of people born in the royal Capital, with cotton underwear, though?"

"Seems like wearing that will get you questionable rashes, too. ... instead of us being strange, ain't you guys the ones who are being weird?"

'They all have this... crazed look in their eyes...' The noble male students looked at the unfocused eyes of the students who were under the effect of a charm magic and even started to worry about them.