Vol. 1 Chapter 20: A week of assassination attempts

If I’m honest, I didn’t want to be born into a noble family. They often have to learn etiquette and dance, and I don’t like how there are so many lip services in the conversation with nobles. 

However, there are also moments where I thought that it’s good to be born as a noble. I get to eat sweets regularly. And the price to eat such a delicious sweet frequently is not something that ordinary people could afford.

Sometimes I bought them myself and sometimes I received it as a gift from the queen and other nobles.

Today I’m going to eat the cookies sent by the queen. The cookies must be tasty since it’s something chosen by the queen.

「Rita, please brew me a cup of tea. 」

「Please wait, my lady. 」

My maid Rita brews a delicious tea, and she does her job perfectly. If only she isn’t on my father’s side, she could be the perfect maid.

I’m so happy that today I can enjoy a good cup of tea with delicious cookies.

…Oh? I feel the tea tastes different from the usual. The tip of my tongue is tingling, did she change the tea leaves? Perhaps it went bad.

「Hey, is this the usual tea? 」

「Hai, this is the same tea as usual. 」

It feels like sandpaper on my tongue. I’m satisfied with the sweets that I bought in downtown. I don’t think becoming a noble is suitable for me.

The tea that I drank on the next day tastes strange too. Maybe I’m starting to catch a cold, though I’ve never caught a cold.

「Excuse me, am I speaking with Miss Yumiela? 」

When I was on my way back to my room after school to take a break, I was stopped by a man I’ve never seen.

「Yeah, I’m Yumiela. 」

「My name is Alastor, and I’m from the Magic Tool Development Department. I wanted you to cooperate with magic tools experiment. 」

Even though I don’t have any responsibility to cooperate with him, but I will since I was interested in the tools that were being developed.

「Sure, as long as it doesn’t take too much time. 」

「No, it will be quick. I already prepared an empty classroom over there. 」

The fact that he’s been talking to me told me the experiment would be something like an endurance test. I thought I’d be taken somewhere, but it seems the experiment was done in the school’s classroom.

「It’s a new type of magical handcuffs, and we want to test whether it can stand your power as the strongest in the kingdom. 」

Alastor showed me the magic equipment shaped like handcuffs. The handcuffs are a magic tool that restrains the target’s magic.

He put on the handcuffs on me. I don’t know what it is made from, but I can feel the weight of iron. They are built to be strong, both physically and magically.

A man being alone with a handcuffed schoolgirl in an empty classroom, somehow this looks like a crime scene.

「Should I try to use my magic in this situation? 」

「Yes, please gradually increase the magical output. If the handcuffs can’t stand the magic, I’ll give you a sign to stop. 」

I did as he said, but when I tried to activate my magic a little, nothing happened. Gradually I increased the amount of magical power that I release, but there’s no sign of any change happen.

In the end, I tried to use my magic with all my might, but still, nothing happened. This magic tool is the first one ever to stand my magic.

「This is all I can do. This magic tool is impressive. 」

I can’t hear what Alastor said over the trembling of half shock and half excitement that this might be the first time in my life I’m defeated.

「All right! I’ll kill you! 」

No, I haven’t lost yet. If I can’t do it with magic, let’s try to defeat it with something physical.

「Uaaghh! 」

I tear the handcuffs with all my strength. The chains were easily broken. OK, with this, the fight between me and the handcuffs have ended in a draw.

「Eh? 」

I found myself surrounded by armed men when I noticed. Alastor gave orders to the armed men with vile expression.  

「Hey, what are you doing! Kill her off. 」

「Ano, excuse me. 」

「Ah, yes. The experiment is just a lie that I made up. I never thought I could catch you so easily. 」

「I’m sorry I broke this. 」

「What? 」

The rest of the armed men went rigid as they saw me tore away the handcuffs, and Alastor seemed too late to realize the fact.

His face that looks elated gradually grew pale.

「See, I’m not joking. Thank you for asking me to participate in this experiment. Well, let’s get this over. 」

「No… That’s impossible. 」

It appears that I was about to be killed. It’s a shame that he thought he could make me feel powerless by restricting my magic.

Alastor and the men were captured and handed them over to this kingdom’s soldier. The principal says I need to be careful since there must be some people in the school that guided them.

Two days later, I woke up feeling a sense of discomfort in my chest. And before me was a man with a face covered with a mask. Is he a pervert or something? Did he touch my chest?

「Ha, you fool… 」

When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see the man holding a knife in his hand. My clothes have a hole in the chest. Did he stab me? But I didn’t feel any pain?

「Etto, you’re an assassin, right? 」

「Hii, monster! 」

I was about to be killed again. I don’t know this assassin’s level, but I think it would be easy to kill him.

「They have been trying to get me assassinated twice. You should probably stay away from me. 」

I spoke to him in the school corridor, telling him we’d better stay away for a while.

「But I don’t mind being bothered by Yumiela. It happened twice, what’s one more time. 」

Hey Patrick, don’t say such a disturbing thing. I almost get assassinated three times in a short time.

「Hey, look out! 」

An arrow flew from outside of the window. Even though it won’t hit and hurt him I still don’t want his clothes getting torn, so I grab the arrow with my hand.

「I’ll catch the archer! Patrick, find somewhere to hide! 」

I jump out of the window, trying to catch the culprit. I will not forgive them, what if it hits Patrick?

Perhaps the academy has become a den for assassins. I’m going to get out of the academy since tomorrow is a holiday.

「Surround her, quick! Don’t let her get away, stab her! 」

Twenty ruffians surrounded me in the Royal Capital’s hidden alleys. They were armed with spears and swords.

「Haa, Dark Bind. 」

「Uaaaahh, what is this?! 」

They are restrained by the arms that extend from the shadow. I have no patience for this crap.

So far, the assassins’ interrogation was entrusted to the soldiers, but to this day, they haven’t been able to identify the real mastermind. It’s about time I started looking for the culprit.

「Who is your leader? 」

No one gave me a name, but I can see their eyes focused on one man. He is the man who gave orders to surround me.

「You are the leader? Who gave you the order to put a hit on me? 」

「I don’t know. 」

「Shadow Lance. 」

A spear flies out of the shadow and goes through the man’s abdomen. The blood scattered all over the place.

「Kyaaaaaaaa! 」

Then I heal his injury with recovery magic. There will be no scar left on him.

「Heal. How many times I have to do this until you talk, hmm? 」

I don’t have any skill that could torture someone effectively without killing them, so I did this on repeat. It’s a humane torture because he will never die and didn’t suffer any wound.

「This is horrible. 」

「This isn’t something human do. 」

「She’s really a demon. 」

I thought what I was doing was something humane, but their reactions didn’t seem right.

「It doesn’t have to be your leader that talk to me, isn’t it? 」

As soon as I looked around, they shut their mouth and turned their gaze away from me.

「Please believe me, I really don’t know! I don’t see their face, but he told me to kill a black-haired girl from the Royal Academy. 」

The leader makes a desperate plea.

「That’s not enough. Don’t worry, even if I have to repeat this a hundred times, I still have enough magic. 」

「No! I swear I’m not lying about this! Please believe me!! 」

In the end, he burst out crying. Apparently, he really doesn’t know.

The stranger probably asks the other assassins in the same way. I can understand why there’s little progress to the investigation.

I was attacked in my room, a place where I rest. One night they just sneaked into my room, but now I’ll be safe because I’ve put a barrier in my room.

There was a plan to flying in the sky riding on Ryuu’s back, but it would burden him since he couldn’t sleep when he flies.

Now that I’m in my room, I let out a sigh while drinking the tea that Rita had prepared for me.

The tea still tastes strange for me. Should I consult a doctor if this continues? But everything else tastes normal.

Even so, their latest assassination attempts were getting more and more sloppy. Speaking of assassination, they usually use poison…

「Hey, Rita. Can you taste this tea? 」

When I offered the cup of tea I was drinking to Rita, she began to tremble, and her face paled.

「P-please forgive me. My sister is being held hostage… 」

Is that so? This past week I’ve been drinking poisoned tea. Maybe the poison is weak and had little effect.

「What kind of poison did you put into this? 」

「Um, I was given a poison that’s lethal in a drop dose. I put five drops every time… 」

And I barely noticed this.

The in-game poison was differentiated for their strength and had fixed damage; in reality, it depends on the poison.  

I might have been dead now if the damage was fixed. No, will I have noticed when I was on the brink of death? It would be a disaster if that ever happens because my HP was bottomless.

「Because of that, I was ordered to… 」

The one who told Rita to poison me probably was her employer.

「Master ordered me to. 」

She confessed that to me, Rita seems given up knowing she couldn’t escape.

My father was the one who is trying to kill me.

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