## Chapter 357 – Academy Arc (130) – Archmage Scarlet & Charlotte (52) -Anxiety-
358. Academy Arc (130) – Archmage Scarlet & Charlotte (52) -Anxiety-
Scarlet’s mind raced at the unexpected, strange atmosphere.
Could he really be considering a formal offer?
Is there anything to even consider?
She had thought that if Raul said ‘yes,’ the natural next step would be to introduce him to the main family.
Clearly, this was a golden opportunity for Raul. His success was guaranteed, and within a reasonable timeframe, he could easily secure a baronetcy. The intelligent Raul couldn’t be unaware of this.
‘This is troublesome.’
Raul couldn’t accept such an offer because his circumstances wouldn’t allow him to stay in one place for long.
Of course, he could just say, ‘Yes, thank you,’ join, goof off, and then run away. But if that were the case, he wouldn’t have shown this conflicted expression in the first place. Over time, as Raul’s physical relationship with Scarlet deepened, his heart had become much more tender. So, he didn’t want to commit such a betrayal.
At this point, he even considered revealing his identity.
“…I didn’t expect you to hesitate.”
“I’m sorry, Scarlet.”
“Why?”
“That’s…”
Scarlet was starting to feel anxious.
She didn’t know what Raul was thinking.
Had Raul not fallen for her and Charlotte as much as she thought?
No, that couldn’t be the case… If that were true, their pink-tinted days wouldn’t make sense.
‘Right, he’s a young man in his prime… Even while wrapped up in our skirts, he must have his own ambitions. He’s always studying whenever he has free time.’
Scarlet tried to see the essence of the matter.
As expected, Raul soon began to share a story similar to what she had imagined. Unlike his previous naive self, his voice clearly expressed his intentions.
“I don’t know how you’ll take this, but if I officially join the Allton family, I feel like it would limit my dreams.”
“Dreams?”
“Yes. My own, free… It’s not that I don’t value such abstract things, but more importantly, I want to build my own power, meet and nurture trustworthy people. I want to travel around, see and feel more… If I gain enough experience, I might be able to reach a much higher position on my own someday. Of course, it’s still too early for that.”
“So… you were thinking about that.”
“Yes. So, I don’t think I can become an official member of the Allton family… I’m sorry.”
“Hmm.”
Raul wasn’t lying, so the words flowed easily.
‘He wants to grow independently…’
It was a story coming from a commoner with no backing, but with his divine power and talent, Raul certainly had the potential.
Even so, why would he choose the difficult path over the easy one? Traveling around to gain more experience could be done more easily with the Allton family’s support. Building a foundation also takes a considerable amount of time. If he really wanted to, he could join the family and then become independent later… Especially since it was her and Raul…
As soon as she heard Raul’s words, dozens of counterarguments popped into her head, but Scarlet didn’t say anything.
It was the first time she had heard Raul speak so sincerely, and she didn’t want to deny the values he held dear. Raul must be feeling burdened by the psychological constraints of belonging to a certain place.
But…
‘…That’s just what Raul thinks.’
Scarlet didn’t want to draw an ambiguous line with Raul now.
Her daughter would feel the same way.
She had immense power and exceptional personal abilities to back it up.
And Raul was, after all, just a commoner.
So why would she…?
In fact, if Scarlet had anything to seriously consider, it was just one thing.
To gauge exactly what kind of being this Raul, with divine power in his body, was. Raul had previously told Scarlet about his amnesia. (As he had done with others) Since his past was a blank slate, she couldn’t quite grasp it yet. She needed to know if he was someone she could touch more freely than she could now.
If he was just someone blessed by the earth with divine power.
Or if he was a trace of an ancient god, or their creation, then there would be no problem.
Since he had no backing.
The worst-case scenario would be if he was a representative of the goddesses… But if that were the case, even if Raul’s amnesia was a lie, he wouldn’t be living such a promiscuous life with them here in the first place.
From what she had heard, the representatives all lived chaste lives and continued to fight powerful monsters. Historically, there had never been a male representative.
So, he was safe…?
‘Then…’
Thump, thump, thump.
She stared intently at Raul, who was sitting in front of her.
“…”
“Scarlet…?”
If he was a third party with uncertain backing…
Then maybe…
Maybe she could… force him a little more.
Deprive him of his freedom… Maybe she could.
‘…Gasp!’
Scarlet shook her head internally as she caught herself having such sinister thoughts.
She shouldn’t think like that.
At least not yet…
“Raul, you had your own thoughts. If that’s what you say… Okay, I’ll put the offer on hold for now.”
“Thank you, Scarlet… But you know, I’m always on your side.”
“Yes, yes. But… I still feel a bit off?”
No matter how much she thought about it, she felt resentful.
Scarlet glared at Raul with narrowed eyes.
“…After forcing yourself on me on horseback.”
“Ugh.”
“…After sleeping with both an archmage and her daughter at the same time.”
“Ugh.”
“After dressing me up as a cute girl and taking me out on dates… After making me imitate a cat… After scribbling all over my body that I was yours… After making me compare your size with my husband’s during sex. After making my daughter and I compete with each other with breast service… After role-playing as a princess…”
“Ugh. Most of that was initiated by you two…”
“So…!! After becoming so close that we’re in this kind of relationship, you’re saying you can’t join our family!? I was looking forward to more pink-tinted days with you… It’s too much to keep your distance like this. If Raul wanders off somewhere far away, am I supposed to cool my body alone?”
‘Even now, he’s teleporting to pick us up like clockwork, what is she talking about…’
“I, I’m sorry, Scarlet. But I don’t have any other plans right now.”
“…Okay. My voice got a bit loud, unlike me. Let’s stop talking about this. As I said, I’ll put the offer on hold. …Let’s go back for today.”
“Yes…”
With that, Scarlet sent Raul back to his dorm and then used a portal in the academy to return to the capital.
Being alone in the quiet space made her fall deeper into thought.
And no matter how much she thought about it, the conclusion was always the same.
“Why am I…? Why would I…?”
The unpleasant feeling didn’t go away.
The strongest archmage of the Glyschen Kingdom takes what she wants.
…………
…………
The main mansion of the Allton family in the countryside.
Scarlet was sitting at a small round table in her room (not the marital bedroom), sipping tea.
Her beautiful daughter was sitting across from her.
Charlotte was also gracefully sipping her tea, following noble etiquette.
“…Raul said something like that?”
“Yes. Did Charlotte know?”
“I didn’t. I thought he would naturally become a member… I didn’t want to pressure him, so I didn’t say anything directly. But I did think he was strangely avoiding the topic. I didn’t think he would think like that… There’s no need for that.”
“Haa. I know, right? There’s no need to start from scratch. Isn’t benefiting from the help of those around you also a skill? If I put in some effort, getting him a baronetcy would be nothing. Then, what Raul is saying would be much easier. Well, it’s cute that he wants to achieve something on his own. Hmm… It’s also cool.”
Thus, the conversation between the two women was filled with talk about Raul.
While they were talking, Charlotte expressed a subtle anxiety.
“…S-Surely, he’s not tired of us, right…?”
“Of course not. Can’t you tell by the amount of cum Raul shoots when he’s begging? He’s always shaking his dick, wanting to fill us up inside and in our mouths.”
“True… Right? He runs at us from behind, trying to eat our pussies as soon as we wiggle our butts. He rubs his dick head all over our clam meat, it’s like he’s a beast. Hehehe.”
“Hoh, hoh, hoh. That’s right. He still sucks our clitorises and makes us feel good… He licks up our juices… So, there’s no way he’s tired of us….”
“…U-Um. Yes.”
“…”
Charlotte and Scarlet were genuinely startled during their conversation.
They had become so accustomed to their lewd lifestyle that they realized they had no resistance to vulgar conversations.
The mother and daughter blushed slightly.
As Scarlet sipped her tea, she put down her cup as if something had occurred to her.
“Charlotte.”
“Yes?”
“Marry Raul.”
“…Cough, cough!! Gulp. M-Me and Raul?”
“I can’t do it, can I? It’s fine if it’s just an engagement, just tie Raul down. You don’t hate it, do you?”
“O-Of course not! …I mean. U-Um. If, if Raul is okay with it… I… Yes…”
‘…After all that perverted stuff, she’s acting all demure now.’
Charlotte tried to calm her flushed face and her rapidly beating heart.
Marriage with Raul.
Honestly, it was a bit different from the kind of love she had initially imagined, but those naive girlhood days didn’t matter anymore. Now, her body and heart were completely painted with Raul’s colors. Normally, her mother would never have approved of her relationship with Raul. In that sense, maybe this promiscuous relationship had worked out well?
Anyway, Charlotte’s heart was pounding. And she swallowed the other topic she had been planning to bring up.
‘…I shouldn’t talk about Father.’
In fact, Charlotte had heard something recently.
After her mother told her that her father had an affair with a maid, Charlotte had also investigated it, and the affair was definitely not a lie. Moreover, after digging deeper into the story under the promise of protecting the maid’s privacy, she learned something strange. (She even used a bit of mental magic to get past the hesitant parts)
He didn’t touch her after the first time.
Instead, when she secretly went out with the servant she was dating or met him secretly, she felt a presence somewhere. It wasn’t certain, but it seemed like Count Amar was watching their affair… Later, when she secretly investigated the place where the presence had been, she smelled a similar scent of clothes. And there was even a strange stickiness on the wall…
…She didn’t want to know about her father’s strange hobby.
She had been planning to bring it up to ease her mother’s guilt about her father. Even this promiscuous relationship between the three of them… Well, she didn’t dislike it since it seemed like the mother-daughter relationship had become closer than before. But looking at the current atmosphere, it seemed better not to bring it up.
Maybe, just maybe, it was impossible, but every time she saw her father’s pathetic side, she was filled with the absurd anxiety that she would harden her heart, eventually depose her father, and then… Raul.
No, she couldn’t just sit idly by, especially since she was always calling him ‘Honey, honey♥’ during role-playing.
“…But what if Raul refuses…? Then I might really be hurt and unable to recover, Mother…”
“Then Charlotte, you should seduce him well so that doesn’t happen.”
“Eek. It’s easy for you to say…”
They talked about how to treat Raul. Then, they felt absurd at their own situation of racking their brains.
“…But Mother, why does it feel like we’re pathetically clinging to him? Aren’t we the proud Allton family?”
“…That’s true.”
“There might be an easier way than this… I think… Hmm…”
“…”
“…”
The mother and daughter glanced at each other.
They had both turned towards a sinister idea, but it was as if they were having a staring contest, waiting for the other to speak first.
‘…’
In the midst of that, Scarlet’s eyes flashed for a moment.
Her gaze quickly faded before Charlotte could notice…
Scarlet sighed as if nothing had happened and opened her lips first.
“…It’s good enough for now to just acknowledge how seriously we think about Raul.”
“Will that be enough?”
“Anyway, Charlotte, you should seduce him quickly.”
“Ah, okay.”
After talking for a while, Charlotte left Scarlet’s private room.
Then, Scarlet calmly continued her previous thoughts.
…Wouldn’t appealing to his guilt work?
No matter how she looked at it, Raul was more soft-hearted than she thought.
So, if she just made it a fait accompli and told him to take responsibility…
She could keep Raul by her side for life, and maybe even surpass her daughter.
She didn’t know what would happen after that.
And…
“…Am I Raul’s?”
Scarlet unconsciously stroked her lower abdomen.
“…Heh… Hehehe♥”
She knew it was a dangerous thought… But somehow, just thinking about it made her lower body tingle.