C120
"But Shirone... If you're really planning to do something on the island, there's one problem."
"Huh? What's the problem?”
"Actually, I planned this vacation as a pair trip."
“A pair trip? So, you mean a boy and a girl, and another pair of boy and girl kind of trip?"
"Yes. My partner is supposed to come here. I should've told you beforehand. I didn't expect you to say you'd investigate the ruins."
Shirone looked up at the dim ceiling. A pair trip. That meant he had to bring a partner as well.
"Got it. I'll bring someone."
Rian looked back at Shirone in surprise. The Shirone he knew was a shy guy who would blush at the sight of women's underwear. He thought that finding a partner would be the biggest obstacle and kept quiet, but he broke his expectations and easily agreed.
"You…. Are you popular with women?”
"Hmm? Not like that. But I have someone to go with. Actually, I've been thinking about it. If you hadn't suggested it, I would have asked first."
Rian's eyes lit up. Regardless of the intent behind his words, doesn't it mean there is a girl he is interested in?
"Haha! Our house's witch would be jealous, wouldn't she?"
“Sister Reina? Why would your sister?”
“Keke, no. Anyway, I'm dying to know. Who's this girl? Is she pretty?"
"Hng. She’s pretty, she is... But I don't know if she will come. Maybe I will be rejected all at once.”
"No way, you have to bring her no matter what. Go get her consent tomorrow. I'll go back home and prepare in the meantime."
Shirone delayed his answer. If Rian brings a partner, then he must bring one too.
But he wasn't sure. If he were to guess based on her usual personality, there was a high chance that he would get scolded and driven away.
These and other worries squeezed Shirone's heart. But at the same time, he was also excited.
It was his first trip, and he was with friends. Besides, he had heard that Galliant Island was a famous tourist spot with a Southern charm.
Shirone couldn't sleep until late at night.
A New Encounter (1)
Shirone part way with Rian in the noble residential area. Since they were leaving tomorrow, he had to find a partner today.
Due to his unfamiliarity with the area, he had to ask around to find her house. The place he finally arrived at was a mansion too beautiful to have been built solely for residential convenience.
'This is Carmis' home.'
He had been friendly with her at school, but the thought of visiting her at home made him nervous. Even the guards at the front gate were looking at him suspiciously, which made him even more nervous.
"Uh…. Hello?"
"What brings you here?"
As Shirone approached, the guard's grip on the sword tightened. He reacted unknowingly. Through countless trials, Shirone's aura had grown to a level that could overwhelm criminals.
"Is Amy here?"
The guard's expression hardened. He had heard rumors that Amy was an object of envy among men her age. However, few people came to her hometown to visit her.
“Excuse me, but who are you?”
“Ah, my name is Shirone. Her friend from magic school."
The guard looked to his superior as if he couldn't make the decision himself. Then the superior's face darkened.
Although it is certainly a rare case, it was not an unfamiliar incident for him, who has been living in the Carmis Family for 20 years.
'Haaa, annoying. It's starting again right after vacation.'
Either way, unless there was an order to ban outsiders from the main house, he had to report it.
When the superior gestured with his chin to report it, the guard headed towards the mansion.
Shirone waited at the front door anxiously. Meanwhile, the superior glanced sideways at Shirone.
He looked decent and his character seemed alright, but he probably couldn't get into the mansion anyway.
So far, many men have been rejected. There have even been times when a person who was a distant relative of the royal family went home without ever seeing Amy.
Such a thing was unimaginable unless it was for the Carmis Family, whose name was known throughout the entire continent.
After about 10 minutes of waiting, a guard hurried back on horseback. Just by looking at the anxious face of his subordinate, the superior could predict the result.
The unfortunate ones were always the gatekeepers in such situations. Because if an nobleman who couldn't handle rejection decided to strike them, they would have no choice but to take it.
The superior made up a groundless story in order to relieve his subordinate's burden.
"How did it go? I heard that there was something urgent to be taken care of today."
"You, come in."
"Hmm, that's so. They're quite busy people... Huh? What did you say?"
The superior questioned again, doubting his ears. The reporting guard also looked perplexed, as this was the first case of its kind.
"That’s… Lady Amy told me to bring him in.”
"Ah, she must be home then. That's a relief."
Shirone breathed a sigh of relief. He assumed there would be no way for him, a commoner, to enter the mansion if Aimee was away.
A short while later, a pink carriage arrived at the front gate. The guards paled as a friendly old man, leaning on his cane, got off the carriage.
It was Adele, the butler of the Carmis Family.
Upon seeing the man who came to meet him, Shirone asked the guard,
“Can I go in now?”
"Ah, yes! Welcome to the Carmis Family!”
The superior hastily saluted in military fashion. Still, he couldn't understand the current situation.
He could accept that entry was permitted, but Adele? Regardless of who Shirone was, even if he was a child of a great house, there was no reason for the head butler of the Carmis Family to come and greet him.
The only time Adele moves is when there is a big event in the family or when the head of the house had a guest.
'Who on earth is he? Since he said he's a friend of the young lady, he can't be a guest of the head. Is there some event today? No, I haven't heard anything about that?'
Adele walked towards Shirone with a cane. Despite being the butler in charge of the large mansion, he had a mild impression.
“Welcome to Carmis Mansion. I am the head butler, Adele."
"Hello. My name is Shirone.”
"I see. Pardon my intrusion, but there is something I need to confirm before leading you to the mansion."
"Oh, what is it?"
"I need to confirm your identity. To see if you really are Shirone."
Shirone looked at Adele as if he couldn't understand.
"The young lady told me this: 'If it's Shirone, bring him in.' I interpret this as: 'Only if it's Shirone, he can be allowed in.' Therefore, you must show me proof that you are indeed Shirone."
Shirone's forehead creased. The words 'if it's Shirone, bring him in' were nothing more than Amy's grumbling tone, and at most, it meant to check if someone was impersonating his name.
How much could one extrapolate from that to demand proof of identity?
"How do I prove that I'm myself? I am Shirone."
“I can't be sure of that. I am the butler of the Carmis Family. We have the responsibility and authority to clarify the identity of the person entering and exiting the country.”
"Just take me to Amy...!"
Shirone halted his words. The once amiable face of Adele suddenly felt intimidating, and an unidentified pressure bore down on his chest and back. It felt as if his organs were about to burst.
"The Carmis Family is the top noble family that refuses to be compared with any other. And I, Adele, as the head butler, only follow the orders of the head of the family. Since I am personally escorting the young lady's guest, I should see a courtesy befitting of that."
Sirone realized why Adele was acting crookedly. In the end, he had to do the work of a mere butler, and that made him uncomfortable. Despite this, he couldn't show any signs of displeasure because the pressure suffocating him was growing stronger.
'Ah... this is finally starting. ‘Pressure’.'
The guards felt sympathy for Shirone. Adele, notorious for being meticulous, was prone to 'pressuring' his subordinates even over minor mistakes.
Pressure, a technique that unnaturally amplifies emotions and disrupts the nervous system of the target.
While it doesn't cause physical pain, the gradually intensifying stress does affect the body, and if fully applied, it could even destroy major organs. A dangerous technique.
'Ho, he's resisting this?’
Shirone was only tensed up and did not show any significant changes. Seeing Shirone calmly absorbing the stress, an exasperated Adele gradually increased the intensity of his Pressure.
Originally, he didn't intend to go this far, but he thought that giving a rude brat, who solely relied on his lineage, a shock would be a good lesson.
Shirone realized his heart was racing. The main cause was anger. Adele's hostility was fueling Shirone's rage.
'Let's stay calm. It's just an emotion. If I control it, nothing will happen.'
Like a person sinking in the sea with a heavy weight tied to him, the pressure intensified and breathing became difficult as time passed.
However, Shirone did not struggle and calmly sorted his feelings.
As the duration of the pressuring surpassed the threshold for survival, Adele trembled his lips as if he couldn't believe it.
Cold sweat was running down his forehead.
'What's with this boy?'
To escape Pressure, one must amplify their emotions to the same intensity.
If it was a member of the Carmis Family with their red eyes, they could reset their emotions, but it was strange for Shirone, who had no self-memory, to be perfectly fine for this long.
'It is impossible to explain with endurance alone. What remains, then, is to have complete control of one's emotions.'
It was another way to destroy Pressure. But it was easier said than done.
As there is a saying ‘Even flower songs become boring if repeated three times’, any adult gentleman loses his composure and becomes disturbed when exposed to stress for a long time. However, there was no such appearance in Shirone.
Adele has made some assumptions based on his experience. The boy could be a fool, lunatic, or a monk.
No, even among monks, he would have to have reached the level of Vajrapani.
'A monk at the level of Indestructible Diamond? Does that make sense? Isn't he not even twenty years old?'
Adele didn't admit it, but Adele got the answer right.
In the realm of infinity, Shirone had gone mad countless times, an amount no human could handle.
He grasped Absolute Center, which he had realized through the process.
As long as he held on to that, he could have ignored the artificially generated emotions.
Adele released his Pressure. He didn't know how Shirone had endured until now, but from now on, it wasn't necessary to know.
It was clear that the boy standing before him was the lady's friend.
When Adele's face returned to a benevolent expression, Shirone was finally able to exhale.
It is a truly terrifying technique. If he hadn't entered the state of Indestructible Vajra (Prev. Indestructible Diamond), his heart might have exploded.
Adele put his hand on his chest and bowed down.
"Forgive me the insolence of this foolish old man."
The guards were puzzled. They thought it was strange because Shirone's expression didn't change, but suddenly the butler was apologizing in a humble manner.
"When we return to the mansion, please reprimand me for my actions. I will gladly accept any punishment. I hope you have let go of your anger."
"So the Camis Family hadn’t doubted me?"
"Yes. Extensive interpretation of the instructions and putting Shirone-nim in danger were all my own actions. The head of the household did not place any conditions on bringing Shirone-nim back.”
"Why? Did I do something disagreeable?"
Adele smiled and shook his head.
“It is rather the opposite. I've taken care of Lady Amy since she was born, but this is the first time she have ever brought a man into the house. I was curious about what kind of person he really was, so I committed rudeness without even knowing the subject.”
Shirone felt drained. Doesn't that mean that everything he have done so far has been an act to test him?
But there was nothing he could blame him for. If you want to visit a noble's mansion, especially the main house, you must make an appointment in advance.
Having worked for the Ogent Family, Shirone knew how heavy Adele's duty was.
---
Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
