Chapter 250: Bombshell

Even after that, there have been hoards of Adventurers wanting to fight Cloud. However, the battle with Kayle had left him completely drained. As such, the healers at the scene stopped him from continuing.

As for Kayle, he was apparently dragged off by the branch head of Raum’s Guild and questioned about using the training grounds without permission. It seems that using it to train was fine, but the problem was that there were bettings on their match.

The betting and using the training grounds by themselves were fine, but together they were a problem. This way, the Guild’s training grounds could be seen to be used as a trading spot.

Michelle jumped from the audience seats to the arena and rushed to Cloud. She had seen him laying with his hand severed, so she had become quite a bit overprotective of him.

“Cloud, are you okay?” “Y-Yeah… My eyes are spinning a bit though.” “Oh no, you have to lie down.” “It’s fine, I can handle this much.”

Seeing her offering help so gallantly was honestly a pleasant sight. But Cloud being on the receiving end of it made me a bit displeased.

I couldn’t deny harboring some ill-feeling at that, but I wasn’t such a kid. I shall forgive him this time in consideration of his good fight.

“Finia, take me to Cloud as well.” “Understood. Excuse me, then.”

Finia picked me up in her arms and walked into the training range. Seeing me like that the audience turned noisy once again.

“Nicole is being princess carried…” “I heard that she can’t move her legs and loins.” “To be unable to move them… What did she do exactly.” “Well, do you even need to ask?” “She’s far too young for that. Who was the guy!” “There’s only one guy that fits that, isn’t it? Considering his age, he should have a manageable size.” “We really should kill him.”

From what I could hear, it seems that we were showered with baseless suspicions. If I left it be, I felt like it would damage my reputation quite a bit.

“Cloud, are you alright?” “That’s my line. What happened to you?” “I’m just a little anemic. It happens quite often.” “Oh right, you’ve always stayed in bed before, didn’t you?”

I made sure that everyone around me heard that I was anemic. This should be enough to make them understand my condition.

“Oh, so she is just anemic. Thank god.” “Wait, this might be Cortina’s trap. We have to first inspect why she is anemic.” “I mean, being anemic means that she lost some blood, doesn’t it?” “Wait, you mean she’s menstruating!” “Wait, it might be due to deflowering!” “Okay, yeah, we should kill him.” “Just give that a break already, you people!?”

Whatever I said, they were still taking it in the erotic direction. It was clear proof that their heads were filled with nothing but that stuff.

Whatever I said to them would just have the opposite effect. I’ll remember your faces and tell Lyell that you were sexually harassing me later. That should get them that “Six Hero’s Special Training” that they so much desire. Whether they would live to see another day or not was none of my concern.

That evening, Lyell and Maria sat at the dining table with bitter faces. They had arrived at Geeze Union and followed Klein’s tracks. However, his tracks had been suddenly cut at the mansion. The night before, a mysterious meteorite had landed directly on the peninsula where the mansion was situated, blowing both of them away.

Klein’s condition was unclear, but based on the situation his chances of being alive were pitifully low. Their other goal, the tax certificate, had also been lost in the process.

Naturally, I knew where that certificate was. It should be under Maxwell’s care. He was already planning to put it someplace else and have it ‘suddenly discovered’.

Then we just had to deliver that certificate to Donovan while feigning ignorance and the matter would be settled. Lyell and Maria knew nothing of our schemings, so their feelings were understandable.

“If Klein died, the certificate might have burned along with him…” “No one could expect a meteor falling on it. Maxwell could probably do that though.” “Actually, I’ve witnessed him do it more than once. But I don’t think he would do something that would cause him to lose his other objective. At any rate, what is done is done, so we have to think about the aftermath now. Can we put in a word and have it reissued? That should not smear dirt on Donovan’s reputation.”

Lyell, Cortina, and Maria spoke about the matter in turns. They were at their wit’s ends to the point that they didn’t even mind discussing it before Finia and me, who were unrelated parties.

Finia had sensed the foul mood and had withdrawn herself a bit in a cold sweat.

“Well if we just blame Maxwell’s magic for losing it, that should solve it. Donovan is the reason for this bothersome situation, but Maxwell was to blame for leaving someone like Klein be for so long. He should just take the blame for this one.” “Yeah, he should be able to cover up his own blunders.” “It’s not good to ask favors from influential people… But beggars can’t be choosers.” “The meteorite was Maxwell’s doing, and he also got the certificate burned… Let’s just go with that.”

Cortina just made it up, but it was actually Maxwell’s doing. I wonder how come she was always so close to the truth. It was the same during Elliot’s incident, but her guesses were always so close to the truth, and yet so far; I didn’t know how to even react.

Maria suddenly clapped her hands as if to signal the end of this conversation.

“Alright then, let’s leave the difficult talk aside for now. A bit too late to say this, but Nicole is here so it’s not good for her education to conspire before her.” “If we go there, I feel that leaving her to Maxwell is already a bad enough influence…” “We are having a meal, so we have to talk about something more fun.”

Maria was in all grins. It was as if she was preparing to give me a present. And then, she dropped her bomb.

“Hey, Nicole. It seems that mommy has a baby.” “Wha-?”

Her bombshell announcement had left me in a daze, having no words to respond with.