Chapter 157: Vassalized Rihanna
“Krrm.”
Tower Master Regant, whose very life nearly ended by Rihanna for “smells weird”, cleared his throat.
The Grandmaster and Nameless still wore broad grins, but they wisely kept their laughter in check—otherwise the conversation would never move forward.
Just so you know, humor of this sort only gets funnier the more people can relate to it.
“Seems we need that gag more than ever. You said she even snapped a steel one in half?”
“Yes, that’s right. Does the Magic Tower happen to have anything stronger?”
Since it was the Magic Tower, Isaac figured they might be able to forge something out of exceptionally pure iron—maybe in a gigantic smelter or something.
But Regant clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“We’re magicians, not master blacksmiths.”
“In any case, we still need to keep her mouth shut. I can’t keep covering it with my hand forever.”
“I don’t mind,” Rihanna murmured.
“….”
Isaac quietly pressed his hand over Rihanna’s lips again. The way she leaned into his touch—almost as if she’d been waiting for it—left him with a strange, hard-to-describe feeling.
“At least give me something that’ll hold her for a bit—”
“No need,” Regant cut in. “Why not use a gag that can’t be broken at all?”
“A gag that can’t break?”
“There’s a spell called Silence. It blocks all sound from the target. Cast that and problem solved.”
“Hm.”
Satisfied with the solution, Isaac nodded. No risk of it breaking, and it wouldn’t bother Rihanna either.
“Great. Let’s do that.”
“—This isn’t a shop,” Regant sighed. “I’ll need time to prepare. Come back later.”
As he turned away, the Grandmaster and Nameless immediately fired playful jabs at his back.
“Heh, try bathing next time.”
“Maybe if you left your room instead of studying magic all day, you wouldn’t hear comments like that.”
“…Oh, right—Isaac.”
Pretending he hadn’t heard them, Regant pivoted again to face Isaac.
“If you can, keep your face covered while you’re here.”
“…Sorry?”
The sudden request caught Isaac off guard. Rihanna jumped in at once.
“Isaac’s handsome.”
She really thinks about this all the time, Isaac thought. Through this whole Vassalization mess, he’d realized just how highly Rihanna rated him. Before her transformation he’d never once heard her say anything like that.
“That’s exactly the issue,” Regant replied, hitting the nail on the head.
“Did you know,” he continued, “that your likeness is being traded under the table all over the Magic Tower?”
“…Pardon?”
“Ah! That’s what I wanted to say!” Nameless slid between Regant and Isaac, grinning from ear to ear. This must have been the ‘fun story’ she’d been dying to share earlier.
Laughing, Nameless explained, “Young master, they’re selling dolls, portraits—there’s even a serialized romance novel—all based on your looks! Ever since you left for Everguard, the magicians have been amusing themselves making their own merch.”
“What on earth—”
Isaac’s face said it all: You’ve got to be kidding me. But the explanation was straightforward.
Most magicians spend their days holed up in labs or private rooms, poring over papers, research, or study. However brilliant they might be, they’re still human; the stress piles up. And to the female magicians, Isaac was like a hit of impossibly sweet nectar.
First of all, the man was downright gorgeous.
Not that the Magic Tower lacked good-looking folks—of course not.
“Just look at Tower Master Regant.
Half the time he doesn’t bother to wash, his hair’s a mess, and he reeks of cheap tobacco or stale liquor. On good days he only smells like dust from all those yellowed scrolls.
Plenty of the male magicians strut around in robes no one can remember being washed. Unsurprisingly, that does nothing for the female magicians.
Likewise, the men stopped classifying the women as ‘women’ long ago.
And then—Isaac showed up.
A beauty among beauties.
Hair neatly tied back in a short tail, a faint rose scent that never fades, a body kept fit by constant training, and a quiet decadence in his eyes—sorrow and regret he always seems to carry.
“You’ve spoiled the magicians, lad,” Regant said.
Now, to the female magicians, every other man in the tower may as well be a dust mite crawling down the hall.
“It’s hardly my fault, is it?” Isaac replied.
“Well, keep that in mind. If a fireball comes flying at you in the corridor, just accept it. Jealous men, you know.”
Isaac pulled a face, but Regant was dead serious.
When they entered earlier, the women’s greetings—and those curious side–glances—had felt stronger than ever.
With their daily eye-candy suddenly gone, they’d clearly sought replacements.
While the rest of the party hesitated over how to react, the one who reacted most fiercely—of course—was Rihanna.
“Who dares use Isaac like that—!”
She couldn’t contain herself.
Just imagining novels filled with unspeakable fantasies about her former husband, or dolls molded after his face clutched to someone’s chest at night, made her stomach twist.
The last time she’d heard about it she’d been furious; now her anger was downright lethal.
“Mmph-mph!”
Not wanting to find out what murderous words might spill out, Isaac clamped a hand over her mouth. Then he turned to Regant.
“You’re the Tower Master. Please ban that nonsense—it’s disgusting.”
“Tsk. I told them to stop, but the backlash was fierce. Still, now that the person concerned is here to complain… well, I suppose that settles it.”
Regant shrugged, promising to “see what he could do.”
Isaac sighed; if they stayed another minute, Rihanna really might do something drastic, so he headed for the exit.
“Hmm.”
“Why so quiet?” asked the Grandmaster.
“I take after Father,” Sharen answered.
“…”
Isaac stepped outside—just in time to run into two unexpected faces entering the Crystal Spire.
A blue-haired young man and woman: comrades-in-arms from the Northern front.
They were Rayahn and Marlin Leivice—siblings of the famed mystic sword Leivice Family.
“Oh? Baron Logan! You’ve returned already from Everguard!”
Rayahn broke into a bright smile. Last time there had been a hint of wariness, even hostility, but the bond of shared battle had melted that away.
Marlin remained taciturn. Her gaze fell on Rihanna at Isaac’s side, and she spoke softly.
“…You rescued her.”
“Ah, Lady Rihanna! Thank the heavens you’re safe!” Rayahn hurried over, beaming.
His feelings for Rihanna hadn’t cooled in the slightest.
“My lady, how can you look so radiant even like this? A blossom should be left untouched, yet—”
Back in the North, Rihanna had shown Rayahn the utmost courtesy—after all, he was the Leivice heir. With Helmut in turmoil, offending him then would’ve been foolish.
“Even bound like this, you are a forbidden fruit that stirs a man’s very soul. Truly, whatever form you take, beauty accompanies you—how sinful!”
“Divorce cannot blemish you either—astonishing, isn’t it? I, Rayahn Leivice, wish to—”
“Shut up.”
“…P-pardon?”
That was then; this is now.
The politely smiling Rihanna was gone—only the candid Rihanna remained.
Isaac tried to cover her mouth again, but Rihanna slipped her head aside, seizing the moment.
“Enough. Your words don’t flatter me at all—they irritate me. Honestly, I’m disgusted.”
“…”
“Quit pretending you’re handsome. You’re not. As a man, you’re… completely unappealing. Now look at Isaac here.”
“…”
“See? I lived with this man. Take a good look in the mirror—think I’d ever be interested in you?”
“…”
“Be grateful my hands are tied. Otherwise, I’d split you in half with Ragnabel.”
“Spicy,” the Grandmaster chuckled, applauding.
Sharen nodded. “She takes after Mother. I take after Father.”
Isaac gently clamped a hand over Rihanna’s mouth from behind again. This time she didn’t resist, instead leaning into him.
“So… why are you here?” Isaac asked, trying to change the mood.
Rayahn only stared slack-jawed, no answer forthcoming.
His sister Marlin supplied it for him.
“Transcendents keep appearing all along the Northern front. We came to seek the Tower’s advice on how to stop them.”
She drew a long breath. For the normally terse Marlin, that was practically an oration—apparently because her brother was presently incapable of speech.
“…”
“…”
In the awkward silence, Rihanna fixed Rayahn with a cool stare and muttered through the gap between Isaac’s fingers:
“What are you looking at?”
“…”
“…”
---The End Of The Chapter---
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