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Charm Magic [Part 2]
‘They all have this… crazed look in their eyes…’ The noble male students looked at the unfocused eyes of the students who were under the effect of a charm magic and even started to worry about them.
“……”
“Y-You’re the strange one! Joanna-sama, you shouldn’t tangle yourself with people like them.”
“That’s right. These people just want to harass you because Joanna-sama was the Holy Maiden officially acknowledged by the Church. They must be feeling sour.”
While Joanna was still brooding over why her charm magic wouldn’t work no matter what she tried, the completely enchanted students, who had recently gained the new name “the Holy Maiden Joanna faction”, raised their voices in order to defend her pride and seek justice for her.
Actually Joanna had felt for some time now, that her charm magic had less efficacy in the Royal Capital, but the magic she laid within the academy grounds and the 10-meter radius around her was of an incomparable intensity. It should be impossible for anyone, moreover multiple people, to stay sane after coming into contact with the fabric.
However, those who had been charmed successfully by her were also not few, so she felt it was unlikely that her power had weakened.
“Ah! We should go to the cafeteria’s courtyard soon!”
“You’re right. The school bell has rung how many times now? Lunch break will be over if we don’t hurry.”
“C’mon, let’s go quickly! Sorry but please give the cotton to someone else who wants it.”
The bell which rings every 15 minutes during lunch break chimed, and the male students who couldn’t be charmed by Joanna left the scene without any reluctance.
“Ah, hey! Before you go, apologize to Joanna-sama first!”
“They’re just in a hurry to bring sweets for Emma-sama again, ain’t they?”
The students sighed as they watched the group of male students rush towards the cafeteria.
“Emma…?”
Joanna recognized that name as Emma was the no. 1 talked about person at the academy beside her. It was the girl who was addressed as the Holy Maiden before Joanna entered the scene.
“Well, those guys all belong to the Emma faction.”
“That’s right. Since we’ve come to be called the ‘Holy Maiden Joanna faction’, they started calling themselves the ‘Angel Emma faction’ to oppose us.”
“Lady Emma is a fake who the Church doesn’t recognize. There is nothing Joanna-sama should worry about!”
After living in the Royal Capital, Joanna often heard about the count’s daughter Emma Stuart. Joanna never cared about her before because she thought Emma Stuart was just a young lady who had gained short-lived popularity in high society. Now that there were problems with her charm magic, her plan might fall apart if she didn’t start dealing with the trivial matters carefully.
“I must get rid of her before she becomes a real hindrance…”
“Eh? Joanna-sama? What did you say just now?”
“I said I would like to meet Emma-sama. Could you please introduce us to each other?”
Joanna smiled broadly.
If Emma’s smile was like that of an angel, Joanna’s was more like that of a devil than a Holy Maiden.
Spellbound by that devilish smile of Joanna, the students in the Holy Maiden Joanna faction fell deeper and deeper under charm magic.
“Since it’s what Joanna wants, I’ll comply. Still, Lady Emma is nothing but a completely ordinary lady, nothing compared to the most beautiful and kind Joanna-sama.”
♠♠♠
“My! Chris-sama, long time no see. Eh? Are these cookies? Wha! They look tasty! Thank you so much!”
The noble students who escaped from Joanna came to meet Emma with refreshments in their hand.
They had always been worried because of her delayed return. After hearing that she started attending the academy yesterday, they hurriedly ran to the shopping district to buy cookies.
“I knew it. Miss Emma’s still as cute as ever.”
“And an angel at that.”
“I’ve been healed.”
Delighted, Emma started stuffing her cheeks with the cookies she received as a gift, and the male students treasured the sight presented to them with great relish.
—…Er, doesn’t Miss Emma win by a landslide over that holy maiden, no matter how you look at it?
—Lady Joanna…? Well, her cuteness is on a different level, right?
—In the first place, how could she gift people such sh***y cotton with a smug face…? Is her brain broken or what?
“Ah, right! I made a lot of amulets on the ship. Please have this if you’d like! You might find the design odd because I made it according to the ones sold in Imperial Japan’s shrines… someplace similar to a church, but it has purifying salt inside…”
“Consider it as a token of gratitude for the cookies,” while saying so, Emma took the handmade amulets from her large bag and handed them to the male students.
“I-Is it really alright for me to have this?! It’s my first time seeing a design like this.”
“Ahh, what splendid embroidery…”
“I’ll carry this on me every day too!”
The handmade accessories Emma gave as a return gift for the sweets were made of House Stuart’s trial silk and thread products, also many of them were mixed with Violet (spider) threads.
Violet (spider) thread has the [Anti-Magic Effect].
Before the summer vacation, Emma was rumored to be the Holy Maiden and got a tremendous rise in popularity. Thus, there was no end to students who gave her sweets just to see her smile. And it included a variety of students, not just the noble male students whose hometown was close to the Palace.
Every time Emma received the sweets she loved so much, she always felt delighted so never forgot to give a thank you gift.
It was all thanks to these sweets that Joanna’s charm magic didn’t completely spread throughout the Royal Capital during the time Emma, Violet, the cats, and the tailless whip scorpions were away from the Kingdom.
♠♠♠
Author’s corner:
Student: “Lady Emma is nothing but a completely ordinary lady.”
Melsa: “Fufufu, I see that you’ve been doing pretty well, Emma.”
The Prince: “Ridiculous! Emma is cute!”
Joshua: “She’s nothing less than an angel, though?”
George & William: “If only that were true… how great would it be…”
Readers: “____________”
(Fill in the blank question)
Author’s prediction: “These students have lost their minds.”
Translator: “*insert meme*”
Readers’ corner:
Reader A’s comment
Imagine that when they were wearing the yellowed underpants, the charm magic wore off halfway because of the effect of the spider thread. Imagine those shrieks of despair upon noticing the suspicious itchiness between their legs…
The Angel Emma’s faction could only hold their heads in resignation upon seeing this fearsome situation which they had successfully avoided from the start.
Shall we bid our farewell first to the Holy Maiden Joanna’s faction?
Author’s reply
The Church’s yellowed panties were also enchanted by charm magic. They would be so miserable when the enchantment wore off.
Emma and Joanna face-off… Wonder how it would turn out…