Connie Loses It
Connie’s unexpected outburst freezes the atmosphere in an instant.
—No, that’s not a metaphor. It’s literally getting incredibly cold.
"Is this... converting mana into cold air?"
You hear about people getting heated when angry, but to emit cold air instead?
It’s an astonishing reversal of expectations—not that this is the time to admire it.
With a crackling sound, everything Connie touches begins to freeze rapidly.
… This is strange.
Judging by the chill radiating from her entire body, I’d assume she has an ice attribute—but there isn’t supposed to be an ice attribute in magic.
Commoners have their attributes identified after enrolling in school.
While classes currently focus on the basics, practical combat training is expected to start soon, and Connie was scheduled to undergo the attribute diagnosis in preparation.
What kind of attribute does she have?
However, the one even more perplexed than me was Zarfin.
At first, he kept up his usual smirk, but the moment Connie transformed her magic into cold air, he visibly panicked.
"You… you’re not… one of the survivors from that facility, are you!?"
Zarfin shouted, his eyes brimming with tears.
That level of fear isn’t normal.
What exactly is "that facility"?
For some reason, Zarfin was utterly terrified of Connie.
Right now, I might be able to get the information I need just by intimidating him a little.
If this man has been involved in shady dealings, he must be holding onto some juicy secrets.
Since I’ve run out of leverage after the Craig Beckart incident, this is a perfect opportunity.
Let’s negotiate and extract all the information he’s got—
"I won’t forgive you… Frozen World!"
The moment I stepped toward Zarfin, Connie unleashed her ice magic.
In an instant, everything around us turned into a silver-white world.
"It’s… incredible… Everything is frozen solid!"
Lucina stood dumbfounded, unable to move.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing either.
Connie’s Frozen World froze the surroundings in the blink of an eye.
The only ones spared were Lucina and me.
Zarfin and his underlings were left encased in ice, essentially cryogenically preserved.
"Are they… dead?"
"No, they seem to be barely alive."
"Then pull them out of the ice and restrain them. We can’t let them die."
"Oh… what mercy… Truly, Master Lake, you are so benevolent."
"Right?"
In truth, I only wanted to extract as much information as possible from them, so it wasn’t about mercy or anything noble.
For now, I’ll leave the rescue operations to Lucina.
As for me, I approached Connie, who had collapsed onto the ground right after casting the spell.
"It looks like you overexerted your mana."
"I-I’m sorry… I thought I could handle more…"
Connie’s face was pale as she apologized.
It’s not just from the mana depletion—that much is clear.
That facility, huh?
Come to think of it, Connie had no memory of her life before living at the church.
Could it be that, before coming to the church, she lived in the facility Zarfin mentioned?
I’d like to question her further, but she’s already exhausted from using that ice magic.
It’ll have to wait.
"I… I just couldn’t forgive him…"
"Couldn’t forgive him?"
"Because… that man just…"
With her last ounce of strength, Connie cried out.
"Master Lake isn’t even interested in harems, but he made it sound like you’re a bottomless womanizer…"
"So that’s what this was about. Well—wait, what?"
No, no, Connie?
I’m *absolutely* interested in harems.
That’s why I’ve been gathering talents like this, isn’t it?
… But if I admit that now, I might end up frozen solid next.
"Hah, you’re absolutely right, Connie."
"Exactly!"
Her intensity is overwhelming. Also, her face is way too close.
At least she seems to have cheered up a bit, but now I’ve got to tread lightly with anything harem-related in front of her.
—Still, I won’t give up.
I’m finally starting to realize the ideal structure of my trading company.
Moreover, Connie’s abilities as a mage far exceed anything I imagined.
The fact that she can wield ice magic, which shouldn’t exist, is deeply troubling.
Zarfin will face interrogation by the Knights Order and Magic Corps, so it’ll take time to gather detailed information.
However, the person who saw her potential and invited her to the academy—that person might know something.
"The academy Headmaster, huh…"
The Headmaster has the final say in student admissions.
Surely, they wouldn’t have admitted her without knowing anything, so they must have some insights.
"Huh?"
"Oh!"
Lost in thought, I suddenly noticed Connie staggering and about to collapse.
I quickly caught her before she could fall headfirst, holding her securely in both arms.
Though I accidentally ended up grabbing her chest, it was purely unintentional.
I swear I didn’t feel too guilty about it.
Meanwhile, Connie, still cradled in my arms, let out quiet snores.
"She fell asleep…"
She must have been completely drained.
Anyway, despite the unexpected circumstances, our original goal of sabotaging Zarfin’s auction has been achieved.
The Knights Order and the Magic Corps can handle the aftermath.
What do you think about this chapter?
