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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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At Evangeline’s invitation to enter the bathroom, I opened the door and went inside. She, who had been naked just moments ago, had already wrapped herself in a towel.
“…Master?”
“W-what is it…?”
“What’s that?”
However, the towel covering her body wasn’t what caught my attention. Her face was completely invisible. Like some egg ghost from a horror movie.
She turned her head away, covering her invisible face with her hands as if extremely embarrassed.
“You can’t see my face… so I bent the light slightly…”
“Ah.”
Even in this situation, she was more concerned with hiding her face. If I revealed that I was immune to curses, she would probably show that carefully hidden face, but…
‘…Let’s not.’
Yesterday, when I realized I was immune to curses – Marguerite had asked me not to tell Master.
She very politely requested that I not reveal this fact right after returning from our outing, as it might look like she had revealed the secret to me.
It wouldn’t be wise to refuse the request of someone who could make my life difficult as a guest. Besides, I was also curious about why Master wanted to keep this fact hidden.
“Then, I’ll get in.”
“O-okay.”
Though I was covered in sweat, there was no need to shower before entering the bath. The magical bathtub would instantly filter out sweat and secretions.
Splash─ As one adult male’s worth of mass entered the tub, an equal amount of water flowed out.
The perfectly temperatured bathwater enveloped my entire body, washing away fatigue. Though I hadn’t accumulated much fatigue anyway…
‘…Magic- can’t be nullified?’
I wondered this while looking at my faceless Master. Given that I had immunity to witch’s curses, and assuming their curses were magical in nature, I should logically be able to negate their magic as well.
But I couldn’t. Come to think of it, I didn’t even understand what magic was in the first place.
While I was lost in these thoughts in the bath, Master carefully spoke up.
“Um, Johan?”
“…Ah, yes, Master.”
“It’s a bit embarrassing when you stare so much…”
She said this while carefully covering her cleavage that the single towel couldn’t fully hide. She thought I had been staring at her chest while I was actually lost in thought with my head down.
Since I hadn’t exactly not looked, I nodded silently and apologized.
“I’m sorry.”
“Ah, no! You don’t need to apologize…”
“It’s because Master is so beautiful.”
“…Beautiful, you say.”
Hearing these words, Master suddenly went quiet, then slowly moved through the water toward me.
Though her face was invisible, her voluptuous figure was clearly visible – just her body approaching made me feel tense.
When she pulled my arm after coming close, my heart started beating as if it might burst.
“Johan.”
“Y-yes…”
“What if, what if – I’m… what if I’m not actually that pretty?”
“Huh? But Master is plenty beautiful.”
“…Even though you haven’t properly seen me?”
“…You must be beautiful even without seeing.”
“But what if─ what if I’m actually not?”
I finally understood why she was saying this. According to Marguerite, Master’s curse was one of revulsion.
Being reviled by any living being that saw her face─ a curse so terrible it made even her own parents abandon her.
Marguerite had said it felt like a two-meter cockroach fluttering its wings right in front of you. Something that would make even the strongest heart recoil…
“Even so, I’ll tell you you’re beautiful.”
Bearing this curse, she must have lived her whole life being reviled by people. Whether her face was objectively beautiful or not, people would have disparaged her appearance.
And so she too must have come to find her own appearance revolting. To the point of wanting to tear off her face every time she saw a mirror.
Only knowing that the source of the curse was her magic itself, not her face, stopped her from doing so.
And she─ even with someone immune to her curse appearing, she couldn’t bring herself to show her face. Because regardless of the curse, her face had become something revolting in her mind.
“Master.”
“U-um…?”
“I like you. I respect you as an adult, and I admire you as a magician.”
“Eh, ehh? S-suddenly…?”
I smiled slightly seeing her flustered by the sudden confession. Though I couldn’t see her face, I could clearly picture what expression she must be making.
While that flustered face would be cute and lovely too, I wanted her face to always be blooming with smiles.
“Even if Master has secrets from me.”
“S-secrets? I don’t have anything like that…?”
“How could you not?”
Carefully, I reached toward her face. The moment my palm touched her cheek, I felt her flinch. I could feel Master’s warmth.
“Even if your true identity is the Witch of Revulsion, and you accepted me because I’m uniquely immune to witch’s curses─ this feeling won’t change.”
“…Who told you?”
“Marguerite.”
“Ah, that woman?”
I grabbed her shoulders as she tried to rise suddenly, keeping her seated. Where are you going─ being angry at Marguerite for revealing secrets was something to do later. After tonight.
Holding her face again, I recalled Master’s face from my memories and slowly spoke:
“Master, I want to see your face.”
“…No. You’ll be disappointed.”
“I won’t be disappointed.”
“You’ll say it’s revolting, that it’s hideous…”
“Even though curses don’t work on me?”
“…S-still no.”
Learned fear. Even finding someone absolutely immune to revulsion due to their curse immunity, hundreds of years of memories carved into her unconscious held her back. Made her make the wrong choice.
If so, I’ll make it so she doesn’t have to choose. Like the curse itself, the miracle that breaks it isn’t given by her choice. It’s simply imposed- completely regardless of her own will.
‘I want to see her face…’
I want to see it.
I want to see her face.
I wish this playful magic hiding her face would disappear.
Crash-!
“…Huh?”
“Ah, anyway, no. You know it’s not possible…”
“…Master?”
“W-what? I want to leave now…”
“Your face…”
Hearing this, she started feeling her face. Just that was enough to realize her magic had disappeared. For a witch’s touch is sensitive to magic.
Realizing the magic hiding her face had vanished, Evangeline immediately buried her face in the bathtub to hide it.
“Master.”
Bubble bubble-.
“Earlier, I said I’d tell you your face was beautiful, remember?”
…Bubble-.
“I need to take that back.”
Even the slowly rising bubbles completely disappeared, and she stopped moving entirely. So still I worried she might have died from holding her breath-.
Above Master’s motionless head, I carefully spoke:
“Just calling you beautiful isn’t enough. You’re the most beautiful in the world, in the universe.”
─Bubble bubble-!
Master raised half her face from the tub with the bubbles and rolled her eyes at me. Though her mouth was still submerged, I could almost hear her words.
“…Really?”
“Would I lie?”
“Really really, truly truly?”
“Really really, truly truly.”
Now fully raising her face, she revealed the face she had never wanted to show and looked at me.
Water droplets falling from her hair adorned her beauty. Seeing her like this, I could understand why she had awakened love magic.
Even nature itself had no choice but to love her.
“…Johan.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Why- aren’t you saying it?”
“─Saying what?”
“…You said you’d tell me I’m beautiful.”
“Ah.”
Ahem, receiving the request, I cleared my throat to fulfill Master’s wish. Once I felt sufficiently prepared, I said what I had wanted to say many times:
“I fell in love at first sight, my lady.”
“──!?”
“Would you allow me the chance to gaze upon your beauty by your side?”
Hearing my words, Master carefully blushed and nodded.
“…Alright.”
Having received permission, I dared to move closer to her face.
Even observing from up close, I couldn’t find a single flaw.
“You’re beautiful.”
“…Mmm-.”
“You’re pretty.”
“O-one more time…”
“You’re cute, Master.”
“Ahhn…!”
After hearing the words she had wanted to hear many times, Master suddenly grabbed her forehead and collapsed. Quickly catching her body, I realized she had fainted from dizziness.
…So witches get dizzy from staying in the bath too long.
I picked up her unconscious form and headed outside.
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When Marguerite woke up in the morning and came to the living room, she witnessed a bizarre scene. Evangeline, without even wearing her face-hiding hood, had her face close to Johan’s while humming.
“One more time.”
“You’re beautiful, Master.”
“Hehe, one more time!”
“You’re prettier than any jewel.”
“Hehehe, more more more!”
“I’d rather look at you than the night sky.”
“Hehehehe…”
Watching Johan and Evangeline acting disgustingly sweet from the morning, Marguerite frowned.
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Love birds.
Now she is truly K.O