Chapter 13

EP.13 Childhood Friend Kidnapping Case (2)

Amy Holloway. A childhood friend of Ian and one of the heroines.

She has a passive ability called [Heart Color Discrimination], a neutral attribute magic passed down in her family. Thanks to this, Amy can discern the colors of others' hearts.

This allows her to infer whether someone is lying, what their personality is like, or if they are plotting something.

This ability was the main reason the Holloway family survived in the noble society, where all sorts of intrigues and schemes were rampant, and eventually became a baronial family.

The Holloway family doted on their daughter. As a result, Amy grew up to be a girl with a head full of flowers.

It was in a flower garden that she met Ian Fairytail, the second son of the Fairytale Viscount, whom she actually encountered.

To her, Ian was a boy with a pure heart. They quickly became close, and after much effort, they entered Merchen Academy as classmates.

Therefore, in the early part of the story, Amy's role was very significant.

<Merchen's Magic Knight> Act 2, Chapter 2, Childhood Friend Kidnapping Case.

At this time, Matteo's gang had good timing.

On the day they planned the kidnapping, something upset Amy, making her feel bad towards Ian. At that moment, Matteo's subordinates approached her and tried to coax her into following them.

Amy realized they were trying to kidnap her. However, she still decided to follow them.

They had no sinister desires, and she also hoped Ian would cherish her even more.

In the end, the man she liked would come to her rescue like a prince on a white horse. And he would treat her even better than usual.

It was just a bit of a tantrum.

Rather, because she could discern their intentions, she fell for Matteo's gang's coaxing.

As a result, Amy received unexpectedly harsh treatment until Ian rescued her.

She was slapped and kicked. This was due to Ian's excellent fighting skills, the shock of Matteo's subordinates, and Amy's resistance.

She didn't want Ian to be in danger because of her impulsive and foolish thoughts.

It was not a pleasant scene.

So, when the childhood friend kidnapping case ended, Amy cried and apologized to Ian. After that, she became a devoted heroine and stopped causing trouble.

Anyway.

If she was in such a psychologically vulnerable state, it would be easy to kidnap her.

As long as I'm here, I can't allow Amy to be mistreated.

'Where is Amy?'

I recalled the aftermath of Act 2, Chapter 2.

Before Matteo's gang coaxed her, Amy was upset with Ian and had gone somewhere. Where was that place...?

'Ah, right. The hydrangea garden.'

There is a garden beautifully decorated with hydrangeas of various colors. Amy would be on a bench there.

I was prepared to search for a long time, but fortunately, I easily found Amy sitting on a bench, pouting.

First, I let my bangs down. I'm alone now.

I brushed my slightly wavy bangs down and approached Amy.

Several emotions crossed my mind.

I've played the Amy route in <Merchen's Magic Knight> quite a few times.

I always enjoyed her bright smile, which was like a garden in full bloom.

Thus, she is familiar and full of memories, and one of the characters I cherish.

When I stopped in front of Amy, she looked at me with her beautiful green eyes. She was a short-haired woman with a black rabbit-ear ribbon, looking like a puppy, with large eyes and an overall cute appearance.

This is our first official meeting. As expected, she had a puzzled look on her face.

[Amy Holloway]

Level: 51

Race: Human

Attribute: Fire

Danger: X

"Amy Holloway?"

"......?"

Amy is probably using [Heart Color Discrimination] to see through my intentions.

There's nothing to hide.

So, I'll make the proposal as politely as possible.

"Sorry, but I'm going to kidnap you. Can you cooperate?"

* * *

Is he crazy?

Amy was taken aback by what the man in front of her suddenly said. She didn't know how to respond and just stared at him for a while.

His silver hair had a slight blue tinge, and his red eyes looked clear like blood.

She knew who he was. His name is Isaac. He received an E-grade in magic power and was at the bottom of the class in the group evaluation. He was a commoner and was known for his poor performance.

However, Amy didn't look down on him. She couldn't understand why the other students were so eager to belittle others.

Perhaps it was because her childhood friend, Ian, also received an E-grade in magic power and was mocked by the students.

This made Amy angry, but she couldn't do anything about it. She could only be there for Ian.

That's why, unlike the other students, Amy felt sympathy for Isaac.

But why would such a man suddenly say something like this?

Did I hear wrong?

"Kidnap?"

"Kidnap."

Isaac answered clearly, as if confirming the question.

Thanks to her [Heart Color Discrimination], Amy could see the color of Isaac's heart. A slightly orange-tinged, pure blue color. A color that showed no impure intentions.

So, his talk of 'kidnapping' didn't seem like real kidnapping.

Of course. Who would kidnap someone like this? True kidnapping involves using force from the beginning or coaxing and then capturing them.

'Is this the first time we're talking...? Why does he have affection for me?'

The orange tinge in his heart color represented affection, fondness, and friendliness. It was a color usually seen in family or close friends. When seen in a stranger, it meant fondness.

A color that could turn into a romantic pink at any time.

But this was the first time Amy had seen Isaac.

That means...

'Did I inadvertently charm him?'

While passing by, her pure beauty must have won Isaac's affection.

She felt embarrassed. She covered her cheeks and turned her head away, her lips twitching.

'This sinful woman... I might like it.'

Although she didn't have any particular feelings for Isaac, it made her feel good about herself.

Amy was upset with Ian recently. He had been neglecting her. Not to mention, the color of his heart towards her had faded.

She felt a deep sense of doubt about whether her carefully maintained appearance could capture Ian's heart.

Of course, rationally, she understood that Ian was focused on training. But it still felt too neglectful...

Training, me?

She wanted to say that, but her pride wouldn't allow it. After all, she and Ian weren't in a romantic relationship. Revealing such possessiveness would only ruin their relationship.

That's right. Ian and she were just childhood friends. Just friends...

'Baka Ian. Try to be jealous.'

Amy wanted to get back at Ian.

"Hehe, kidnapping? That's funny. You're Isaac, right?"

Amy laughed with a snort and smiled brightly.

"Do you want to talk to me alone?"

"Um... yeah?"

"If possible, I'd like some delicious snacks and tea. I have a pretty picky palate, you know?"

"I'm not sure about the tea, but I have some A-grade milk from the Airo farm and chocolate made from Doarc cocoa."

"...Really?"

Amy's eyes started to sparkle with curiosity.

Without realizing it, she stood up and leaned towards Isaac.

Isaac, surprised, reflexively pulled his upper body back.

Ignoring his reaction, Amy asked excitedly.

"W-What kind of chocolate is that...? I've never heard of it. Is it good?"

Her voice trembled with excitement.

Amy was crazy about sweets. She could confidently say she had tried every sweet in the world.

Thus, the handmade chocolate Isaac mentioned was enough to pique her curiosity.

"Try this one."

Isaac took a small piece of chocolate, about the size of a finger, from his pocket and handed it to Amy. The chocolate was wrapped in paper.

Amy marveled at the pretty packaging design.

She put the brown chocolate in her mouth, and her expression melted.

"How is it?"

"It's so sweet..."

After swallowing the chocolate, Amy was lost in the aftertaste for a while.

Then, she regained her composure, cleared her throat awkwardly, and nodded.

"Well, yeah. It's good. This is really good. Do you have more chocolate?"

"I'll give you more if you come with me."

"Okay."

Amy composed her expression and gave Isaac a lively smile.

"I'll be kidnapped! Where are we going?"

* * *

"Wow, there's such a place!"

The place I brought Amy to was a small house somewhere in the Josena Forest. It was originally an abandoned house, but I had cleaned it up for the kidnapping.

In <Merchen's Magic Knight>, there is content for creating and decorating your own hideout. This abandoned house was one of the places that could be used as a hideout.

I led Amy to a table with snacks.

"Sit here. I'll bring the tea."

"......"

Amy's attention was already focused on the chocolate on the table.

After seating her, I headed to the kitchen. The kitchen was just a small space separated by a partition.

There, I placed a kettle filled with water on a magic circle inscribed with a 1-star Fire Attribute magic, [Fire Creation], and started boiling it.

But this situation... something... it's a bit...

'This is too easy...'

I thought it would work, but I didn't expect to coax Amy so easily with just a piece of chocolate.

Of course, the chocolate I prepared was an item specifically effective for Amy.

The chocolate I had prepared was bought with the kidnapping funds I received from Matteo. It could be obtained from a secret shop and was relatively cheap.

This chocolate was originally one of the gift items to increase a heroine's affection. It was most effective on Amy Holloway, who loves sweets. It was a must-have item if you wanted to see Amy's true ending.

So, I was confident that Amy would like it.

Of course, the most significant factor was her [Heart Color Discrimination] skill.

'What are you doing, Amy?'

I peeked over the partition and looked at Amy.

She was reaching for the chocolate with one hand but stopped herself with the other, trying to control herself.

......

"Isn't it too much? We've known each other for so long, and he keeps saying he needs to train, ignoring me all the time..."

Amy and I had a modest tea party with chocolate and tea.

It seemed I had a lot to talk about with Amy because I had played the game so much. Once we started talking, various story elements came to mind, and I couldn't stop talking.

Thanks to this, the atmosphere was never awkward.

Amy, feeling relaxed thanks to the chocolate and tea, kept complaining to me. Naturally, it was all about Ian.

"He's so ungrateful