Chapter 186: Mission Success?
[You have absorbed all the married women into the Mecha.]
[Holding them all inside, you no longer need to worry about them causing a violent situation with Baobhan Sith.]
[After absorbing all three, you raise your wrist without hesitation.]
"I command with my Command Spell—"
Eikou raised his hand, seriously showing the Command Spell on the back of his hand.
"In short, go to sleep!"
Temporarily using a single Command Spell to calm the three girls.
Although this use was somewhat absurd, compared to a girl like Tohsaka who frequently failed, or a Master "Lancelot-ed" by a Lancer, Eikou considered his use of the Command Spell reasonable.
[The three married women, absorbed by the Mecha and unaware of the situation, were forced to sleep by your Command Spell.]
[Although using a Command Spell is a bit wasteful, it was a necessary sacrifice to avoid Shurefield!]
[Luckily, one Command Spell was powerful enough, and the order was simple and clear, so it put them to sleep instantly.]
The cockpit, already cramped, suddenly had three more women inside.
Before Eikou could react, they were pressed against the cockpit walls, packed in like sardines, unable to move.
The heat radiating from their bodies made the already stifling space nearly unbreathable.
"Umm…"
Before he could complain about the tight quarters, the sound of panicked footsteps echoed down the corridor, heels scraping sharply against the tiles.
"Waa a a a a a!"
Then, from the darkness, a fairy girl in a long red dress ran out, pale-faced and terrified, looking like a frightened little girl.
That… is Baobhan Sith?!
It was the first time he had seen the Blood Princess of the Fairy Kingdom display such fear and helplessness.
Although she was startled, she didn't appear injured, and Eikou let out a relieved breath.
"You're okay?!"
Eikou asked quickly.
As he spoke, he wondered what could have scared the normally fearless Baobhan Sith—could it be Morgan herself trying to intimidate her?
"In front… in front is… a ghost…"
Baobhan Sith's face was pale, stammering as she spoke.
Eikou froze, thinking, what could frighten a vampire-fairy like her so much? Her reaction was so extreme, it made him fear Tezcatlipoca might appear again.
"Don't be afraid, I'll go check…"
He reassured himself. He was riding a towering, imposing Mecha, with people inside the cockpit—there was no reason to be scared.
"Wait, wait…!"
Eikou had only taken a few steps forward when Baobhan Sith suddenly clutched the Mecha's arm.
Her face was pale, lips pressed tight, gray eyes trembling, gripping the Mecha's arm as if afraid of being left alone.
"Don't leave me alone…"
For the rare time, she spoke with a soft, truly girl-like voice.
"…"
Eikou furrowed his brows, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
What's going on? Baobhan Sith being scared is completely unlike her usual self—does she have some hidden trait?
If this girl was frightened, Eikou had intended to tease her mercilessly.
But seeing her so scared made him feel guilty, like he hadn't protected his date.
Even though this was just a Haunted House experience, and splitting paths was pre-agreed, he had done nothing wrong…
Yet seeing her show this vulnerable, terrified side, something inside him stirred—he just wanted to comfort and make up for scaring her.
"…It's alright."
The towering Mecha lowered itself slightly, gently stroking her slightly messy red hair, speaking softly to comfort her.
Baobhan Sith only bowed her head in confusion, as if her soul had been scared out of her body and hadn't returned yet.
[You protect Baobhan Sith from behind and proceed cautiously step by step to explore.]
[Even the proud Blood Princess of the Fairy Kingdom was frightened, so there must be something extremely dangerous ahead.]
[That is what you think.]
[As you go deeper into the dark corridor, the thing that frightened Baobhan Sith the most appears before your eyes.]
[It is the Magic Mirror you encountered before, capable of reflecting the deepest fears inside a person's heart.]
[And at this moment, it reflects—]
[A red-haired girl, covered in wounds, timid, insecure, with empty eyes.]
[Dark red hair, a black crown on her head, her appearance identical to someone present here.]
[…]
[That is what Baobhan Sith fears most.]
[The transformation effect of the Magic Mirror does not last long and quickly returns to its normal mirror form.]
"…"
Seeing the mirror return to normal, Eikou fell silent.
He looked at the reflection of Baobhan Sith in the mirror, then at the real Baobhan Sith who was desperately holding back her fear, lips pressed tightly together. His heart filled with complicated emotions.
There was no need to ask — he knew that was Baobhan Sith from the past.
The girl who was bullied, tortured until bruised all over, covered in wounds.
It wasn't ghosts or eerie haunted house tricks that terrified her, nor supernatural horrors — what truly horrified her were the psychological scars she herself once suffered.
"..."
[It seems you have seen a side of Baobhan Sith she never allows others to see.]
[Before Morgan protected her, Baobhan Sith was once abused.]
[You now understand more about Baobhan Sith's past, about the relationship between Morgan and Baobhan Sith, how Morgan views her, and what kind of person Morgan hopes she might become...]
[Your understanding of Baobhan Sith has increased.]
[If you get the chance, speak to Morgan about this later.]
[Perhaps then, you might truly be able to...]
"Don't be afraid, I'll take you outside right away."
Eikou reached out, using the huge mechanical hands to lift Baobhan Sith's slender body. His voice was incredibly gentle as he comforted her.
"...Mn."
Baobhan Sith only nodded lightly.
This time she was no longer sharp-tongued, no longer teasing or biting anyone. Instead, she obediently leaned against the steel thumb, just like a stray cat who had been abandoned before and now clung tightly to warmth.
Eikou suddenly felt as if he had found the missing piece of a puzzle. No wonder Baobhan Sith occasionally showed such gentleness and softness in certain moments — perhaps that was her true nature leaking out whenever she panicked.
His heart was a tangled mess of emotions.
He needed to get Baobhan Sith out soon. No more of these nonsense "suspension bridge effects."
This haunted house clearly misunderstood the assignment — no romantic climax to make couples' hearts race, yet it managed to dig up someone's deepest trauma. Truly overdoing it.
Suspension bridge effect? More like nonsense!
[In this tense and uneasy atmosphere, the two of you lean close, becoming each other's emotional support.]
[Seeing your bravery, gentleness, and the way you protect women, her heart can't help but waver.]
[Those heightened emotions of fear and tension transform into romantic attraction toward you — that is the suspension bridge effect.]
[Wanting to be closer to you, wanting to understand you more...]
[She has fallen for you.]
What the hell, it actually activated the suspension bridge effect at the last moment?!
I… I've conquered Baobhan Sith already?!
But his first reaction wasn't joy — it was sudden anger, even the urge to punch himself.
"Wait, even if the suspension bridge effect is real, I don't think it's a good thing."
Eikou protested furiously:
"Using someone's traumatic memories to make them fall in love, hurting a girl just to achieve my goal — wouldn't that make me a horrible person? Can we redo this? I can conquer Baobhan Sith without resorting to crooked tricks like this!"
[What you said is correct… very correct...]
[But who told you that the "she" here refers to Baobhan Sith being affected by the suspension bridge effect?]
"What do you mean? Who else could it be?"
The three married women were still sleeping soundly, Jeanne didn't need any suspension bridge effect because she already liked him, and Britomart absolutely didn't need to be mentioned…
Hm? Britomart…?
Eikou froze.
Right — among the girls present was one wild Britomart…
Wait — so it was her?!
"Ei… Eikou-sama…"
He felt warm breath softly brush the nape of his neck.
Immediately after, two soft breasts pressed against his broad back, radiating heat.
The voluptuous white-haired fairy clung tightly to him, face flushed with embarrassment, whispering like a flustered maiden:
"F-For some reason… just seeing you now makes my body feel burning hot… Eikou-sama, can you… do something to help me calm down…"
"..."
Eikou was stunned into silence.
First disbelief.Then refusal to believe.Then forced acceptance of reality.
Sweat drenched his back.
Finally, he took a deep breath and shouted:
"Damn it!"
Why did the suspension bridge effect hit a fairy girl who had nothing to do with him?! She wasn't even his target!
"Um… system brother, how about you switch it to Baobhan Sith instead? The method doesn't matter, as long as the result is good!"
[Yakamashi!]