Hunter and Mad Scien Chapter 8

"Anyway, I'll read more of this."

When Esperanza roughly nodded, Cider asked in a subtle tone.

"You don't think I won't return it, do you?"

"Huh? Keep that. I wouldn't read it anyway even if I had it."

"Are you serious? Such material?"

Was that ant as thanks or calling her stupid? Sohow Dr. Sullivan got recognition but Esperanza's evaluation seed to have dropped even further. Unfairly.

"Yes, well. It seems like it would be better than

having it."

Considering she had given him the scythe, it seed like she needed to give him more things to make it even between them.

"In that case. Thank you."

"No......."

Before she could even answer, Cider jumped up and left. He was quite excited.

"I guess I should clean this up."

She had poured it out for no reason. She had tried to show off a bit.

As Esperanza gestured, the notes went into her inventory one by one and stacked up. The maids who ca to clear the teacups widened their eyes and watched the sight.

"Is that your magical tool, miss? I've never seen anything like it!"

"Wow, could you show us again? It's really amazing!"

The maids' flattery skills were considerable. Esperanza, feeling pleased, even demonstrated simple magic in front of them. When she floated a small fireball above her palm, the maids were completely amazed.

"Magic can be used like this too!"

"It's very different from what our Count uses. Miss, can you make water too?"

"Waaah, please make water too!"

It was several hours later that Cider discovered this scene.

When the door that had been quietly closed opened and the Count entered with the butler, the maids who had gathered without working scattered in perfect unison. The water that had been rippling above Esperanza's hand disappeared with a pop.

Cider, who had forgotten he was about to enter and was staring blankly at Esperanza's palm, asked.

"You use magic?"

Esperanza, left alone in the empty drawing room, blinked. The speed at which the maids disappeared seed closer to magic.

"You use it too, don't you? Since you're a magical engineer."

"Of course I use it too. But you... excuse

for a mont."

Cider grabbed Esperanza's hand and turned back her sleeve. Her white wrist was revealed. It looked slender for a hand that used huge weapons like rifles or scythes, but it was by no ans weak. He took her other hand and turned it over too. His gaze moved toward Esperanza's ankle then hurriedly moved away.

He couldn't possibly think to flip up her skirt. Instead, he whispered urgently near her ear.

"Do you have any magic stones on your body?"

Esperanza also whispered back in response. Why on earth did they need to do this?

"No. But why? You used magic yesterday too when opening the bag."

"That wasn't like this!"

A ghostly light flashed in the genius doctor's eyes. Esperanza instinctively stepped back. Then Cider, realizing he had been excessive, let go of her hands and stepped back.

"I'm sorry."

"......It's fine."

"Co to my laboratory for a mont."

"Count, then what about the party......"

"Not going. Howard, go do your work."

Butler Howard disappeared like the wind without raising any more questions. Esperanza felt like her soul was about to escape. What was this?

"You'll co with , right?"

Cider, who had been cold just monts before, suddenly smiled and said. However, that smile didn't feel very friendly. How should she put it? It was like a kidnapper's smile.

"Right now? After I finish cleaning all this up."

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"......No."

The Count gentlemanly stepped back and stood by the door with his arms crossed. And he watched Esperanza put the last note into her inventory.

"Let's go."

Following him as he strode ahead, Esperanza had to walk with the widest possible steps within her narrow dress. Cider, as if he couldn't see her walking uncomfortably beside him, was moving ahead with sparkling eyes.

'His ears have turned red.'

The back muscles hidden by his vest were tense with strength. What on earth was so amazing?

"Um."

When she lightly touched his back, his spine flinched and then relaxed. She didn't know he would be that startled.

"Ah, sorry."

"......."

He seed to have no ti to answer. The place he busily arrived at was the study. Still passing through the amazingly large library, going up the stairs to the second floor and further inside, a laboratory appeared.

It was a laboratory similar to Dr. Sullivan's but looking much wealthier. The bookshelves were wallpapered with mahogany, and it was filled with mysterious machines where brass gears rolled continuously and instrunt panels with moving red needles. The machines repeated exchanging things among themselves and switching circuits.

"......Amazing."

"Esperanza, stand here."

Cider went down a passage with endless stairs, then dragged over a huge grid plate and placed it in front of her feet. Esperanza flinched and stepped back.

"You're not going to do sothing weird to , are you? I don't like dissection."

"Why would I dissect you? There's so much more I can research while you're alive."

Ah, that was the problem?

"It won't hurt either. I'll just take a quick look, so stand here......"

It was a quite low and sweet voice. Subtle like a gentleman handing roses to his fiancée. If it had been a different situation, she might have forgotten this man's true nature and her heart would have raced. Even now, knowing his sche, admiration ca naturally.

'But that's not a fitting analogy for the situation. The fitting analogy is......'

A kidnapper.

"It's really just a reader. Originally it's used for magical items."

"That thing works by flowing magic power and receiving it back!"

In reality, it would be like flowing electricity into a person's body. Cider's eyes widened. Interpreting that: 'You knew?'

"How is that not painful!"

Esperanza trembled and stepped back. She grabbed a weapon at random, but instead of her usual weapons, she caught a toy-like pistol. Without ti to rummage through her inventory, she gripped that and aid it. However, the crazed magical engineer didn't blink an eye even with the gun barrel in front of him.

"I'll make it not hurt. I'll really flow in just a tiny bit."

"You've never tried it on a person."

"Well, people don't originally have magic power."

He tilted his head as if feeling wronged and said.

"Of course I would have tried it if I had the chance. I'm not happy about doing this kind of test on you either. It would have been nice if there were more legally obtainable test subjects."

"You just said test subject!"

"Of course you're not, Esperanza. You're... a guest, right? We're comrades looking for the sa thing. 'You' are not a test subject."

I don't believe it. I don't believe it.

"......Right. You might not be able to trust . I guess I'm not that trustworthy a man."

Esperanza pressed her rapidly rising and falling chest with one hand in excitent. Cider sighed low. His drooped shoulders looked dejected.

With that pretty face like a wax doll looking up pitifully, it felt like she should offer him candy or sothing. But that was a poisonous mushroom. A carnivorous plant. Esperanza didn't let her guard down.

"Then won't you give

just one drop of blood? Just one drop."

"This......!"

Esperanza, who was about to get angry reflexively, hesitated. Wouldn't one drop be okay? Anyway, a hunter's body optimized for combat was dull to pain. Just pricking with a needle and taking one drop. If he researched well with that, he might gain so results.

Most of all, when he was asking so pitifully with such a pretty face. Wouldn't one drop of blood be okay?

If she had been in a normal state, she would have reached the conclusion that no matter how much research was done with hunter's blood, there was no way to gain results related to the Golden Claw or dungeons, but Esperanza wasn't in her right mind either.

"......Take proper hygiene precautions. Make sure to disinfect the needle."

When she extended her hand, Cider smiled brightly. Each eyelash sparkled like afternoon sunlight. She was speechless. What was with him being so pretty in my taste?

Cider, who wrapped Esperanza's wrist with his large hand, ran his fingertip along the blood vessel.

Where his fingertip traced, his darkened gaze touched. It was serious and careful as if caressing sothing precious. Her stomach tickled. When Esperanza unconsciously made a fist, he gently loosened the tightly clenched fist with his other hand.

"I'll make it not hurt. I promise."

Unlike when he formally kissed the back of her hand or when he rummaged around like a surgeon, the hand holding Esperanza now had warmth. His delicate fingertip touched a certain point. Then, Esperanza saw from the corner of her eye the red needle on the instrunt panel moving. Her heart rate, which had been subtly quickening, instantly cald down.

'This bastard was secretly asuring magic power?'

Even the tension that hadn't existed was completely broken. Cider was stepping on the grid plate with one foot. He had indirectly asured magic power using himself as a dium. Since he himself had no magic power, it wouldn't hurt him, and though it wouldn't be as accurate as Esperanza standing directly on the plate, he could at least figure out where there was a lot of magic power. After recognizing this fact, her wrist belatedly stung. So he had made all that fuss to hide this?

Cider's lips curved in an arc. Regardless of the glaring gaze. He took out a packaged needle with one hand and tore it open with his teeth. And as if to show off, he washed the needle once more with disinfectant. The needle pricked the spot his thumb had been pressing.

"Ah!"

"Shh, it's okay. It'll be over soon."

The needle ca out, and the round blood drop that seeped out fell into the glass bottle with a plop. Cider subtly pressed the wrist to make more blood seep out.

"You said one drop, you fraud!"

"Since I'm pricking anyway, just one more drop. I won't do it again...... okay?"

Even while whispering softly, he kept pressing the painful spot, so he managed to fill quite a bit of the glass bottle that was only as big as a finger joint. Cider, who closed the glass bottle lid, wiped the bloodstains around the wound with a handkerchief.

"I'll never trust you again."

"Thank you for cooperating."

He shrugged and let go of her hand without any lingering attachnt. Esperanza shook her head in disbelief. What a really strange person.