Leading the young lady I picked up astray, making her the happiest girl in the world! Chapter 116 - From Now On 2

"Now then, you have two options."

Allen raised his index and middle fingers and showed them to Charlotte.

Allen held up his index and middle fingers toward Charlotte, counting them off slowly as he continued.

"First, forget everything and live quietly."

"Forget everything..."

Charlotte slowly repeated the words, savoring them. Allen nodded firmly.

"Exactly. You've realized today that you can walk the streets proudly without a disguise. The bounty on your head is probably still valid, but... if a bounty hunter cos along, I'll eliminate them no matter what."

Just like now.

(Now, the real target is coming.)

While Charlotte was lost in thought, Allen casually looked around the store.

Five n were sitting at a table a little distance away.

All of them were beastn, and at first glance they were enjoying their al while chatting harmoniously. There was no hint of murderous intent. However, their movents were unmistakably those of soone who had been on the battlefield many tis.

The guys who had attacked at the magic tool shop were not particularly skilled, even though Allen and his friends had taken them on. That was probably just an initial strike team. The people here were a cut above them.

(Well, not that I plan to lose. Still, I’m not in the mood to deal with them right now.)

His priority was already decided.

So Allen tapped the table three tis, quietly.

It was the signal they had decided on beforehand. At that mont, a white shadow ran past Allen's table.

"Grrr! Grrrr!"

"Wh... What is this dog?"

It was a fluffy white puppy. It jumped out at the demi-humans' feet, barking innocently and frolicking. The n looked confused. Of course, soone like them could easily deal with a dog, but they probably didn’t want to make a scene. They hesitated, unsure of how to react.

"Oh my, I'm sorry."

“Huh?”

A woman approached.

A breathtaking beauty clad in a jet-black dress.

She brushed her voluminous flaxen hair back and smiled sweetly at them, drooping the corners of her eyes.

“That child belongs to . Full of energy, I’m afraid… I sincerely apologize for the trouble.”

“Uh… Oh, no, it’s fine, right guys?”

“Y-Yeah. It probably just thought we were friends.”

The n were visibly smitten by her appearance. Her beauty seed to transcend race. Looking around at the fascinated faces of everyone, the beautiful woman's smile deepened.

"Fufu... is that so? Well then... good night."

"Huh...!?"

In that mont, the n all collapsed at once.

The beautiful woman struck them with a chop of the hand at a speed too fast to see. A barrier was deployed at the sa ti, so not only the staff, but the other custors, even Charlotte, did not notice what had happened.

The beautiful woman, Gousetsu, easily picked up all the unconscious people and gave him a thumbs up.

Allen thanked them with just a glance.

(…I’ll make sure I never end up on their bad side.)

While he was making this decision, Gousetsu and Luu left the store in high spirits. This wiped out all the enemies here.

Relieved, Allen decided to continue his conversation with Charlotte.

“And now, the other choice.”

The alternative to quietly forgetting everything.

What was her other, different future?

“To settle everything once and for all. That’s what it cos down to.”

“...!”

Charlotte let out a faint gasp.

Her expression tensed further, prompting Allen to smile lightly.

“That said, this isn’t about revenge. Your first goal should be to clear your na. It’s to undo the false charges and prove your innocence.”

Even though the heat is starting to die down, Charlotte's na will remain recorded as a criminal for all eternity.

Recovering her honor is essential to avoid casting a dark shadow over her future life... or so Allen thought.

However, even as he spoke these details, Charlotte's face remained stiff.

She stared at her hands, clenched tightly on her lap, as if forgetting to blink.

Allen watched this and let out a ntal sigh.

(Well, of course she’s scared… She’d be facing everything that’s terrified her until now.)

The people in Charlotte's family who had oppressed her for so many years.

The second prince of the Kingdom of Niels, who frad her with false charges.

If she wanted to restore her na, she’d have to confront those culprits directly.

Allen and Gōsetsu couldn’t just do it for her.

It's aningless unless Charlotte overcos it herself.

That’s why Allen didn’t want to pressure her. He shrugged exaggeratedly and joked.

"Still, a fun revenge drama takes ti and effort. If you're not interested, then I don't mind――"

“...I…”

Charlotte finally spoke, interrupting Allen's words.

She slowly raised her face, and although it was still stiff, a small change could be seen.

“I… I’ve been running away all this ti. I wasn’t enduring anything. I was just scared to fight… and kept running.”

Her voice was trembling as she spoke calmly.

But still she looked straight at Allen. And in her eyes burned a warm, strong light, like the little fla of magic she had conjured earlier.

"I want to change myself. So I won't run away anymore. Even if I'm scared, in pain, and my heart aches... I absolutely don't want to run away."

"Well then."

"Yes. I'll try my best."

With a deep breath, Charlotte voiced her resolve.

Thanks to her, Allen forgot to say anything for a while.

(I knew she’d grown stronger, but… this is beyond what I imagined.)

Charlotte continued to speak, as if she had burst a dam, perhaps in reaction to having remained silent.

“Also… my little sister… I want to see her again.”

“Ah, your half-sister. If I rember correctly, her na is..."

“Natalia. I was always told to address her with honorifics at ho.”

Charlotte gave a wry smile, as if troubled.

The only girl who supported Charlotte at her parents' house was Natalia.

Though she’d ntioned her before, this was the first ti she’d said out loud that she wanted to see her again.

"I think I've caused a lot of trouble to my sister by becoming like this. So I want to prove my innocence... and apologize properly for all the trouble I've caused her. And if possible... I want to be like a normal sister... I've always thought that..."

“You will.”

Charlotte’s voice began to crack.

Letting go of emotions she had long kept inside, the tears spilled from her large eyes.

Allen gently wiped them away and grasped her hand firmly.

"I'll lend you my strength too. So don't worry about anything. Everything will be fine."

"Allen-san..."

Charlotte’s face twisted with emotion.

At this point, more tears were about to overflow... but then she suddenly realized sothing and furrowed her brows anxiously.

"Um, well, I'm happy about your feelings, but please don't go overboard, okay?"

“Hmm… I suppose we should define our limits. First, how much law-breaking is allowed?”

"There's no limit or anything! You can't do anything bad! No!"

With that firm outburst, Charlotte had banished all tears from her face.

At that point, it was hard to say who was older between the two.

(Hmm, maybe one day... she'll be strong enough to have under her thumb?)

That thought, strangely enough, brought Allen a sense of joy, a glimpse of a bright future he could look forward to.