My Husband is so carefree and constantly Cheats on me, so I Kept making him Suffer as Payback, but somehow, he’s started to seem Kind of Cute. - Chapter 10

“It seems that the effect of the magic tool is problematic…”

On the other side of the communication device, my relative in the academic city, Zaran, spoke with a voice full of distress as he explained the situation.

Somehow, the magical mechanism my dear husband haphazardly put together actually worked. That alone was bizarre, but the real problem was its effect—it caused the targeted individual to unconsciously develop favorable feelings toward the user.

What is this nonsense? I wanted to dismiss it outright, but unfortunately, it appeared to be true.

At first, when a researcher activated it, they didn’t notice much of an effect.

However, when more members of Zaran’s research lab gathered and experimented with it, they all inexplicably started feeling fond of the person who activated the device.

That being said, the effect wasn’t particularly strong. It only seemed to foster better teamwork, reduce conflicts, and improve cooperation within a group.

At that level, this would be a revolutionary invention.

No matter what kind of members you assembled, as long as the leader used this magic tool, they could instantly create a harmonious and cooperative work environment.

Because of this, at first, everyone praised Elard and was eager to report the discovery of a new magic tool to the academic city.

But then, a problem arose.

Apparently, Elard had absolutely nothing to do with the experiment itself.

The moment he finished assembling the new magic mechanism, he had promptly fallen asleep and had been unconscious in bed ever since.

In their excitement over the new tool’s discovery, the researchers had completely forgotten about him.

However, an official report on a newly developed magic tool required the inventor’s personal signature.

Zaran and the others had already analyzed Elard’s magic mechanism, so there was no issue with documenting the technical details.

The real problem was that Elard wouldn’t wake up.

Or rather, even when he did, he would convulse for a moment and then promptly fall back into unconsciousness.

As I listened to Zaran’s report, I felt a terrible sense of foreboding.

Wait… What?

Zaran and the others had decided to wait until the next day, assuming some sort of flaw in the magic mechanism or an unexpected side effect might have caused this.

However, after thorough analysis, they found no such defects. Additionally, all the researchers who had participated in the experiment were perfectly fine, so there was no reason to suspect anything dangerous.

Yet, even the next day, Elard’s condition remained unchanged.

At last realizing that something was amiss, Zaran sought out a skilled mage specializing in healing magic within the academic city and entrusted Elard to them.

That was when they discovered the truth—

Elard had been trapped in a never-ending nightmare due to the magic embedded in his eyelids.

Using a rare magic known as “shared vision,” the mage was able to view what Elard was experiencing—

His entire field of vision had been completely filled with the word “EXECUTION.”

Upon seeing this, Zaran finally remembered the contract I had made Elard sign before leaving.

I had explicitly told him that this was a deterrent against any inappropriate behavior.

But why?

Elard hadn’t created an aphrodisiac or a love potion. He had simply made a magic tool that caused people to feel some level of affinity toward the user—

…Oh.

Zaran must have realized it, too.

In other words, this magic tool could potentially be used to manipulate women into falling for him.

And so, the magical contract I had put in place was now enforcing itself.

Upon reanalyzing Elard’s magic mechanism, Zaran discovered that with minor adjustments, the degree of affection induced could actually be regulated by adjusting the amount of magic power used.

…Ah. This was bad.

“I apologize. I never imagined things would turn out like this…”

Though it irked me to say it, I had caused Zaran a great deal of trouble, so I offered an apology.

“No, I was just as unprepared for this. But to think that tweaking my original magic-sealing mechanism in such a way would produce this kind of effect… I never would have imagined it. Thanks to Lord Elard, I’m brimming with new ideas! I feel bad for what he’s going through, but I truly am grateful!”

Um… Could you not be?

If you keep saying things like that, Elard will get an even bigger ego.

And then he’ll turn around and blame me for putting him through such suffering.

That would be incredibly irritating.

After all, wasn’t this his own fault for not listening to a single explanation properly?

Since he had actually managed to produce results, I saw no reason to continue tormenting him, so I lifted the magical contract.

However, after explaining the circumstances to Zaran, I had him dismiss Elard from his position.

If he wasn’t going to listen to instructions and just did things randomly, there was a risk of magical overloads or other dangerous consequences.

It was best to remove him before he caused serious damage.

Having zero understanding of what he had actually created, Elard eventually returned home, grumbling.

“Yuffie, I’m back. Honestly, what a nightmare I went through.”

Yes, I know…

“Welcome home. I’ve had all your favorite dishes prepared for dinner, so take your time and enjoy yourself.”

“…?”

What’s with that look?

Surely, I’ve been kind to him at least once in a while, haven’t I?

But judging by the way he was grinning as he took his seat—

“Hah, I knew it. She missed me. This woman is always so harsh, but if I think of it as jealousy, it makes sense. Alright, I’ll be the bigger man here and let it slide.”

—He was definitely thinking something ridiculous like that.

He happily ate his meal, savoring the flavors, and indulged in the wine with evident satisfaction.

So, naturally—

I laced his drink with a sleeping potion.

And just like that, he was out cold.