The Abandoned Saint I Picked Up is a Side Character in an Otome Game and Turns Out to Be the World's Strongest Mage. I Plan to Rescue the Heroine Who Couldn't Achieve Her Happy Ending in a Dungeon. - Chapter 17

“And that’s what happened.”

Having regained my senses, I found myself on the receiving end of a stern lecture from Ariel.

But please, let me explain myself.

“Ariel, I swear I didn’t mean for this to happen! My head just started boiling over, and I couldn’t control myself—my urges were completely out of control!”

“That’s what most criminals say, you know.”

“Ugh.”

“Still, if we’re being honest, the real culprit here is clearly Christiana.”

Once she finished scolding me, Ariel shifted her focus to Christiana.

However, Christiana merely shrugged theatrically and tilted her head in mock innocence.

“Isn’t it simply that Endo couldn’t control himself in front of a beautiful girl?”

“Endo may have strong urges, but he’s not the type to force himself on someone. This has to be because of the potion you gave him before, Christiana.”

“…Ah, I see. Perhaps—no, most likely—it was the magic potion’s fault!”

“It’s definitely the potion’s fault.”

The moment Ariel and Christiana had taken Kon out of the room, my body had suddenly heated up, and I lost control, attacking Angelica.

It was almost certainly because of the magic potion Christiana had made me drink earlier.

Apparently, taking such an absurdly high dose had left my body unable to suppress sudden urges and impulses.

Not that this excused the situation, but…

The bigger problem now was Angelica, who was clinging to my arm with sparkling eyes full of adoration.

“A-Angelica, could you please let go? My arm is going numb.”

“No! I’ve realized what true love is!”

The Angelica I had attacked was now gazing at me with a sultry look.

“You are my destined one, Endo! ♡”

“W-Wait, calm down!”

“I am calm! I’m completely and utterly in love with you, Endo! ♡”

“‘Completely’ and ‘utterly’ mean the same thing, don’t they?”

It was clear something was wrong with Angelica.

While the sensation of her chest pressed against my arm was undeniably distracting, Ariel’s frosty glare sent a chill down my spine.

“But Lady Angelica, what about your feelings for the crown prince?”

Christiana spoke up as if suddenly recalling the issue.

Angelica, as we all knew, was supposed to be the scheming, manipulative villainess who worked tirelessly to keep her brother, the crown prince, all to herself.

There was no way someone like her would suddenly declare a supporting character her “destined one.”

At Christiana’s question, Angelica gave a small, sheepish shrug, looking slightly troubled.

“Of course, I still care deeply for my brother. But I’ve come to love Endo even more. Ah, how sinful of me…!”

“Wow.”

“Lady Ariel, could you please stop looking at me with those cold eyes?”

“Setting that aside, this whole issue of sudden uncontrollable urges is a problem. I wonder if my Light Magic could heal it somehow?”

Saying that, Ariel placed her hand on mine and began casting restorative Light Magic.

However, whether it was working or not was hard to tell.

“How do you feel, Endo?”

“I have no idea.”

“Oh, I just remembered!”

While Ariel and I were at a loss, Christiana clapped her hands as if she had thought of a brilliant idea.

“Why don’t we ask the person who made the potion?”

“The person who made it? Wait, who even created that potion in the first place?”

“Haven’t you heard? The head of the Andarencia Kingdom’s Mage Corps, Mae.”

“…The head of the Mage Corps?”

Of course, I knew her.

Mae wasn’t just a famous figure in Andarencia—she was someone I recognized from the game as well.

Why? Because Mae is the older sister of one of the love interests.

A stunningly beautiful woman and a magical prodigy, Mae serves as a source of deep insecurity for her younger brother. It’s only after meeting Ariel that her brother gains confidence in himself.

Unlike Angelica, Mae doesn’t antagonize Ariel. In fact, she treats her like a beloved younger sister and dotes on her.

“If we’re heading to Andarencia now, it’s going to be a real hassle…”

“You’re definitely a wanted man there. What should we do?”

As we all contemplated the problem, I suddenly realized someone was missing.

“By the way, Ariel, where’s Kon?”

“She ran off earlier, saying something about ‘a human intruding on her territory.’ She seemed pretty upset.”

“Kon’s territory… Does that mean someone entered the middle levels? Could they be here to rescue Angelica?”

I decided we should be cautious.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Kon returned, looking unusually cheerful.

“I’m back, nyaaa~!”

“Hey, don’t fling the door open like that! What if you break it?”

“Who cares about that? I brought you a souvenir!”

“A… souvenir?”

With a triumphant grin, Kon began dragging something—or rather, someone—inside.

“Hweeeeeh! Don’t eat meeeeeeee!”

“Oh dear, it seems we’ve got ourselves a bit of a situation,” Christiana remarked with a sigh.

What Kon had brought back were two girls—a stunningly beautiful woman and a lovely young girl—both tightly bound with rope.