The Strongest Magician Can Only Love His Dead Wife — After I Reincarnated, My Cute Younger Husband Turned Yandere - Chapter 3

“Well… Al would be angry too.”

When I explained the situation to the guest who visited the Silva household the next day, he looked utterly exasperated.

“Am I really that unreliable…? So much so that you can’t possibly see me as an older sister…?”

“No, it’s not about being unreliable, I just don’t want to think of you as a sister.”

“Even you’re being cruel, Lord Jeremy…!”

Jeremy Rosario.

The current third-ranked magician of the Merkius Empire, and Arsenio’s magic instructor.

Arsenio was still young and couldn’t properly control his own magical power.

However, there were only a handful of people in this country capable of teaching magic to Arsenio, who possessed enormous magical power.

Jeremy was one of them.

Thanks to that, he squeezed time from his busy schedule to come all the way to the Silva household for lessons.

However, since the very person in question, Arsenio, had been out since this morning, Jeremy was now stuck listening to Rubia’s complaints.

“I’m trying my best too! Sure, compared to Lord Arsenio, my magical power is just a drop in the bucket, and I can’t use any impressive magic, but…”

“I don’t think that’s the issue here.”

“Then what is the issue?!”

“It’s not really my place to say that.”

Jeremy smiled awkwardly, giving off more of an impression of a ‘nice big brother’ than an elite magician.

Due to his grandmother being from the Tark tribe and his open, friendly personality, Rubia had felt an immediate affinity for him since their first meeting.

And Jeremy, for his part, had taken a particular interest in Rubia, his distant relative five years his junior.

Ever since he told her during their first meeting, “If you ever have any troubles, I’ll listen,” Rubia had been relying on him without hesitation.

“Still, I never expected it to be advice about a lover’s quarrel. Rubia-chan, do you realize I’m the third-ranked archmage?”

Playing with his long braid, Jeremy spoke.

Though he interrupted himself with comments like, “Ah, found a split end,” she wished he’d listen more seriously.

“I know that, but when we first met, you told me, ‘Think of me as your cousin/big brother, and consult me about anything,’ didn’t you? —And besides, it’s not a lover’s quarrel!”

When she glared at him damply, Jeremy said, “Sorry, sorry,” in a light tone, bringing his teacup to his lips.

After taking one sip of the tea inside, he broke into a happy smile.

“Ooh, this, this taste. I sometimes come here for lessons just to drink this.”

“It’s delicious, isn’t it? Mize tea.”

“I just can’t get enough of this bitterness. It’s hard to get around here.”

Mize tea is a fermented tea made from leaves called Mize, harvested in the southern part of the empire.

Due to its unique bitterness and astringency, it’s not widely available outside the south, but it enjoys quiet popularity among tea connoisseurs.

“The other day, my family sent me a lot of tea leaves. Would you like to take some home with you?”

“Is that okay? That’d be a big help.”

“Lord Arsenio dislikes bitter things, so please take as much as you want. Oh, and also, please take some of the super-spicy southern chili peppers harvested from the garden.”

Rubia, who loves spicy food, grows several varieties of chili peppers in her garden. All are grown from southern seeds, guaranteed to be spicy.

Since Arsenio had previously mentioned that Jeremy likes spicy food, she had been secretly waiting for an opportunity to promote southern chili peppers.

“That makes me happy. The ones around here are all weak in spiciness and unsatisfying.”

“You can chop them up and put them in meat sauce, or add them to pasta—they’re delicious.”

“Making it myself is a hassle.”

At his commoner-like thinking, Rubia couldn’t help but laugh.

The Rosario family, like the Silva family, held the title of duke, and Jeremy was its head.

“Couldn’t you just ask your cook?”

“That’s not it. What I’m craving is authentic southern home cooking, like what my grandma used to make.”

Jeremy let out a deep sigh and hung his head, then suddenly looked up with a mischievous smile.

His distinctive almond-shaped eyes, with their purple irises, took on the color of an innocent child.

“Hey, Rubia-chan, why don’t you come marry me, even now?”

“Hehe, I refuse. If I became your wife, I’d be envied by all the women in the imperial capital.”

“What a shame. If you married me, I’d work even harder than I do now.”

It was a typical, light joke from the always nonchalant Jeremy.

Rubia understood that and laughed it off.

However, the young and earnest Arsenio must have taken Jeremy’s words at face value.

“—Vanish!”

It was hard to tell which came first—the young yet intimidating voice, or the chill that ran down her spine.

Before she knew it, a black lightning bolt was flying straight toward Jeremy.

—Bang.

A cracking sound echoed, and the lightning dissipated in mid-air.

Jeremy had instantly erected a barrier. Probably the moment he sensed the wave of a magical attack.

Otherwise, he would have been struck directly by the lightning and charred black by now.

A feat impossible for anyone but the top-ranked magician.

“Whew… that was close. Rubia-chan, are you okay?”

“I’m fine but…”

Before she knew it, Rubia was in Jeremy’s arms, as if being shielded.

And Arsenio was glaring at the two of them with ice-cold eyes—she didn’t know since when he’d been there.

“—Get away from her, Jeremy.”

“Whoa, whoa, calm down. Were you planning to involve Rubia-chan too?”

“Do you think I would make such a blunder? I was aiming only for you, Jeremy.”

Stunned, Rubia looked at Arsenio.

So, did that mean Arsenio had just seriously tried to kill Jeremy? Not an uncontrollable magical outburst, but of his own will.

Before she knew it, Rubia had slipped out of Jeremy’s arms and stepped forward until she stood before Arsenio.

Then,

“What—”

Arsenio started to say something, but she cut him off by softly yet firmly cupping his cheeks between both hands with a gentle clap.

It was too gentle to be called a slap, but with enough force to shock Arsenio.