The First Event of the Original Work
The first event of the original novel, Stop Obsessing, Please. The practical exam.
From early in the morning, hundreds of heavily modified magi-tech carriages were lined up at the Academy entrance. The destination was the Hibilum Mountain City. It was a high-end commercial city and tourist destination that could be reached after a few gate transfers. They said the Academy had rented out an entire resort there. Just how much money did the Academy have to burn? Were they extorting it from suspiciously wealthy donors who appeared out of nowhere? I figured the developers of this game-ified romance fantasy world had already taken care of such trivialities as "probability."
I pushed through the crowd to find where our group had gathered. I needed to make an impression on Senior Veronica and check in with my friend, the Saintess.
The morning air was cold. Countless students filled the plaza. I turned my gaze. In front of a carriage, a silver-haired girl was pacing, waiting for the transport. Nearby male students were stealing glances at her.
"Oh, Iris Cromwell. So my fiancée was here."
I lowered my voice, acting like the typical male lead in a romance fantasy novel. I lightly poked her back with my index finger.
Startle.
She whipped her head around. The blue eyes that had been frozen stiff soon filled with warmth.
"How was that, Iris? Did I sound like the 3rd Prince just now?"
"...Even if it were him, he wouldn't use such a greasy tone."
"Was it? I thought it was similar."
"Not at all. It sounds like a bad translation of a foreign language. It's weird."
A firm response. But the rigid, uptight expression on her face had already melted away. She let out a small laugh.
"Hey, isn't that the Saintess over there? She looks incredible when she's dressed up."
"Who's that next to her? He looks like a gigolo."
"A side character from the Knight Faculty. Karn, was it? From a Baron's family."
Whispers. The lines of extras hitting my ears. Iris Cromwell. The heroine of the original work. Where had that stiff, formal suit gone? A white blouse. A light sky-blue pleated skirt. It was an outfit befitting a girl of her age. She was noticeably pretty. That was why she drew even more intense attention.
Unaccustomed to the gaze of others, she scurried over. She hid herself tightly behind my shoulder. A small sigh of relief escaped her.
"See, you wore it just like I told you."
"..."
"Be careful. If the Prince sees you like this, he'll lose his mind because you're cute and come another step closer."
"...Please just hide me until we get on the carriage."
She gripped my sleeve lightly. A human shield. It wasn't a bad role to play. At least, not in front of this beauty. Burdensome courtship and obsession—those were the things she hated most. Perhaps that was why she and I, who treated her without any pressure, got along so well.
"Where's Senior Veronica?"
"Over there."
Iris pointed with her chin toward a figure leaning against the carriage wheel. Short black hair. Eyes with dark circles hanging heavily beneath them. She crunched down on the lollipop she had in her mouth.
"Are you that side character from the Knight Faculty?"
It was a pretty spicy greeting for a first meeting.
"I'm Karn from the Knight Faculty. Senior Veronica."
"Yeah. I'm the group leader, Veronica. 2nd year, Magic Faculty."
Veronica let out a languid yawn.
"Man, this lineup is total bullshit, isn't it? The 3rd Prince, and the precious special student, the Saintess. I need to get a leadership evaluation score, but how am I supposed to boss those high-and-mighty people around? My stomach hurts just thinking about it."
"I'll do all the heavy lifting."
"You've got a silver tongue. Fine, you're decent-looking enough, so I like you. You carry all the luggage."
Veronica poked my chest and giggled. Her gaze shifted over my shoulder. Her expression stiffened in an instant.
"Speak of the devil. He's here, the biggest bomb in our group."
The plaza became noisy. A man walking confidently, his blonde hair fluttering. The 3rd Prince, Dekart von Lugria. Surrounded by his followers, he was approaching our group's carriage. Dekart's gaze locked onto Iris. That arrogant smile, full of confidence, as if she were already his. But he didn't seem to notice Iris taking a half-step back behind me.
"Kept you waiting."
Dekart arrived and stood before us.
"Your Highness. It is an honor. I am Veronica, the group leader."
"Yes. A 2nd year, I hear. Do your job well."
Dekart accepted Veronica's greeting lightly. Then, he spoke directly to Iris.
"Lady Iris Cromwell. I am pleased we are in the same group. The luggage must be heavy, so I shall carry it for you."
"Oh, no. I can carry my own luggage."
Iris stepped back with an awkward smile. Dekart's brow twitched minutely. His arrogant blue eyes shifted to me, standing in front of Iris.
"..."
An authoritative gaze scanning me from top to bottom. Contempt, as if looking at a bug. Or perhaps the displeasure of looking at an annoying obstacle.
"Why are you here?"
"Isn't it for the sake of evaluation balance?"
I replied with a grin. Show me even a single opening, and I'll beat you to a pulp.
"I'm Karn from the Knight Faculty. I look forward to working with you, Your Highness."
"I hope you're someone who knows your place. It would be best not to cross me."
Dekart snapped coldly. As if I would. You bastard, who treated my precious Rosalia like a toilet. How should I shatter this arrogant nose of yours?
"Let's depart. Get in the carriage."
Veronica clapped her hands. "Alright, everyone board! Karn, you sit next to Iris. Your Highness, please sit comfortably next to me."
A tactical arrangement by the sharp-witted Senior Veronica. Dekart's facial muscles distorted noticeably. His blue eyes glared at me. Well, you enjoyed fucking my Rosalia to your heart's content and then tossed her aside like laundry. The transparent jealousy was already showing. Still, if I just took the bait immediately, I'd look suspicious too.
"...Senior."
"Why? Don't want to load the luggage?"
"No. I will be loyal to the group leader's orders."
I pushed Iris's back lightly and boarded the carriage. Before closing the door, I made eye contact with Dekart. I gave him a very friendly smile.
"Wait. Hold on."
Clatter.
Just before the carriage door could close, a white hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the handle.
"...Huh?"
A figure standing with the morning sun at her back. It was Karn's girl. It was Rosalia.
The image of that vulgar whore who had been clouding my vision for the past few days was nowhere to be found. The seductive, lewd eyeliner drawn in gold, and the thin scraps of cloth that exposed her pink nipples—she had cast them all away. Instead, what wrapped around her body was a daring dress with blue roses embroidered on a pure white base. She wore destructive silver gauntlets on her arms, and her upper chest was precariously exposed by half. Her smooth, honey-thighed legs were clearly visible through the side slit that went all the way to her hip, and a white garter belt with lace wrapped around them. On her head was a tiara decorated with sparkling sapphires and emeralds.
My taste. No, it was now the fashion of the princess knight in an adult game, which had become her own dressing style. In an instant, all eyes in the vicinity were drawn to her.
"Whoa... what is that? Crazy, she's fucking beautiful..."
"Don't you know who that is? It's Lady Bloomhardt. The genius of the Knight Faculty. The younger sister of that Ice Rose."
The explicit gazes of students from other faculties stuck stickily to her curves.
"Ahem. Really? She uses a sword with breasts that big? I can't imagine it at all..."
"Ah, fuck. I should've applied to the Knight Faculty. How do they even conduct classes while watching those tits shake around so freely?"
The conversation had been steered in an obscene direction. A student with glasses who had approached from the side poked him as if he were pathetic.
"Should I apply for a minor?"
"Forget it. I heard the Knight Faculty major classes are brutal this year. They say they only do sparring, strictly focused on skill."
"My friend likes strong ladies with big builds, so he applied for a minor, and he was carried off to the Academy's intensive care unit in just one day."
"Honestly, that used to be a course where commoners struggled to get ahead, but now it's completely different."
"Wasn't the Magic Faculty entrance exam the hardest?"
"That's just buried by the Magic Faculty guys making a fuss, but they say this year's Knight Faculty entrance exam difficulty has also hit an all-time high."
"Haa... still, I want to try talking to her once. I think I really fell in love at first sight."
Murmurs. The conversation of the extras, appraising Rosalia's overwhelming appearance and her unhealthily large breasts. However, Rosalia didn't care about such gazes, not even as much as a pebble rolling on the side of the road. A slightly languid, inorganic expression. A pessimistic attitude as if she had no regrets about worldly affairs. Being the topic of people's conversation in an instant... it didn't pique her interest.
"Haa... haa... fuu..."
Her shoulders heaved heavily. Breathless, as if she had been running busily from somewhere. Sweat beads formed between her white cleavage, making them shine. Every time she exhaled, the scent of alluring roses and subtle lilacs wafted into the carriage. Her large, heavy breasts swayed, creating a lewd scene.
"Ah... oh my!"
Iris, who was sitting next to me, let out a small gasp and blushed.
At that moment, Rosalia's slender, soft hand reached out into the air. An invisible lasso of mana grabbed my wrist tightly.
"Uh... ah!"
I lost gravity. My body was helplessly pulled from the carriage seat. My body, which had drifted out as if floating in the air, settled into her arms without a single decent attempt at resistance.
"Karn..."
"Ugh, ugh...!?"
It was before I could even speak. Rosalia stood on tiptoe, wrapped her hands around the back of my neck, and devoured my lips.
—Smack... slurrrp, smooooch.
In the middle of the Academy's vast plaza, under the gaze of hundreds of people. A soft pink tongue parted my lips and pushed in without hesitation.
'Can't be helped, I guess.'
It was a bit sudden, but if she wanted it, I had to oblige. I wrapped my arms around her waist and fully accepted that dizzying kiss. The noisy clamor that had filled the plaza stopped instantly, as if cold water had been poured over it. In the silence, the sound of our breathing and our lips intertwining echoed vividly. My mouth was filled with the scent of roses that Rosalia had brought with her. I swallowed her saliva. It was sweet enough to melt.
Her tongue licked and rummaged through every corner of my palate, the floor of my mouth, and my teeth. As if mating with her tongue, she clung to me, greedily asserting her ownership. It felt like time had stopped. A kiss so intense and urgent that I even forgot to breathe.
—Slurp, slurrrp... smack.
Only after a long time did she slowly pull her lips away. As our lips parted, a transparent, thin silver thread of saliva stretched out like an arched bridge before snapping. She stuck out her small, red tongue and seductively licked up the saliva of mine that had stained her lips. A movement as if she were slowly savoring the taste. It was lewd. It was lascivious. And at the same time, it was adorable.
"Fuu... haa... haat..."
She panted and tilted her head toward my ear.
"Karn. I love you."
A sweet whisper carried on her breath. And the next moment, Rosalia stepped back half a step from my arms. She held the hem of her dress up slightly with both hands. The elegant posture of a noble lady, high-minded and graceful, who had been perfectly educated in etiquette after working hard before entering the Academy. The etiquette she showed while wearing that princess knight dress, which was provocatively stimulating to the point of vulgarity. Vulgarity and elegance coexisted. She was harmonizing two aesthetics that seemed impossible to match. Art was opening a new horizon once again.
A romantic development that burned the hearts of everyone watching and made their hearts pound. In other words—a scene from a romance fantasy. She bowed her head as if to show off to the hundreds of people in the crowd, and to Dekart and Brandt, who were watching from afar with stiff expressions. The feelings that had been whispered secretly in the darkness were now fully exposed under the dazzling morning sun.
"Karn of the Mercier Baron family."
Her rapeseed-colored eyes curved only toward me.
"I, Rosalia Bloomhardt, confess to you the love I have kept for you all this time."