Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Pursuing the Power Thief
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Unable to refute Shaomei's passionate argument, I continued going on dates with her afterward.
"Ah, look over there, Big Brother! Clothes are 30% off!"
At first, it seemed like she was just trying to cheer me up, but by the time I came to my senses, Shaomei was enjoying herself even more.
"There are men's clothes too! If you wear something other than your uniform, those weird rumors will disappear for sure!"
"Don't run around so recklessly, Shaomei! You'll ruin that road again!"
Watching Shaomei dash toward the clothing store at incredible speed using her footwork, I followed slowly behind.
'How can she move so fast with such big motions while wearing that skimpy outfit without any wardrobe malfunctions?'
It was the same in battle, but her large, lively movements were a hallmark of the Mount Tai Temple martial arts she practiced. Yet I'd never seen the fabric covering her front and back flutter up, despite her always wearing string underwear.
Was it true that true masters treated everything touching their body as an extension of themselves?
Lost in such trivial thoughts, Shaomei suddenly burst out and dragged my leisurely-walking self into the clothing store.
"Come on, if you're the Imperial Princess's fiancé, you need to dress confidently! How about this? It's what men from my homeland usually wear!"
With those words, Shaomei held out a black changshan—the male version of the cheongsam often seen in Chinese movies. Its design accentuated the body's lines, so it would probably suit a man with well-trained muscles quite nicely.
But the Eastern-style men's clothing felt somehow awkward on me. Maybe it was because my high school history teacher, who used to beat me with a stick every day for not memorizing dates, always wore modified hanbok like some kind of madman.
"Won't it be too flashy? Besides, Agnes is from the Empire and I'm from the Kingdom. If we wear stuff like this, won't the rumors all slant toward you?"
"Ah... you might be right. Then I'll look for something in Kingdom style!"
As Shaomei turned back with the changshan, I could have sworn I heard a reluctant click of her tongue, but I decided I'd misheard...
**
"Then I'll head back too! Don't forget to talk to Violet sis and Princess Agnes tomorrow!"
"Got it, get home safe. See you tomorrow, Shaomei."
As the evening sun set, Shaomei and I finally reached the dormitory area, waving goodbye.
Thanks to all the stuff she'd insisted on buying me, my arms were full of heavy bags. Thinking of it as the weight of Shaomei's love for me, I trudged slowly back to my room.
In the middle, I fobbed off the dorm supervisor—who asked why I had so much—with a pack of cigarettes before setting the bags down in front of my third-floor door and wiping the sweat from my brow. This was a workout.
"...Huh?"
As I pulled the key from my pocket and inserted it into the door, I realized the lock was already undone. I'd definitely locked it when I left.
'...Could the power thief be inside?'
The academy's facilities varied wildly by rank. The Bronze Dorm's were naturally the lowest, but security-wise, it was comparable to the Silver Dorm.
It made sense, really. Skimp on security in the Bronze Dorm and let an incident happen? That'd be a disaster. Of course, even their "secure" measures could be breached with enough effort—
There weren't many who could invade my room right now. But if it was that meticulous villain, and rumors linked me to the King of the Plains via the unicorn? Taking me out would be a no-brainer.
'Tch, and I don't have many pre-memorized spells ready. Should've kept some ogre blood on hand?'
Regret wouldn't help. If you could bulldoze everything with prep, I'd have cleared this world ages ago. I'd faced countless sudden crises like this.
I took a quiet deep breath, conjured a mana blade spell to form an invisible sword in my hand, and kicked the door open.
Time to revert to Arthin, the Unicorn Knight!
"Oh, you're finally back, Arthin! You didn't forget the carrot cake you promised this great one, did you?"
The moment I opened the door, the unicorn lounging on my bed, munching snacks while reading comics, greeted me.
"What the fuck, why are you here??"
"Heh heh! I slipped in through the window you left open for me! Where else am I supposed to eat and sleep without you?"
"Can't you crash with those priestesses of yours?"
Looking at the crumbs scattered all over my pillow, I felt my anger issues flaring up.
Not that she was trying to flaunt her glamorous figure or anything, but seeing her in a tight tank top and dolphin pants showing off her curves was causing cognitive dissonance. Why the hell did fantasy have dolphin pants??
"These clothes and snacks? Your great one's subordinate fetched them! Have you forgotten the king's order to stick with me until we catch the power thief?"
Unable to hold back at her brazen attitude—like she was kindly informing me of something I didn't know—I pinched the unicorn's soft cheek.
"So you said you'd scout for suspicious students on campus, but instead you're hiding in my room stuffing your face with snacks??"
"Ow! You rude virgin! Let go! How dare you treat the descendant of the great one-horned duke Amducias like this!"
Every tug stretched it further, and the more I pinched and pulled, the more satisfying it felt. When I finally let go with a snap, the unicorn rubbed her reddened cheek with her palm, eyes teary, glaring at me.
"You rude human...! If not for the king's command, I'd have given you a unicorn kick...!"
"Aww~ Your king told you to treat me like a guest~ You started it anyway~"
As I teased her with a mocking lilt, the unicorn trembled but couldn't retort, just fuming with a "just you wait."
'Ahh, that feels refreshing. This is life.'
With my stress somewhat relieved by the unicorn's satisfying reactions that grew more responsive the more I bullied her, I brought in the bags from outside.
"Still, you did bring the carrot cake, right? If you say no, I'll really give you that unicorn kick!"
"I brought it, so move aside! I need to unpack!"
Unable to wait, she peeked at the bags, so when I showed her the carrot cake from her favorite shop, she snatched it lest I take it back and scurried up to her bunk bed spot.
"This exquisite form...! You actually have taste in cakes, you rascal!"
"Clean my bed before you eat that, or I'll chuck the cake out the window. Your choice."
"Eek! I'll clean it! Your great one will handle it, so don't touch the cake!"
What a pathetic creature. If she weren't a divine beast, she'd fit right in a circus doing acrobatics. Her current celebrity life was way too luxurious for such a slacker.
As the unicorn hurriedly started tidying up, I sorted my new clothes, magic materials, accessories, and books beside her.
"So, did you check the academy grounds properly? See anyone like the power thief?"
I eyed her with a look that said she better not have just slacked off, and she puffed out her chest proudly. Had she found something?
"Not a trace! Student areas are hard to access, so I checked all the faculty, but no hint of the king's aura!"
"...Why say that so proudly?"
I started suspecting her intelligence had dropped from the polymorph. She seemed sharper in the 2nd round... Or maybe nostalgia was beautifying my memories.
"If the thief were on campus, it makes no sense we couldn't detect even a trace of the king's aura! So I think he's hidden his presence, just like when he infiltrated the king's territory!"
"...Sure, but in the form you described, he'd be easier to spot?"
Worn-out rags, middle-aged man in his 40s, practically bald with 90% scalp death. Ratty mustache too.
"Don't assume he only stole the king's demonic eye and breath! He must've taken the polymorph power as well!"
"...Ah, figures. This just got annoying."
So now we couldn't tell who or where he was hiding, and this guy who could fool the Southern Church's god with his presence could change his looks at will?
"Doesn't that mean we basically can't find him?"
"That's why the king's hopes rest on you! He said you could do it, so don't forget to overlook my discourtesies!"
Imitating some noble she'd seen somewhere, she declared haughtily before brushing off crumbs and climbing to her bunk to devour the carrot cake with a fork.
I'll bonk her on the head tonight when she snores.
"Anyway, starting tomorrow, I really need to patrol classes and look for suspicious types..."
Magic-based polymorph I could maybe counter at my level, but divine power polymorph? Not without way more mana or a week holed up in a lab.
But a week was plenty for the villain to wreak havoc, so I'd have to roam myself and spot anyone acting out of line from past rounds.
"Then this great one just guards the room in the meantime?"
Munching away on the carrot cake, she peeked her head down from the bunk. But my eyes caught the 30 or so comics and novels she'd brought.
"I'll take you around personally as a Ludwig Family employee. The king said to stick with me anyway, right?"
"...Sigh, fine..."
At my words, she sighed and pulled her head back in. Why was she disappointed in me? That was your job to begin with.
Ignoring the slight dizziness, I sat on my bed and nibbled a chocolate bar I'd prepped for dinner.
'Teacher Senia asked me to attend classes too, and I've skipped two days already, so tomorrow I really need to go properly.'
What, like something's gonna happen tomorrow preventing class too?
**
My prediction that nothing would happen tomorrow and I'd attend class? Half right, half wrong.
"Now, for this question... Arthin, would you like to answer?"
"...Er, the phase function of spatial magic wasn't applied correctly. With proper calculations, there's insufficient mana, so the spell fails to activate."
"Correct! Everyone, give our Arthin a round of applause~!"
Clap clap clap clap clap.
Applause poured from around me, and beside me, Shaomei beamed with pride at the scene.
But my face grew paler by the minute. This had been going on for the fourth period already.
"Well, Arthin? Do you shoot bows well too?"
"Will Arthin solve problem 17 on the board?"
"An ogre's weakness is... Yes, Ludwig, tell us!"
Teacher Senia's words from a few days ago came to mind. All the professors had me in their sights.
I'd thought she meant they were being nice, but in reality, every class I entered had professors itching to test me.
"Now, for problem 21 on reinforcement magic and maintenance mana formulas, who wants to try?"
Even now, she asked the class while staring straight at me.
Since the duel, I'd barely attended classes, so had their curiosity about me exceeded limits? Just sitting quietly drew all attention to me.
Or maybe better put:
"No hands up... Then, Arthin, come up and solve it?"
Every professor in this academy was dying to turn me into a grad student.
'This sucks in its own way.'
My head was spinning.