Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Snow-White Flesh
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Helen was a genius mage born with innate talent.
She possessed exceptional comprehension and adaptability that appeared only once in a thousand people, backed by a body highly compatible with mana.
Moreover, having inherited her family's bloodline, she was blessed with a natural gift for fire magic—the attribute that received the highest praise in combat.
Raised with unwavering support from her family, Helen had walked the path of the elite without a single stumble.
Her personality was on the fiercer side, but no one could deny her talent, forcing them to hold their tongues.
For her, magic was her pride and sense of superiority incarnate.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Alensia."
The prideful Helen met her after enrolling in the academy.
A woman whose dark, night-sky locks were occasionally threaded with white strands, creating an eerie harmony. Her beauty was captivating at first sight.
For the first time in her life, Helen felt her heart flutter. The fact that the object of her affection was a woman didn't matter.
Same-sex attractions weren't uncommon in noble society, and Helen naturally accepted that she was one of those people.
Some might look down on it, but such things were no obstacle to Helen.
What truly bothered her was something else.
"Sorry. I don't like being touched by people."
Her words said sorry, but her dry voice showed no trace of regret.
The girl with sky-blue hair looked at Alensia with eyes like she was gazing at an inferior creature, brushing off her kindness.
From that moment, Helen took a dislike to her. She pegged her as just another noble steeped in elitism, unable to hide her sense of superiority.
With Helen's fiery temper, she wanted to march over and give her a piece of her mind right then. But there was a reason she couldn't.
The black-haired girl who had been standing beside that girl earlier. Helen felt an inexplicable terror from her.
Like a human confronting an unfathomable abyss. In the face of the hollow, endless mana emanating from that fragile-looking girl, Helen briefly forgot how to breathe.
Unlike the sky-blue-haired girl, from whom almost no mana could be sensed, she was a monster.
That was why Helen had swallowed her anger silently when Alensia was insulted.
But today.
Seeing the deep shadow on Alensia's face after she returned from an outing with the sky-blue-haired girl, Helen's rage surpassed its limits.
Even in their recent spar, that girl had cowardly used a scroll to claim victory. Helen was convinced she'd done something underhanded to Alensia this time too.
"You'll die if you face me in real combat."
The sky-blue-haired girl sneered.
Helen gritted her teeth. Her innate fiery nature wouldn't let such provocation slide. Unable to hold back, she lunged forward and grabbed the girl's collar in one swift motion.
Twitch—
The sky-blue eyes trembled, if only for a moment. For the first time, a flicker of agitation appeared in those always ice-cold, authoritative eyes.
Seeing that shake ignited a strange pleasure in Helen's chest.
A little more.
She wanted to break this girl a bit more. Make her regret that arrogant attitude down to her bones. Ensure she never dared hurt Alensia again.
"Hey. Let's have a proper duel. With real weapons."
Helen formally challenged her.
"Just you and me. Outside the academy. A clean one-on-one, no hard feelings."
She was confident. That fancy scrap of paper would turn to ash in an instant before her flames.
"Hm..."
The girl hesitated briefly. Helen's lips curled into a sly grin at catching that short pause.
"What, scared?"
The taunt hit home. The sky-blue-haired girl's eyes twitched faintly.
"Fine."
The sky-blue-haired girl accepted the duel. Her eyes held not a shred of doubt about winning—pure arrogance.
Helen snorted.
How could she be so calm relying on mana-inscribed scraps of paper? Her recklessness bordered on ridiculous.
"But the loser grants the winner one wish."
The sky-blue-haired girl's condition. Helen nodded without hesitation.
"Deal. If I win, stay out of my sight and Alensia's forever."
"Okay."
The girl's eyes remained utterly emotionless to the end. Like an empty shell devoid of feelings. That blankness only stoked Helen's fiery temper.
"I'll tell you my wish after I win."
Angry veins bulged clearly on Helen's forehead.
"Come back here when it's over. I'll handle all the duel preparations."
Helen chewed her lip, recalling the sky-blue-haired girl's words.
[Even in real combat, you'll whine about it being unfair?]
Those words she'd spat out before. Now it was time to throw them right back.
'Let's see if you can strut around so arrogantly then.'
Helen's eyes gleamed sharply.
I have no idea.
What did I do to piss off the Flame Witch? I had to endure her sharp glares even during afternoon practical combat class.
The Flame Witch had a hot-blooded personality, but she wasn't one to lash out without reason. If she felt displeasure toward me, it must've been my mistake.
'The problem is I have no clue what it was.'
In the end, she challenged me to a fight. With proper weapons, no less.
She seemed dead serious. I wanted to resolve it peacefully if possible, but since it was the Flame Witch, I accepted.
I figured this might be a better way to communicate with her. Maybe after one round, some of that hostility would cool off.
Guys often settled things that way. Though I was a girl now.
As I spent time alone gazing out the window, dusk with its sunset glow arrived before I knew it.
"You actually showed up."
The Flame Witch was waiting for me in a remote clearing far from the academy's back mountain.
"But why are you so late?"
"Had to shake someone off."
Camilla's clingy gaze still lingered in my mind. She stuck to me so persistently that reassuring her multiple times did no good.
I finally got her back to the mansion by promising ten trips to the bathhouse.
I was sixteen now too. I had no idea how long I'd have to put up with this. I desperately wanted independence from the family.
"I'll warn you ahead of time."
The Flame Witch slowly lowered the long staff slung on her back to the ground. A heavy thud echoed as it hit, stirring a gentle breeze around us.
"Getting burned hurts—a lot."
"Gonna roast me?"
"Our family's flames don't just burn people recklessly. But they do inflict that gut-wrenching agony."
I placed my hand on the belt strapped to my thigh. I pulled out a stack of scrolls, flipping through them deftly with one hand as I eyed the Flame Witch.
"We'll see. Never heard rumors about your family's flames specifically."
"...Hah."
She let out a incredulous scoff and released the staff. Had she cast some spell? It stood perfectly vertical on the ground without a twitch.
"Go ahead, use those papers all you want."
"Duel starts now?"
She nodded quietly at my curt question. Soon, a faint red glow began circling the tip of her massive staff.
"Last warning—burning pain is no joke—"
The Flame Witch's words cut off unfinished. A jet-black arrow streaked past her left cheek in an instant.
Boom—!
It slammed into the clearing's ground with a roar, carving out a massive crater.
The Flame Witch's head creaked around. The confidence blazing in her eyes until moments ago began to fade.
"What...?"
Her small, unsteady voice. Her trembling eyes locked onto me again.
'...That might've been overkill.'
I slotted the scroll deck back into my thigh belt and drew another stack from the opposite side.
I flicked two sheets toward the Flame Witch. Seeing them fly her way, she hurriedly placed her hand on the staff.
Its tip flashed brightly. Soon, swirling red flames enveloped and devoured my scrolls.
"Pathetic scrolls like these? Just burn 'em."
A smile crept onto the Flame Witch's stiff lips.
But only for a moment. She froze as two more scrolls sliced through the fierce blaze.
"They... withstood my flames...?"
No fire, no matter how strong, could burn them that easily. I'd coated them with the essence of the rare flame-resistant flower from Senior Isabel.
The scrolls pulsed.
The Flame Witch, caught off guard, slapped her hand back on the staff. Transparent mana wrapped around her, blocking the surging lightning.
She didn't stop there.
The staff vibrated deeper, heavier.
A complex magic circle etched itself into the clearing. Flames erupted from the gaps like spears. They rained down on me like sharp lightning bolts.
Six prongs of attack. I could've blocked with scrolls, but I could've dodged without them too.
As the six flames converged, I threw myself forward.
I charged straight at the Flame Witch without stopping. But for some reason, she was smiling. A chill ran down my arm at that leisurely grin.
"Remember what you said? Sparring and real fights are different."
The ground beneath me shuddered suddenly. I lost balance, one foot slipping as my body lurched.
"I agree, to an extent."
The earth bulged upward. Red flames boiled from the cracks, swelling like they were about to explode.
And explode they did.
A massive pillar of fire erupted from below, swallowing me whole.
'Got her.'
Helen smiled at the thick black smoke blanketing the area ahead. A smile brimming with confident victory.
Helen had arrived at the clearing two hours early. Unnoticed by anyone, she'd set traps scattered across the ground.
Mine-like magic circles that detonated under weight. Not lethal, but they'd deliver excruciating pain like being burned alive.
"Don't worry. No burn scars."
Helen called out toward the girl she assumed lay collapsed beyond the smoke. No reply came.
Maybe she passed out? As Helen stepped forward to check—
Something suddenly seized her nape and yanked her back.
"Guh!?"
Helen groaned low as she toppled backward.
No chance to get up. Something snow-white filled her vision, and her solar plexus was pressed deep.
"Kuh..."
The snow-white figure was none other than the sky-blue-haired girl. She pinned Helen's abdomen with her foot and thrust a scroll before her eyes.
"Surrender."
The duel ended in an instant.
A clear loss for Helen by any measure. Yet she blinked dazedly, unable to accept it.
She'd clearly seen the sky-blue-haired girl get caught in the fire pillar. How was she unscathed?
As if answering her doubt, she showed a half-charred scroll, like it'd been through blue flames.
"I always keep one on me."
With that, she slapped a fresh scroll against her undergarments. A transparent barrier enveloped her slender frame.
Only then did Helen's gaze shift to the sky-blue-haired girl's body. There was no special reason she'd been described as snow-white.
Through her tattered, burned clothes, her exposed flesh gleamed pure white, like fresh snow.
"You..."
Helen swallowed dryly, an almost instinctual reaction.
Skin so pale it seemed it'd never seen sunlight. The black undergarments framing it seemed to flaunt its allure.
Her body was slim and delicate, yet unmistakably feminine.
Like the faint lines on her flat stomach. The cute little navel at its center. Her modestly sized breasts actually enhanced her physical charm.
Slender thighs and legs that seemed they'd snap under a hard kick. Yet her hips curved provocatively.
Her wasp-thin waist was narrow enough for Helen's two hands to encircle fully.
Feeling Helen's intense stare?
The sky-blue-haired girl's eyes quivered. Flustered, she backed away, arms covering her body.
"...Don't look."
Her glare was sharp with displeasure, but the flush on her snow-pale cheeks betrayed her embarrassment.
Even her eyes glistened slightly with moisture from the shame.
A far cry from her usual stoic demeanor, like she wouldn't bleed if stabbed.
"W-what did I even see!"
Seeing this entirely different side of the sky-blue-haired girl...
Even Helen's face flushed red.