Chapter 112
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Graduation Ceremony (8)
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“...Brother.”
“Yeah.”
“Hee hee. Mister.”
“Yeah.”
“Brother.”
“...Let's stop.”
“Hee hee.”
The elf's flushed ears twitched perkily.
Had her mood recovered?
After getting my permission, Eli had brightened up noticeably. She was in an ultra-positive mode I'd never seen before.
'She still can't quite meet my eyes, though...'
Anyway. I was the exhausted one now.
This wasn't some grain-grinding mill. After more than twenty minutes of nonstop "brother-brother-mister" combo, my head was spinning.
Thankfully, Professor Mangkostil soon approached from the direction of the main gate.
The professor was dragging the assistant Gelsia by her hair tuft as he headed our way.
“Kwaaack...! S-sorry, Professor—!”
“Tsk tsk. Sorry? If you're truly sorry, you can serve twenty years as a research slave in the academy's underground lab... Hm. Emerge reformed as a good person after your sentence. Tsk tsk.”
Assistant Gelsia lost her mind at the professor's words. She went completely limp, looking like she'd passed out entirely.
From the looks of it, things over there had wrapped up too.
“You've had a rough time, Professor. Did you catch Vesta? We've rounded up the outlaws from the banquet hall and bound them in two spots.”
“...And who might you be?”
Was it old age and poor eyesight?
Professor Mangkostil squinted at me as he spoke.
'Ah. The mask.'
I realized too late. Professor Mangkostil only knew me in my helmet.
But right now, I wasn't wearing the helmet, and my half-mask was broken—I was bare-faced.
This was the face I'd only shown to the armored knight and Diana when I first arrived in this world, and now to Eli.
“Professor. It's me. Balkan.”
“......Ah. You? Haha...!!”
Professor Mangkostil scrutinized my face closely for a long while before chuckling.
“Goodness, I didn't recognize you! Balkan, you've done so much. Thank you for heeding this old man's request.”
Having belatedly recognized me, Professor Mangkostil chuckled and expressed his gratitude.
He seemed apologetic for not being able to announce the outlaws' attack due to the dean preparing to receive the second princess, and thus asking for my help.
For me, it was all good. Now, Professor Mangkostil owed me one.
Unlike other professors, the one I'd seen was a pretty decent guy. He genuinely cared for the students.
With his explorer background, he knew about portals and labyrinths too. If I played my cards right, he might even help a lot with Eli's portal research.
'The results are too good compared to the effort.'
Just having a professor-level contact for future favors was a huge gain.
Still, I couldn't let it show too much.
“Not at all. Why wouldn't I lend a hand in catching criminals targeting students?”
“Tsk tsk. You speak so eloquently too. Once things wrap up, I'll send a reward that won't disappoint. As an explorer, you'd want something useful for labyrinth delving, right?”
Professor Mangkostil chuckled and even offered extra rewards. What a generous guy. Worth the trouble.
“I'll gratefully accept whatever you give.”
“Tsk tsk. Good. By the way, my granddaughter's quite the catch. Interested in meeting her?”
“...Pardon?”
I stared at Professor Mangkostil in blank surprise at the sudden matchmaking.
The professor continued excitedly instead.
“The girl's a bit of a hellion, you see. She needs a man to rein her in tight. And lately, she's been roaming the labyrinth with her head maid, they say. It'd surely be a fine match—”
“Ah, th-that's...!”
Eli, who had been quietly listening to our exchange with Professor Mangkostil, hurriedly stepped in.
“Pr-Professor! Th-that's a bit much! Um...!”
“...Oh dear, tsk tsk. Does she already have a claim?”
“N-no... Not exactly... Not yet, not yet!”
She'd jumped in, but now Eli was stomping her feet in embarrassment, not knowing what to do.
Seeing her like that, Professor Mangkostil stepped back with a pleased smile.
“Well, message received. Back to the point—the ringleader of the outlaws is caught. But some troublesome fellows got tangled up in it.”
“Caught... you say?”
Something felt off about his wording. If he'd caught them, why not just say so outright?
And troublesome fellows? Who did he mean?
“...Not the time or place right now. We'll talk after the party's over.”
Professor Mangkostil hinted at later and cut it short. I nodded.
“Ah, the party...!”
Eli snapped to attention, her eyes turning to her own body.
Her hair was a total mess. Her dress filthy. Makeup smeared from tears. Even thick traces of nosebleed remained.
No way she could attend the party looking like that.
Sadness filled Eli's eyes. Her elf ears drooped low.
“Tsk tsk. No need to worry so much.”
Thud—
As Professor Mangkostil struck the ground with his staff, strange magic brushed past Eli and me.
Her wildly disheveled hair neatly arranged itself. Dust clinging to her dress and my suit shook off.
Smeared makeup and nosebleed stains vanished, replaced by fresh makeup.
“Wow...!”
“Beauty magic. Quite useful. ...Though there's the minor issue that it 'beautifies' down there too.”
“Huh...?”
Eli, who had been dazedly admiring the professor's magic, suddenly blushed and rushed to whisper in his ear.
“Wh-what do you mean 'beautifies' down there, Professor?!?”
“Tsk tsk tsk...”
Professor Mangkostil averted his gaze from Eli.
I casually turned away, undid my belt, and checked below.
Sure enough, it had been 'beautified.'
“Balkan, wear this. The light makeup's a bit risky. Can't have innocent graduates falling into false hopes.”
“Thank you.”
I accepted the white half-mask from the professor and put it on. The material felt high-quality.
“...Phew.”
Only then did Eli, who had been sneaking sidelong glances, finally look straight at me.
“What's with the sigh?”
“I still lack resistance... Ngh, ah, it's nothing!”
Eli said that while staring intently at my masked face.
“Hee hee...”
Then she giggled to herself.
Swish.
“...!”
I removed the half-mask, and she flinched in surprise, averting her eyes again. Hesitant fidgeting included.
I gave a wry smile and put the half-mask back on.
Diana was like this too. This mother-daughter pair had weird reactions to my bare face.
“Tsk tsk... Feels like looking at my younger self. Go enjoy the party, youngsters...”
As Professor Mangkostil tapped us with his staff, our bodies floated up lightly.
Flight magic, just like I'd heard about. We soared swiftly toward the banquet hall.
“Eek...!”
Eli, looking embarrassed, firmly pressed down the fluttering hem of her rising dress.
Seemed she was conscious of her 'beautified' lower half.
I turned to thank Professor Mangkostil.
“Professor—”
“If you grow well, I could even give you my granddaughter as a concubine... Tsk tsk. You're becoming quite the promising talent.”
“...?”
Professor Mangkostil chuckled, swallowed his words, and waved us off.
I cut my thanks short and turned away.
For some reason, a chill ran down my spine.
“I-it's a virginity detection spell, you see. We developed it. It can check intercourse count, of course! And virginity status too! Needs more refinement, but ejaculation count and volume come up in stats...”
“You wench!!! Who do you think you're hawking that vulgar spell to?!”
“Tch! These academy graduates these days lack basics!”
“Tell me about it! ...Student, sell me that spell later...”
“Ahem. Me too... Lately, I've suspected my husband's cheating...”
Diana couldn't escape the barrage of questions.
Nobles trying to schmooze, professors hoping for research interest, assistants and graduates demoing dubious spells...
She'd handled it politely at first, but after nearly an hour straight, her head spun.
Diana forced an excuse to slip away with a wry smile.
“Whew...”
Wetting her throat with wine finally calmed her mind.
'Is Balkan enjoying himself? Eli?'
Her thoughts filled with the two she'd been thinking of most lately.
It was their first social party like this, so she hoped they'd gain some info or connections at least.
Of course, making fun memories came first.
Diana scanned the surroundings to spot them.
But even circling the banquet hall, neither was in sight.
'...Why are those two the only ones missing...?'
As Diana pondered that small doubt, Eli and Balkan entered arm-in-arm from outside the hall.
“...Huh?”
A voice thick with startled emotion slipped out, but she quickly composed herself.
For close friends, such escorting was natural. Eli might have even asked.
But something else caught her eye more.
'...Half-mask?'
Unlike at the graduation ceremony, Balkan wore a half-mask.
“...Wow... No, that's... Huh...”
“Hold on, my lower belly suddenly feels weird... Keeps pounding...”
“This, this won't do... I have a husband I vowed to spend my life with...”
“Who the hell is that guy? Isn't that Eli next to him?”
“...Kidnapping. No, hold it... Endure... No rape... Hold back the rape...”
In one noisy corner of the banquet hall, Balkan ruthlessly conquered the pure wombs of the graduates and noblewomen whose eyes met his as he headed to the balcony.
Females with instantly melted wombs tried approaching Balkan, but Eli, arm-in-arm beside him, glared fiercely, growling to fend them off.
'Yes, good job! Eli...! Keep protecting Balkan like that...!'
Diana clapped at Eli's brilliant performance, but only briefly.
She noticed Eli's hairstyle was very different from what she'd done.
Her neatly arranged dress looked slightly tousled, like whipped by something rough.
Balkan was the same. His blazer undone, necktie loosened.
As if they'd hastily changed clothes.
'...No way...?'
For some reason, her daughter's unusually intense gazes at Balkan flashed in her mind.
“Student.”
“Who— Hnngh! Di-Dia— Mmph—!”
“D-don't make a fuss...!”
Diana swiftly approached the sulky-faced student tucked in a corner of the hall and clamped her mouth shut.
The girl who'd developed that bizarre virginity detection spell.
“I'll buy your spell, student.”
Diana opened her wallet as if entranced.
Pride as Balkan's first woman and parental responsibility rang alarm bells.
Banquet hall, fourth floor. Balcony where I'd stashed my helmet.
It had been quiet before the party started, but now people came and went frequently.
“Brother. Wine here.”
“Ah, thanks.”
“Hee hee.”
Eli took wine from a passing server's champagne glass and handed it to me.
Still felt odd being called "brother," but it wasn't a bad vibe.
Honestly, a bit unfair being "mister" all this time. We weren't that many years apart.
As I went to fetch my helmet, Eli timidly tugged my suit sleeve.
“Brother... I, um, have something to say.”
We'd talked a lot coming here. But this cautious demeanor was new.
“It's kinda hard to say with people around, so...”
“Want to head to the terrace then?”
“Yes.”
We slipped away from prying eyes to the sparsely peopled terrace.
'The thing she wanted to say back in the auditorium?'
Thinking back, she'd been unusually cautious then too.
Probably advice on her career, family, or relationship with Diana. I watched the hesitant Eli with that guess.
“......”
“What, what's on your mind?”
“...Um...”
Should she say it? Not say it?
After agonizing, Eli downed the wine in her champagne glass in one go.
Gulp. Gulp.
Her white throat bobbed, and her alcohol-weak face flushed instantly.
Her hand gripping the glass trembled.
“Brother.”
“Yeah.”
“H-honestly. Really honestly. ...For the future too, it's super important.”
“...Yeah, got it.”
Her more serious gaze than expected sparked a possibility.
Eli's oddly clingy stares lately.
Her suspiciously sticking right to me.
Decisively, the sights during this time with Eli.
'No way. Eli... likes me?'
Not as a benefactor's cute daughter, but as a woman seeing me romantically... It was plenty plausible.
Suddenly, sweat poured from my palms. I swallowed dryly for no reason.
“Brother.”
Was it the moonlight? The beauty magic makeup?
She was always pretty as a half-elf, but tonight Eli looked even more beautiful.
Her cherry-red lips parted cautiously.
“...You had s-sex... with my foster mother... right?”
...Huh?