Chapter 84
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Redhead's Melancholy
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A little while after the semester had begun.
Around the time when the initial post-enrollment chaos had settled and class cliques had started forming.
Elrim was drifting through academy life, unable to fit in anywhere.
She glanced around restlessly.
Around that time, even finding a seat in class was a struggle for Elrim.
Everyone had already gathered in groups with their close friends and sat down.
Elrim didn't have any group she was close enough to join.
At first, she'd hung out with Hera's crew,
but after it came out that Elrim had lied, Hera's group stopped playing along with her.
She'd already burned bridges with everyone else.
Because she'd picked fights with easy marks, beaten them in duels, then mocked them with a smirk.
Hera's group had rejected her, and the rest had already dueled her and soured relations.
Ian's side was naturally even harder to approach.
She had a track record of spreading lies about Ian to save her own skin.
But then,
"Hey, loser. What're you doing wandering around like that? Sit here and stop making a scene."
Ian spoke first to Elrim, who was still looking around uncertainly for a seat.
That commoner was still talking in his usual provocative tone.
Elrim could dish out provocations herself, but she had to hold back a step in front of Ian.
Especially since he'd come up with that outrageous Grand Prostration thing.
"I-I can pick my own seat, okay? You're such a loser."
Elrim huffed and puffed as she sat in the seat next to Ian.
Hisenna, with her kind heart, was sitting right beside him too.
In truth, Elrim had almost gotten close to Ian.
They'd sparred before the semester started, and afterward, they'd even gone to school together sometimes.
But because Elrim had hung out with Hera's gang and spread lies, she'd drifted away from Ian.
Somehow, though, she'd ended up sitting with him again like this.
"Hey, loser. Next time in sparring, I'll let you win. I went easy on you last time, got it?"
"You wanna do the Grand Prostration again?"
All Elrim could manage was to provoke him again.
She still had to pay him back for that Grand Prostration humiliation, after all.
And besides, she didn't know any other way to keep a relationship going.
Any normal person would know you could just say something straightforward like, "Let's hang out. Let's be friends."
But Elrim didn't know that. Even if she tried to be honest, memories of the past would just bubble up.
This way, at least, she could get some attention.
Anyway, like that, Elrim escaped her drifter status and started hanging around with Ian.
She naturally got closer to Hisenna, who was close to Ian too.
Hisenna was especially sweet-tempered and took good care of Elrim like a mom.
Elrim even started chattering away with stories she wouldn't normally tell.
And she quickly got friendly with Chayuri too.
Chayuri oddly clicked well with Elrim.
Despite being direct lineage from an archmage ducal family, he had this vibe like he enjoyed breaking rules.
Before long, the four of them were always together.
Even after Chayuri was revealed to be a girl,
the initial surprise faded quickly, and the three girls grew even closer.
Still, Elrim sometimes felt oddly left out.
For example, during the field trip.
Hisenna suddenly vanished, and Chayuri and Ian wandered off together, leaving Elrim behind.
She hated feeling excluded like that so much she couldn't sleep and ended up bolting out at dawn.
She spotted Ian's broom by chance and thought if she had that, they'd include her.
Of course, she never got the full story of what happened.
She couldn't bring herself to ask straight-up either. She couldn't admit it hurt that they'd gone off without her.
All Elrim could do was provoke Ian by calling him a loser to get his attention.
If she were honest, she'd just get tossed aside for sure. Just like in the past.
But up until then, it had been okay.
What really made Elrim antsy was after the subjugation festival announcement.
'Teams of three...? That means...'
The subjugation festival was teams of three.
Which meant one of the four would have to sit it out.
Elrim racked her brains seriously. Mess up, and she might not even get to participate.
She had no one else to team up with.
And if she had to pick, she wanted to go with Ian.
She'd shine brighter next to that loser... she thought.
'Bet on it and say loser teams with me if I win? Nah, that feels weird. Bet with Hisenna and Chayuri, and winner teams with the loser? But that makes the loser sound too special!'
It was agonizing.
No answers came.
While Elrim agonized like that, things happened.
The very day the announcement dropped, Ian went off somewhere alone with Hisenna.
Normally after class, Elrim headed to her club or followed Hisenna to play with the familiars.
But for some reason, Hisenna insisted on going alone today, so Elrim tailed her secretly.
Turned out Hisenna had taken Ian to play with the familiars.
Like she'd deliberately ditched Elrim. Taken Ian and left her out.
Once Elrim realized that, she bolted.
She couldn't name the feeling. Abandoned? Close, but not quite.
For some reason, tears threatened. It was the kind of exclusion Elrim hated most.
Chayuri had been sneaking off to talk alone with Ian for ages anyway.
In the end, Ian was thoroughly ignoring just Elrim.
This has to be them planning a team without me, Elrim thought.
After wallowing in gloom for a good while, Elrim decided to train.
She always trained in secret from everyone.
You needed a certain level of skill to get attention, after all.
She poured herself into grinding field levels all through the night.
From first-year cadet level up to a high level 6.
"I'm not direct lineage... I have to do better! Or the team...!"
It hurt.
Was she getting pushed out again because of her low collateral lineage status?
Hisenna and Chayuri were already superior just by their blood, and their skills outstripped Elrim's.
As she threw herself into training, the pent-up resentment exploded, and Elrim wailed as she battled beasts in the field training zone.
"Hah... Hnngh... Hic..."
And Elrim finally cleared level 6.
She felt the field training system kick in, teleporting her body to the waiting room.
But there,
"Hey, took you long enough to clear a measly level 6."
"L-Loser?"
Ian had been spectating Elrim's training.
'D-Did he see everything?'
The fact was so mortifying that
Elrim ended up blurting out another dishonest line.
"What are you doing here this late!"
"What else? Training. Waited 'cause I had something to say."
"S-Something to say?"
Elrim felt an ominous vibe right there.
Talking secretly with Hisenna and Chayuri. Coming to her last with something to say.
"This subjugation festival team..."
About the subjugation festival team.
Ah, they're doing it without me, the three of them.
She'd half-expected it. Skill-wise or whatever, there was no reason for Ian to pick her over those two.
Hating to hear it, Elrim struck first.
Dishonest, not wanting to get hurt.
"I-I wasn't planning on teaming with a loser like you anyway?"
"What're you talking about? No one else'll team with you."
"I-I've got plenty of people who'd team with me, even without trash like you?"
"Bullshit."
In truth, just like Ian said, she had no one else.
But getting rejected and rejecting first were different.
"That's not—"
"I wasn't gonna team with trash like you either!"
Elrim shrieked and stormed out.
Her legs hurt.
Training straight through to level 6 had twisted her ankle.
The infirmary wouldn't open till morning.
Her ankle would ache until then.
Elrim held back sobs and limped back to the dorms.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
📰 Breaking News
[Title: Alone together in the training grounds late at night...]
Author: Kim Muggle
I was grinding field training and suddenly it was dawn,
but there's another cadet still training this late besides me.
And it was the Redhead.
She was training desperately alone, muttering about subjugation festival teams or whatever.
Top Student already teamed with YooYoo-chan, so we're at three members,
but I figured I'd wait and tell her now to team up.
Redhead comes out, I was gonna say we can team together, but nope,
this Redhead bastard goes "I wasn't planning on teaming with trash like you anyway?"
and bolts before I even said anything.
What the hell? Is this like zero-confession first rejection or something?
Even when I'm offering the team spot, she pulls this shit.
💬 Comments
— CantDoThisEither
Redhead can fuck off, MamTong is the truth
— Redhead
Chuck Redhead!
— Orgasm
Redhead needs strict teacherXsmack smackXXplay punishment-!
— 29cmBluntBatta
Not being honest, huh. In that case, just force XX into XX and make her XXXX it all out
— Anonymous
Whoa... but Redhead's actually a hard worker
— Anonymous
True, Redhead said she's not even direct lineage or whatever
— Meditation King
The efforts in the shadows are what make the strong
I was so baffled I posted what just happened to the gallery.
I'd just seen her and was gonna say we should team up, that's all.
But she flipped out before I could even speak. Yeah, Grand Prostration suits Elrim after all.
That jerk doesn't have anyone else to team with anyway.
"Fine. I won't team with you either! Hmph!"
Hmph, take that, you brat.
I won't team with you either.
As I pondered who to get for the last spot,
another comment popped up on the gallery. The usual latecomer who claims he's writing papers.
— SubsidyRiceEater
Ah, just finished announcing my paper, what's up with Redhead?
Wait, take care of Redhead a bit
One of the few Redhead fans on the gallery. SubsidyRiceEater.
He didn't withdraw support for Redhead even in this situation.
— Anonymous
Lol Redhead's out now
— Anonymous
Redhead hate needs to go, how can you resist MamTong fixation yas
— Anonymous
How you gonna resist Top Student watermelon paXXri
— Kim Muggle
I'm not doing that shit, you crazy bitches
— SubsidyRiceEater
No, that's not what Redhead means!! Can't you see that dishonest heart?
— Anonymous
Honest or not, how do you resist MamTong MamTong lol
— CantDoThisEither
MamTong is truth
— SubsidyRiceEater
What, big tits aren't everything?
The reason Redhead faction's share on the gallery was shrinking was because FlapFlap had roughly mentioned the three girls' sizes once.
Not that Elrim was lacking, but the other two were just exceptional.
— SubsidyRiceEater
Take care of Redhead for real, wasn't kidding
— Anonymous
How the hell are you gonna do that lol
— 29cmBluntBatta
Just XXX her to get the answer you want
— SubsidyRiceEater
Can't you tell just looking? Redhead has no friends! Stop the big-boob tyranny!
— MagicGirlLulu-chan
Hawawa, Redhead secretly training was touching~
— SubsidyRiceEater
Stop oppressing Redhead! Just go talk to her once osawawo osotonggongge
— Anonymous
This bitch who barely checks the gallery is so serious only about Redhead lol b
— Anonymous
Redhead squad seriously disband;
— Orgasm
Redhead go XXX already-!
"Hm..."
SubsidyRiceEater solo rampaging.
He usually barely checks the gallery, but going this hard means he's seriously into Redhead.
Of course, I had no intention of indulging the gallery's MamTong fixation yas games or whatever.
But hearing SubsidyRiceEater out did shake me a bit.
Elrim had definitely said when the subjugation festival announcement first dropped that she'd absolutely participate.
That she'd get tons of attention and guild business cards.
Even talked about catching the 'Redlight Stitch'.
No way Elrim would miss a spotlight like the subjugation festival.
But without us, she had no one else to team with.
In other words, what she said earlier was definitely a lie.
Should I just go and tell her again, like SubsidyRiceEater said?
— SubsidyRiceEater
Oh and I got some really important research, ditch Redhead here and I won't tell you (angry researcher con)
It's really important research related to Kim Muggle too
— Anonymous
Whoa this ain't right
— Anonymous
This is tyranny
— Anonymous
An archmage threatening with that?!
And SubsidyRiceEater pulled out research data as a weapon.
His papers seemed highly valued among gallery users.
If it was related to me too,
Hm. Guess I'll just go.
Elrim spouting nonsense wasn't a one- or two-day thing.
Just make her do Grand Prostration once, smack her around, and call it good.
Should I make her do it in her cadet uniform this time... With that thought, I left the field waiting room.
I hopped on the broom and sped after Elrim.
She'd probably head straight to the dorms at this hour anyway.
And sure enough, soon I spotted Elrim's back, limping toward the dorms.
Her red hair stood out even under the dim lights.
I got off the broom and crept up stealthily.
Before Elrim noticed,
I swooped in whoosh— and grabbed her arm.
Then I yanked her around by the arm,
The defiant screaming from earlier was gone.
Elrim's face was a snotty, teary mess as she bawled her eyes out.
