Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Fruitful Entrance Ceremony
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I turned my head and saw Eli running toward me.
The way her bust jiggled slightly, even secured by the garter belt of her cadet uniform, was a work of art.
"Lord Rubelt, I've missed you so much!"
Eli threw herself into my arms.
Her ample breasts pressed against me through her clothes, conveying their unmistakable softness.
...Ahh! This is bliss!
"I've missed you too, Eli."
"Ru-Rubelt?!"
"What the... Rubelt?!"
Yume and Kagura reacted with shock to Eli's embrace.
No one besides Rize and me had met Eli yet.
Since both of them held strong affection for me, their bewilderment at Eli's boldness was plain to see.
Of course, I introduced Eli naturally here, without regard for their feelings.
"Eli, these are my friends Seo Yume and Isihoon. And this is Yagitsune Kagura from the Yagitsune Shrine that I'm sponsoring."
Eli detached herself from me and gracefully lifted the hem of her skirt in greeting.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Eli Glassner, Lord Rubelt's fiancée."
"W-What!?"
"Rubelt's..."
"Fiancée!?"
"Yes! Fi-an-cée! Ohohohoho!"
Eli let out her signature ladylike laugh.
Before enrollment.
Through our conversations, she'd accepted that I had multiple women in my life, but she was still showing signs of staking her claim.
Well, it was more cute boasting about her relationship with me than outright hostility.
It probably wasn't so cute to Yume and Kagura, though.
Still, Eli's behavior like this was necessary moving forward.
Even if they all ended up getting along in the end, they needed to establish the pecking order before fully accepting the harem and growing close.
"H-Hey! Rubelt! What's this about a fiancée?!"
I carefully explained to Isihoon.
"Exactly what it sounds like. Eli's my fiancée. It's been decided since we were kids."
"Since you were kids? Whoa, like an arranged marriage?"
"That's right. And we're on great terms."
"Whoa... Having such a beautiful girl who clearly adores you as your fiancée. You're something else, man."
"Because I'm Rubelt Eldra!"
"A fiancée for Rubelt... He never mentioned..."
"Yeah... A fiancée... Ugh. The Eldras might have arrangements like that..."
I could hear Yume and Kagura panicking.
This was a valuable moment, letting me observe the chemistry sparked by the goodwill I'd built up.
"Everyone, we can talk later. Let's head to the auditorium first. We'll be late for the entrance ceremony."
"Ah, the entrance ceremony."
"Ohohoho! We can't be late for that! Let's go, Lord Rubelt! Rize! Everyone else too!"
"Let's go."
We headed to the auditorium where the entrance ceremony was being held.
At the entrance ceremony, all the cadets entering Hunter Academy sat in rows of chairs, facing the stage.
Mana awakeners capable of becoming hunters were far fewer than ordinary people.
But with them gathering from across the nation, Hunter Academy's cadet numbers were just a bit more than those of a typical high school.
On the stage stood the chairman of Hunter Academy.
A retired hunter with silver eyes and light green short hair, whose beauty showed no signs of fading despite clearly being in her sixties.
In Blbl, she was a mage character you could only use as a guest in special event scenes.
Shira Kemilgia was giving her address to the cadets.
"In other words, hunters exist to safeguard humanity's safety alongside vast resources for the sake of this world..."
Even when playing Blbl, her speech was often skipped or glossed over.
I listened nostalgically, but speeches were still boring.
Not that I was slacking off, of course.
"Ugh... Uh..."
Even in the game, Isihoon had an inner monologue about dozing off during the first speech.
And as expected, Isihoon beside me was on the verge of nodding off.
I nudged him with my elbow before he fully drifted away.
Poke!
"Tch! Huh? What?"
"Don't sleep. It's almost over."
"Ah. Sorry."
"And finally, we'll conclude the ceremony with a speech from our freshman representative..."
"Hey, Rubelt. Your turn."
"What are you talking about?"
"Kang Seolhwa, please come up to the stage."
"Not me."
"Huh?"
Isihoon blinked at me after the chairman's words.
"Rubelt... You're not the freshman rep?"
"Never said I was."
"But I thought..."
Isihoon must really believe in my skills.
Well, it was natural for him to assume that.
I'd always shown him my exceptional abilities, honed through genius-level training without ever slacking, at least in front of him.
As Isihoon predicted, I could have been the one on stage.
But I deliberately wasn't.
Because...
"Freshman representative: Kang Seolhwa. I..."
I needed to route Blbl's heroine as the original freshman rep.
Kang Seolhwa.
A promising star character in the original Blbl, boasting standout looks and performance.
Not quite on the Eldra level, but the daughter of the chairman of a major corporation, Jinseong Group.
A heroine obsessed with victory and claiming the top spot, driven by her family background.
True to her name, she wielded ice-attribute attacks, with black bobbed hair and sky-blue eyes fitting her element.
She wasn't recruitable from the start in the story; you got her around mid-game.
But in her dedicated route, the gap between her competitive, number-one fixation and her melting into a gentle smile won massive popularity.
Incidentally, she starts noticing the protagonist mid-story, as he takes down Strangers and clears dungeons, leading to their connection through rivalry and interest.
Of course... I had no intention of waiting idly for that.
"That concludes my speech. Thank you."
The auditorium erupted in applause as Kang Seolhwa finished, ending the ceremony.
The freshmen followed their assigned homeroom teachers to their classrooms.
"Hey, Rubelt. Why weren't you the rep?"
Isihoon asked me even as we walked.
"It happens. Why are you so hung up on it?"
"But I can't imagine you not being number one."
"Exactly, Lord Rubelt! Why that Jinseong Group girl instead of you...!"
Even Eli chimed in.
"It happens. I'll just take first next time."
"That's my Rubelt!"
"I'll cheer for you, Lord Rubelt!"
"Thanks, Eli."
"M-Me too, Rubelt! I'll cheer for you!"
"Rubelt can surely claim first again!"
I wasn't really upset since it was intentional.
But even Yume and Kagura cheered me on.
This was thanks to steadily building their affection.
Rize, vaguely aware I'd tanked my score on purpose, just followed quietly without comment.
That aside...
I'd been feeling a familiar gaze since earlier.
A prickling stare laced with curiosity, fighting spirit, and raw electricity, with no attempt to hide it.
I knew exactly who it was.
Once we reach the classroom and the orientation ends, she'll pounce.
We arrived at the classroom and took our seats, each marked with a cadet's name.
Our homeroom teacher was a active hunter woman with orange ponytail and green eyes.
Jura Dias began the academy orientation.
In summary, even as a hunter training academy, it was still an educational institution, so they'd teach basics like math, history, and language, even if lightly weighted.
Also, not every cadet would become a promising hunter, so they encouraged club activities to explore other paths.
They weren't mandatory, but joining was recommended for personal growth.
Of course, it didn't apply to those like me with side gigs or set futures.
"We'll now do self-introductions. Stand one by one and share."
Cadets stood in turn, stating their names, traits, goals, or just a polite "please take care of me," then sat.
Then it was my turn.
I stood and gave a light introduction.
"Rubelt Eldra. Nice to meet you all."
"Eldra? That one?"
"Heir to the Eldra family?"
"The genius called the Golden Kirin?"
"Kyaaa! He's so handsome!"
"The Eldra heir is exceptional even in looks!"
Voices gasped at my name, my reputation, the Eldra prestige, and the girls swooning purely over my appearance.
Ah, music to my ears.
"Just like high school."
"Haha, Rubelt's popularity is as ever."
"Ohohoho, this reaction to Lord Rubelt is only natural."
Next came Rize and Eli's turns.
"I'm Rize Twain. Maid to the Young Master... Lord Rubelt."
"I'm Eli Glassner. Lord Rubelt's fiancée! Ohohohoho!"
"Maid?"
"Fiancée?"
"Both are super pretty. So jealous..."
"Capable guys really are different! Kyaaa!"
Ah, truly delightful!
As the classroom grew noisy, Jura Dias slammed the podium.
Tang!
"Quiet! Finish the introductions!"
Self-intros wrapped up after about five more minutes.
Then came a 10-minute break before regular classes.
During the break, cadets grouped with like-minded peers to chat.
Some tried squeezing in with those who caught their eye from the start.
I was the type cadets wanted to befriend, but with my fiancée Eli, maid Rize, and friends Isihoon, Yume, and Kagura already forming a group around me, no one easily intruded.
Except one person.
"Hey, hey, hey, Young Master Rubelt~."
Denrai Chisaki, daughter of Master Denrai Satoru and a Blbl heroine.
She boldly slipped into our midst, smiling at me.
"Wanna spar with me?"