Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Embarrassed Cat
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Seros had miraculously survived.
…No, to be precise, it wasn’t so much “survived” as…
He’d just gotten lucky and “lived.”
“Guh… ugh…”
He was still breathing.
But his condition was such that no one would call it “alive.”
His whole body trembled uncontrollably, his skin was charred black, and his eyes swam aimlessly in empty sockets, spinning in circles.
*How did he even survive?*
When the light faded and Seros’s form emerged, honestly, everyone must have thought he was dead.
……Not just me.
Probably.
I’d even silently prayed for his soul in advance.
*A short but intense life.*
Hoping he’d gone without pain… a brief moment of respect.
But…
Whirr.
Rev placed his palm indifferently on the head of what seemed to be Seros’s corpse…
And in mere seconds, Seros began clinging back to life.
A total mess, sure.
*A little…?*
Well.
A lot… His skin was still pitch black, his mind teetering on the edge…
But he was alive, and that alone was something to be grateful for.
“Mon… ster…”
Seros trembled, staring into space.
Coughing up soot from his mouth, mumbling incomprehensible words.
Unsure if it was a dream… hallucination… unable to distinguish reality from illusion.
Thud.
Veronica strode right up to him.
She tilted her head, then knocked on his forehead with her knuckles.
“Darn.”
One word, as if there was no hope.
A single phrase that sounded like giving up on a student, delivered so calmly…
It reminded me anew that the dean was an evil dragon.
“Hey, hey. You dead?”
“Guh… ugh…”
“Oh…”
Tap, tap.
Rafia poked at Seros, giggling.
In response, Seros just trembled, his soul already fled from his body.
Rafia kept giggling at the sight, and Seros spat out more soot.
“So, next?”
Veronica’s words, selecting the next victim.
Everyone held their breath.
Staring silently at the ground, or slyly stepping back one foot at a time.
Then… Veronica picked her own sacrifice.
“Crown Prince Uncle~?”
“……”
Rufus’s face stiffened.
Very slowly… he slid his gaze sideways…
Trying desperately to hide his presence.
“Our proud empire’s Crown Prince?”
“…As of today, I abdicate my position as―”
“Yeah. Shut up and get over here.”
“……Yes.”
A conversation cut off without mercy.
In the end… Rufus dragged his greatsword across the ground and stood before Rev.
“Alright, get ready~”
Veronica raised her hand high above her head.
And… moments later.
“Begin!”
Rufus gripped his greatsword tightly with both hands.
Dragged here by force or not, his pride wasn’t broken.
He was the Crown Prince.
He had dignity to uphold, a weight on his shoulders that wouldn’t let him bow his head.
“Rev. Don’t go tattling to the Holy Kingdom if I hit you―”
Before he could finish.
As he spoke leisurely… mixing in a joke…
- Kwarrrrum…!!
A brilliant flash poured down.
Not even a full sentence out, a bolt of heavenly punishment struck Rufus’s head squarely.
““……””
Rufus, now in the exact same state as Seros.
From that day on, S Class gained a new prohibition.
No one knew who said it first.
But it perfectly captured everyone’s feelings.
“No fighting Rev.”
A safety rule written in blood.
***
“You all seriously need to reflect.”
With each of Veronica’s curt words, the S Class students’ heads sank lower toward the ground.
Right now.
Kneeling on the training ground floor: six in total.
Neru, who hadn’t even started attending classes yet, and…
Everyone except me and Rev.
“……”
And in front of them.
Next to Veronica, who stood with arms crossed, shaking her head slowly…
Rev stood blankly.
Still looking like he had no idea what was going on.
His head tilting slightly side to side, toes tapping the ground…
As if wondering why he was still here.
【Kill them!】
“……”
And clinging to Rev’s body…
Was Lamenta.
The shadow wrapped softly around Rev’s waist, rubbing its face against him wildly, while nonstop vicious words poured from its mouth.
“Can’t even beat one priest? Seriously?”
At Veronica’s words, Seros raised a hand timidly, looking wronged.
His body had been charred black just moments ago, but now he was revived, fluffy and fresh.
“Dean… he’s not just some ordinary priest…”
“……”
Nod, nod.
The entire S Class nodded silently.
Little question marks seemed to float above their heads.
“And the one who lasted longest was Sparkly Uncle?”
For reference, “Sparkly Uncle” meant Klaus.
He’d been “that Klaus guy” until recently, but somehow back to “Sparkly Uncle.”
Criteria? None.
Just Veronica’s whim.
“This is seriously something to reflect on.”
Veronica shook her head, pressing her forehead.
And soon…
The evil dragon’s pupils locked squarely on me.
“Anyway… you’re up next.”
[?]
I stood there blankly, whiteboard in hand, tilting my head.
…Huh?
Wasn’t it over?
“What’s with the question mark? Get out here, you punk.”
[???]
Three question marks on the whiteboard.
Three more above my head.
But… somehow I was now standing before Rev, and he stared at me with blank eyes.
【It’s Mask Guy!】
Suddenly, Lamenta’s shadow perked up.
Thrusting its shadow toward me eagerly.
Seemed pretty excited.
“Alright, get ready~”
Veronica strode between Rev and me, starting the death countdown.
Panicking, I scribbled furiously on the whiteboard.
[You’re really doing this?]
“Then should we fake it?”
[We could fake it]
Can’t Cradle’s tech handle that?
Why not something like a subspace simulation from the last evaluation?
Why do we have to turn into soot for real?
“Yeah~ No clue. Begin!”
In the end, Veronica mercilessly shouted “Begin!”, and at the same time, Lamenta’s shadow bounced and yelled.
【Devour him, Rev!】
Lamenta seemed pretty unhinged over vacation.
As that terrifying shout made my body freeze…
“……?”
Rev just stared at me blankly.
No lightning this time.
Tilt.
Rev tilted his head, so I naturally tilted mine too.
And…
“……I surrender.”
Rev slowly raised both hands in surrender.
At that moment… Seros, watching from afar, exploded.
“What!? Surrendeeer? Haaa surrendeeeer!?”
A shout full of dissatisfaction.
Does this guy only get satisfied seeing friends get zapped?
“Hmm… well, could be.”
But Veronica just nodded calmly.
…That one phrase made S Class’s protests even fiercer.
“Dean! This isn’t right!”
“Agreed.”
“…This’ll stir controversy even in the empire.”
Veronica covered her mouth, smirking.
“Why don’t you try seduction?”
Pfft…
She stifled a laugh, hand over mouth.
“Oh, pretty boy tactics?”
“P-pretty boy…!? Dean!!”
At the follow-up, Seros couldn’t hold back anymore.
“How’s a ugly mug like that gonna use pretty boy tactics, Dean…!!”
Seros jabbed a finger at me.
…This guy really wanted to see me get zapped.
“Better looking than you by a hundred, no, thousand times?”
“…How would you know that, Dean…!”
In that instant.
Veronica’s words caught in her throat.
“…Huh.”
She froze after that short sound.
Realizing her slip, she creakily turned her head.
“…Almost said that?”
Trying to play it off, striking a cute pose.
…Of course, she couldn’t take back what she’d already said.
***
First day back at school, and luckily no next lecture…
I headed to the clubroom.
To grab a can of tuna for lunch.
On the way…
“Nya啊啊ah…!”
A familiar scream, somehow.
…From right next to the clubroom, the student council room. A wail.
I hesitated… then cautiously placed a hand on the doorknob.
Creak.
The scene that unfolded when I opened the door… was beyond imagination.
“What is this!? Spill it right now!”
“U… nyaaaaah!!”
Pure shock.
A single cat… precisely, Neru, tied tightly to a chair, being tortured.
The wobbly chair.
A few strands of fur scattered on the floor.
And… Carnel mercilessly pressing Neru’s side.
“What’s with the sudden atrocity! Speak!”
“P-personal… reasooons… nyaah!”
I saw the scene of endless chatter and endless fur…
And very slowly… very carefully… closed the door.
*I saw nothing.*
…Muttering that to myself, I turned and left Cradle.
*Ahem…*
Next destination: the gray district.
To check on Caramel, and source materials for magicless weapon crafting…
Killing two birds with one stone.
Thud.
An old alley wall.
I placed my hand on an inconspicuous brick.
It sank in smoothly, a magic circle formed, and a new passage opened.
*Ugh… hurts my eyes.*
The shady side’s sunny spot.
The gray district.
My first visit in a whole month.
*First… let’s look for materials.*
Of course, I was broke and couldn’t buy any right now…
But I needed to at least check what was available.
*Hmm…*
But after hours of wandering…
*Strikeout.*
“Magicless materials” were rarer than I thought.
No… not a single one in sight.
*Tch…*
Only one option left.
Hunt the black market.
All sorts of things turned up at auction there.
*Not bad, though.*
I was planning to hit the black market soon anyway.
Better than pointless wandering.
If anything… just a hassle.
Thud.
I turned my steps.
This time, toward Caramel’s workshop.
The gray district’s outermost edge.
Shady side’s shady spot, the most tucked-away corner.
And… almost there.
*…?*
The workshop’s lights were off.
Caramel, who was always immersed in alchemy 24/7… lights out?
I thought it impossible.
*…What’s going on?*
Did thugs hit the place again?
I cautiously grabbed the workshop doorknob and opened it.
Screeech…
Seemed untended for weeks… the door let out an unpleasant shriek.
Dust piled on top rained down as it moved.
Click, click.
I pulled the ceiling cord to turn on the light, but nothing.
*What the.*
The scene before me was unexpected.
Items neatly in place, no signs of breakage.
Just a bit more dust.
*Not thugs, then…*
Plus, word was Caramel’s workshop was under Moonlight’s turf.
So which lunatic would dare touch…
*……They did.*
Daredevils who touched it.
Moonlight.
If it was that insane group itself, totally plausible.
*…Things turned out like this.*
My guess… Caramel had been kidnapped… or recruited by Moonlight.
Something like that.
*Hmm…*
I pondered how to get Caramel back.
That moment…
Ting!
Glass bottles clinking.
I reflexively tuned my mana.
《Abyss / Intermediate Magic》
「Corroding Water Stream」
Whoosh!
A shadowy water stream slithered across the floor, sweeping the workshop interior.
And soon…
Something got caught.
“Wah…!”
With a small yelp.
In one corner of the workshop, someone hidden in shadow dangled upside down in midair.
- Crackle…!
I drew 【Leviathan】.
The blade tip scraped the floor unpleasantly… and I approached whatever it was.
As the dark silhouette gradually came into view…
I had to freeze in place.
*…Neru?*
Cat ears.
Disheveled, fluffy hair.
And small hands barely clutching the hem of her skirt, dangling upside down precariously.
“Ah… Adel…?”
Neru, spotting my mask, blinked wide-eyed.
Her face full of “Why are you here?”
…Of course, same for me.
Dangling.
Upside down, Neru clutched her collar tightly, trembling.
Twitch.
Her cat ears flicked anxiously over and over.
Her tail wouldn’t stay still, swishing left and right.
“Si… Adel…?”
[??]
“Embarrassing…”
Neru mumbled in a tiny voice, cheeks flushing red.
…Whether from getting caught by me.
Or from her slipping clothes…
“…Nya.”
With an expression like both…
Neru perked her ears even more… flicking them nonstop.