Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: 075. Responsibility Without Pleasure - (3)
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My already packed routine gained yet another addition.
A daily visit to Ophelia Hall to check on Void's condition.
No matter how much it had grown by feeding on Isolde's mana, Void was still the villain from Act 5. There was no telling when it might turn into a boss and wreck the academy.
"...You've arrived, baby daddy."
When I got to Ophelia Hall, there was one black-haired maid whose dark circles under her eyes seemed to deepen with each passing day.
Helena, the maid of Ophelia Hall.
"How's Void doing?"
"Too well, to the point it's a problem. The head maid even had to scold it because it's constantly rummaging through the dorms. At least it sleeps a lot, so that's a relief."
Helena let out sigh after sigh as she brought Void over.
Void's eyes sparkled brightly.
A vibrancy utterly absent from the original Isolde's dull gaze.
Just looking at those eyes made it easy to imagine how much chaos it had caused in Ophelia Hall over that short week.
"You've had it rough, Miss Helena."
"Yes. I'm starting to think I should just retire and open a nursery."
Helena ruffled Void's hair wildly, as if utterly fed up.
Seeming to have grown somewhat attached in the meantime, Void bared no fangs and simply let her hands roam over it.
"...By the way, this thing can talk now."
"It talks?"
I widened my eyes at Helena's words.
I'd thought all it could do was stick out its tongue.
"What does it say?"
"Just two words."
"Daddy, mommy? Something like that?"
"Well... hear it for yourself."
Helena beckoned to Void. It opened its mouth and spoke briefly.
"Food."
"... "
"Water."
"... "
"Poo."
Hmm...
"My condolences."
"If you get it, then get lost."
Helena glared at me like she wanted to kill me.
I pulled out a snack for Sophia and fed it to Void's tiny mouth.
*
Whatever the case, Void's condition looking stable was a positive sign.
Helena would take good care of it, so I could breathe easy.
With Isolde and Void's issues resolved, the next thing to prepare for was none other than Act 4 of the original story.
'Only a month left already.'
Act 4 of Throne of the Academy was the final episode set in the academy.
As such, its scale rivaled Act 3. Unlike previous incidents confined to the Twin Towers or the grand cathedral, this one encompassed the entirety of Erebos Royal Academy.
The assault by the shadowy organization "Shadow," and the ultimate monster Nemesis they summoned. Plus the shadow monsters from Act 1 and the chimeras from Act 2.
It was like a grand compilation or all-star battle gathering nearly every enemy from before.
"...It's doable."
Act 4 was notorious in the original as the "Wailing Wall" for its brutal difficulty.
Fortunately, though, the current situation was far better than the original.
I'd fully recruited Isolde this time around, and secured the hidden card Otilie from the magic department.
And above all, Sword Saint Sophia was growing stronger far faster than in the original.
"Master! Look at this!"
Sure enough, Sophia kept shoving Swordmaster qualification exam invitations in my face, bragging nonstop.
"I'm heading to the royal palace mid-semester!"
"I see. Impressive."
The timing was during the interlude after Act 4.
In the original, she only became a Swordmaster after Act 5 ended and met the exam requirements, so this was remarkable progress.
'Thanks to the Tear of the Sun, probably.'
Whatever the reason, after feeding her that priceless Tear of the Sun, Sophia Aquilova was advancing noticeably faster than any other character.
With the Ink Sword, the Abyss Mana Core, and the sword aura skill from Beatrice to boot, she could handle most formidable foes.
"No aerial flip...?"
"An aerial flip? Why would I do an aerial flip for you?"
"Ugh..."
Sophia pouted sullenly.
Her occasional weird requests were a slight flaw.
One afternoon, as I was assessing our forces and preparing for the impending disaster...
"Teacher."
"Miss Otilie, isn't it? It's been a while."
The doll-like girl, Otilie Kete von Ihen Dorp, came to visit. Upon arriving at the chapel, she glanced around warily, as if on guard against something.
"Don't worry. Miss Sophia is in class right now."
"Phew..."
Otilie finally let out a relieved sigh.
What on earth was Sophia's reputation around here?
"So, how's Miss Isolde doing?"
"Much better than before, for sure. The kid's asserting herself now. Maybe because of that, word's spreading in the magic department too. They say Isolde's not the same as before."
She'd regained her sense of self.
A good sign. As I nodded in approval...
"But... it's kind of... how should I put it..."
"Some problem?"
"She looks fine on the outside... but her vibe's gotten weird."
"What kind of vibe?"
"She used to be just a stuck-up model student, but now... it's like a wild colt with the reins off."
"...A wild, unrestrained colt?"
"She works on research with me, right? But while making dolls, she grins creepily..."
Grinning lewdly at dolls, huh.
That sounded exactly like Otilie's self-description.
For her honor, I'd bury that thought deep inside.
"Oh, and she clutches her chest and laughs several times a day."
"...Her chest?"
"Yes. Doesn't seem painful, but... like she's touching something precious."
"Hm."
With Isolde-level assets, it was precious indeed.
Though probably not for that reason.
Likely a side effect of the mana link. Lately, as Void evolved, it had started drawing more of Isolde's mana.
I'd need to look into that later.
"Anyway... Teacher. About why I came here..."
"Right, yes. What is it?"
Otilie glanced at me cautiously before speaking up.
"...When are you going to do that thing?"
"That thing?"
"Yes, that thing."
Otilie repeated the vague pronoun, and I tilted my head, confused.
Then she made a more explicit gesture. Raising her hand, spreading her fingers wide, and kneading the air like she was groping something.
"Can I examine your body now, Teacher?"
Otilie's eyes gleamed with academic fervor and a strange greed.
"...Ah."
Then it hit me.
To solve Isolde's problem, I'd brought in relief pitcher Otilie.
For that, I'd made a certain deal with her.
The deal being...
- "Can I... touch... your body a little, Teacher?"
- "Once Miss Otilie fulfills my request, then you can measure my body however you like."
- "...For real? Back muscles too? Inner thighs? Navel?"
- "...Yes. Anywhere you want."
"... "
I'd sold my body.
This too was a responsibility without pleasure.
*
Since that day, Isolde had been living a fulfilling daily life.
After ditching her glasses and seeing the world in sharp clarity, she was enjoying her transformation.
"Senior Isolde, could you help with this assignment? I just can't get a feel for it..."
"Sorry. I'm swamped with research. Besides, you should handle your own work."
"Huh? Oh... okay..."
And the biggest driving force was this.
"So warm."
She placed her hand on her chest, feeling the heat.
The enhanced mana link let her sense Leo's emotional shifts vividly.
A faint ripple of mana signal, but it filled her with satisfaction.
Perhaps that's why.
Isolde found herself focusing on the mana link's sensations more and more. Several times a day, even up to a dozen.
This time was no different.
"Isolde, your recent submissions all show such fresh perspectives. It's great."
Her advisor, Professor Everett, smiled warmly at the new paper she'd submitted.
"What's changed in your mindset? Mind if I ask?"
"Well... someone came along who fills my heart."
"Oh my..."
Everett raised his glasses with interest.
"Can't tell me who?"
"It's a secret."
Isolde smiled shyly as she left the lab. On the way back to the dorm, she habitually placed her hand on her left breast, wanting to wash away the day's fatigue by confirming their connection.
But soon, Isolde frowned.
"...Something's off."
There was dissonance in the sensations beyond the mana link.
A major one.
"Foreign mana..."
An impurity.
Not Void. The mana Void consumed was Isolde's own; she wouldn't feel dissonance from it.
Nor was it that saintess candidate Elise's holy power. Holy power wasn't this overt, sticky, or domineering.
Isolde knew this mana.
They'd resonated mana recently while making dolls together, structuring the magic.
In other words...
"...Otilie?"
Isolde muttered in bewilderment.
Why was Otilie's presence felt in Priest Leo's mana link? It wasn't a fleeting resonance. It was delicately tapping inside Leo's veins, awakening dormant mana circuits.
"Eek."
Even Isolde, just receiving the sensation, felt her legs go weak from the raw stimulation.
Which meant...
"...What are you doing with Priest?"
Isolde looked in the mirror.
The color of her lifeless eyes had faded even further.