Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Roughly, the Sexiest Isekai 75
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Karen had pushed herself right to the brink of passing out, but for me, it was just the right warm-up.
I was sweating comfortably, my heart pounding nicely.
I stepped out of the inn, stretched my arms wide, and waited for Karen and Esty to come out.
"Darling. Let's go now."
Esty opened the inn door and stepped out.
Behind her, Karen stood with a shy look on her face.
"Karen. You okay?"
"Yeah. I can move. ...Oppa, sorry."
"Why are you apologizing? I was the one who lost control."
"...I kept begging you to keep going in the middle. Don't you remember?"
It rang a vague bell.
"I-it's fine if you don't remember! You don't have to dwell on it!"
She must have been pretty out of it, because Karen hurriedly made excuses.
"Esty. Noah knows where this inn is, right?"
"Yeah. I told her before we parted. ...Though Noah seemed to already know."
...Yeah, that sounded like Noah.
"Shall we hurry before the sun sets?"
"Yeah!"
Karen grabbed my hand.
Following Esty's lead, we headed to the walled-off district with the upscale residential area.
The closer we got to the castle, the steeper the incline, so we climbed some stairs and ran into guards blocking a gate.
The moment they spotted Esty, they whispered among themselves and hurriedly opened the gate.
Esty breezed past without a second glance.
We tried to follow, but the guards blocked me and Karen.
"Halt. No one beyond this point without authorization."
"They're with me."
Esty turned back and said.
"Our apologies!"
The guards snapped to attention and stepped aside.
It really drove home what kind of presence Esty had in the kingdom.
Karen must have felt it too, because she said loud enough for me to hear.
"Esty's amazing. A lot of people remember what she accomplished."
"Why wouldn't they?"
It was pure admiration from the heart.
The upscale neighborhood lived up to its reputation as a place for the elite—nobles and privileged folk.
Everyone walking the streets was dressed flashily, not a single one looking intimidated.
There were tons of people putting on aristocratic airs like Diana.
Some of them would probably make a huge fuss over a mere shoulder bump, calling it an insult or whatever.
After walking quite a ways, we finally laid eyes on that massive building I'd glimpsed from the carriage.
"Here it is."
Esty said.
"Hero Candidate Training and Management Institution. Commonly known as 'Hero Academy' Melbritt."
Melbritt loomed like a grand cathedral.
Beyond the imposing pale yellowish-brown walls—like castle battlements—stood the complex of buildings that made up Melbritt.
The one at the end of the main avenue looked like the main hall, while the others resembled dormitories for students.
"So the hero candidates live inside the academy?"
"Yeah. They live in the dorms, and their everyday behavior gets evaluated too."
Ugh. Just hearing about it made me feel suffocated.
But no problem. No place was more perfect for hypnosis than a school setup.
High population density, everything run through people, all facilities packed close together.
And if they lived and slept there together? Jackpot.
It was basically my playground.
If I wanted, I could hypnotize every woman in Melbritt within three days.
Sure, it felt like an unfair game stacked in my favor, but there were still ways to lose.
The hero and the goddess.
If they pegged me as an enemy right from the first encounter, things could get messy.
The key was to approach carefully without making a big scene.
Bella was on standby to crash in if things went south, but best not to put her in that position.
Something massive like "hypnotizing the entire student body" could wait until I was totally secure.
Until then, I'd chase smaller thrills...
"Wow, so many people."
Just like Esty said, the area in front of the academy was packed.
They were all young or kids, and plenty were already in Melbritt uniforms.
Hang on. Some of these look familiar.
"There are people taking the regular entrance exam too.
People like you who cleared an emergency quest? You're one of the rare few here."
Makes sense.
Including those who hadn't arrived yet, the number would be even smaller.
So I scanned for freshmen vibes—or anyone with a standout look.
One girl caught my eye.
She was dressed like some forest monster witch. Her body wrapped in what was basically rags of black cloth, a wide-brimmed hat pulled low.
Her hair was grown out wildly, reaching her ankles. A ghost?
Couldn't see her face, but I had a hunch she might be a real beauty.
Other than that... guys, pass.
"Oppa. What are you staring at so intently? Let's go."
"Doesn't the Melbritt uniform look familiar?"
"Melbritt uniform?"
Karen peered closer too.
"Oh, it's like the clothes that blonde girl from the Bordeaux Dungeon was wearing."
"Ah!"
Right!
The blonde girl who beat the lich—no, skeleton boss—before us.
Was she here too?
"Do all the candidates wear that? It's so pretty."
Karen had good reason to say so.
The women's Melbritt uniform evoked a navy sailor outfit: crisp white with a short skirt, completed by black over-the-knee socks.
Some candidates wore black blazer coats embroidered with Melbritt's emblem on the chest as outerwear.
If Karen wore that... it'd be something else.
The top would strain against her bust, ready to burst.
Her legs fully on display under the skirt. Oh man, the fantasies wouldn't stop.
"Ah, Lady Noah!"
That's when Karen spotted Noah and waved.
Noah noticed us and approached.
"You're all here. I arrived a step ahead to wait."
"You handled things with the executioners okay?"
"Yes. I just covered up the incident in Dry Village. I returned the artifact that dispels brainwashing too."
Oh yeah, that happened.
She'd tied up loose ends to avoid backlash later.
"You should be able to lay low until word of your duel with the Vanguard family spreads."
No choice but to tough it out.
"Lord Decal. What do you think of Melbritt?"
"The girls' uniforms are great. Not that I'd wear them."
Noah smiled softly.
"I figured you'd say that, Lord Decal. But please be careful.
The strictest rule at Melbritt is a ban on [Romantic Relationships]."
"Oh?"
About what I expected.
No other guys around to have sex with anyway, so it worked in my favor.
That rule couldn't bind me. Noah knew it well enough.
"You seem prepared.
The man over there is the examiner. I've already spoken for the two of you."
"Esty, you're staying here?"
If Karen and I went take the exam, what about Esty?
"I have to meet with Melbritt's committee."
"Lord Decal. If it's alright, leave that to me. I'll assist Miss Esty."
Noah stepped up to help Esty.
No reason to refuse. Noah was reliable.
"Sure. Esty's not used to dealing with people, so take good care of her, Noah."
"Understood."
Esty hugged me tight.
"Darling. Parting makes me sad."
"We'll meet again soon."
I kissed Esty goodbye.
"See you at Melbritt, Darling."
"Yeah."
Esty didn't seem to doubt for a second that I'd make it in.
I'd live up to that.
After Noah and Esty entered through Melbritt's main gate, it was just me and Karen.
"Shall we?"
"Yeah!"
We approached the examiner.
The gathered candidates were all buzzing about something.
"Was that Lord Veil Noah of the 'Iron Wall' just now?"
"Did you hear? Someone took down the 'Thin Wolf.'"
Noah had already spread the word.
"You're Lord Decal and Lady Karen, correct?"
The examiner said, checking our faces.
"Yes."
"Emergency quest cleared confirmed. Proceed inside."
Karen and I got what looked like admission slips from the examiner and followed a guide woman into Melbritt.
Not through the main gate like Esty or Noah—we walked along the outer wall for a bit to another entrance.
There were quite a few other hopefuls being guided like us.
Around forty in total.
They all looked like candidates, right? So why were we the only ones without uniforms?
"First up is the combat ability test.
It'll factor into Melbritt's future rankings, so keep that in mind. First twenty, step forward."
I took Karen and walked up.
"Who are they?"
"No uniforms either."
"Emergency quest clearers maybe?"
"We'll verify the slips you received earlier."
The glasses girl meticulously checked our slips.
"You two are emergency quest clearers. Credit for taking down the 'Thin Wolf' as a two-person party. Examiner: Lord Veil Noah..."
"V-Veil Noah?"
"The Iron Wall examiner?"
The candidates stirred.
Just being mentioned alongside it, the fact we'd been examined by Noah drew more attention than the Thin Wolf. Impressive.
I could feel skin-deep that Noah had fame on par with Esty.
"You can't proceed as a pre-formed party from here.
Sorry, but one of you will have to stay behind."
"Hmm..."
Fair enough. We were obviously a party.
If a teamwork challenge came up, we'd ace it too easily, unfair to the others.
No issue. I knew Karen had the skills she deserved.
"Karen. I'll go first."
"Okay."
Asking if it was okay would insult her.
The glasses girl checked me and the other nineteen who'd stepped up.
"Follow me to the exam site."
The candidates trailed behind her like a tail.
I hung back at the rear, strolling casually.
Where in the Melbritt campus was this? We passed a long corridor to a large door painted red.
"Beyond this door awaits the 'trial' to test your abilities."
The glasses girl quietly surveyed us before continuing.
"You've toiled through three months of exams. I hope you've shown the qualities and skills befitting a hero candidate."
...Regular route's three months? Tough crowd.
Couldn't underestimate these guys.
The glasses girl bowed slightly to us and placed a hand lightly on the door.
Complex runes etched on it glowed faintly, and it opened on its own.
I stepped forward first.
What? A field?
Beyond the door was outdoors. No roof, smooth dirt floor without a single pebble.
A perfect square space of uniform dimensions. Not fully outdoor, not indoor either. An ambiguous setup.
Black barriers covered the opposite and side walls, with human silhouettes visible against them.
I instantly knew those shadows were our evaluators.
Meaning something was about to go down here.
As everyone gathered in the center to look around, I quietly slipped to a corner.
"Long time no see."
Someone spoke up suddenly from behind.
I whipped around, startled, and saw a familiar face.
No name, but the blonde girl from the Bordeaux Dungeon.
The one who'd cleared the boss before Karen and me.
"How long you been there?"
"The whole time. Right behind you."
Hadn't noticed at all.
Even when we were all grouped up.
With looks that standout, I'd have spotted her right away.
"I'm Stia Harpe. You?"
"...Decal. Adventurer."
What?
She'd called me pathetic back then, but now she was oddly friendly.
"Decal, I've revised my opinion. You pulled it off in the end. With that girl."
"..."
Ah.
Hearing that explained the attitude shift.
My guess: Stia had felt bad seeing Karen crying during that brief encounter and kept it in mind.
So seeing us here must've made her happy.
She probably thought we'd overcome our setback and caught up by finally bagging the Thin Wolf.
Of course her view of me improved.
She had no clue we'd beaten it ages ago—or what happened after.
Anyway, this was an interesting connection.
"Thanks to you too. ...We made it here because of that."
Stia looked at me, her jewel-red eyes sparkling.
"I thought adventurers were all pathetic... but Decal, you're a rare serious one.
We could be good friends."
Stia extended her hand.
"Pleased to meet you. Decal."
This handshake meant friends from now on.
No reason to turn it down.
I took Stia's hand.
Then, a faint rumble shook the ground. Stia whipped her gaze inward and drew a short sword from her waist.
"Decal. Let's team up for the trial. You in?"
"Sure."
Not "pre-planned," so it should be fine.
They might even evaluate teamwork like this, so I agreed readily.
The rumbling intensified. A huge boulder rose in the center.
"Golem."
Stia muttered.