Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: A Wager with Chess
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“Lady Silvesta.”
“Yes, Professor.”
“Stand up and solve this problem.”
The professor pointed at Helen, who wasn’t paying attention in class, and she glanced at the problem written on her desk.
It was an advanced formula on fusion magic.
Fusion magic was a spell formula that no mage could afford to be ignorant of.
It was essential because it linked various types of magic together.
Even mages who hadn’t attended the academy were said to master the basics of fusion magic—it was that fundamental a subject.
And the formula on the blackboard was an advanced version of that fusion magic.
It was the complex incantation needed to fuse four or more spells.
Helen bristled at the sight of the professor writing something even third-years at the academy couldn’t properly execute and then demanding she solve it.
Wasn’t this too blatant?
*-If you want to skip grades, you have to solve this problem.*
It meant the professor had high expectations for her, but...
‘Did he really think I wouldn’t know it?’
Aside from Max’s unique illusion magic, which wasn’t properly taught anywhere—not even at the academy—there was almost nothing she didn’t know.
No matter how distracted she’d been in class, this was child’s play for her.
Others might not know, but Helen had long mastered the theory of this magic.
She’d been so serious about every class, eager to graduate next year—there was no way she wouldn’t know it.
Helen strode forward confidently and wrote the answer.
“Perfect. As expected of Lady Silvesta. It was a pleasure to see you solve the problem so brilliantly, but don’t get complacent. Always maintain a proper mindset and demeanor.”
Obvious flattery and coaxing words.
‘He’ll say it’s so I can skip grades and uphold the Silvesta name.’
Helen anticipated the professor’s next line.
“You need to skip grades to uphold the Silvesta prestige.”
It was the predictable line, word for word.
“Yes.”
She gave a formal reply and returned to her seat.
‘Boring.’
In the past, she’d thought every bit of praise like this helped elevate her family’s status.
She used to enjoy it, believing it was her duty as a Silvesta to bring glory to the house.
But now, it felt utterly dull and tedious compared to before.
Instead...
*-Is that all you’ve got?*
*-The Silvesta name will be tarnished.*
*-The patriarch will shed tears if he hears.*
*-Pathetic. Lady Silvesta.*
Max’s voice, blaming her, rang clearly in her ears.
‘Have I gone mad?’
Why that man?
Why did the voice of the guy who always insulted her—and the Silvesta house—feel so good?
Of course, what he did to her felt good.
She’d experienced sensations she’d never felt before, over and over, along with unfamiliar emotions countless times.
At first, she’d approached him under the pretext of Yuris’s weakness, but now that didn’t even matter.
“Haah.”
How had things come to this?
She tried to shake off the intrusive thoughts filling her head.
She hadn’t been able to focus in class because of them, and if she couldn’t escape now, it’d be a problem.
In the end, Helen couldn’t concentrate properly until the class ended.
She stopped subtly teasing her pussy with her pen for masturbation, but that didn’t mean she could follow the lesson properly.
“Haah...”
After class ended, Helen leaned back in her chair with a deep sigh.
She still had a full week left before the exams.
‘Do I really have to endure this here?’
Just imagining it choked her.
The unexpressed desires began to swell insistently inside her.
‘Can I even endure it?’
Holding out like this didn’t seem like it would improve anything.
She’d felt time and again that desires only tormented the mind more the longer they were suppressed.
‘But I don’t want to go to him first...’
That was her pride.
The pride of a lady of the Silvesta family.
She’d already driven the point home to Max that she wouldn’t visit during exam period.
It was meant to steel her resolve.
But it had become shackles instead.
‘I didn’t expect it to distract me this much.’
Countless temptations had tormented Helen before, but she’d never suffered like this.
Hadn’t she overcome them all to reach this point?
It was all that man’s fault.
‘Max...’
If that man hadn’t messed around with illusions, she wouldn’t be suffering like this.
Of course, she was the one who’d asked for those illusions, and she’d returned of her own will.
But that wasn’t important to Helen now.
“It’s all that guy’s fault.”
If he’d just been a little less skilled, this wouldn’t have happened.
Hadn’t he turned her into a body that wasn’t satisfied even with daily masturbation?
“I’m going to confront him.”
This absolutely wasn’t an excuse to see him because she missed him.
It was just to call out the unfairness.
To make Max take responsibility for making it impossible for her to take exams properly.
That’s all it was.
I looked at Helen as she arrived at my shop.
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t come until exams were over?”
“I did.”
“Have the exams already ended? As far as I know, the Imperial Academy’s final exams are next week.”
“......”
Helen, who’d been glaring at me, bit her lip.
“You knew that much?”
“Of course. Not a single noble or mage doesn’t know the schedule for the Imperial Academy’s final exams.”
When finals approached, a massive mana barrier enveloped the entire academy to prevent damage to the city from spells cast by cadets.
Mages who could sense mana had no way of missing it.
Even as an illusion mage, I was a mage too.
I knew better than anyone that finals were still a ways off.
And that Helen, who’d promised not to visit until they ended, had no reason to come.
“Anyway, what brings you here?”
Hearing my question, Helen stepped inside the shop.
“To hold you accountable.”
“Accountable?”
“Yeah. Because of you, I can’t focus on studying for exams.”
“...Why is that my fault?”
“Of course it’s your fault! You made me like this! You keep making me have those weird fantasies, right?!”
Helen yelled, glaring at me.
“Isn’t that because you’re a pervert, Miss Helen?”
“Ugh! N-No! It’s not my fault, it’s obviously yours...”
Helen clamped her mouth shut mid-sentence.
“Getting angry will just hurt you more.”
“You’ve gotten smarter, Miss Helen.”
“......”
I asked Helen, who was shooting daggers at me.
“Then let’s get back to the point. Do you want to do it?”
“......”
“Be honest. It’s better that way.”
“...No.”
Helen shook her head.
“You’re not here to do it?”
“Y-Yeah! Do you think I’m some idiot who can’t handle exam period because of desires? I’m Helen de Silvesta, the proud daughter of the Silvesta family!”
“Then you should head right back.”
“......”
As I moved to open the door again, Helen grabbed my hand.
“Our talk isn’t over yet.”
“Did you still have business?”
“Yeah.”
Helen hesitated for a moment before slowly opening her mouth.
“...I want to make a bet.”
“A bet?”
“Yeah!”
A bet out of nowhere?
‘Ah.’
I got it.
“You came here using a bet as an excuse to experience an illusion? That’s a problem. We have a deal, don’t we? No illusions until exams are over. You just said no yourself—why are you doing this?”
“...It’s not that.”
Helen’s face flushed red as she shook her head in denial.
“Wasn’t the bet about going into an illusion to see if it’s real or not?”
“I know better than anyone that I can’t win that. So let’s bet on something else.”
This was intriguing?
“What do you want to wager?”
“If I win, apologize for what you just said—including making me fall into lust—and take responsibility.”
“Fine. Then what happens if you lose, Lady?”
“Well, obviously...”
“You’ll apologize for the insult you just hurled at me? Is that it?”
“How did you know?”
“Just a hunch.”
That was my conclusion since Helen seemed to have come without any real purpose.
Anyone could see her nerves were frayed from unmet desires because she couldn’t see illusions.
It could be summed up in one word.
Frustration.
‘A noble lady so frustrated she breaks her own word to come here.’
It showed just how much her heart had shifted.
“If those are the bet conditions, won’t the bet be boring?”
“Huh?”
I spoke to Helen, who blinked in confusion.
“How about this? If you lose this bet, Miss Helen, you experience an illusion from my shop.”
“E-Experience an illusion?!”
“Yes.”
She stared at me blankly for a while, looking flustered by my proposal.
“It’ll be forced. No choice.”
“......”
“It was something like this when you first came to my shop, right?”
“...Yeah.”
“Same conditions as then. If I win, you become the tester for my newly improved illusion magic circle. If I lose, I’ll apologize for all the illusions I’ve shown you so far.”
“And responsibility?”
“Of course. I’ll kneel and praise the greatness of the Silvesta family. Isn’t that what you like most, Miss Helen? Praise for your house.”
“......”
“You pick the game, Miss Helen. I’ll concede that much.”
Helen hesitated, then looked at me and spoke.
“There’s a game nobles use to build camaraderie and sharpen their wits.”
“A game?”
“Yeah.”
Helen placed the bag she was holding on the desk.
“Do you know chess? It’s a game based on war pieces. You know the rules?”
“I do.”
“As expected. You’ve got some culture after all, Teacher.”
Inside the bag on the desk was a luxurious wooden chessboard and pieces that looked carved from ivory.
“Let’s settle it with this.”
Helen’s eyes sparkled.
Was this her competitive spirit?