Chapter 361: Side Story — The Answer
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 361: Side Story — The Answer
“It’s been a while.”
Aria Lilias, the petite wizard with flowing reddish-brown hair, greeted me with a blank expression as she used telekinesis to arrange books on her shelf. The volumes were being organized with obsessive tidiness.
This was the top floor of Hegel Tower, Aria’s laboratory. I had sent White ahead and decided to pay Aria a visit for the first time in a while.
As usual, her tone was dry and emotionless, but I could sense that she was secretly pleased to see me.
“Are you still spying on Professor Fernando these days?” I asked playfully, tipping my fedora as I took it off.
“It’s been difficult lately. That rascal of a disciple has gotten much better at catching on.”
“So you’re still doing it.”
“I do it because I’m worried. A disciple is a disciple, no matter who they are. Anyway, what brings you here?”
Aria perched on the edge of her desk and looked at me.
“Do we really need a reason to visit each other? I just stopped by the academy and thought I’d see how you were doing.”
“It’s too late for a meal… Just stay and relax for a bit before you head out.”
“Alright.”
Aria lowered her head and returned to her book in silence.
Despite her petite, youthful appearance, there was an unmistakable air of experience in the way she read—calm, intellectual, and poised.
I browsed the bookshelf, picked out a random volume, and started flipping through it. It was a specialized text. In the middle of the pages, animated illustrations moved to explain the research process.
Suddenly, a curious thought struck me. I wondered if every single book on these shelves was a magic-related text.
“Teacher, are all the books here specialized texts?”
“That’s correct.”
“…Then why is there an erotic book here?”
“…”
As the saying goes, if you want to hide a tree, hide it in a forest. The book was inconspicuously tucked away among the academic tomes. No matter how vast the library was, however, it was hard to escape my eyes.
“…Someone must have left it here, and I just put it away without looking. Don’t misunderstand.”
“Is that so?”
Aria glanced at the book in my hand, then maintained her poker face while quickly averting her gaze. I knew immediately she was lying. The next time I visited, that book would likely be gone.
Of course, I was only teasing her for fun. Not wanting to actually invade her privacy, I tucked the book back into its original spot. To be honest, the title was Three Men, One Woman, so I didn’t exactly have the courage to open it anyway.
I was curious, sure, but there are some things in this world better left unknown. I exercised self-control.
“By the way, it’s about time you told me.”
“Told you what?”
Aria spoke to me while I was still browsing. I stopped and looked at her.
Something I need to talk about?
“Did you forget? You said you’d tell me once everything was over. But you haven’t said a word yet.”
“…What was it again?” I asked with an awkward smile. Aria lifted her head to meet my eyes.
“Why did you struggle so much when learning 7-star magic?”
“Ah.”
It finally came back to me. I had promised to answer that question once the dust settled. I had completely forgotten about it.
Since everything was indeed over, there was no reason to keep secrets anymore. I figured it was fine to reveal the truth as promised.
“That’s true… I haven’t told you yet.”
Unintentionally, a smile crept onto my face as I walked slowly along the bookshelf. With each step, I felt as though the heavy, troubled footsteps I had taken the day I first faced the demons were overlapping with my own.
My academy life hadn’t been a story of romance or youth; it was a survival tale stained with struggle and despair. It had been a precarious tightrope walk where a single misstep meant death.
Because I was…
“I was, in fact, the weakest.”
For a moment, Aria furrowed her eyebrows, but she quickly regained her composure.
“The weakest…? You? By what standard?”
“At Märchen Academy, I was genuinely weak. That’s why I worked so hard to learn, study, and train, one step at a time.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“I suppose you would.”
As I told my story without pretense, I felt a weight lift off my chest. The smile lingering on my lips was likely because of that relief.
“But I had a conditional ability to become strong.”
“Conditional? What kind?”
“The ability to grow stronger when I resolved to fight demons. I could only become powerful when demons were my enemies. Everything I built was specifically designed to kill them.”
The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter.
“That’s just… my story.”
My relentless journey to defeat the Evil God could be summarized in that one sentence, even if it sounded ridiculous to some.
Aria closed her eyes and lowered her head, seemingly organizing her thoughts.
“Your answer is full of inconsistencies and leaves many questions, but… thinking about it that way, it does make sense.”
Aria opened her eyes again and gave a faint smile.
“…You’ve worked hard, my student.”
She said it so simply.
What’s this?
“…Why did you drop the intellectual tone all of a sudden?”
“That’s not for you to know.”
Aria returned to her dry, emotionless expression and shifted her gaze back to her book. She seemed a little sulky for some reason.
“More importantly, are you staying the night?”
“I can’t. I have another place to stay.”
“Well, your fiancée is still at the academy, after all.”
“Yep.”
“Let me know how it goes later.”
“Excuse me?”
“I want feedback.”
*
White was staying in the Imperial Princess’s exclusive dormitory.
It was preferential treatment compared to the other students, but considering White was the princess of the nation, it was a reasonable arrangement.
When I was playing ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, I never thought much about it, but from a graduate’s perspective, the academy’s policy of "equality of status" was a bit of a contradiction. Complete equality in a hierarchical society was impossible. The students simply went along with the policy because it was the "correct" thing to do—and because they’d be social pariahs if they didn't.
Still, I respected the academy’s effort to at least provide an equal education. Surely, the founder of Märchen Academy held those beliefs at its inception.
“Senior Isaac!”
“White!”
When I arrived at the dormitory, White greeted me enthusiastically. Beside her, Merlin and several Imperial knights stood in formation. They all saluted me.
“You’re still awake? Didn’t you say you usually go to bed early?”
“Well… I couldn’t fall asleep first. You’re… my… future husband, so I thought we could sleep together… Ah, no, that’s not what I meant…!”
She used to throw herself into my arms without a second thought, but now that we were officially engaged, she had become much more self-conscious. White seemed flustered, so I let out a small laugh.
“Let’s head to the room for now.”
“Yes, yes…! Shall we?”
White nodded quickly.
White, Merlin, and I walked down the hallway. I glanced at White; she was fidgeting with her fingers. It was incredibly obvious that she was secretly looking forward to spending the night alone with me.
“Where’s my room?”
“There’s an empty room available…”
“But?”
“I’m a little worried. It might be too small for you, Senior Isaac. The amenities might not be to your liking… I’d even say it’s a room I’d worry about you sleeping well in. Or, for your comfort and a good night’s sleep, you could just stay in my room, which might, uh, be perfectly fine too…?”
Her roundabout way of hinting was adorable. She also seemed completely unaware of how transparent she was being.
I felt the urge to tease her again, but since it seemed unfair to do so about something like this, I answered calmly, “Then should I sleep in your room?”
“Yes, an excellent choice…! Wait, what?”
White’s face brightened for a split second before she suddenly panicked.
“W-what? Can you say that so casually…!? Of course, I don’t mind, but Senior Isaac, can you really say something like that so easily!?”
“What’s the problem? We’re getting married anyway.”
“The academy rules, morality… even the truths of this world…! Don’t we have so many things we need to figure out first!?”
White, her face flushed crimson, trembled as she spoke. She was radiating pure nervous energy.
Weren’t you the one who suggested it first…? What exactly do you want?
At that moment, Merlin interjected. “Don’t worry. There won’t be any problems. Earlier today, we reinforced the soundproofing thoroughly. His Highness has also expressed his enthusiastic support for the two of you sharing a room…”
“Why are you saying things like that, Merlin!?” White shouted, startled. Before long, tears of embarrassment welled up in her eyes.
“My apologies. But there’s nothing to hide, is there? You’re an engaged couple, after all.”
That was true. These two had grown quite close over their three years at the academy.
“I-I wasn’t thinking anything like that at all…!”
“…I see. That was thoughtless of me,” Merlin responded, sounding as if she had given up.
Before long, we arrived at White’s room. A small light faintly illuminated the spacious interior. As White and I entered, Merlin saluted from the hallway.
“Then, I wish you both a good night. Tomorrow is a holiday, and no sound will penetrate from the outside, so it will be as quiet as the grave. I hope you won’t worry about a thing…”
“Please stop talking, Merlin…!”
White pleaded tearfully. Merlin chuckled lightly and said, “Yes, Princess,” before closing the door.
“…”
On the surface, the atmosphere seemed fresh and innocent…
Hiding the mana radiating from me, I activated [Clairvoyance] to check outside the door. I saw Merlin leaning against the wall with her head lowered. Despite her composed act, she was clearly feeling some discomfort. She just wasn't showing it.
She was Kaya’s older sister. It made sense that she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of me—Kaya’s fiancé—sharing a bed with another fiancée.
However, given my status, it was entirely normal to have multiple wives, and all five women, including Kaya, had accepted the marriage. Merlin was clearly trying her best to set aside her personal feelings. To me, it was something to be grateful for—proof of how much she cherished me, Kaya, and White.
Ah.
I belatedly realized that an awkward silence had fallen while I was lost in thought. White, unsure of what to do, was nervously twirling the ends of her hair.
“White,” I spoke first.
“Y-yes?”
“It’s late. Let’s get some rest. It’s well past your usual bedtime.”
“Y-yes, let’s do that!” White responded with exaggerated enthusiasm.
“I’ll shower first.”
“O-okay… Then, um, I’ll… wait on the bed…! Senior Isaac…”
White was sweating, her tension palpable. Her movements had become incredibly stiff. At this moment, rational thought had clearly fled her mind. The fact that she deliberately mentioned the “bed” was blatantly obvious. It was easy to tell exactly what she was expecting.
White headed to the spacious bed while I made my way to the shower.
Splash.
After washing up and putting on a robe, I stepped out.
“Hmm?”
I looked toward the bed. For some reason… White was peacefully asleep, letting out soft, rhythmic breaths.
“…Are you sleeping?”
I tried using [Psychological Insight] just in case, but it didn't register. She was dead to the world. It seemed she couldn't resist the drowsiness that hit her while I was in the shower.
It was quite late, after all. It would have been better if she’d washed up first, but I didn’t want to wake someone who was so deeply asleep.
I tucked the blanket around her properly and lay down next to her. The bed was wide, so there was plenty of space. I turned on my side and watched her sleeping face. It still felt unbelievable that such a lovely person was mine.
I stroked her white hair for a moment and kissed her forehead. Soon after closing my eyes, I drifted off to sleep.
*
The chirping of birds signaled the morning.
White woke up, sat up, and stared blankly ahead. Bright sunlight pierced through the curtains, illuminating the room. When she turned her head, her peacefully sleeping fiancé came into view.
For a long while, there was only silence.
“Kyaaah…”
White covered her face and let out a low, pitiful scream. She had only closed her eyes for a moment because her body felt so heavy…
Why is it morning already!?
White whimpered. She absolutely resented the pointless sense of relief she felt.