Chapter 362: Side Story — Reunion (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 362: Side Story — Reunion (1)
“…”
Since it was a holiday, I decided to have breakfast with White.
Although the academy provided her with a place to stay, meals were not included. The reason White was attending the academy in the first place was to foster her independence; as royalty, the only privileges she was permitted were her safety and a guaranteed roof over her head.
I brought Merlin along to a restaurant in the academy’s shopping district, but White had been sitting in stony silence for a while now.
It’s getting a bit awkward to talk to her…
I understood how she felt.
She had finally bared her heart last night, only to make matters worse by falling asleep before anything could happen. It must have been incredibly embarrassing for her. It was no wonder she was feeling so restless and disturbed.
Merlin, standing solemnly against the wall, seemed to have her own interpretation of our silence. Judging by her expression, she likely assumed we were dealing with the aftermath of a passionate night. If she had any real intuition, she would have realized that wasn't the case… but unfortunately, Merlin lacked that kind of experience.
“…Senior Isaac.”
“Yeah, White?”
White finally spoke. I answered her immediately, my voice warm.
“Why is the morning so bright?” White murmured, her gaze fixed blankly on the sunlight streaming through the window.
Why is she asking that…?
“And why is the night so dark?”
“Hmm?”
Her questions were unusual, to say the least. There was no way White didn’t know such basic facts of nature.
Is she being philosophical?
It seemed that after having such a deep, refreshing sleep on our first night together, White had begun to contemplate the things she usually took for granted.
“What brought this on all of a sudden?”
“It just… occurred to me.”
White lowered her eyes, looking utterly dejected. Seeing her eyes grow slightly misty, it was clear she was blaming herself severely. Even that sight was so adorable that I couldn't help but let a smile tug at the corners of my mouth.
Is she really that disappointed?
It wasn’t as if last night was our only chance.
Of course, I knew White had been looking forward to our first night with great anticipation. How could I not? I’d noticed her occasional flashes of sexual curiosity toward me since her first year. Even without using [Psychological Insight], it was so obvious I couldn't help but notice.
Now that we were officially engaged, it was perfectly understandable that she felt a burning thirst to finally act on those desires.
I felt the same way. It might sound a bit depraved, but there were plenty of times I’d felt the urge to lick her smooth armpits until her eyes welled up.
“Have you finished eating?”
“Huh? You’re already done?”
White stood up as I did.
“I’m not leaving yet.”
“Huh?”
I moved to the seat next to her and gently pressed down on her shoulder. Confused, White obediently sat back down. I took the seat beside her and placed my hand over hers. She flinched in surprise, her back snapping straight as her face flushed a deep crimson.
I leaned my head onto White’s shoulder. Since we were the only customers in the restaurant, I didn't have to worry about appearances.
I decided I would do whatever White wanted once she had sorted out her emotions. After that, I planned to make love to her exactly how I pleased. Last night was already in the past; there was no use dwelling on it. For now, I would soothe her with a little affection.
“A-ah, Senior Isaac…? A-are you sleepy…? T-this is a public place, you know…?”
White’s voice trembled as if an earthquake had struck her vocal cords, but I paid her no mind.
“It’s just holding hands. There aren’t any other customers anyway, so no one is going to bother us.”
Even if there were people, I doubted they’d dare to interfere.
“Ah.”
As I spoke near the crook of her neck, White shuddered. The warm breath escaping my lips tickled her sensitive skin. I hadn’t intended for it to be provocative, but her reaction was immediate.
“Then…”
White forced a look of grim determination onto her face.
“Just for a little while… let’s stay like this!”
“Okay.”
It seemed she liked the idea.
“Huh…?”
With a bright smile, I wrapped my arms around White’s waist and pulled her close. She stiffened even more. Her fingertips lightly brushed against my hand. I interlocked our fingers, taking the lead. With flushed cheeks, White lowered her head and pursed her lips, trying—and failing—to suppress a giggle.
Seeing her look so happy she could die made me feel a sense of pride. We stayed like that for a long time.
*
By the time the sky had deepened into a dark indigo, I arrived at the reunion venue.
The place was decorated with a touch of nostalgia, and I immediately saw familiar faces. These were people I had known for a long time, stretching back to the days of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
“Isaac!”
The first to wave her arms and greet me was Amy Holloway. She was the fiancée of our protagonist, Ian Fairytale, and the primary heroine of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱. Dressed in a beautiful gown, Amy held a bottle of alcohol and smiled brightly. Her signature bunny-ear ribbon remained unchanged.
Following her lead, the other alumni turned to look at me.
“You’re here, Isaac!”
“Welcome back!”
Ian Fairytale and Mateo Jordana greeted me warmly. Compared to their academy days, they had both filled out with more muscle and possessed much sharper, more mature features.
I suppose they’ve grown up quite a bit over the past year.
Next to them, a woman with wavy blue bobbed hair, Ciel Carnedas, was quietly nibbling on some food. She simply gave a light wave. Seeing as she was no longer clutching the pillow I had given her, it seemed she had finally graduated from it.
I greeted the rest of my classmates as well. There was Mateo’s group—who had once plotted to kidnap Amy just to give me a sense of belonging—the bold Lisetta Lionheart, the former student council president Keridna Whiteclark, and many others.
It was good to see them all. I approached Ian’s group first.
“Where are Luce and Kaya?”
“Luce was too busy to make it, and Kaya said she’d try, but it’s not looking likely. By the way, you guys look a little different.”
“We put on a lot of muscle, right? At the academy, we focused on magic, but after graduation, we’ve been training mostly in swordsmanship,” Ian answered, flexing his arm. His confidence had definitely grown.
He had become much closer to the Ian I remembered from the ending of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱. Watching his growth was genuinely enjoyable. The same went for the others.
“On the other hand, you look exactly the same.”
“I’m in a state of agelessness. Ah, thanks.”
I took the glass Amy handed me and took a sip. The astringency was just right. I had tasted many high-end drinks in Düpfendorf, but I found I liked the slightly cheaper taste of this one.
“Kuuu, you talk about something that insane like it’s nothing. That’s fitting for the greatest wizard in human history! So, are you planning to stay like that forever?”
“I think I’ll adopt a slightly older look later on. If I get tired of it, I can just change it back.”
“Huh?”
Ian looked skeptical at my casual response. The others seemed equally unable to wrap their heads around it.
“Wait. You can actually control your aging?” Ciel asked, narrowing her eyes.
I nodded. “To be precise, it’s completely up to me. I can become younger if I want, or I could transform into an old man this very second.”
Unlike others blessed with eternal youth, I could freely choose to appear aged or revert to a youthful state. I assumed it was a unique synergy between my eternal youth and my divinity. Though I didn't fully grasp the exact nature of divinity yet, it allowed me to achieve all sorts of extraordinary feats.
As time passed, I planned to adopt a more mature appearance—ideally something on the level of the Lightning Sovereign. That was just my personal preference.
Everyone stared at me with disbelief. It was a natural reaction; no one else could even imagine such a thing. The only reason I revealed it was because I didn't want them to be confused when they saw me again in the future.
“How is that even possible…?” Mateo’s voice trembled.
“I don’t really know myself. I just ended up this way somehow.”
That was the truth. It was only a partial divinity, nowhere near the level of the Nether King’s, yet it still allowed me to perform various miracles.
“Show us.”
“Sure, why not.”
At Ciel’s request, I ran my hand down my face. It was a bit of a performance. Since the actual process of my features shifting might look a bit grotesque, I intentionally covered my face for a moment.
Their shocked expressions were priceless. I had shifted my features to resemble myself in my thirties.
Swish.
I ran my hand back up my face and returned to my original appearance.
Clap, clap.
Amy clapped her hands, looking amazed.
“Unbelievable…”
Even Ciel, who usually maintained a monotone expression, had her eyes wide open. As the atmosphere turned heavy with awe, I gave a small smile.
“Anyway, that’s how it is.”
“My friend has transcended human limits…!” Amy exclaimed, her face full of curiosity. She leaned in to whisper, “Then, o’ Archwizard, can you turn into a child, too?”
“If I do that, my clothes won’t fit. That would be a bit of a problem…”
“Too bad… I bet you’d look adorable.”
Amy expressed her disappointment and went back to sit next to Ian. I chuckled and joined them at the table.
We chatted about various things, and as the alcohol began to take effect, the atmosphere grew lively.
But seriously… why are they here?
Suddenly, I sensed familiar mana signatures. On the roof of a nearby three-story building, two cats were perched.
One was Ella, a white cat who had presumably flown in on starlight mana. The other was Cheshire, the chubby purple cat who had likely come through a gate near the academy.
They seemed to be secretly conversing. Cheshire was smiling and flirting, while Ella was acting cold and playing hard to get, as usual.
Did they send them to spy on me?
Dorothy and Alice.
Did those two feel that uneasy about me attending the reunion alone? Were they worried some other woman might try to get close to me? I could understand Dorothy, but Alice was unexpected. I occasionally sent updates directly into her mind, but I didn't think she’d go so far as to send Cheshire…
They must have known I would sense their magic. Sending them was likely an indirect way of saying, “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Thinking of it that way, it’s actually kind of cute.
I didn't touch anyone except the women I loved. They had nothing to worry about.
Wait. If Dorothy and Alice are acting like this, wouldn’t Luce have done something too? There’s probably one of her surveillance methods lurking around somewhere.
But Luce was so meticulous and secretive that, unlike the other two, she likely had a way to avoid my mana detection entirely.
…For now, I’ll just ignore it.
I was only here to enjoy the reunion, so I decided not to make a scene. Thinking about using this as an excuse to tease them later with some playful mischief, I actually started looking forward to going home.
Nothing’s going to happen anyway.
What could possibly go wrong here? There was absolutely nothing to worry about.