Chapter 91: Dorothy's Return
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 91: Dorothy's Return
“President! Big sis is back!”
WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! YEEEEEEEAHHHH BABBBBYYYYY! THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN WAITIN’ FOR, THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT!! LETS FUCKING GOOOOO!!!
“It’s been a while, Senior Dorothy.”
I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Dorothy return from her probation. As expected of my number one favorite character, her beauty practically radiated with starlight.
A lot has happened over the past few days.
On the day I tied up Luce, I witnessed her questionable habits merge with her newfound interests in real-time. As it began to develop into a terrifying hybrid of kinks and hobbies, I quickly released the restraints and tried to distract her with lunch. Afterward, the topic of bondage never came up again; however, I remained vigilant.
A few days ago, 「Act 5, Chapter 3: Blue Wolf vs. Red Elephant」 of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ was successfully concluded. I was able to confirm this through the use of [Clairvoyance].
Just as I remembered, a Red Elephant member picked a fight with a Blue Wolf member and pummeled him, sparking a conflict between the two Constellations.
This was because the head of the Red Elephant, Scarlett Atlas, used the opportunity to fan the flames, claiming superiority over the Blue Wolf.
As a result, all Blue Wolf members, including Ian, stormed the Red Elephant’s base. They engaged in combat, eliminating enemies as they climbed floor after floor.
As expected of that PVP fanatic, Ian didn’t faint while fighting other students. That was a relief. In the end, even the head of the Red Elephant, Scarlett Atlas, was defeated, bringing [Act 5, Chapter 3] to a close. Chapter 4, where Heinkel the Hoarder was supposed to appear, was omitted entirely.
Sometime soon, I need to prevent Extra Bad Ending No. 8, 「Frog」, which occurs during the joint practical evaluation. Compared to the difficulties I’ve faced so far, I should be able to resolve it with my eyes closed.
In the middle of Josena Forest, the autumn sky was clear, and the surrounding trees were painted with the deep red of maple leaves.
Dorothy came to my hideout using the invitation I had given her. It was the same place I had brought Amy to during the childhood friend kidnapping case.
“Nihihi! President, I came with high expectations today, okay? Now then, hurry up and satisfy your big sis~!”
Dorothy placed her hand on her chest, huffing in excitement. It was painfully obvious she was giddy with joy.
I had prepared presents to celebrate Dorothy’s return. Let’s start with the first one.
I approached Dorothy and tucked a purple flower into her witch hat. It was a flower that would never wither, thanks to the enchantment imbued within it.
“A flower? Huh?”
As I drew closer, a look of surprise crossed her face.
“Oooh, what’s this? Did you get taller?”
“I’m always growing. You probably only noticed because it’s been a while.”
“Hehe. President, are you going through puberty?”
“Aren’t I a bit past that age already…?”
I replied with a look of disbelief as Dorothy covered her mouth and smiled teasingly.
As Dorothy noted, I was growing quickly, like a teenager in the middle of a growth spurt—likely thanks to [Physical Training Efficiency]. It was a late bloom.
For reference, I was 170cm during the first semester, and now I was approaching 180cm. My growth would likely stop once Isaac reached his maximum potential height.
I stepped back and glanced at her. The purple flower complemented her witch hat perfectly.
“It looks good on you.”
“Okay, I’ll trust the President’s taste. Thanks!”
Dorothy smiled brightly.
“What’s next?”
I sat Dorothy down at an outdoor table and pulled a croissant out of a picnic basket.
Dorothy tilted her head, watching me with a questioning gaze.
“When I worked as a carriage driver, there was a bakery near the commercial district. I became friendly with the lady working there.”
“And?”
“Apparently, she’s from Regel.”
“Hmm.”
She must have realized my intention, as a slight smile adorned her face.
“Just think of it as a light snack.”
Every little thing Dorothy had ever mentioned wanting to do with me was stored in my head. One of those things was visiting Regel to eat their famous croissants.
I poured some warm coffee I’d prepared into a cup and handed it to her.
Dorothy giggled as she took it.
The croissant flaked as I broke it with a fork and brought a piece toward her. With a cute ‘Ahh,’ she happily let me feed her.
“How is it?”
“It’s delicious, but not as special as I thought it would be. As expected, we’ll have to travel to Regel ourselves, dip one in chocolate, and then you can feed me again.”
“Here you go.”
“Hap. It’s delishus~.”
After finishing the croissant, we headed inside the hideout.
“Oooh!”
Inside, an area had been lavishly decorated for a party. Its small size only made the decorations look more vibrant.
On the wall, there was even a banner that read:
Congrats to Dorothy on Her Return!
It was a masterpiece I had poured my heart and soul into.
The real present I wanted to give Dorothy was a ‘home party.’ I had decided that a gift didn’t necessarily need to be a material object.
By the way, I didn’t decorate all of this by myself. I gasli—I mean, convinced Mateo Jordana to help. Standing before him, I had pettily thought, ‘Now that I think about it, I saved your ass during the first semester… Have you paid me back yet?’ I then requested that he and his lackeys decorate the hideout.
To my relief, Mateo must have felt guilty about repaying a life debt with something so trivial, because he was happy to help.
“Teehee, I’m actually a bit touched!”
“I’m just glad you like it.”
“It feels like a continuation of the social gathering I missed.”
“It’s a bit lacking compared to that, though.”
Dorothy tilted her head, smiling sheepishly at me with flushed cheeks.
“No, I like this better. I like everything about it.”
A sense of relief flooded through me at the sight of her happy smile. I guess it was worth enslaving Mateo and working him to the bone.
Afterward, we continued our small celebration.
We popped confetti as Dorothy used a gentle breeze to strike a stunning pose.
We ate cake while sharing stories.
We played simple games.
We even used magic instruments to play songs, singing along excitedly as if we were at karaoke. Since I didn’t know the songs of this world very well, I could only hum and dance along.
Dorothy’s wind magic blew the shimmering confetti into the air, and a cluster of beautiful stars completed the decorated space.
Dorothy continued to let loose in the joyful atmosphere. I got carried away as well and started performing a rain dance. Seeing this, Dorothy burst into so much laughter that she was practically in tears.
“…”
While all of this was happening, I secretly lit [Frostfire] on my finger repeatedly. It was a technique to train my mana mastery.
Even if my goal today was to make sure Dorothy had fun, I couldn't afford to be lazy with my training. Honestly, even in this joyful atmosphere, a small, nagging feeling of impatience lingered in the back of my mind.
‘There isn’t much time left.’
Heinkel the Hoarder was supposed to fight Ian in 「Act 6, Chapter 2: Decisive Battle」, but I had already eliminated him.
Leafa the Illusive, who was supposed to backstab Ian as the final boss of 「Act 6, Chapter 3: Fictional Hell」, had also been defeated by yours truly.
That only left the Floating Island. Within two months, that bastard would arrive.
I’d heard news that it first appeared in the West Sea of the Zelver Empire. Apparently, when the empire tried to send an expedition against it, it suddenly vanished.
‘It’s about time for it to start showing itself.’
The Floating Island. The entire island hovering overhead was a single, massive demon.
It was the entity responsible for cursing Dorothy, and it had a base level of 190. In the first place, it wasn't a demon meant to be beaten. Act 6, Chapters 1 and 2 were the only main stages involving combat.
Moreover, Dorothy would be absorbed by that bastard. Her curse would accelerate, and she would be completely incapacitated.
I won’t be able to count on her assistance at all.
In [Act 6, Chapter 1], the Floating Island creates a massive magic circle. Once the time limit expires, the magic circle activates, vaporizing a portion of the sea and a tenth of the imperial territory. This includes the island where the academy is located.
To prevent this, Dorothy sacrifices her life to activate the ultimate starlight magic, [Last Light of a Dying Star], taking the Floating Island down with her. With that final act, Dorothy’s smile glows like the stars in the night sky before her light fades forever.
I had seen that scene countless times.
While everyone else called that heartbreaking scene a masterpiece, I fucking hated it.
After letting go of her life’s last lingering attachments and saving everyone with her sacrifice, Dorothy dies a hero with a content smile on her face.
In my eyes, however, she was a truly pitiful person whose heart had been utterly broken throughout her entire life.
There was no way to save Dorothy in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, even if the player wanted to. If she didn’t sacrifice herself, no one else was capable of defeating the Floating Island.
Dorothy’s death was set in stone.
─‘President, there’s something I wanna try.’
And I am going to be the one to crush that very stone into a fine powder.
Compared to the difficulty of my dream, the life-threatening danger I faced when fighting Galia was virtually negligible. However, I was determined to succeed.
If ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ is truly my reality now, I can’t lose Dorothy. She is someone of immeasurable worth to me.
“President, why did you suddenly get so quiet?”
I had unintentionally fallen into deep contemplation.
Dorothy approached, leaning her face close to mine as she asked. With her witch hat off, her stunning features filled my vision.
Her teasing smirk and voice remained unchanged.
I was startled for a moment, but it wasn't hard to regain my composure. I answered slyly, pointing at my ear.
“It’s nothing much. I was just entranced by your enchanting voice and lost my train of thought for a moment.”
“Nyahaha, flattery, huh? I wasn’t asking you to tell me something so obvious.”
The floating confetti scattered onto the floor, and the cluster of stars died down.
“I was curious because you looked like you were suffering all by yourself.”
Dorothy gave me a meaningful smile.
“You don’t have to suffer alone, you know?”
Her voice was subdued as she stepped away from me.
What kind of weird things is she saying? I can’t understand the meaning behind her words…
I just assumed she was willing to listen to my troubles, so I asked her.
“…Should I share my worries with you?”
“It’s okay as long as it’s the President. Ah, relationship problems are difficult, though. This big sis has never dated anyone, after all!”
I didn’t think being single was something to be so proud of that it required a thumbs-up.
“I’m just worried about my future career.”
“Never mind then. That’s boring, so let’s skip it.”
She killed the mood in an instant.
A fake laugh naturally escaped me. It was just like Dorothy to say something like that.
“Whatever, never mind that. Senior, how was today?”
“Reaaally satisfying. It was worth getting punished, Nihihi.”
Dorothy stroked my hair.
“I’m so proud. As expected, I made the right choice when I picked you as my fan. Thank you, President.”
I couldn’t read Dorothy’s true thoughts because her starlight mana blocked [Psychological Insight].
However, I could easily tell her smile was sincere even without it.
Just like this, we fully enjoyed our party of two.
It was one of the happiest moments of my life.
Dear Eve Rophenheim,
How are you, Eve? It’s your soulmate, Alicia!
As I’ve told you before, the Academy has been swamped with incident after incident while you were away!
This time, a demon appeared on Elt Island. Isn’t that crazy? I don’t feel comfortable even with the protection of the Imperial Knights. I don’t know what the academy is thinking. Ah, the demon on Elt Island was killed by the Black Monster, so don’t worry~.
Also… there are quite a few people dropping out lately. Even though it was hard to get enrolled, if I’m being honest, the situation is pretty scary these days. I understand why they would want to leave. But whatever. I’m sure it’s all going to work out, right? I mean, even the imperial family has stepped in.
Anyway, that’s enough doom and gloom!
I have some fun news!
Dorothy Heartnova brought a partner to the social gathering! But Razel, that unlucky idiot, tried to harm Dorothy’s partner! He was utterly destroyed by Dorothy. Honestly, you should have seen it. It was scary but funny at the same time.
But you know, Dorothy’s partner looks really similar to you! At least the hair color and eyes do. It’s not like your looks are common, either.
Do you actually have a hidden younger brother?
Hehe, I’m just kidding! I guess you’ll be back soon. I have a lot of stories to tell you, so stop by to see me as soon as you get here!
Bye for now!
—Sincerely, Alicia Armint.
There was a specific system for second and third years at Märchen Academy.
After taking a leave of absence, they joined various organizations—such as the Academy Support Guild or the Magic Tower—to gain practical work experience. It was similar to an internship system. Competition was fierce, as it was a rare opportunity to train under experts while still a student.
Today marked the return of several students who had left the academy to gather half a year’s worth of practical experience.
A carriage arrived at the academy’s main gate.
From the carriage, a female student grabbed her bags and carefully stepped down.
She had a cat-like face with skin as pale as a sheet of snow. The sunlight made her beautiful features shine as she supported herself with her magic staff.
The autumn wind lifted her long, silver-blue hair, and the silver earring on one of her ears swayed.
Eve Rophenheim tied back her bothersome hair with a white snowflake hairpin, her red eyes glancing at Märchen Academy.
Contrary to the many unfortunate incidents that had swept through this place, it looked quite peaceful.
“Devon, let’s move the luggage.”
Near Eve, pale blue mana clumped together into an ice-element white tiger familiar as Devon’s form manifested.
─Do you actually have a hidden younger brother?
Eve recalled the letter her friend, Alicia Armint, had sent.
Younger brother. Just hearing those words made her memories flash by like a panorama, despite her desire to forget them. Those memories contained slivers of a silver-blue-haired boy.
They were memories of a six-year-old child smiling innocently while showering Eve with pure affection.
─‘Sis, what are you doing?’
─‘Look at this, sis. I drew our family!’
─‘Sis… It hurts, heung!’
─’You’re so cool, Sisl! How are you so good at magic?!’
─‘Sis is the prettiest in the world after our mom!’
─‘Sis, I’m scared of thunder… Let’s sleep together…’
─‘Sis is a god and I am invincible!’
─’Mommy, I want to be like my sis when I grow up!’
─’This bread is mine! I can’t give it to you even if you’re sis…! I’ll give you half.’
─‘If I work hard, can I use magic as well as sis?’
“There’s no way…”
Eve murmured in a low voice as she quickened her pace.
The joint practical evaluation was rapidly approaching.