Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The Girl Who Can't Be Caught
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Academy classes ended, and Seria rushed off like the wind, saying she was going to meet her sister. Rike headed straight back to the dorm.
"Tomorrow's my brother's class..."
She had been startled by the changes in herself ever since leaving the house that morning.
Just the absence of her lover in sight was enough to make her mind sink into icy calm.
Would her brother think she seemed too carefree?
Even that worry barely tugged at the corners of her mouth, which used to lift so easily.
Still, the old gloom was gone.
She was looking forward to heading back to the house where her brother was.
"So this is what it feels like to have a place to return to."
Her mother's book in the dorm, the cookie tin her brother had given her.
She grabbed a few changes of underwear and clothes, then left the room.
-
"Excuse me, Cadet Skadi."
As she was about to leave the dorm, the door to the management office opened, and a middle-aged woman approached.
It was the academy staff member who had given her the orientation when she first arrived.
Rike almost corrected her that her name wasn't Skadi, but sensing it would lead to a long conversation, she decided to just hear the woman out.
"Yes."
"...This morning, a retainer from the House of Skadi visited."
The woman looked quite serious, but Rike had expected as much.
She figured Marquis Skadi would move quickly on something like this.
"I see."
"Your academy dorm and meal fees have been refunded... Since the semester has already started, you can continue using them until it ends, but..."
The upshot was that she couldn't use the dorm or cafeteria after this semester.
It wasn't a small sum—without family support, it was nearly impossible for a cadet with no real-world experience to pay.
"How childish..."
That was her only thought as she listened.
Even without her brother, in this situation, she would have slept on the streets and starved before bowing her head and going back.
"Understood. Thank you."
"...I hope it resolves smoothly."
Rike gave a light nod and walked out of the dorm.
"I miss my brother."
Her footsteps quickened.
Kaboom!
The door flew open with force as Rike burst into the house.
She dropped her bag on the floor and ran straight to me.
"Brother!"
She hugged me with such strength that a normal person without mana would have been crushed.
In moments like this, my job was to stroke her head and pat her butt.
"Welcome back. Good work with classes."
"Sniiff... Since I worked hard, pet me more."
-
After sorting through what could hardly be called luggage, Rike and I sat and practiced the Breathing Technique until sunset, then had dinner.
Led by burning desire, we ended with intense passion and lay in the bedroom, savoring the leisure of wrapping up the day.
"...So, after tomorrow's class, I've got a commission to handle. I'll finish it as quick as I can."
It was a bit late to mention amid our entanglement, but she had to know I'd be away sometimes.
This time, I planned to check the hidden piece in the empty Dobat Swamp before the swamp whales arrived.
I figured I'd leave leisurely after class tomorrow, around evening.
"...Don't get hurt. I'll be waiting."
"I'll try."
"Brother, you remember you can't leave me alone, right?"
"Of course."
What she feared was me dying or vanishing, leaving her alone again.
Her voice carried worry, reluctance, and a mix of emotions.
I held her tighter and asked,
"How are academy classes? Keeping up?"
"Hmm... Memorization subjects like history are tough since I missed so much... But I have to work hard."
"If you're working hard, I'll bring you a gift."
"...Okay."
She hadn't fully recovered from her worries and anxieties yet.
Neither had I.
I felt uneasy leaving her alone.
"Want to get some air in the yard?"
I draped a blanket over Rike's body, helped her into my clothes, and we went out to the yard.
To ease my unease even a little, Rike's growth was essential.
In case something happened where I wasn't around and she needed power to handle it.
I pulled an item from my Inventory that I'd been checking periodically.
The black orb left behind when Groto's familiar dissipated.
The black magic remnants were now completely gone, turned pure white.
"Hand."
"Hand!"
At my word, she offered her hand.
I could see she was still wearing the disposable Engraving Ring.
I placed the orb on her palm and covered it with my hand.
"We'll channel mana together and shatter it. You can do it, right?"
"Got it."
Rike nodded without a hint of doubt.
Her eyes sparkled as she focused on me.
"Impressive..."
Her effort to watch my mana flow was admirable.
With that kind of dedication, those eyes would find endless uses.
Crack...
Bang!!
The pure white orb couldn't withstand our mana, split open, and shattered in an instant.
The souls trapped inside, used as sacrifices, were freed.
Countless beams of light shot up into the sky, too many to count with the naked eye.
Shaaaa...
"Wow!!"
Rike let out a childlike gasp of awe.
It was undoubtedly a beautiful sight, but the sheer volume surprised me a bit.
I'd caught black mages more than once or twice, but this was a first for such capacity.
About twice what I'd expected.
"How many people did they grind up...?"
An item that only dropped from special black mages among them, and among repeated achievements, Soul Liberation had great growth efficiency.
Physical Ability Increase
My total mana had increased too.
Worth waiting until it was fully ready.
"With this amount..."
Even split in half, it was meaningful for me and quite significant for Rike.
Rike seemed to notice her changes too, gazing at her body in surprise.
After Rike's bombshell statement, Robert immediately contacted his family.
The elders, upon hearing it, said they'd look into it, surprised by her words. Time passed, and contact came again.
(There seems to be a minor issue. Marquis Skadi says she'll be back soon, so don't worry.)
He confirmed multiple times.
That there was really no problem.
The response came with a hint of irritation.
(Girls that age do that sometimes. They think they can navigate the world on their own strength... If you're really worried, just comfort and embrace her.)
"...Understood."
Even after all this time, there were people who reminded him of his pre-possession self.
His barely responsive fiancée.
The adventurer who mercilessly beat noble heirs from prestigious marquis houses.
And the low-self-esteem girl mirroring his old self...
If he stopped here, it felt like things would go back to how they were.
"Right. If she really leaves after one push, that just means I don't understand a woman's heart."
It was the same in Korea—women's words often differed between surface and heart.
His torn mentality seemed to be slowly mending.
-
The next class was that rotten adventurer's 'Practical Combat 1', so he'd see Rike.
"After class, I should read the borrowed book... I've put it off too long."
He'd sworn to find a way back to Korea, but lately, he'd done nothing.
The book tossed on his desk hadn't even had its cover flipped; dust was gathering.
[Dimensional Magic Experiment Report]
Just looking at it gave him a headache—he was an aspiring knight, after all—but this was a time to take steps forward, one by one.
"If I keep putting it off like this, nothing changes. I'll end up accomplishing nothing..."
He resolved to at least read the first page after class and left his dorm room.
"Robert! Get some good rest?"
"Everyone okay?"
"Wanna sleep more~ Yawwn~"
His friends were already gathered, waiting for him.
The fact that heirs from prominent families had gathered to wait lifted his spirits subtly.
"Sigh... I just wanna stab that adventurer once."
"Even without you, something'll happen eventually? My parents said he's got a lot of enemies."
"Mine said not to touch him behind their backs. Guess that's why."
...
...
"Besides Urus's party members, how many Platinums are there? The only Platinum adventurers we know by face are the instructor and Urus, right?"
"Two, I heard. One's the instructor, and the rest of the party are Sapphires..."
No matter how much they raged, he was ultimately a commoner.
Even without Robert leading, those overflowing with class dissatisfaction trashed the instructor as they headed to the training grounds.
"Should I max out my 'pretend not to notice' skill?"
-
Arriving at the indoor gymnasium, they saw people scattered about, warming up before class.
Robert's group picked up standard-issue academy weapons from the wall and began simple stretches.
It was a time when getting hurt was a given.
They keenly felt how crucial stretching was to minimizing injuries.
"Only the redhead's here?"
Robert spotted a kid in the corner securing a shield to his hand and searched for Rike again.
Since history class, Rike had been lingering in his mind.
The changed her was drawing attention even among the Knight Department boys, becoming a topic.
A few who knew about the engagement even said he was lucky.
"What rumors in such a short time..."
Rumble...
The front door of the gymnasium opened, and the instructor entered, followed shortly by Rike.
The instructor immediately went to the priests, shaking hands and chatting.
"Bit of time before it starts."
Robert decided to approach Rike, ignoring others' eyes.
He'd resolved not to care if rumors about House Skadi tarnished his image, so his steps were firm.
After all, this was all because he'd stubbornly clung to the engagement.
"Rike?"
Rike was wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, breathing somewhat excitedly.
"Not hurting anywhere again, is she?"
Her face even looked flushed up close.
"...?"
"How about dinner after class today...? Lots to talk about."
He believed creating an opportunity would let them talk it out.
Opening up would surely align their mismatched points.
Rike neatly folded the handkerchief she'd been using and tucked it away.
She gave a small cough, as if something was caught in her throat.
"...Ahem! Sorry, but I'm full right now..."
Rike slipped away with a rare, happy smile.
Robert froze at the impact of her licking her lips slightly, unable to move.
He stood there dazed, lost in the sight.
"...She looks even prettier when she smiles."