Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: The Ball (12)
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I’d poured everything out.
I unleashed all the desire within me.
Good. Now, I can die without regrets…
Well, maybe not to that extent, but I was certain I’d made a memory that would last forever.
The girl's breath, feeling strangely alluring.
Ceria's disheveled state was more and more lovely the longer I looked.
I'd enjoyed myself to the fullest, but a sense of longing remained. True love is never enough, no matter how much you share.
If I had my way, I would have spent the whole night, but a considerable amount of time had already passed.
I calmly caught my breath. It was a relief we'd stopped when we did. A misstep and I would have turned into a wolf.
“Ah, Jace…”
“…”
Was it because our affections had been too intense?
Ceria had already become a seductive vixen. Just one look at her hazy eyes told me she wasn't in her right mind.
It was less potent than the ‘real thing’ from the fox beastkin, but it was no different in that you couldn't help but be drawn in.
In the end, we kissed again. Lightly, as if savoring dessert…
My efforts didn't yield much of a result.
She should have been waking from her fantasy by now, but she still seemed to be lost in a sweet dream.
Hmm, what should I do about this…
After some thought, I resorted to my final measure.
“You’ve been hiding and watching the whole time, haven’t you? Come on out.”
“—!!”
At that short cry, the girl flinched and pulled away. The thought that someone might have been watching had startled her.
“What is it? I don’t sense any presence…”
“I just shouted it out.”
“—??”
“You never know. I took a wild guess earlier, and Aruru popped out.”
“Ah…”
She nodded absently.
Her expression said she understood, given the fox beastkin's usual behavior.
“It seems she’s waiting quietly this time.”
‘Oops, I'm caught again!’ That didn't happen. She may always seem to be playing pranks, but she knows where to draw the line.
“Hmm, I wouldn’t mind if she did watch…”
“—??”
“Aruru feels like family, so it doesn’t matter.”
“…”
Wait, hold on…
Is it okay for family to watch? If I imagined my mom was here, I'd want to bite my tongue off.
Was it because she doted on the fox beastkin so much? It seemed Ceria had developed a strange taste.
Anyway.
Through that series of events, our heated excitement cooled down considerably. We straightened each other's clothes and returned to the ballroom.
“…”
The unusual gazes from our companions.
They didn't drop their suspicious looks, as if they smelled something fishy. To make matters worse, Lady Martina elegantly showed off her wit.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes. I can only apologize for causing you concern.”
“Concern? Nonsense. It’s only natural for lovers to want some time alone. Ohoho, this is why youth is so wonderful. I, too, once spent time with him…”
A phenomenon occurred where Ceria's face grew redder the wider my mother's smile became.
Hmm, why was she teasing her future daughter-in-law? It was just a joke, but it was subtly mischievous.
Martina of the sharp tongue…
Could it be that a habit from her maiden days had resurfaced?
Well, I suppose that's also a kind of affection. In the end, it seems she's treating Ceria as comfortably as she would a daughter.
I ignored the girls' gazes, which screamed, ‘You two definitely did something, didn't you?’, and organized my thoughts.
It was past midnight.
If I could just hold on a little longer, the ball event would be over.
There had been three or four unexpected situations, but I'd gotten through them mostly fine.
Maybe a 90 out of 100?
But…
The Hero's trial was not yet over.
The two girls who had danced with me stepped forward.
The Princess and the Imperial Princess's eyes glinted simultaneously, as if they had made up their minds about something.
“There’s still time left…”
“Could you indulge us a little longer?”
An attitude that showed they couldn't be satisfied with just once.
They pleaded earnestly, asking for another dance.
“…”
Thus, human greed knew no bounds. Perhaps because they were conscious of Ceria, who was basking in ecstasy, their own desires seemed to be boiling over.
It's too cheap to only favor your fiancée!
Of course, that's to be expected… but still, think about our feelings too!
They were throwing a tantrum, even though they knew it was unreasonable. One was a princess, the other an imperial princess, yet they acted stubbornly, as if dignity meant nothing to them.
A joint attack from the noble girls…
I couldn't possibly withstand it alone.
I glanced at Ceria.
It was only right for her to step in and resolve this situation.
It would be the natural course of events for her to rescue her lover from a predicament and protect her own rights.
However, Ceria's reaction was different from what I expected. Instead of showing firmness, she shrugged her shoulders as if to say, ‘Do as you please.’
Hmm, what was with that confident attitude? It seemed her swelling sense of fulfillment had made her temporarily generous.
I did this and that with him!
I can afford to concede a mere dance.
She was bestowing her generosity on the other girls with that exact feeling. Esterize and Louise seemed to be praising her magnanimity.
Wait, hold on…
Is this right? I'm the one who has to dance, right? For some reason, I felt like I was doing all the work while Ceria was reaping the rewards.
“So, it’s settled?”
“Come on, quickly.”
“…”
The girls urged me on with excitement.
Since Ceria was turning a blind eye, I had no reason to refuse, but…
My love, my one and only.
Are you really okay with this? It's not good to be too complacent, you know? If things go wrong, I could become a colt with its reins cut loose!
Of course, the chance of my heart wavering was less than 10%. It was only that low because it was me; any other man would have surpassed 100% and then some.
The two girls were beyond simply beautiful. The Imperial Princess might end up as a memory of a single day, but the Princess was different.
We're scheduled to be together for the foreseeable future.
Ceria might regret this decision. A powerful rival could awaken because of it…
Well, I couldn't take responsibility for that.
It was something she had to bear herself. I would just go with the flow.
Soon, I was dancing again.
The girls looked even happier than before. And yet, they wore expressions of longing, as if it wasn't enough.
“Um, you know…”
“Have you heard the saying that stopping at one or two is just heartless?”
“…”
So they were determined to make it three times. What was I to do with these incarnations of desire?
They were overflowing with vitality, as if they'd stolen my own life force. In the end, I succumbed to their sparkling figures.
A glorious defeat.
Though I had surrendered so easily, I felt as if I had tasted all the pleasures of the world. As everyone was satisfied, the end of the ball event was approaching.
Hmm, things are going so well that it's making me anxious. I'd achieved great results in every aspect—fame, favorability, my companions' relationships, and so on. All that was left was to have a talk with the Emperor and receive the artifact.
That process was also expected to go smoothly, but something felt off. I knew the flow of the main story and had chosen the right options, but even considering that, my progress so far had been excessively easy.
“…”
At this point, it felt like I should get stabbed in the back, just as a matter of courtesy.
Ah, of course, I don't actually want to get stabbed. No thanks to that!
A vague sense of unease washed over me, but it wasn't enough to be a major concern.
The Imperial Palace is safe.
As the heart of the Empire, all its defenses were perfect. I should be able to relax while I'm here.
“Ugh, I can’t eat another bite…”
The fox beastkin, suffering from overeating.
I watched her with a pleased expression and carefully refined my future plans.
* * *
Hero Academy.
The continent's greatest institution for nurturing talent.
A new wind was sweeping through the place.
Recently, a Hero was born.
Not just one, but two Heroes had been chosen by the Holy Sword. The students envied this fact, but they felt no jealousy.
A Hero was bound to be born from among the candidates anyway. They had long known they weren't qualified.
Jace and Esterize.
They felt relieved that the right people had been chosen. The two were trustworthy. Beyond their skills, they gave off an expectation that they would accomplish something great.
In any case, the birth of the Heroes changed many things. The students devoted themselves to training without anyone telling them to.
The movements of the Demon King's Army were unusual.
A great war might break out soon. Whenever a Hero appeared, humanity fought against the invasion of the Demon King's Army.
There were almost no exceptions. As if it were a trick of fate, the two forces always fought bloody wars.
It was a strange affair, but most didn't pay it much mind. The Goddess must have chosen a Hero to protect humanity.
The Hero is the Goddess's apostle and the Demon King's adversary.
A savior who would rescue humanity from the threat of the Demon King's Army. Becoming a Hero's companion was in itself a tremendous honor.
The majority of A-rank students hoped to join the Hero's party. It would be impossible for now, but if they worked hard, an opportunity would arise someday.
Separate from that, they had to become stronger.
Why had they enrolled in the Hero Academy? All their training up to now had been preparation for this very moment.
Those who held a grudge against the Demon King's Army.
Those who wanted to become war heroes to gain honor.
Those who purely wanted to prove their own strength.
Their reasons may have been different, but they all converged on defeating the Demon King's Army.
To achieve their goals, they had to become stronger. Only then could they avoid dying in vain.
The B-rank students' mindset wasn't much different. They steadfastly swung their swords, fantasizing about their own future heroics.
Few felt fear. If they were going to be scared already, they wouldn't have enrolled in the first place.
Of course, their minds would change once they actually experienced the horrors of war, but for now, they couldn't help but feel excited.
Crisis is opportunity.
In a state of war, the more merits one achieved, the greater the reward. If one joined the army, it was entirely possible to be promoted every month.
Overheated fervor.
The students, one and all, were seized by a sense of elation.
However.
There was someone who felt even more elation than them.
A high-ranking executive of the Demon King's Army.
The leader of the spies who had infiltrated the academy.
Kubare had gone beyond elation and reached the realm of ecstasy.
Finally, the seed of evil planted in Cedric had finished blooming. The magnitude of the darkness emanating from Cedric far exceeded expectations.
‘I thought he was just a substitute, but it was the other way around…’
Only now did they realize what a huge misunderstanding it had been. Cedric's darkness easily surpassed Jace's.
Normally, Jace would be far superior. However, after completing the process of corruption like this, the story changes.
How could it be so vile!
Cedric's current state was truly the crystallization of impure emotions.
He was on par with a pure-blooded demon; who would look at him and think he had once been human?
It wasn't a perfectly fitting expression, but… with this, Cedric had become half-human, half-demon.
A body enveloped in viscous darkness.
An immense power could be felt on the skin. For someone who had just changed, it was incredibly intense.
To be this strong already…
If he were to receive the Demon King's baptism, he would become a monster on par with the Four Heavenly Kings.
“…”
For a moment, it felt like their breath caught in their throat. Kubare unknowingly swallowed dryly.
Is this right?
It felt as if they had touched something that should not be touched.
At this rate, they had no confidence they could control him. Cedric's strength had already surpassed Kubare's.
It was only natural, having used an S-rank talent as a vessel, but even so, this was too much.
Their demonic instincts sounded an alarm.
They urgently whispered to them to dispose of Cedric right now. It seemed if they didn't do it while he was asleep, the chance would be lost forever.
Kill or be killed.
Life and death would depend on Cedric's mood.
Demon society is oriented towards the survival of the fittest.
The law of the jungle is frequently practiced. Even if Kubare was a high-ranking executive, it was obvious the stronger one would be favored.
‘A shame… but it can't be helped.’
They had waited a long time.
All their efforts up to now would be in vain, but nothing was more precious than their own life.
As long as they were alive, an opportunity to achieve merit would come someday. For now… they had to eliminate Cedric immediately to remove the future threat.
In any case, it would reduce the number of Hero candidates by one. Kubare took comfort in that fact and focused power into their hand.
At that very moment.
As if he had been waiting, Cedric suddenly opened his eyes.
“—!!”
It was too late.
It was irreversible now. Just as they were stuck, unable to do anything, the half-human, half-demon's mouth opened.
“I don’t know the details… but it seems you’re the one responsible for making me this way.”
“…”
Kubare squeezed their eyes shut.
The worst-case scenario had finally occurred. Judging by the killing intent in that voice, it seemed best not to hold onto any false hope.
A few days later, a merciless terror attack occurred at the Hero Academy.
The main culprit behind the terror was humanity's newly born traitor.