episode_0127

000

Inside the tent to which Cleon was separately guided, a female student wearing a robe was sitting in front of the chair, waiting for Cleon.

When the entrance of the tent slowly closes, the only light entering is the orange light from the lantern placed inside the tent.

In the dim atmosphere, Cleon had the illusion that he had briefly made eye contact with the female student wearing a mask.

She reached out her hand and pointed to the chair, as if wanting Cleon to sit in front of her.

“For a tent that tells you about your love life, it’s quite dark.”

“I hear that a lot. But don’t worry. Love fortune-telling is the specialty of the divination department!”

The female student responds to Cleon’s joke to ease the mood, and speaks in a confident voice.

Only then did it feel like the heavy air inside the tent was disappearing a little.

“So? Why are you separating the partners?”

“If two people are together, they can’t talk honestly. Divination is best when you’re sincere about everything, but that’s especially true for love fortunes, where relationships between people are important.”

As she said that, the female student added, “First of all,” and took out a crystal ball that was placed next to her and put it on the desk.

“Let’s start with the simplest thing first!”

Saying that, the female student taps the crystal ball, which is about the size of Cleon’s face.

“… Something more serious than I thought came out. I’ve never had my fortune told before….”

“I’ll tell you everything, so don’t worry. Just put your hand on here and think of your female partner.”

After saying that, she grabs Cleon’s hand and places it on top of the crystal ball.

Cleon has a slightly suspicious look on his face, but soon thinks about Aruru as the female student tells him to.

Her face, her smile, her sword.

“Ooh~ It’s going well!”

Her body, her weaknesses, her precious places….

“Huh? Uh-huh? W-wait a minute? Mr. Cleon?”

Memories of the day he mingled with her body….

“Th-that’s enough! Any more is too stimulating!”

At the sound of the female student’s urgent voice, Cleon suddenly comes to his senses and looks down at the crystal ball.

The crystal ball, which was initially shining gold, was completely dyed pink, and the inside was full of hazy smoke.

“Um… I don’t want to say this, but. It seems like there’s an perverted devil in Mr. Cleon’s head…. As expected of an instructor in the department of carnal knowledge…”

[For Cleon, whose memories with women are half like that, it’s a natural association.]

“… …”

Cleon could only shut his mouth at the words of Galatea, who was unsure whether she was mocking or teasing Cleon, and the female student, who was twitching her lips as if she was slightly disgusted.

“Well. I understand that you two are close enough to allow each other’s bodies. In fact, you don’t even need to have your love fortune told, do you?”

“Aruru told me to come…. Still, if there’s something I can see, I’d like to see it.”

When Cleon said that, the female student pondered for a moment, then exclaimed, “Ah!” as if she had thought of something.

“Then, how about looking at Mr. Cleon’s love fortune in his entire life, not just with a specific partner?”

[Hee. Can I find out which woman Cleon will be stabbed by?]

[Ominous stories….]

Cleon nodded, making an effort to ignore the chills running down his spine at Galatea’s story, and this time the female student grabbed the crystal ball herself and chanted something.

Cleon’s face, reflected in the crystal ball, gradually faded, and what appeared inside were countless stars and a single black sun in the middle.

“This is…. quite rare.”

“Can you find out something with this?”

The female student nodded and then answered Cleon with a smiling face.

“Yes. Mr. Cleon, you’re going to be stabbed by a woman in the near future.”

For a moment, the inside of the tent was enveloped in silence so heavy that it felt frozen.

“…Are you kidding?”

“No, I’m serious.”

[Hee…. I wonder who will stab him. I’m really curious….]

Making an effort to ignore Galatea, who was speaking in a voice that seemed to be boiling from the depths of hell, Cleon stares at the crystal ball for a moment.

From Cleon’s point of view, an amateur, he had no idea what anything meant.

The female student tells Cleon as if it’s not a big deal.

“Still, I don’t think you need to worry. It seems like Mr. Cleon has quite a long lifespan left. You won’t die.”

“No, that’s not the problem….”

“In the first place, if you have connections with so many women, there may be one person like that. You brought it on yourself.”

[This kid is good at talking.]

The female student who rebukes Cleon, who can be said to be completely the enemy of women from the outside, and Galatea, who agrees with her.

Cleon sighed deeply.

“…Still. Here.”

The female student says that and points to the golden star that is shining the furthest away.

“This star, which Mr. Cleon wants to meet the most, is moving across Mr. Cleon’s fate.”

For some reason, the name of the disaster, the Golden Comet, flashed through his mind, but it was not just Cleon’s guess.

“I see…. That’s, fortunate.”

“Yes. Well. It’s impossible to know whether that star will be caught by Mr. Cleon’s gravity because the star is too far away.”

The female student shrugs, and Cleon quietly stares at the crystal ball.

Keeping in mind the desire to meet that golden star someday.

“… So, in the end, you’re not telling me who I’m going to be stabbed by?”

“Not even that…. Please think that anyone around you is a possibility.”

The female student hands over an “amulet” while telling him to be careful.

Cleon receives the amulet with a subtle expression, unsure of how to react.

[I’m excluded from the candidates, right?]

Cleon thinks carefully so that Galatea doesn’t hear him.

To be honest, Galatea was the most suspicious.

001

As the two leave the giant tent, the red-haired woman opens up a space and moves to a corner of the academy where she is out of sight.

Just as she was about to carefully step on the ground, she thought she had stepped on something squishy and looked down.

The female student, who had been trying to seduce Cleon earlier but was scared by Aruru and ran away, was lying on the ground, moaning and passed out.

“Why here…. Did you retrieve her? Instead of me?”

When Ishtar, the red-haired half-human, half-demon – half-succubus, raises her head, she sees the succubus girl, “Lilim,” holding a mass of essence with her index finger and thumb, and trying to put it in her mouth.

“…If I leave her alone and get caught…. It’s annoying…. Ishtar, your work processing is…. too sloppy….”

“I thought it would be okay because I was going to gather essence that way anyway.”

When Ishtar answers that, Lilim looks at the fallen female student with an uncomfortable face.

The girl, who had been forcibly injected with desire, magic, and low-level demons by Ishtar, had returned to her original form by having everything taken back.

The figure was an ordinary girl with an ordinary figure, black hair, and untanned skin.

“…Another succubus is….”

“I gave her the catalyst properly. Even if he’s a hero, if he uses it, he’ll be dominated by desire and run wild for a while. It’ll work this time, right?”

Ishtar smiles, looking forward to what will happen from now on, and uses primordial magic.

It seemed like she was going to watch Cleon like before.

However, unlike Ishtar, Lilim speaks quietly.

“With a succubus like that… stealing that person’s soul is… a reckless story…. I was against it from the beginning….”

“It’s a win-win situation. Plus, I want to know what the other person’s capabilities are. It’s a bonus if the succubus brings back essence.”

At Lilim’s comment, Ishtar waves her hand as if it’s not a big deal.

Her attitude is to never lose her composure against any enemy, but Lilim didn’t really know where her confidence came from.

“… …Ishtar is… underestimating that person too much….”

“I know. But since we’re fundamentally similar beings, I know. Cleon… that swordsman’s soul is originally closer to this side. Lilim, don’t you think so?”

When Ishtar twists her lips and speaks, Lilim pauses for a moment and then answers.

“…Of course. …But, in that person’s soul…. there’s an golden light that never disappears…. A hindrance….”

In her eyes, which were always expressionless and always seemed sleepy, there was a hint of hatred.

“Yeah. If we erase that light. That man will definitely be even cooler…. Just thinking about it makes my heart flutter and my womb rumble….”

Smacking her lips and shining her eyes full of anticipation, Ishtar is the very image of a succubus who thinks of men as food.

However-

“… …”

Lilim was watching Ishtar like that, still silent with an expression that no one could tell what she was thinking.

Because her feelings for Cleon were also special.

002

“So…. How was it? Cleon…”

The first thing Aruru said after leaving the giant tent was to ask about Cleon’s results, which she was concerned about.

It couldn’t be helped since they didn’t know what stories each other had heard inside.

Aruru, who heard quite a stimulating story, asks Cleon with her face slightly flushed.

“…It wasn’t bad.”

Could he possibly tell her that he would be stabbed by someone?

Cleon obscures the details, being careful not to avoid her gaze.

“Re-really? That’s, good.”

Aruru sighs in relief at Cleon’s answer.

“Aruru?”

“I was okay too. I also received some advice.”

She says that and fiddles with the small case in her pocket.

Inside was a bracelet that the fortune teller had given her as a gift.

It was an item she had received with the advice to wear this bracelet if she ever wanted to strongly seduce him.

She is the top student in the swordsmanship department and a hero, but magic is outside of her area of expertise, so Aruru thinks it’s worth trying, even if it’s a little suspicious.

But the sun is just past the center of the sky and starting to set in the west.

It was a little too early to spend time alone as a couple.

The two of them were a little more awkward than before the fortune-telling, and an embarrassing silence flowed between them.

Aruru was regretting a little that it might have been a mistake to visit the divination department.

At that moment, the two of them naturally looked in the direction they heard cheers coming from in the distance.

At the end of their gaze was the building of the “Magic Department,” one of the academy’s three major departments.

Come to think of it, Cleon suddenly remembered that Laila had said that she had somewhere to go during the day, and that the magic dueling competition was in full swing there right now.

“…Maybe that girl…. Was she trying to enter the competition?”

As Cleon muttered that, Aruru looked at Cleon for a moment and wrapped her arm around his arm.

“… …Just now, you were thinking about Laila, weren’t you?”

She pouted her lips as if she was a little dissatisfied, and leaned her face on Cleon’s shoulder.

It was a little, but she could feel her weight leaning against his body, and her heart seemed to be conveyed to Cleon as well.

“I’m the one spending precious time with you right now.”

It was a cute possessiveness that was typical of a girl of her age, and an appeal to Cleon.

“…Sorry.”

“It’s okay. It can’t be helped that Cleon is concerned about other women as well.”

There are so many attractive people, Aruru adds.

“Compared to other people, I met you later in life. And even this relationship may not continue if you leave on an adventure again.”

Aruru’s voice had a hint of sadness. But soon, she shakes her head as if trying to shake off the sadness, and puts a smile on her face.

“So. Even if we end up separating. So that precious memories don’t fade. Please imprint them properly. The time I spent with Cleon.”

Aruru’s hand reached out and touched Cleon’s face. Cleon looks at Aruru and asks Aruru about his value, which he himself is not sure of.

“Am I- am I a person of that much value to you?”

Aruru closes her eyes and speaks to Cleon’s question. Her voice was slow, but full of confidence.

“Of course. You’re my benefactor, my rival. And, the man I’ve decided to love. If you don’t have value, what do you think will happen to my value?”

Cleon’s hand overlapped Aruru’s hand that touched his face.

Many humans confirm their own value in each other’s existence.

It is sometimes selfish.

It is sometimes altruistic.

Cleon could tell from Aruru’s voice, from the warmth of her hand.

That she needs him.

The young lady of the Duke’s family, the hero of the Glass Sword, the top student in the swordsmanship department.

A girl who accepts all of that and lives with expectations on her shoulders.

But she doesn’t give up her own humanity.

A partner who can share it. A bond that can accept both strong and weak sides.

Rail only wanted to see her weak side.

Everyone else except him looks at her strong side.

Therefore, Aruru is drawn to Cleon, who has both perspectives, more than anyone else.

Cleon also initially saw the shadow of “Resia” in her. The start of his heart’s attraction was definitely there.

But Aruru is not Resia. It didn’t take long to realize that obvious fact.

A person with the will not to just accept fate, but to not give up on choices and resistance in order to reach the ending they want in that fate.

The one who shut up his own father, Percis, and changed his mind.

The one who could swing her sword without hesitation in front of her turned friend.

Cleon could feel pure goodwill toward Aruru, who had such a strong will.

“Answer me? Cleon.”

Looking at Aruru, who was smiling a little playfully, Cleon smiled bitterly and answered.

“Sorry. You’re right. Let’s cherish this time now.”

“Yeah. That’s good enough. Then, shall we go to the magic department?”

Aruru didn’t lose the smile on her face and grabbed Cleon’s hand again.

The scenery of the academy, Cleon’s figure, her smile.

In order to engrave it on her retina and not just keep it in her head, to preserve all these moments forever.

So that memories don’t turn sepia-colored.

003

“Winner! Beatrix!”

As the announcer’s loud voice rang out, Beatrix on the platform returned the demon sword Ariadne to her waist and lifted the hem of her skirt slightly to greet the audience.

The blue flames that had been floating around her body had already disappeared, and another student from the magic department who had fallen in front of her was being carried out by the staff.

“Whew…”

Thinking that she somehow managed to win this time as well, Beatrix sighs and comes down from the platform to rest a little, using the little preparation time given before the next match starts-

“…Huh!?”

And turns her gaze to one side of the audience seats. Cleon, whom she admires. And Aruru standing next to him.

[Senior! You came to see me!]

Beatrix sends a telepathy and waves her hand at Cleon.

Each time, the tight chest of her battle dress shakes up and down.

The men in the audience clear their throats, straighten their posture and put their knees together, or blush and turn their eyes away.

[Sorry. I just got here and only saw the end of the game.]

Cleon sends a reply telepathy to Beatrix.

Beatrix seemed a little deflated after hearing the answer, but she didn’t show it at all and asked him to come to the waiting room.

[I’ll tell the other students! You have to come!]

“…She says so. What should I do?”

“It’s okay. I wanted to talk to her too.”

Cleon, who had obtained Aruru’s understanding, went through the crowd and headed to her waiting room.

On the door of the waiting room, there was a sign that said “18 consecutive wins!”

“Beatrix. I’m coming in.”

“Ah! Yes! Please come in, Senior!”

As if she had been waiting inside, the door opened wide and Beatrix greeted Cleon and Aruru with a bright smile.

Her outfit was different from the execution department’s uniform she had been wearing before. It was a feeling of wearing a combat dress on top of the magic department’s uniform.

It was a gorgeous green and black dress like a noble’s dress, with a beige cloak draped over it.

“…Looks like you’re on a winning streak?”

“Yes! It started this morning. As the execution department disappeared, I was transferred to the magic department as well. Laila told me to show people my skills….”

Even if the misunderstandings were resolved, she must have been worried that Beatrix would still be ostracized as an unknown and suddenly appeared person.

It was a bit of a forceful measure, but it was a suggestion that Laila would have made.

“…I see. Where’s the person in question?”

Cleon, who was wondering why Laila, who had suggested it, wasn’t there, tilted her head and answered.

“She showed her face for a moment this morning and went somewhere. It seems like she had something to do….”

“…Hmm. I see…”

Cleon’s face became a little troubled. Come to think of it, it seemed like she had gone out with Luti. Cleon had no idea what the two of them were up to.

“Hey- are Aruru and Senior on a date?”

“Um… Well. Yeah.”

When Cleon said that a little shyly, Beatrix’s eyes sparkled and she said to Cleon.

“Senior! Please take me on a date later too! It doesn’t have to be at the academy!”

Looking at Beatrix holding his hand and shaking it up and down, Cleon could only smile wryly.

“…It might be rude to say this, but doesn’t Bea feel jealous when Cleon is with another woman besides herself?”

When Aruru said that looking at Beatrix, Beatrix tilted her head and answered.

“Huh? Of course I feel envious, but I’m not jealous. I originally feel like I’m supporting Laila and Senior’s relationship. I’m fine as long as I’m in Senior’s junior position.”

“Why?”

When Aruru said that as if she didn’t understand her thoughts, Beatrix shows a bright smile.

“Because, Senior’s wife. Senior’s lover, Senior’s mistress. I’m sure there are many people who are aiming for these positions. But Senior’s junior position will be mine forever!”

“… …”

In a way, it was something more than possessiveness.

Cleon and Aruru could only feel a chill run down their spines as they looked at Bea, who was clinging to that position with just pure thoughts without any malice.

“So. Senior, you can’t have another teacher…. Okay?”

The next moment. Although her mouth was smiling, her eyes were not smiling.

At Bea’s voice, which was heard quietly, Cleon could only nod, feeling an irresistible will.

Aruru looks at Cleon with a slightly pitiful look.

“Ah…. But. Certainly, there is one thing I’m sad about.”

But without paying attention to the two’s reactions, Beatrix opened her mouth.

“What is it?”

“On the 3rd day of the academy festival at 9 PM, there will be a ball that anyone can participate in. There’s a rumor that if couples participate there, they will definitely have a happy ending, so it’s a must-date course for couples. Oh, didn’t you know? I was sure you’d go there in the end….”

For a moment, Cleon and Aruru close their mouths.

“Aruru? You don’t mean that the reason you said let’s meet on the third day was….”

“Ah…. Yeah. What Cleon is thinking is right.”

Cleon’s heart beats a little faster at Aruru’s attitude, which is answering with her face blushing with embarrassment.

She must have been hiding it until just before, or she must have thought that there was no need to tell Cleon about such rumors.

Through the hand she was still holding, her heart was pounding.

Once again, an embarrassing silence flows through the space. Beatrix blinks her eyes two or three times and says to Cleon.

“Come to think of it, Riomes said she was coming to support you. Would you like to say hello before you go?”

“A-ah! No! I’ll go first.”

Looking at Cleon, who is horrified at the mention of Riomes’ name, Beatrix smiles as if it’s interesting and lifts the hem of her skirt and sends a greeting as she did to the audience.

“Please have a good time. My dear senior. I’ll be waiting anytime.”

004

“…She is, amazing in many ways.”

Aruru, who was talking after leaving the magic department’s building, evaluated Beatrix like that.

All the hardships she had gone through were, if you just think about it, to the extent that she had received the malice of this entire school.

Even though Cleon and Laila had helped her, it was because she was originally a bright girl that she was able to shake it off so quickly and regain her bright appearance.

“Yeah. She deserves to be Laila’s only friend.”

Cleon nods and agrees with Aruru.

When you think about how she was the only one who made Laila, before her personality was corrected, docile, you might think that it’s more amazing than the black church incident.

“… …”

And, again, there is silence.

The story of the ball earlier must still be on the two’s minds.

With the pounding that was still going on not disappearing, they keep walking aimlessly.

Without even noticing that the eyes of the people passing by are focused on them.

Following the road and following the people-

Before they knew it, they found themselves inside the free market.

And their footsteps naturally stopped in front of the large castle where the two of them had first mingled their bodies.

“… …”

“Ah…”

Cleon and Aruru’s eyes meet.

The bell of the Ayon bell tower rang 14 times in the distance.

The bell ringing that announced 2 PM.

Simply calculating, there were still 7 hours left until the ball, which could be said to be the original purpose of this date.

However, if this embarrassing atmosphere continued until then, it seemed like neither of them would be able to endure it.

So. This is just for venting. To pass the time.

Aruru and Cleon enter the castle and rent a room without anyone saying anything first.

And then, with the heat that hadn’t disappeared.

Before they knew it, they were sitting on the bed looking at each other in their underwear.

“…Th-that… I got swept away by the atmosphere. I came here to rest first.”

Aruru says with her face still flushed.

Cleon nods and puts his hand on Aruru’s shoulder.

“Sorry. I might not be able to rest….”

Muttering that, he pushed her over from the front.