episode_0030

Deep within the forest.

Smoke from the bonfire gradually fills the moonlit night sky.

Crackle- crackle-

The bonfire, carelessly burning as it knocks down the stacked firewood, warmly heats the surroundings, and the warm air caresses bodies weary from their adventure.

“Hup-”

Even after taking a sip of the steaming soup, the night in the forest of trees remains damp and cold. I feel —’s body trembling against my own frozen skin.

“Haa…”

Her breath freezes, forming white frost.

—’s hair gently flutters, and she leans tightly against my shoulder.

“Cold?” “Yeah… But you’re warm…”

I put my arm around —’s shoulder, pulling her closer into my embrace.

Our touching skin is scalding hot and yet trembles as if about to shatter.

Firmly, yet gently, like molding a snowball. I slowly draw her into my chest.

The sound of grass swaying in the wind. The howl of a beast searching for prey.

I block out those sounds, close my eyes, and quietly listen only to this woman’s heartbeat.

Thump- thump-

To protect ourselves from the harsh cold, our hearts begin to beat faster. The blood flowing faster heats our bodies.

—’s face, looking up at me, is quite flushed.

“…Kiss me.”

Mmm-

As she opens her mouth, a little soup clinging to it, hot saliva stretches out from within.

Our first adventure, and our first safe return. With the thought that all our hardships will end after this night, I momentarily let go of the anxious feeling that had been gnawing at me for days.

I warmly lick —’s lips, as her tension begins to release.

The sticky saliva has the rich taste of the soup…

And the slightly metallic tang of blood.

* * *

Chirp- chirp-

“Ugh.”

That dream again…

Lately, I’ve been having strange dreams. Vague dreams that I can’t tell whether they are from a past experience or from a distant future.

If it’s the future, it’s fine… But if it were the past, why can’t I remember it properly? The vivid sensations I feel every time I have it say that it is a memory of my past life.

But… it’s such a hazy memory.

The woman I was with must have been very close to me, yet I can’t even recall her name. Even though I remember her scent, the taste of her saliva, and even her heartbeat so vividly.

Why can’t I picture her face and name?

The feeling of holding that woman in my arms, it’s still so vivid…

Wait a minute-

“…This isn’t a dream.”

Lifting the covers, I see Yuri clinging to my body, sleeping soundly, emitting soft snores. I wonder if she fell asleep like she’d fainted after our passionate lovemaking last night; we were still intertwined.

The sight of Yuri, naked and defenseless, lying on the bed, filled my body with morning energy.

Throb-

Something swells within me, causing her body to twitch.

“Hhic-”

I greet her as she opens her eyes sleepily.

“Sleep well?” “…Yeah.”

Then Yuri also greeted me with a sleepy “Chuf-”

After another round and getting ready, we went to school.

The refreshing morning air. I walked along the familiar royal road.

Letting go of my first main story.

Honestly, I didn’t find it particularly hard, probably since I went through all the painful and bitter experiences during puberty.

If there was something a little burdensome… it would be relationships, wouldn’t it?

Even though I improved my social skills by showing up at tea parties, having lived with Yuri for half my life, I had gotten used to people accommodating me.

Perhaps my initial attempts to attract attention were to create that kind of dynamic in the classroom.

I subconsciously wanted people to look up to me, I think.

“Narias, hi~” “Boss! Good morning!”

The male cadets who, after being demolished in real combat training, realized the difference in strength and now treat me like their boss.

“Ah, hello…” “You are beautiful today, Narias-nim!”

The female cadets who share their understanding of the lessons or sometimes gather for tea together.

I should make an effort to greet the cadets whose names and faces I know, but now it’s not just a few, it’s filling the entire school path. Waving and smiling every morning is harder than I thought.

And that’s not all… Almost every cadet at the Naifrantz Academy knows me. I also have to nod to all of them, which is quite busy.

However, I thought it was a good thing. It’s a thankful thing that many cadets are interested in me, but it also has a certain meaning.

Narita Florain Naifrantz. I completely erased the existence of the fifth princess and became engraved in the academy as Narias Philbrogue, a special student and a genius of swordsmanship and magic.

This proves that I have successfully enrolled in the academy. I now live a completely new life as the young lady of the Philbrogue Baronetcy.

Thinking back, this is what the [Main Story Chapter 1] means.

Recruiting Eve Ist as a compatriot is perhaps overcoming the greatest hurdle.

By gaining some level of recognition from Eve, who, excluding me, might be the strongest and most difficult person, there was a following status. Like the attitude of the cadets I saw earlier, or the reactions of the professors and instructors.

In short, once you get rid of the most difficult one, the rest is your world.

I might be saying it a little arrogantly, but my actual academic performance was excellent, and having Eve, who also had the experience of being an adventurer, by my side meant just that. To become an adventurer, perhaps the most arduous profession in this world, this level of foundation needs to be established.

In particular, the mid-term exams, which will slowly begin following Chapter 2 of the story, will have a way to train my non-attribute mana hidden within. Giving ‘this kind of thing’ as a reward for clearing Chapter 1 is proof of the scenario’s intention to let me focus on growth for a while.

If it continues like this, Chapter 3’s story will be a maze exploration, I bet. I was a little anxious, but considerable anticipation and excitement suppressed that anxiety.

“Huu… Guys, we don’t have time for this right now; we need to get to school quickly…”

The crowd surrounding us showed no intention of moving. I pulled Yuri further inward and asked the cadets to move, but for some reason, they seemed to be part of the crowd as well.

I stood on tiptoe to look around.

For some reason, there was a large group beyond them, and it seemed like these two large groups were colliding at the academy entrance, causing a traffic jam.

But the mana waves…

“Oh, it looks like the other side is crowded because of Eve.”

Since she’s working with me for a while, Eve had put her adventurer work on hold. Therefore, she didn’t need to go to school early and usually came around this time…

“The timing wasn’t good today…” “At this rate, someone might die from suffocation…”

Hmm, what to do. To avoid injuries, we need to disperse the crowd from the outside.

I immediately devised a spell.

“I guess I need to do some traffic control, Yuri?” “How shall we do it?”

The sky was empty. Yuri and I could escape from here, so we need to divert attention first.

“Eve’s on the other side. Join her and take care of the outside. I’ll guide them from inside the entrance.” “Yes!” “Wait, and—”

I placed a special magic message on Yuri’s palm.

“If you just convey this, they’ll roughly understand.” “Hmm, a magic using wind mana…Understood.”

We each leaped into the air using magic and light skills, then separated and ran towards opposite sides.

I have to do traffic control for the cadets who gathered to see me; what a tough fate. The other side will take care of itself, so I’ll focus on this side.

Whoosh—!

I ran to the far end of the crowd and stood in the air.

Vibrating the mana around me so that my voice would travel far… Ahem-

“Look over here~”

I imbued my voice with mana, and my attention-grabbing words spread throughout the surroundings as if I were using a megaphone.

The cadets who were gathered at my feet looked up.

“It’s Narias-nim!” “Wow, she’s pretty.” “Wait… But at this angle—” “Kyaak…!! Narias-nim, your skirt—your skirt!!”

Oops.

I felt a chill between my legs; the wind was blowing through my fluttering skirt. I desperately squeezed my legs together and pressed down on my skirt like Marilyn Monroe.

“What are you looking at, you perverts?!” “Oh, Lord…!!” “Screw you, you damn heretics! A woman’s skirt is a sacred space!”

I… didn’t get caught, right? The fact that something that breaks that sanctity is attached inside…

Seeing the cadets’ reactions were closer to excitement than surprise… Well, it seems I’m safe.

I quickly took care of the void space inside my skirt and guided the cadets toward the inside of the main gate.

“Now, now. Slowly. This way, that’s right.”

Especially the men…were like carp attracted to bait, focusing their eyes on my legs as they walked. It felt a bit disgusting, but oh well.

The population density gradually began to decrease.

I made my voice thinner and stronger and shouted to Eve.

“Now, do it!”

Eve, responding to my signal, nodded from outside the main gate. We combined our exerted mana.

[Mana Barrier], attribute: wind.

First, I blew processed wind mana between the cadets to create gaps. Like opening a dam, I create an airflow with the feeling of a large river flowing.

“Whoa, my back is being pushed…” “It’s comfortable…?”

Soon, the cadets were freed from the pressure and all safely entered the school.

Most of them didn’t even realize what had happened, but a few cadets raised their hands and greeted us.

“Thank you!” “Thank you! Narias-nim, Eve-nim!”

It was a rewarding reaction and result for the effort. Eve and Yuri also walked towards us with bright expressions.

“Why did you come at this time today.” “I heard that too… That’s what I want to say.”

Calming the flow of heightened mana, we gasped for breath and smiled slightly.

“Good morning.” “Yeah, good morning.”

I decided to use aerial jump magic from now on, and also passed on some tips to Eve. She’s a genius, so she can quickly follow suit.

“Shall we go?”

We turned our steps toward the Magic Department building. There is not much time left.

Until the mid-term exams, exactly two weeks. Let’s learn everything we can during that time.