418 Magic Academy

418.

A huge hole was just sitting there in the roof of the fancy palace. A hole made by the dragon who was one of the Hero’s companions.

Queen Stella stood silently, gazing at the distant sky where the dragon carrying the Hero’s party had disappeared. A faint smile played on her lips.

“Are you alright, Mother?”

“Yes, Ledo.”

The inside was a mess of debris from the collapsed ceiling. Piles of fallen soldiers were everywhere. It was a scene of carnage, thick with dust and the stench of blood.

“They have more power than we anticipated. Not just the Hero, but his companions as well. I’m glad the power that defeated the Demon King wasn’t just exaggeration or nonsense.”

“But we unfortunately missed them. Since there was a Dragonkin among his companions, there’s a chance they’ll escape beyond the continent…”

“No, the Hero will come back. If he didn’t yield to the Demon King, then I’m sure of it.”

Queen Stella said firmly, crossing her legs in her seat. Ledo averted his gaze from where her thighs softly overlapped and bowed his head.

“The Hero’s vessel, which withstood the power of the gods and even defeated the Demon King… If we obtain that, our long-cherished desire will soon be realized. The day my country stands at the top of this world is not far off.”

Queen Stella spoke with a dreamy look on her face. Her legs swung back and forth, showing off her perfect figure.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Hehe, call me Mother. We’re not in such a formal setting.”

The Queen’s toes twitched, moving towards Ledo. Ledo sighed deeply in his heart.

=======================================

“By the way… where can I find a magician who can help us? It would be nice if there was a skilled and kind-hearted magician who was dissatisfied with the Queen…”

“I don’t know about the first and third, but fulfilling the second shouldn’t be difficult. According to what I’ve learned in the village, there’s a Magic Academy where magicians gather to improve their skills. We should be able to get information for our strategy there.”

“Being wanted is the problem. Our descriptions are already out there… Even if we disguise ourselves, four beauties like us walking around will still be easily noticeable, right?”

“Hmm, that’s true. Should we cross-dress as men or something?”

“With those faces? That would be even more noticeable. Even if we wear masks, we’ll just look suspicious.”

Huu, being pretty is a sin. If they just put the six words ‘World-Class Pretty Girl’ on the wanted poster, everyone in this country would recognize me.

“Then what should we do?”

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea to go there anyway. There’s a chance the wanted order hasn’t been fully disseminated yet. We have to go there to get information anyway.”

“Well, I guess so. Let’s go for now.”

A Magic Academy, it gives me a bad feeling for some reason…

=======================================

As the image suggested, the Magic Academy was deep in the mountains. Two pillars with indecipherable letters and patterns carved haphazardly were erected on either side of the Magic Academy’s entrance.

“Oh, you’re foreigners. What brings you here?”

A bald man said, looking at us from the entrance. Is this person also a magician? He didn’t look much different from the average Aiolan resident.

“We came because we want to learn about magic.”

“Are you tourists? We’re a facility for training, so we don’t accept simple onlookers.”

“No, we’re serious. We seriously want to learn about magic.”

“U-uhm…”

The bald man scrutinized us. Perhaps because he was isolated from the outside world, he didn’t look at us like wanted criminals. It was more like he was dealing with troublesome guests.

“I’ll go ask the ambassador first.”

The man entered the middle of the three buildings. He came out with another person.

“Ambassador Renfu-nim, these are the people…”

The person called Ambassador Renfu looked quite young on the outside. He looked no older than someone who had just left boyhood, without a single wrinkle. The grand title of ambassador didn’t really suit him. But the bald man’s attitude was very respectful.

“You want to train?”

Unusually for his appearance, his voice was clearly that of an older man. Is this also some kind of magic effect?

“No, that’s not it…”

“Let’s see…”

Ambassador Renfu glanced over us. Then, pointing at Celina with his finger, he said.

“You, you’re the only one with talent. I’ll accept you. The rest of you can just go back.”

This old geezer, is he even listening to me? Is he senile?

“No, wait a minute. I mean, we’re not asking you to train us…”

“Wait, Hero.”

Celina whispered in my ear.

“Isn’t a form of training okay? They might even tell us something more crucial… I think it’s a good idea to try it out.”

“A-are you sure it’s okay?”

“What, are you worried about me?”

Celina looked at me and smiled cutely. No, this isn’t the time for that…

“Of course, I am. This is such a suspicious place…”

Besides, dividing the party’s strength isn’t very wise. Especially in a situation where we’re facing unknown enemies.

“Don’t worry. If it gets even a little dangerous, I’ll transform into a dragon and run away. Hero, you should investigate other places.”

“U-uhm… I understand. You have to be careful, okay?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry.”

Celina turned to Ambassador Renfu and said.

“I’ll take the training. The rest of my party has decided to go back.”

“Hmm, good. Normally, we wouldn’t accept so easily… But seeing your talent and passion, I’ll make an exception. Come this way.”

Celina started following Ambassador Renfu and the bald man. She glanced back and waved at us. I felt a little uneasy watching Celina’s retreating figure.

‘Is this really okay…?’

Is it really just normal training? This is a H-game, after all.

=======================================

After Celina entered the Magic Academy, we cautiously entered a nearby village. Fortunately, perhaps because it was far from the capital, we weren’t arrested as soon as we entered the village.

We were talking in a secluded spot in a restaurant at the entrance of the village.

“Do you think Celina-ssi will be alright…”

Liel also seemed worried. It’s only natural to be worried, though.

“Celina is also a formidable powerhouse. She’s also an expert in magic. She won’t be easily defeated, but… I’m still concerned about the fact that magic is an unknown art. The power of charm magic was considerable, as we experienced firsthand.”

“Uhm…”

Blade probably didn’t mean to, but he’s making me even more uneasy. When I think about it, a bald guy and a little kid, what an obscene combination.

Using training as an excuse, they’ll ask Celina for this and that, becoming more and more daring… and eventually, she’ll get hit with charm magic or something similar… Ugh…

Liel said, seeing my dynamically changing expression.

“S-should I stick with her after all? If I’m in Succubus Mode, it wouldn’t be difficult to act discreetly… And for some reason, magic doesn’t seem to work on me.”

“Oh, should you?”

But Blade shook his head.

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Now that we can’t use Overdrive, Liel and the Hero separating would do more harm than good. If we’re talking about preventing a possible emergency for Celina, I think I’m more suitable.”

Hmm, Blade has played a similar role before. A role where he uses his sensitive hearing to check so that I don’t have an accidental encounter while I’m diligently doing the sexual harassment quests. I think I can rest assured if Blade is with Celina.

“Hmm, would you do that?”

That’s how the Hero party’s division was decided. Celina and Blade at the Magic Academy, and me and Liel staying in the village.

Dividing our forces isn’t efficient in terms of combat, but it’ll be more efficient in terms of gathering information. But even so, I couldn’t hide the emptiness I felt as my companions disappeared from my side.

This is all because of Queen Stella. Queen, huh? If I just catch her… it’s always more fun to vulgarly drag down high-ranking people like queens.

“Um, what should we do now, Hero-nim?”

“First… uh, um, should we try asking around?”

The more information, the better. Besides information about magic, there were plenty of things we needed to know, such as the Queen’s goals and Ledo’s skills.

But right then, a commotion broke out.

“They’re here! Soldiers-nim! The wanted criminals are here!”

Damn it.

A resident with a strong sense of civic duty had somehow brought a bunch of soldiers. I hugged Liel and burst out the back door.

I guess it won’t be easy. Maybe this isn’t the time to be worrying about Celina…