Chapter 56: Taking a short break (1)

Chapter 56: Taking a short
break (1)

I’ve
never felt tingling in my hands so much in my life.

I’ve
been stabbed and blindsided in combat since my trip to this world,
but I’ve never felt so much sensation in my hands.

Every
finger, every knuckle, every joint, including the palm of my hand, is
meticulously controlled.

‘Snap!’

“Hmph!”

Again.
I patted Ellie’s ass and recognized the strange sensation.

It
was a blur, like I was going to fly away at any moment, so I slapped
Ellie’s butt again and again, trying to recall the realization.

“Hic!”

“Hiccup!”

This
time, I didn’t take my hand away immediately, but clutched her ass
tightly. The soft, plump flesh of her ass popped out between my
fingers.

I
needed something to hold onto, I needed to feel more of this
sensation.

If
what I was holding was a hard, cold axe instead of a soft ass, would
I have a new realization?

Mechanically,
I raised my hand again.

“He,
he, he, he!”

I
heard Ellie’s voice, mixed with a cry and I snapped back to reality.

I
looked down at my palm, which was stained red. It looked like I had
been slapped a lot.

I
lowered my head a little further and saw that her skirt and robe were
rolled up and her ass was half exposed.

A
big, round, chubby ass. What would normally have been a smooth white
ass was stained red with palm prints.

Literally,
palm prints.

⋯Gulp.

I
couldn’t help but salivate.

“Oi,
that’s not a pat, that’s a full slap! It hurts so much!”

“Uh,
sorry. I was concentrating.”

The
strange sensation of being caught made me concentrate harder than I
should have.

Ellie
was holding her reddened buttocks with tears streaming down her
cheeks as if they were very sore.

The
sight reminded me of someone.

“If
it had been Grumpy, she would have just said it was good and gotten
beaten up badly.”

She
would do anything to get hit. I do miss the feel of the slap and the
pull of the leash but Ellie’s the one in front of me now.

“⋯Do
you want me to put a potion on you?”

“I’d
be grateful if you did⋯
Oh, no, I’ll do it⋯!”

Ellie
gulped down the potion I gave her.

The
effect is the same whether you apply it or drink it, and if her ass
is wet, her skirt and panties will be too.

‘White⋯’

For
reference, Ellie was wearing a pair of plain white panties with a
cute rose on them.

I
didn’t plan to look at them, but I couldn’t help but see them as her
skirt and robe rode up and exposed her butt.

‘⋯Seriously.
I didn’t have any other thoughts.’

I
would have put my parents on the line to prove my innocence but now
that I think about it, I don’t have a mom.

“Ugh,
it’s already time!”

Ellie
looked at the clock and exclaimed angrily.

I
hadn’t noticed the time either but it was time for Ellie to go back
to the academy.

Maybe
I should see her off with Diana.

I
opened the door and stepped out.

Bam.

“⋯?”

There
was a pool of water in front of the door.

It
was so much water that it seeped through the cracks in the wooden
hallway, but it didn’t absorb enough to form a puddle.

‘What
the hell.’

Instinctively,
I stepped in the puddle, flicked it out like a cigarette, and lifted
my foot.

The
liquid that dripped on the soles of my shoes was strangely sticky and
slippery and didn’t seem like ordinary water.

Shrugging
off the odd sensation, I walked out of the room with Ellie.

“⋯!”

Diana,
who was nonchalantly wiping down a bowl at the bar, looked at us,
startled, and smiled awkwardly.

“Did
the conversation go well?”

Apparently,
Diana thought the conversation was the reason Ellie had come to my
room.

“Yeah,
yeah.”

“It
went well.”

There
was no way in hell I was going to say to Diana, “Your daughter
asked me for an ass-whooping.”

What
if Diana found out that Ellie had asked me to slap her ass?

Ellie
would hang herself in shame.

Seriously.

“⋯I
see.”

Diana
stared at us for a moment, her face expressionless, and then nodded.

And
that was the end of Ellie’s butt stamp saga.

No,
if I say it like this, it sounds like I praised her ass, so I praised
her ass with a stamp.

No
matter what I did, it sounded weird, so I just ended it with a
compliment.

***

I
saw Ellie off with Diana at the door of the inn.

“Hey,
foster mom, do you think you’ll be able to come to my graduation?”

“⋯Of
course. Even if it’s not graduation, feel free to call me anytime.”

Before
we parted ways, Ellie told me about the graduation ceremony.

The
Academy’s graduation ceremony is held at the end of February every
year. There was still about a month left until graduation.

“⋯Mister,
can you come to the graduation ceremony?”

“Shall
I go?”

“Woohoo!
Come on, don’t be silly!”

“Okay,
I’ll come.”

I
patted Ellie’s head, who flicked her elf ears and looked up at me
with fierce eyes. The kid’s reaction was amusing, almost teasing.

“⋯⋯”

I
felt a strange gaze beside me. Diana was staring at me and Ellie with
a puzzled look on her face.

I
took my hand away from Ellie’s hair.

“⋯Ah.”

Ellie
moaned, sounding a little disappointed.

Hmm.
Hmm.

Trying
to regain my attention, she cleared her throat and leaned closer to
me, speaking in a whisper.

“I
think the portal research you asked for will take a little longer.
I’ve been analyzing it for a while, but it’s a bit difficult⋯
I think we’ll have to do it later.”

Apparently,
portals were a mystery that even Ellie couldn’t easily figure out but
that’s okay.

I
didn’t expect to have an answer in a matter of days or weeks anyway.

“You
can take your time. You need to focus on your work first. You’ve got
reports and magical research to do before graduation.”

“⋯Yes.
I’ll be stuck in the Great Library for a while, but
I’ll do some research in my spare time.”

The
Academy’s Great Library. I had heard it was a treasure trove of
knowledge, much larger than the Temple’s library and filled with
specialized books.

I
was a little curious.

“Okay.
By the way, can I go to the Great Library, too?”

“Yes.
As long as you’re accompanied by an Academy student.”

Ellie
swallows the last word as she looks at me. I wonder if it’s just my
mood that makes her expression seem strangely mocking.

“I
suppose it’s possible.”

“⋯No.
Just come with me, and if you don’t understand something, I can
explain it to you.”

Ellie
smiled sympathetically. Damn. Look at that smug, highly educated
smirk.

The
Wisdom 0 in the status bar was even more annoying today.

“Heehee.
See you later, Uncle!⋯Foster
mom too!”

“Goodbye.”

“⋯⋯Be
careful.”

Diana
and I waved goodbye to Ellie, who was gradually walking away.

“⋯You
and Ellie got along really well, didn’t you?”

“Yes.
I think it helped that we were together in the Labyrinth.”

Hmph⋯

Diana
crossed her arms and looked at me with wide eyes.

I
wondered why she was looking at me like that, but then I realized
that I would also look at a man who claimed to be close to my
daughter with a strange expression.

Or,
in this world, I’m supposed to look at her like a son, or something?
I’m still a little confused.

“Still,
I’m glad that you and Ellie seem to have reconciled, at least a
little.”

Aside
from that, this was genuine.

Diana’s
expression when she talked about Ellie was so full of regret.

Ellie’s
expression when she talked about Diana was similar.

Both
mother and daughter harbor similar regrets.

But
what about now, they’re reunited, they’ve talked, they’ve shared
stories, and they’ve waved and smiled as they parted ways.

I
think it was the best thing that could have happened under the
circumstances.

“⋯That,
yeah. If it weren’t for your efforts, Balkan, I honestly wouldn’t
have been able to talk to Ellie, but⋯”

Diana
nods in acknowledgment, then opens her mouth to say something, but
closes it.

“But?”

“⋯Yes.
No. I said it wrong. We should get going, too. You must be tired
after the labyrinth, and you should get some rest in your room.”

Diana
shook her head as she said that. It felt like she was about to say
something, but held it back.

I
had a sneaking suspicion that she was trying to say something, but
she had a lot of secrets, so I figured I’d just go with it.

Oh,
and the room reminded me.

“Hey,
Diana. I just realized that there was some kind of water in front of
my door and the hallway was wet.”

“⋯Uh,
uh, uh?!”

Diana’s
face, which had just been submerged in the water, stiffened slightly,
then quickly turned bright red.

“I’ll
go and mop it up-“

“Oh,
no! I’ll do it! I’ll do it! Balkan can rest!!!”

“Uhhhhh.”

Diana
replied in a tremendously booming voice and headed up to the second
floor.

There
was not a trace of her usual laid-back demeanor.

I
don’t think I’ve ever seen her so urgent before.

***

The
next evening Joy Hog laid out a luxurious pouch of gold and silver
coins and a glittering soul stone on the inn table.

I
could hear the admiration of the party around me.

Human
eyes always twinkle when they find treasure and riches and my heart
pounded with excitement too.

“Now
that we’re all here, let’s settle the bill.”

Yes.
Pay up.