Ch.234Side Story: Midterm Replacement Exam – 1

At some point, a shocking rumor began to spread among the students of Bellium Academy. It was said that Crown Prince Laura, whose chest had grown like a woman’s, was strutting around the academy dressed as a woman.

“Whoever spread this must be determined to get arrested for insulting the royal family.”

At first, no one believed it. Not the students, not even the professors. Most thought it would be fortunate if the rumor-mongers weren’t arrested for insulting the royal family.

That is, until Crown Prince Laura, who had briefly disappeared from public view, appeared at an official event looking exactly as the rumors described.

“……”

The shock people felt upon seeing this was indescribable. Some concluded that His Highness had finally gone mad, or perhaps was enchanted by something similar to the succubus incident. Or maybe it was something merely disguised as the Crown Prince.

It certainly appeared as though the prince had completely lost his gender identity.

“I have been a woman from the beginning.”

Amidst the panic and chaos, Laura Ercarenchia Crescenne von Yuperantis Bellium, the Crown Prince, calmly spoke. She claimed she had always been a woman, and that her male appearance was nothing but a facade.

Along with this revelation came the announcement of an artifact known as the Heavenly Transformation Necklace, created by a grand magician. With this, the confusion gradually subsided.

But it didn’t completely disappear. In some ways, it worsened. This was because the most important question remained unanswered: why had she been living as a man until now?

“Maybe it was because she was competing for the throne with that bastard former crown prince? Now that her position is secure, she doesn’t need to hide anymore.”

“Then she should have announced it right after killing him. Why wait several months and suddenly reveal it now? There must be another reason!”

The most widely supported theory was that she no longer needed to hide her true gender now that her position as the next emperor was secure, but opposing views were equally strong.

One common speculation was that besides the former crown prince incident, there must have been some specific catalyst, but since the Crown Princess herself remained silent, there was no way to know more.

“Where have you been these past few days… was this what you were planning?”

“It’s not a decision I could make on my own. I went to seek my father’s opinion in this world.”

Except for a select few.

“Seriously. You’re really something else.”

Rosaria remarked, looking at Laura’s utterly composed expression. Mira had temporarily returned to her family home, as her household had been thrown into chaos upon learning that the Crown Prince was actually a Crown Princess.

And the culprit was right in front of them.

“The library? Are you insane? How could you think of doing that in such a place?”

“I don’t see much difference between a movie theater and a library?”

“…I was at least confident we wouldn’t get caught.”

“I was equally confident we wouldn’t be discovered.”

“Who was it that proudly claimed they almost got caught?”

“In the end, we weren’t caught, so all is well.”

Laura nonchalantly deflected the incredulous questions and glanced at the person sitting on the far left. A blue-haired woman with a bright red face, sputtering and gesticulating wildly.

“T-that’s one thing! B-but, the b-back… ugh! The buttocks! What were you—”

“You’re welcome to try it anytime, Miss Leona Brunhild. I have no desire to monopolize such experiences. I should add that it feels completely different from doing it the usual way, so I recommend experiencing both sides.”

At these brazenly explicit words, Leona’s face looked ready to explode as her eyes spun in circles.

Though she had occasionally played risqué pranks on Mira, those were based on superficial knowledge. She had no resistance to the explicit content coming from someone with actual experience.

“……”

In truth, Laura was in a similar state. She had to lie face down without moving a finger for a full day after that evening.

Despite receiving healing magic, the throbbing sensation in her buttocks made it impossible to sit down. As an added bonus, she had to confess everything to Valera who came to cast the healing spell.

But right now, she needed to maintain her dignity. Laura straightened her shoulders with an expression full of pride. Laura, or rather Lee Seoa, was a woman who had earned that right.

“…Crazy perverted woman.”

Rosaria muttered in disgust. Laura smirked and retorted.

“As if you’re any better, walking around in those outfits in front of everyone.”

“Hey! You think I wore those clothes because I wanted to? Want to keep this up?!”

While the two bickered, Priscilla tried to defend herself by insisting that movie theaters were perfectly normal places, Leona stammered with a crimson face, and Elysier looked on with contempt. Meanwhile, Latina was trembling slightly from a distance.

“Laura was an extraordinary woman. To have her first experience from behind—she’s no ordinary person.”

“Huh? Isn’t that normal? She just put what’s meant to be inserted where it’s meant to go.”

Nika, who was beside her, seemed unable to understand Latina’s concern.

“…The anal orifice is not meant for insertion. What exactly do succubi consider unusual fetishes?”

“Hmm… there were some succubi who served high-ranking demons long ago who experienced urethral expansion, or direct penetration of the eyes or ears, or—”

“Please stop there. It’s horrifying just to hear about it.”

Latina shuddered. The fact that such insane acts were merely considered unusual fetishes rather than being outright forbidden was already disturbing enough.

“Don’t worry. I don’t like those things either. They interfere with proper energy absorption. Of course, if my master desired it, I would gladly endure it.”

“Please don’t sully Miss Mira’s name.”

“Why did you go home?”

“When it was revealed that Laura was actually a Crown Princess, my family was thrown into chaos, worried we might get entangled with the imperial family.”

“To try and keep you there by any means necessary?”

“No. They said they wouldn’t interfere with whatever I do, but to minimize any impact on the family. Our family’s long-standing principle has been to avoid unnecessary entanglements with central nobility. If that’s true for nobles, imagine how much more so for royalty.”

Since the Crate family was essentially a merchant house, they couldn’t avoid all interactions with nobility. The principle meant to be cautious about getting unnecessarily close and forgetting their true nature.

But now that principle was in danger of being broken. After all, no one could defy the Emperor’s words.

“The women around me are quite… extraordinary. Including you, Leona.”

A Crown Prince who was actually a Crown Princess, the heir to one of the Empire’s three great ducal houses of Agnes, the Empire’s one and only Saint, and likewise, the Empire’s one and only Hero.

It was a combination where no one caught in the middle would escape unscathed if conflict erupted. It was natural for someone unaware of the details to think that way. That was what her parents in this world were worried about.

They did believe her when she assured them everything was fine, though.

“Why does the atmosphere feel so unsettled today— Ah, right. It’s midterm season.”

Leona muttered quietly as they entered the lecture hall and sensed the restless atmosphere. With midterms approaching and Laura’s revelation on top of that, it would have been strange if things weren’t unsettled.

Everyone seemed to want to study but couldn’t concentrate, fidgeting anxiously.

“Don’t you not need to take the exams anyway?”

“That applies to you too, Mira. Actually, I still need to take the area destruction magic and dungeon practicum exams, but you don’t need either, right?”

“I still take the theory exams though.”

“So do I!”

Whispering like this, we headed for the corner seats in the lecture hall. We didn’t want to attract attention. Exam exemptions were a privilege most students couldn’t even imagine.

“Ah, there’s Ciel.”

“Yeah. She went ahead and is studying.”

Of course, Elysier, though a first-year like us, was merely an academy transfer student and thus an exception. Having arrived much earlier than us, Elysier sat in the front row, intently focused on something.

She needed good grades to remain at the academy. She could force her way through using power, but that wouldn’t earn her any respect.

Elysier herself had said she wanted to attend the academy with dignity.

“Mira Crate! Is Mira Crate here?”

The lecture hall door suddenly opened, and instead of the theory professor who was supposed to enter, Jeina poked her head in.

“Yes, I’m here.”

“I need to talk to you about something. Could you come out for a moment? It won’t take long.”

I nodded to Leona and headed outside. The corridor was empty, likely because lectures were about to begin soon.

“You know midterms are coming up soon, right?”

“Of course I do.”

“But you don’t need to take the exams. Not for area destruction magic, not for my class, not for the dueling practicum. Honestly, the first-year curriculum isn’t necessary for you.”

Professor Jeina let out a brief sigh.

“That said, some have argued it’s unfair to let you play around while others are taking exams. Do you agree?”

“What happens if I don’t agree?”

“What happens? You get a free pass on three midterm subjects. You might get some gossip from other students, but that’s about it.”

“What about the professors?”

“It’s not like you’re using tricks or loopholes—it’s purely due to your ability. What’s wrong with a student being exempted from exams because they’re exceptional?”

With an expression that suggested the question was unnecessary, Professor Jeina handed me a scroll she had been carrying.

“Since this came up, we’ve been considering what to do, and decided to give you a special assignment in lieu of the exams. If you refuse, that’s the end of it. Just be honest if you’re not interested.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Really? No changing your mind later?”

“I won’t. Not about this.”

I unrolled the scroll. It was a map of the Empire with X marks in various places.

“You know about the anomalies called ‘gates’ that have been appearing across the continent recently, right?”

The term “gate” was gradually becoming established in this world too. It was Rosaria’s inadvertent doing.

While lecturing in front of people, she accidentally used the more familiar term “gate,” and then stubbornly insisted it was a term she had created herself.

“Yes.”

“You’ll see seven places marked with X on the map. Go close them. They’re in locations that are difficult to access normally. Your deadline is before the theory exam on Friday, so about two weeks.”

“…There’s one in the middle of the ocean.”

“It’s an underwater gate, so yes.”

An underwater one, huh. It wouldn’t be a problem if it confronted me directly, but if it fled like the Leviathan did last time, it would be annoying to chase.

“……”

“And one more thing I need you to do.”

Professor Jeina brought her hand to her mouth and whispered softly.

“Among the X marks, four of them—the ones near the coast and in the mountains—are candidate locations for the group trip after midterms. I’d like you to check them out and evaluate which ones seem good and which don’t. We’ll incorporate your feedback into the voting.”

The “group trip” she mentioned was essentially what would be called a field trip on Earth. Once again, Erestica had pushed for it.

“Sounds fun. I’ll do it.”

“Excellent.”

A satisfied smile appeared on her face.

“Oh right. There was some concern about sending you alone, so we’re attaching one more person to go with you. They’re officially there to supervise, but you can just pretend they’re not there and move freely.”

“One more person? Who might that be?”

“Someone you know.”