Ch.261Side Story: Group Project – 3

“She’s gone.”

Laura put down her teacup. Priscilla, who had been sitting in a bread-loaf position and nuzzling the spot where Mira had just been to savor its warmth, also got up.

Click. With eyes still full of lingering attachment, Priscilla locked the door of the office. If Mira returned through a dimensional door like when she left, this would be meaningless, but she had never arrived that way before, so it should be fine.

“Now that Mira is gone, shall we continue with our group project?”

At Laura’s matter-of-fact words, Rosaria made a face of disgust.

“Seriously, why call it a group project? There are so many better names. Like ‘collective intelligence’ or something.”

“When we have a troll who thoroughly botches their share and attempts to freeload while we carry them along, doesn’t that perfectly fit the definition of a group project? I find it most regrettable that you still can’t acknowledge such a simple fact, Rosaria.”

“A troll?!”

Rosaria jumped up in protest. Laura’s lips curled into a sneer at the sight.

“Look at yourself. What else would you call someone who, despite having such large breasts, hasn’t managed a proper physical advance even once? Even Priscilla at least proposed a date as her first move.”

“…Why am I the example?”

This time it was Priscilla who pouted, but perhaps because she felt somewhat guilty herself, she offered no further reaction.

“You kissed her at your first meeting, and not satisfied with that, even proposed to have sex. When Mira was heading to the demon realm, you even said you’d wear a nun’s outfit if she wanted, just please come back alive. So why is it that when everything is laid out for you, you can’t even eat what’s put in your mouth? If we need to chew it and push it down your throat for you, just say so. I’ll at least arrange the time and place.”

“N-no! Back then I was desperate in my own way… but…”

Rosaria, who had been trying to make excuses, stopped mid-sentence and carefully gauged the reactions of the other two. Given her circumstances, she couldn’t help it. It was more than a little awkward to mention desperation in front of these two.

Laura had sealed away the memories of when her mind was completely shattered and still hadn’t recovered them, while Priscilla’s somewhat dull personality was itself a result of regression.

And what about the possessor Yoo Chae-won? She’d only gone through it 4 times. Of course, in terms of time, that was nearly 20 years, almost matching how long she’d lived as Yoo Chae-won on Earth, but the problem was how overwhelming the other two were in comparison.

In front of such people, saying she was desperate—Rosaria naturally had enough conscience to understand that wasn’t something she should say. Laura chuckled.

“I don’t mind. Just because we’re exceptional doesn’t mean you didn’t suffer. It’s very like a timid girl who took photos in her underwear claiming she wanted to show off her figure, but then got too scared to even create a Star account.”

“…”

That wasn’t what she meant to say. Rosaria trembled with frustration.

“If you understand, prepare to listen quietly.”

“Yes.”

Having given up on resistance, Rosaria sat down obediently beside her. Laura took out her smartphone, flipped through something quickly, then stopped somewhere.

“Today I’ll introduce the most orthodox play a nun can perform. Creating a glory hole in the confessional.”

“…Glory hole?”

“Ah, I need to explain that first? I judged by my standards and assumed you would naturally know. My mistake.”

Laura, or rather, the possessor Lee Seo-ah before coming to this world, was what people called a “shipdek” (otaku). And among women, she was a rare male-oriented otaku at that.

Even Priscilla, who was so deeply immersed in subculture that her mother would tell her she wasn’t living up to her looks as a morning greeting, fell far short compared to Laura.

Though she thoroughly concealed her identity while active, knowing the chaos that would ensue the moment a woman revealed herself in male-oriented spaces, that’s how she was.

If she hadn’t been, she would never have thought to write a dark fantasy novel with a protagonist who rolled around like crazy as her first work, or a yuri romance fantasy with male characters as her second.

“Y-y-you want me to do THAT?! Me?!”

So, she knew quite well what actions would stir a man’s desires.

After hearing the explanation of what a glory hole was, Rosaria recoiled in shock, covering her mouth and backing away. Laura clicked her tongue as if wondering why she was making such a fuss over something so trivial.

“Since ancient times, having relations with nuns in monasteries or churches has been an excellent subject for fulfilling sexual fantasies. It’s so prevalent that it’s even preserved in works of art.”

“Is that really true?”

Though the explanation was for Rosaria, Latina unexpectedly responded.

Come to think of it, wasn’t she closer to a traditional nun? Rosaria was more of a saint. Laura looked back and forth between the saint and the nun. The two words were similar yet clearly needed to be distinguished.

“I’ve gained valuable information. Thank you, Laura.”

“I wasn’t particularly aiming to help… but if it was useful, consider it a debt.”

“…Just don’t demand something too expensive for that one thing.”

“Don’t worry. Anyway, if you want, couldn’t you build a church on Earth? First, there—”

Laura wasn’t helping Rosaria out of camaraderie or sympathy.

It was because she found it more entertaining this way.

She wanted to see someone with so little tolerance for such things that they would overreact to a mere glory hole, forcing themselves to act according to her demands while blushing and enduring the embarrassment.

Besides, her help was strictly limited to Rosaria. That Elysier person somehow had far more hardcore tastes than even Lee Seo-ah in her prime.

According to him, it was because of Mira, but that explanation was only half convincing.

“…Now, if he asks what religion Mira believes in, you should put your mouth to the hole and say this.”

Not to mention the Succubus Queen.

“Oral sex.”

“Eck.”

‘That was a close call.’

I inwardly sighed with relief as I looked down at the undead struggling against its bindings on the floor. Its left hand held a large antique musket pistol with an appearance that didn’t fit a dark fantasy at all.

After leaving it behind, I reinforced the surrounding walls more thoroughly and fixed the gun’s muzzle in one direction. So that when someone entered the corridor, the restraints would be released.

This was a hidden boss that existed in the area I had used as a motif. One who had grasped a cursed sword promising eternal life, only to become an undead and live forever.

The sword could only be drawn when enemies were present, so the creature tried to shoot through the wall with its gun, and players had to break the wall after hearing the sound to find it.

But when adapting the motif, I forgot the setting that the sword could only be drawn when enemies were present and only brought over the setting about shooting the gun. Thanks to that, when I arrived, the creature had almost completely destroyed the wall by swinging its sword.

It’s fortunate I remembered now; otherwise, I would have created a pathetic situation where all the students who entered here would be wiped out extremely early.

“It’s a fork in the road. Which way should we go?”

Professor Jeina’s voice could be heard from outside.

‘Already?’

Given her personality, she wouldn’t have been sloppy. It seemed that even with limited power, a professor was still a professor.

I quickly concealed myself with an invisibility spell. In a state where I could only use student-level magic, it would be difficult for her to find me. Especially when facing a 2.5-meter undead.

“This way. The wall was broken not long ago. It doesn’t seem to be a trap either.”

As the distance grew closer, the restraints binding the hidden boss were released. The creature rose imposingly and drew the sword from its back. The purple blade emitted an ominous light.

Soon after, Jeina wielding a sword appeared. Behind her, the original Jeina and Jeina holding a staff appeared in succession. As soon as they confirmed the hidden boss with its sword and gun, they reflexively prepared to fight.

Click. The hidden boss spun the musket once. In response, a barrier appeared in front of the sword-wielding Jeina.

—Ratatatatatatat!

The musket spewed fire and smoke.

The hidden boss’s gun barrage—which had become a meme for using a gun despite being a swordsman in a previous life—began firing 12 shots in succession, matching the number of people present.

“You all received the gate entry order, right? Go ahead in. Today we’ll just visit three places lightly.”

At sword-wielding Jeina’s words, playful jeers erupted. Of course, Jeina didn’t bat an eye and simply tapped the floor with her sword, urging them to hurry up and enter.

Students with tired eyes shuffled forward. While Leona and Elysier looked less fatigued, that was only relatively speaking—in reality, they were all in the same boat.

After all groups disappeared through the overlapping gates, Jeina, now alone with me, patted the spot next to her. I obediently sat down beside her.

“What was that thing yesterday? It was shooting something interesting.”

“I designed it to divert attention. The real attack comes from the sword.”

Since I had no intention whatsoever of spreading guns in this world, I lowered the lethality a bit but made the sound much louder. So people would think they might as well use magic instead.

“The loud noise definitely drew attention. What happens if you get hit?”

“You feel bad.”

“That’s an incredibly dangerous weapon.”

Jeina laughed heartily and used an observation spell. The interior scene appeared in a hologram-like form. After examining more than a dozen holograms simultaneously, Jeina moved one toward me.

“Is that the Hero and Ciel?”

“Yes. Thank you, Professor.”

“It’s nothing. Just something I should do.”

The hologram showed a group consisting of Leona, Elysier, and an unnamed female student making their way through the gate interior. At some point, their feet stopped.

Leona, who nearly got covered in mud spurting from the ceiling and side walls, moved her lips.

“Judging by her lip movements, she’s saying ‘Mira, you bastard.'”

“…It must be your imagination.”

“No, she’s definitely calling you a bastard. A mud trap? Getting hit makes both your body and mood dirty.”

The original was lava, so this is better, isn’t it?

“Oh right. Did you hear that news?”

Jeina, while busily observing the students, spoke up.

“I don’t know what news you’re referring to, but I probably haven’t heard it.”

“You know that Legion Commander trapped in the basement of the Mage Association? The Elder Lich. They’ve finished all the biological experiments, and they want to send it here for some experiment they want to try. They said it’s safe, so don’t worry.”

I froze, my hands stopping mid-motion.

“…They want to do what?”