Ch.300Epilogue – Graduation

Bellium Academy was bustling since dawn. Nobles and commoners alike gathered at the academy to celebrate graduation or to be celebrated.

The academy provided dimensional gates especially for parents and relatives of students so that commoners could attend the graduation ceremony without burden.

The reasoning was that if a child graduated from the Empire’s finest academy, their family deserved equal treatment.

While there weren’t that many students from common backgrounds, watching families marvel as they passed through dimensional gates not only made students proud but also strengthened their loyalty to the Empire—killing two birds with one stone.

Compared to the entrance ceremony, about 0.5% fewer students were present. A few had been expelled after failing three times.

Those admitted here were the elite of elites, with a historical maximum dropout rate of 2%, usually remaining in single decimal digits. Still, the very fact that some couldn’t graduate boosted the pride of those who remained.

“Mira!”

While lost in these thoughts and taking one last look around the campus, someone called my name and hugged me from behind. I felt the soft, plump sensation of fatty tissue near my shoulder blades.

The arms around my neck tightened, and a heavy feeling pressed against my left shoulder. Pink hair swayed at the edge of my vision, and warm breath tickled my ear.

“What is it, Nika?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to hug you like this.”

I’d allowed her to speak informally like a friend during graduation, and it felt refreshingly different.

Nika hugged me tightly, rubbed her cheek against my shoulder, and finally let go. I turned around. There stood Nika, wearing neither her maid outfit nor her Queen attire, but Bellium Academy’s uniform.

Though the uniform wasn’t designed to accentuate her figure, certain parts of her body still drew attention.

The buttons on her chest strained as if about to pop, and below her extremely short skirt that nearly revealed the flesh beneath her buttocks, her full hips and bottom were prominently displayed. Yet her waist and sides were somewhat loose, with extra fabric.

Without perception-inhibiting magic, she would have attracted every gaze in the vicinity. And this was without any alterations to make the uniform shorter or tighter.

“What are you two doing? Just to be clear, no funny business outside.”

Karna approached next. She had changed a lot compared to before. The calluses on her palms had mostly disappeared, and the muscles in her legs, visible below her skirt, had significantly reduced.

Now, her thigh flesh jiggled slightly when she walked. Karna had initially been dissatisfied with these changes, but after Nika told her that having some flesh made things more comfortable in bed, she accepted it with a blush.

And that wasn’t all. Nika had taught all sorts of knowledge to Karna, who had been awkward in romantic relationships. The only issue was that it was succubus knowledge.

“We weren’t doing anything weird. It’s just that my chest is so big that even small movements look suggestive.”

“……”

Nika deliberately emphasized her chest by crossing her arms and slightly bending her waist. Her succubus-like arched back was incredibly seductive. Karna’s eye twitched slightly.

“Let’s not do this here. What brings you both?”

“We came to get you, Mira! Everyone’s waiting, let’s hurry!”

I thought it was too early, but I couldn’t refuse when they’d come all this way. After agreeing, I walked with them toward the Colosseum.

People naturally made way for us in our academy uniforms. Today, only third-year students about to graduate were permitted to wear them, which explained the respectful treatment.

Some kind-hearted individuals even congratulated us on graduating, despite not being our parents. I responded with equal kindness and quickened my pace.

The Colosseum we arrived at was overflowing with people. Without magic, just entering would have taken ages.

After passing through the magical barrier using pre-arranged fake identities, I saw three people huddled near the entrance.

“Mira!”

“You’re late.”

“Aren’t you late?”

Priscilla ran to me with a bright smile and jumped into my arms, while Elisier and Laura each made a comment. I gently caught Priscilla and looked around. I only recognized a few faces.

“Just you three? Where are the others?”

“They’ve been waiting inside for a while. We can proceed once we arrive.”

“We’re going in really early. There’s still plenty of time left.”

Though Laura and Elisier complained about our lateness, there were still over 30 minutes until the ceremony began. There wasn’t much point in entering early just to stand around until it started.

“There’s nothing to do alone anyway. It’s better to wait together.”

“Alright. Since everyone else is already inside, let’s go, Priscilla.”

“Okay. Hehe.”

We soon blended in with the other students and found the remaining three people.

Seating for the graduation ceremony was completely random, except for the top five students who would receive their diplomas on stage. But we were an exception.

“Ah, there they are.”

“Hurry up! It’s about to start!”

“We still have over 30 minutes to wait, Rosaria.”

In the distance, Rosaria, also in uniform like Nika, waved her hands vigorously to call us over. Leona and Latina were waiting beside her. Latina was also wearing the academy uniform.

“Over here, over here!”

As her extremely full chest bounced with her waving motion, Latina, who had been staring at the sight, made a comment.

“Can’t you hold them while waving? It’s distracting.”

“Wouldn’t it hurt more to hold them? Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know since you don’t have any?”

After delivering a light jab and getting hit back with full force, Latina looked dazed. Elisier, Laura, and Nika all snickered simultaneously.

In contrast, Leona and Karna only slightly raised the corners of their mouths. They probably couldn’t see it as someone else’s problem.

“Why would you say that here—”

“Surely you’re not planning to argue on such a joyous day.”

Just as they were about to engage in a verbal battle, Beatrice cut in. Latina turned her head reflexively, and her expression turned to shock.

Seeing this, the rest of us turned to look as well, and similar expressions of shock and surprise appeared on everyone’s faces, except for Nika, whose eyes began to sparkle.

“……”

I probably had the same expression. After all, Beatrice had appeared wearing the academy uniform.

We’d known she was coming, but we never expected her to wear the uniform. Compared to the Beatrice from a few years ago who wore skirts so long they barely showed her shoes, this was a revolutionary change.

Beatrice, seeing our shocked faces, smiled smugly and took out a smartphone from her inner pocket. The sound of the shutter clicking somewhat brought us back to our senses.

“It seems I’ve successfully surprised you, young master.”

“That… no. What is that? The uniform?”

“I obtained it through a private deal with Lady Erestica. You’ll have to ask her about the terms of the deal.”

“Really? Can’t I just hear it from you?”

Nika’s voice came from right behind Beatrice. Before the startled Beatrice could turn around, Nika’s hand grabbed the hem of her skirt.

“I thought you said short skirts were vulgar and you’d never wear them? What’s this? Decided to be vulgar? Is it because you and Mira have seen everything there is to see of each other?”

“W-what are you doing!”

The hand gripping the skirt hem began moving up and down. Beatrice panicked and hurriedly pressed down on her skirt. I thought I caught a glimpse of black strings, but it must have been my imagination.

“Eek, eek.”

“S-stop it, I said…!”

“After showing us much more than this.”

“That’s right. You’ve already shown your naked body. There’s no reason to be embarrassed.”

“You never even told us your age. How about dropping the formalities and speaking casually with us from now on, since we’re basically the same age?”

“That sounds good. I approve.”

“W-wow… was that just now, a string…?”

“I-I think it was…”

“At that size, the top must be similarly minimal.”

The attacks came relentlessly. Beatrice, with a deeply flushed face, kept pressing down on her skirt. It was evidence of how much closer we’d all become over the past two years, to be able to tease and act this way without hesitation.

Nika continued for quite a while before finally letting go. Beatrice quickly ran behind me to hide. Her hands were still pressing down on her skirt.

“Mira, where’s Aria?”

Priscilla, who had been smiling brightly in my arms, tilted her head. Indeed, one person was missing. Actually, two if we’re being precise, but Erestica was absent due to graduation preparations, so she didn’t count.

“There’s still plenty of time until the ceremony. She’ll be here by then.”

“So she’s late. I’ll scold her.”

Just as Priscilla was preparing some absurd argument to tease Aria, someone came running from the distance. Distinctive blonde hair fluttered in the air.

“There she comes.”

Laura raised her hand slightly. The running speed increased, then stopped right in front of us. Aria, panting heavily, looked around.

“W-why is everyone here so early?! There’s still plenty of time left!”

There were still nearly 20 minutes until the ceremony. It was understandable that she’d be surprised to find everyone already gathered and waiting. Priscilla spoke in a firm voice.

“You’re late.”

“Heeeng…”

Aria made a tearful face.

We continued chatting about various things, then fell silent and lined up when the surroundings quieted down. In the distance, Erestica was ascending the stage.

A tight formal skirt that clung to her hips and thighs, a white shirt with a deeply cut neckline like a sleeveless top, and her still overwhelmingly large chest.

Erestica, who seemed unchanged while the rest of us had transformed, opened her mouth with a benevolent smile.

“I sincerely congratulate you on becoming the 140th graduating class of Bellium Academy.”

Thunderous applause erupted. In the audience seats, the Goddess and Demon Lord were each holding an ice cream cone while clapping. Io was looking after them.

“When you enrolled and spent half a year here, many things happened. Our academy changed a lot too. I sincerely thank you for keeping up with us during these confusing times.”

The congratulatory speech continued. The concept of boring lectures didn’t exist for students in this world. Everyone listened to Erestica’s speech with bright, attentive eyes.

“The speech is similar to last time.”

“That’s only your second time. Mira is experiencing this for the third time.”

“Indeed, attending three graduation ceremonies is quite a rare experience.”

“This is my first time, though?”

“But isn’t it nice to listen together?”

“That’s right. That’s why our hero likes being together in bed too.”

“Oh, yes. That time was really amazing. You were more like a Succubus Queen than me, the actual Succubus Queen!”

“B-but that’s not… quite… r-right, is it?”

“……”

Everyone was chatting freely except for us, who had set up perception-inhibiting magic all around.

Except for Beatrice, who was sulking after being teased, and Karna, who was concentrating on the speech from the beginning, everyone was engaged in conversation.

Aria was too. Still somewhat awkwardly but definitely participating in the conversation. I watched with a pleased smile.

“Everyone looks happy.”

“Yes. They do.”

So much had happened over the past two years. Accepting Aria, and Aria’s desperate efforts to be acknowledged by the people around me.

The demon realm had also found stability. Though it had been over two years since the war with humans ended, demons had few complaints. This was because the source of the gates had been set in the demon realm through the power of the Goddess and Demon Lord.

Demons were happy to unleash their instincts on the countless monsters pouring through, while humans enjoyed much more peace due to the reduced frequency of gates. It was mutually beneficial.

“…I guess we won’t need to bring up old memories anymore.”

Perhaps the most notable event was Laura burning her diary containing her past memories.

It wasn’t simply about avoiding the pain of the past. It had deeper meaning—a decision to no longer cling to the past, to see Aria as Aria.

Priscilla and Elisier also had parts of their regression memories erased with the help of the two goddesses. They repeatedly emphasized that it wasn’t because the old memories were painful.

They had made the same decision as Laura—to see Aria as Aria.

Aria sat on the floor and cried for a long time that day. Tears of gratitude.

“Well done.”

“Thank you!”

On stage, the top five students were now receiving their diplomas, indicating that the graduation ceremony was nearly over.

As if realizing it was inappropriate to chat during such a moment, my chattering girlfriends quieted down. Beatrice also came out from behind me and found her place.

“Remember that today is not the end of your life, but the beginning of a new path. The road ahead of you is endlessly wide.”

Just as she said, this was merely the beginning of a new path. The same would apply to us without exception.

But we would no longer walk that path alone. No matter how wide the road, we would no longer be alone.

“But before that, wouldn’t it be nice to receive one more word of congratulations?”

With those words, dimensional gates opened in front of each of us. Diplomas were extended from within. Everyone received their diplomas with reverence.

I opened mine to the middle. On paper decorated with real gold, I saw three characters written.

Not Mira Crate, but Kang Yu-seong.

“I, in the name of Dragon Erestica, to all students who have been with us until now…”

Erestica smiled gently. Her eyes were clearly directed at me.

“Congratulations on your graduation.”