Chapter 111: Graduation Ceremony (7)

Chapter 111: Graduation
Ceremony (7)

When
I saw Ellie being taken, I ran after them at full speed.

The
fact that they had taken Ellie meant that Diana and Ellie were
separated at the time of the kidnapping.

This
meant that Diana hadn’t realized that Ellie had been taken.

‘Should
I tell her?’

Diana’s
love for Ellie is real, even though she may not be her biological
daughter.

Would
she be able to stay sane after hearing about Ellie’s abduction?

I
don’t know, but it would go completely against the Academy’s and
Professor Mankostil’s wishes to keep things quiet.

But
more than that, I’m worried about the traumatizing effect on Diana.

How
many parents, no matter how strong they are, can remain sane after
hearing that the child they raised as their own has been kidnapped?

As
an orphan myself, I don’t know the heart of a parent or the heart of
a child.

But
I can imagine that it must have hurt Diana deeply.

‘I,
what should I do⋯’

Even
as my mind wrestled with the question, my body instinctively made a
decision.

Gelsia
had told me the outlaws’ retreat route.

The
carriage was located in a dark alleyway just off the Academy’s main
entrance.

The
plan was to escape through the main entrance as soon as the
kidnapping was finalized but now there was little chance of that plan
succeeding.

‘Professor
Mankostil said she was heading for the front gate.’

Not
all professors are combatants, but Professor Mankostil is strong
enough to reach the eighth floor of the Labyrinth. She’s not the one
I need to worry about.

Even
without Diana, the Blues Clan will meet their end here today.

I
felt my mind sharpen to the now-familiar sensation of life slitting
my throat.

I
shook my head to clear my thoughts and focus on the present.

“Ah,
how did you do that?”

-Hmph.

Ellie
hiccupped as she spoke, her face grim.

Tears
began to form at the corners of her pretty eyes.

I
wanted to give her a pat on the back, but unfortunately, I wasn’t in
a position to do so.

-Thud.

An
unexpected sound came from inside the curtained carriage.

‘They
noticed.’

It’s
strange they didn’t notice, given how bloody this place smells.

“⋯Kalino.
Don’t make too much of a fuss. Just knead the dough and come right
back. I’ll go to the front door and clear the way.”

“Kkkk.
Got it, sister!!!”

Flutter!

The
curtains opened and I caught a glimpse of the inside.

A
sharp-looking woman was clutching a puffy-faced Gelsia tightly.

‘That
bitch must be Vesta.’

At
Vesta’s command, a large orc woman approached me with her gauntlets
clinking, she must be the last of the cadre of outlaws.

[Kalino
LV.37]

[◆
Blessing of the Iron Fist]

[◆Blessing
of the Iron Body]

[◆
Curse of Orc Mutation]

–
Your body transforms into an orc.

Her
level is 1 level higher than Gurmimi’s.

Whereas
Gurmimi, the rabbit hunter, was more of an assassin with a focus on
agility, Kalino is more of a martial artist who utilizes the strength
that comes with being an orc.

The
level difference was 13 levels, but thanks to the additional stats
from the question mark blessing and Diana’s breast milk, I was not
inferior to Kalino when looking only at my physical stats.

‘But
you don’t have to fight.’

This
isn’t the labyrinth, and they’re the ones at a disadvantage.

To
put it bluntly, if I leave with Ellie, their plans will be ruined.

“Ellie.
Let me hold you for a second.”

“Uh,
eh? What?!”

I
quickly walked over to Ellie and hugged her.

Ellie
blushed with embarrassment as I held her like a princess in a fairy
tale but it quickly turned to horror.

“Oh,
mister, the front, the front!”

She
doesn’t need to say it, I know it.

Kalino
lunged forward, her fist outstretched at me and the point of impact
was on the left temple of the face.

Chiiiit-!

Smoke
billows from Kalino’s cold gauntlets, and her punch accelerates in
speed.

Her
fist was about to touch my face.

-Pfft!

The
gauntlet stops in front of my nose, and Kalino is pushed back
slightly.

I
had kicked her abdomen with my left foot just in time for her fist to
make contact.

“Whaaaat?!
What the⋯!”

“Get
your head down, Ellie!”

I
jumped off the moving carriage with Ellie in my arms.

A
normal person would have been injured no matter how many times they
rolled.

-Koooooow!

However,
I landed on the ground with a brute force jump and my lower body had
taken the brunt of the damage.

“Ah,
mister, are you okay?!”

“Uh,
I’m fine. You’re lighter than I thought, Ellie. You’re lighter than-”

-Koooow!

Before
we could argue, Kalino leapt off the moving carriage.

“You’re
so shy, running away like that. You have a nice body, but you’re
still a boy at heart, aren’t you?”

Kalino
didn’t even bother rolling on the ground in disgrace. She even added
an obvious taunt.

“You
must be really nervous, thinking that I might run away. Is your brain
just that intelligent?”

Hearing
my retort, Kalino realized that she couldn’t speak, and she
immediately moved.

‘We’ll
have to fight after all.’

As
a mage, Ellie has little stamina and is a slow runner.

Even
if I carry her, I’ll be caught quickly so I might as well settle
things now.

“Kaaak!”

I
drop Ellie, throwing her behind me, and duck down.

-Whoosh!

Kalino’s
kick aimed at my head ended in a miss, but a follow-up came right
away, so I swerved to avoid it and counterattacked with my axe.

-Kaang!

The
axe I swung quickly with my right hand bounced off her gauntlet.

After
a few consensual exchanges, we were able to determine each other’s
power.

‘Strength.
Agility. Stamina. All evenly matched.’

The
key to victory is battle experience.

The
first to be caught off guard or off guard loses.

-Crack.

Something
shattered in the corner of my eye and I grabbed it as it slid
straight down.

The
white half-mask was split in two, centered on my forehead.

‘Shit.
I thought I dodged, but did the damage stack up?’

I
don’t even have a spare helmet now but that doesn’t mean I can
continue the battle while holding on to my half-mask.

Making
a quick judgment call, I toss the broken half-mask to the ground.

Through
the slightly wider field of vision, I could see Kalino’s face, and
her mouth was open in a daze.

The
orc’s emotions were so clear to see and after a moment of admiration,
a dark smile curved her lips.

“I
was planning on just half-killing you⋯
but it’s too much of a waste.”

Kalino’s
gauntlets puffed out smoke.

“You’re
going to be my slave.”

I
smirked and raised my axe.

“You’re
a good one.”

“You’re
a sneaky little bastard. Well, I like you better!”

-Pow!

Kalino’s
fist flew in with tremendous speed. Not to the face, but to the
stomach.

Moreover,
the power in that punch was weaker than before.

It
was a fist with the intention of ‘subduing’ me, not killing me.

‘So
it was a buffalo, not an orc.’

[Blessing
of the Hour of Judgment]

The
world slows down as I activate the blessing.

Even
in the slowed world, Kalino’s fists still came relatively fast, but
even if a fist with this much strength was hit, it could be
withstood.

I
must give flesh and take bone to ensure a more certain victory.

My
gardening axe won’t cut it, thanks to Kalino’s blessing.

That
leaves me with two options.

I
must either stun her, or subdue her with my joints.

I
already have my fist outstretched as the world is back to its normal
speed.

“Thud-!”

With
a heavy thud, Kalino’s fist slammed into my abdomen.

It
was weaker than before, but stronger than I expected.

‘Even
so, it hurts a lot less than Idelbert’s fist!!!’

I
thought, remembering how much more painful it had been.

It
had been much more painful and difficult when Idelbert had grabbed me
and choked me with her thighs.

It
was helpful to have a match with a martial artist like Kalino.

I
gritted my teeth and kept my legs strong. If I didn’t hold on, the
shot would miss.

My
patience was definitely paying off as an uppercut from my right fist
landed squarely on Kalino’s jaw.

“Ugh-!”

She
gritted her teeth and held on. The blessing of the Iron Body
prevented any direct damage, but the cost of allowing the blow to her
jaw came back to haunt her.

“⋯?!”

The
momentary weakness in her legs caused Kalino to stagger off-center.

Now
that I had given my flesh, it was time to take her bones.

I
clung to Kalino’s right arm like a cicada as she failed to collect
her fist immediately.

I
hugged her forearm tightly, wrapping my legs around her triceps.

“Moo,
what-!”

Ignoring
the desperation in her voice, I twisted away.

“Kaaaagh!”

Kalino’s
arm twisted like a wringing rag.

Completely
off-center in pain, she fell to the ground.

I
quickly repositioned myself and climbed onto her back.

Grabbing
the arm I’d just squeezed, I snapped it.

-Mmph!

Even
with her right arm completely missing and in pain, she tried to fight
back.

She
turned quickly and swung her left arm at me.

It
looked like she was trying to shake me off but in this situation, it
was like saying, “Please take care of this one too.”

I
grabbed her backward swinging left arm and pulled it towards my body.

-Aaah!

“Off!”

Kalino’s
desperate voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of her arm
snapping.

Even
so, the level difference could not be ignored.

Although
she was only a mere outlaw now, Kalino had reached level 37.

She
was the equivalent of a mid-tier explorer, and even if both her arms
were broken, she could still stand up with determination.

“Thanks
for giving me time, Oppa.”

Hmph.

I
noticed the heat from behind me and moved away from Kalino’s back.

It
was Ellie’s signature magic, Flare, the one that had half-melted a
minotaur.

Even
in the face of such magic, could the Blessing of the Iron Body do its
job?

Faced
with a fireball as powerful as the sun, Kalino was silent, then
spoke.

“⋯⋯Surrender.”

***

Kalino
chose to prolong her life, even if only for a moment, rather than end
it immediately.

After
stunning and restraining Kalino, I flopped down on the floor.

I’m
exhausted. I need to get some rest. Professor Mankostil will come
looking for me if this has gone well.

As
I sit in the deserted alleyway, staring blankly up at the sky, Ellie
waddles over and sits down a meter away from me.

“Why
are you sitting so far away, are you going to get kidnapped again?”

There
are no more outlaws to kidnap her.

I
said it jokingly, but Ellie was more flustered than I thought.

“Uh,
that’s…”

“It’s
okay, you can come closer.”

“⋯⋯”

Ellie
nodded her head in approval and immediately snuggled up next to me.

Her
slender thighs and shoulders pressed against my body, overriding my
hesitation.

The
hand that was neatly placed on the dress trembled slightly. Ellie’s
head bowed deeply.

Apparently
the shock of the kidnapping hadn’t worn off.

“It’s
okay now.”

“⋯⋯”

“The
outlaws have been subdued, and there’s no one left to kidnap you.”

There
was a moment of silence.

Even
in the stillness, we felt each other’s presence strongly.

The
feel of our bodies against each other, the temperature of our bodies,
was so clear.

“⋯Thank
you.”

After
a moment of silence, Ellie, still bowing her head, spoke.

“It’s
what you deserve.”

“Still,
I really, really appreciate it.”

The
embarrassment in her voice made me laugh out loud.

I
chuckled and stroked Ellie’s already messy hair.

And
then.

“Ugh.”

Ugh!

A
red drop of blood dripped onto the back of Ellie’s hand.

The
suddenness of the situation caused her to stop.

“Ellie?!
Are you okay?! You’re bleeding!”

“Nah,
I’m fine, it’s just a nosebleed.”

Ellie’s
hand grabbed mine.

“⋯Just
a little more⋯
please⋯”

As
she said that, she pinned my hand to her head and lifted her head
slightly.

I
could finally see her face as red as an apple and her nose that
dripped as I stroked her hair.

Her
eyes couldn’t quite meet my bare face and wandered from glance to
glance.

“He,
and⋯
ah, Mr. ⋯
Mr. ⋯”

“⋯what?”

I
replied, dumbfounded by her bewildered reaction and I saw myself
reflected back in her eyes.

Ellie’s
lips, looking even redder than usual, slowly parted.

“From
now on…can I call you Oppa…?”