Chapter 112: Graduation Ceremony (8)

Chapter 112: Graduation
Ceremony (8)

“⋯Oppa.”

“Uh.”

“Hmph.
Mister.”

“Yeah.”

“Oppa.”

“⋯That’s
enough.”

“Heehee.”

The
elf’s reddened ears twitched.

Had
she recovered?

Ellie
had brightened noticeably since I gave her permission. A level of
euphoria I’ve never seen before.

‘We
still don’t see each other much, though⋯’

Anyway,
Now I’m exhausted.

It
wasn’t even barley barley rice, but the oppa oppa mister combo that
lasted over twenty minutes made me dizzy.

Luckily,
it wasn’t long before Professor Mankostil approached from the front
door.

She
grabbed assistant Gelsia’s by the scruff of the head and strode
toward us.

“Off,
off! I’m sorry, Professor-!”

“Don’t
apologize. If you’re sorry, you’ll be a research slave in the
Academy’s underground labs for twenty years or so. You’ll serve your
time, be reformed, and go on to be a good person.”

Gelsia’s
attention was taken away by Professor Mankostil’s words. Her shrunken
form looked like she had fainted.

From
the looks of it, the case was over for them as well.

“Good
work, Professor. Have you captured Vesta? The outlaws in the ballroom
have been rounded up and held in two locations.”

“⋯Who
are you?”

I
wondered if the old woman had presbyopia.

Professor
Mankostil frowned at me for speaking.

‘Ah.
Mask.’

Professor
Mankostil only knows me in my helmet but now I was helmetless and
barefaced, my half-mask broken.

The
same bare face I’d only shown to the armored knight, Diana, and now
Ellie since my trip to this world.

“Professor.
It’s me. Balkan.”

“⋯⋯⋯Ah.
You are? Heh heh heh!”

Professor
Mankostil scrutinized my face for a long moment, and then smirked.

“Oh
my, I didn’t recognize you! Balkan, thank you for your hard work
and for doing this old woman a favor.”

Professor
Mankostil, who recognized me, smiled and thanked me.

Apparently,
the dean’s preoccupation with welcoming the second princess had
prevented her from publicizing the outlaw raid, and she felt guilty
for asking me for help.

It
was a good thing I did. For Professor Mankostil now owes me a debt of
gratitude.

I
don’t know about the other professors, but from what I’ve seen of
her, Professor Mankostil is a decent woman. She really cares about
her students.

She
was an explorer herself, so she might know something about portals
and labyrinths, and if I asked her nicely, she might be able to help
Ellie with her portal research.

‘The
results are too good for the effort.’

Just
knowing that I might be able to get help from a professor someday is
a huge benefit.

Still,
I shouldn’t make too much of this.

“No.
Why wouldn’t I want to help catch criminals who prey on students?”

“You
speak beautifully, and I’ll send you a reward as soon as we’re done.
You’re an explorer, so you’ll want something to help you explore the
Labyrinth, right?”

Professor
Mankostil smirked and offered an additional reward. A large barrel,
indeed. It was worth the trouble.

‘Anything
you can give me will be gratefully accepted.’

“But
more than that, my granddaughter is very nice, would you like to meet
her?”

“⋯Yes?”

I
stared at Professor Mankostil, dumbfounded by the suddenness of the
arrangement.

Professor
Mankostil looked rather excited.

“She’s
a bit of a slacker, you know. She needs a man who can hold her tight
and keep her in check. Besides, I heard she’s been running around
the labyrinth with the maid these days. I’m sure it’ll be a good
meeting–”

“Oh,
that, that⋯!”

Ellie,
who had been quietly listening to my conversation with Professor
Mankostil, rushed in.

“Gyo,
professor, that’s a ⋯!”

“⋯Aigo.
Didn’t you already have someone?”

“Oh,
no⋯not
exactly⋯not
yet, not yet⋯!”

Ellie
stomped her feet, not knowing what to do.

Professor
Mankostil smiled and took a step back.

“Well.
I see. Now, to get back to the point, I did catch the outlaw leader.
But she’s got some troublesome people involved.”

“You
got her⋯?”

Something
didn’t sound right. Shouldn’t you just say you caught her?

And
troublesome people? Who are you talking about?

“⋯This
is not the time to talk about it, so let’s talk about it after the
party.”

Professor
Mankostil trailed off, hinting at a later date and I nodded.

“Ah,
the party!”

Ellie’s
eyes snapped back to her body.

Her
hair was a mess. Her dress soiled. Her makeup smeared with tears. And
the dark marks of her nosebleed.

She
was in no shape to be attending a party.

Ellie’s
eyes were filled with sadness. The elf’s ears drooped.

“Don’t
worry too much.”

-Thump.

Professor
Mankostil struck the floor with her staff, and a strange bolt of
magic shot through Ellie and me.

Our
wild hair was tidied up, the dust from our dresses and suits brushed
off.

Smudged
makeup and nosebleeds were removed and replaced with fresh makeup.

“Wow!”

“It’s
beauty magic. It’s pretty useful. ⋯There’s
a minor problem with the ‘beautification’ effect all the way
down, though.”

“Eh⋯?”

Ellie,
who had been idly admiring the professor’s magic, blushed and rushed
over to him, whispering in her ear.

“Oh,
the bottom ‘beauty’. Professor⋯?!!”

“Uh-huh.”

Professor
Mankostil avoided Ellie’s gaze.

I
sneaked back, unbuckled my belt, and looked down.

Sure
enough, it had been ‘beautified’.

“Balkan,
you can wear this. It’s a little dangerous with your light makeup. I
can’t have you leading innocent graduates into false hopes.”

“Thank
you.”

I
took the white half-mask the professor handed me and put it on. The
material was quite good.

“⋯Phew.”

Ellie,
who had been squinting at me, looked straight at me.

“What’s
with the sigh?”

“It’s
just that I don’t have enough tolerance yet, so ⋯
oh, it’s nothing!”

Ellie
said and stared at my half-masked face.

“Heehee⋯”

Then
I giggle to myself.

Yuck.

“⋯!”

I
take off the half-mask, and she stares again, averting her gaze. Her
hesitation was a bonus.

I
smiled bitterly and put the half-mask back on.

Diana
too, this mother and daughter. Every time they see my bare face,
their reactions are strange.

“Kekekeke…
It’s like seeing my youth. Well then. Enjoy the party. Young
people…”

Professor
Mankostil touches Ellie with her wand, and her body tingles.

The
magic of flight, as they say. We flew toward the banquet hall at high
speed.

“Uhhhhhhhhh!”

An
embarrassed Ellie pressed down firmly on the high collar of her
floating dress to hold it down.

She
seemed to care about the lower part that had been ‘beautified’.

I
turned to Professor Mankostil to express my gratitude.

“Professor-”

“If
she grows up well, my granddaughter would make a fine concubine…
Heh heh. She’s becoming quite a tempting talent.”

“⋯?”

Swallowing
hard, Professor Mankostil waved us off.

I
nodded my thanks, then turned away again as a chill ran down my
spine.

***

“It’s
magic to detect virginity. We developed it. Of course, you can see
the number of times they’ve copulated, right? Of course, you can
also see if they’re virgins! We still need to improve it, but the
number of times they ejaculated and the amount of ejaculation will
come out as statistics⋯”

“Bitch!!!
Who are you trying to use such crude magic in front of!!!”

“Tsk,
academy graduates these days don’t even have the basics!”

“That’s
right! ⋯Student,
buy that magic later⋯”

“Hmph.
Me too⋯
actually, I’ve been wondering about the circumstances of my husband’s
affair lately⋯”

Diana
was unable to escape the baptism of questions.

Nobles
trying to get their faces on somehow, professors wanting her to take
an interest in their research, and teaching assistants and graduates
demonstrating magic that was a bit dizzying.

At
first, they were reasonable, but after almost an hour of this, her
head started to spin.

Diana,
who had somehow created an excuse to get out, smiled bitterly and
left.

“Woohoo.”

The
wine washed down her throat and she felt calmer.

‘Is
Balkan having a good time? And Ellie?’

Diana’s
mind filled with the two people she’d been thinking about the most
lately.

It
was the first time they’d both been to a social party like this, and
she wanted them to come away with something, whether it was
information or connections.

Of
course, having fun and making memories had to be the top priority.

Diana
scanned her surroundings, trying to locate them.

She
looked around the ballroom, but there was no sign of them.

‘⋯Why
can’t I see them⋯?’

Just
as Diana was asking herself this little question, she spotted Ellie
and Balkan coming in from outside the ballroom, arm in arm.

“⋯Eh?”

For
a moment, her voice was filled with panic, but she quickly calmed
down.

An
escort like that was natural for an intimate relationship, and maybe
Ellie had asked for it.

But
there was something else that stood out.

‘⋯Half-masked?’

Balkan
was wearing a half-mask, unlike when he came to the graduation
ceremony.

“⋯with⋯no,
that’s⋯heh⋯”

“Wait,
I suddenly feel weird in my lower stomach⋯
it keeps thumping⋯”

“This
is not supposed to happen⋯
I have a husband who promised to be with me for the rest of my life⋯”

“Who
is that person? Isn’t that girl next to him Ellie?”

“⋯Kidnapping.
No, no⋯
Endure⋯
No rape⋯
Endure rape⋯”

From
a corner of the tumultuous ballroom, Balkan made his way to the
balcony, ravaging the innocent wombs of the graduates and noblewomen
whose gazes he met.

In
an instant, the freed females tried to reach him, but Ellie, her arms
crossed beside him, held them back with a wide-eyed growl.

‘There
you go! Ellie, stay on top of Balkan!’

For
a moment, she clapped her hands at Ellie’s dazzling performance.

Diana
realized that Ellie’s hair had been styled much differently than she
had done for her.

Her
dress, which had been neatly arranged, was also floating slightly, as
if it had been caught in something rough.

The
same was true of Balkan. His blazer was untucked, and his tie was
slightly loose as if he had changed his clothes in a hurry.

‘⋯What
the hell?’

For
some reason, I remembered my daughter looking at Balkan with a
strange look in her eyes.

“Student.”

“Whoa,
whoa, whoa! Dee, dia-dia-ooo!”

“Don’t
make a fuss⋯!”

Diana
immediately walked over to the student, who was shoved into the
corner of the ballroom, and covered her mouth.

It
was a female student who had developed a bizarre magic called the
virgin virginity discrimination magic.

“Student
magic, I’ll take it.”

Diana
opened her purse, mesmerized.

Her
pride as the first woman of Balkan, and her responsibility as the
parent of a child, set off alarm bells.

***

Fourth
floor of the ballroom. The balcony where I hid my helmet.

It
had been quiet before the banquet began, but now there was quite a
bit of foot traffic.

“Oppa.
Here’s some wine.”

“Uh-oh.
Thank you.”

“Hee-hee.”

Ellie
accepted the wine in a champagne flute from the server and handed me
a glass.

I’m
still not used to being called oppa, but I don’t feel bad about it.

Honestly,
I’ve always resented being called Mister, even though we’re a few
years apart in age.

As
I reached for my helmet, Ellie tugged gently at the cuff of my suit
sleeve.

“Uh,
oppa. ⋯I
need to talk to you.”

I’d
had a lot of conversations with Ellie on the way here. But she’d
never been so cautious.

“Well,
I don’t want to say it in front of everyone.”

“Well,
why don’t we go to the terrace?”

“Sure.”

We
headed to the terrace, away from the prying eyes.

‘Is
that what she was going to say in the auditorium?’

Now
that I think about it, even then she was very cautious, unlike Ellie.

I
looked over at Ellie, who was looking at me hesitantly, guessing it
was advice on career, family, or my relationship with Diana.

“⋯⋯”

“What
do you want to talk about?”

“⋯⋯⋯”

To
tell or not to tell.

After
a long moment of hesitation, Ellie downed the wine in his champagne
flute in one gulp.

-Gulp.
Gulp.

The
white throat moved, and Ellie’s alcohol-addled face flushed.

Her
hand trembled as she gripped the glass tightly.

“Hey.”

“Yeah.”

“So,
be honest. I really need you to be honest with me, for the sake of
our future, because it’s really important.”

“⋯Uh,
okay.”

Her
eyes were more serious than I expected, and a possibility suddenly
dawned on me.

Ellie’s
gaze had always been strangely following me.

The
way she’d always been suspiciously close to me.

Crucially,
this time I was with Ellie and saw what she had seen.

‘No
way. Ellie⋯me?’

Seeing
her as a human female and a member of the opposite sex, rather than a
benefactor’s cute daughter, it was a very real possibility.

Suddenly,
sweat dripped from my hands like rain. I swallowed hard.

“Oppa.”

I
don’t know if it’s the moonlight or the beauty magic makeup.

As
a half-elf, she was always beautiful, but tonight, Ellie looked even
more so.

Her
lips, red as a red peach, parted cautiously.

“⋯You
had sex with my adoptive mother⋯
right?”

⋯Huh?