episode_0098

“The banquet was more normal than I expected.”

“Except for wizards, of course.”

“Well… it can’t be helped.”

Cosette and I were eating our meals in a corner of the banquet hall, looking around. We felt like we were in a restaurant where people could stand and eat rather than a banquet, and to be honest, the quality of the food itself was low, but there were a lot of simple foods and drinks, so there was a lot to enjoy.

In fact, this continent itself doesn’t have any laws against drinking, such as minors not being able to drink, so there should have been some kind of alcohol in this place, but… Perhaps the Dean was also conscious of what would happen if he brought alcohol to a place where academy students and magicians met. There wasn’t any alcohol.

And the wizards in question were enjoying a very extravagant banquet. Of course, there were many wizards who were not so extravagant. The most representative example was the handsome old man in charge of the wizards who was quietly drinking in the far corner of the banquet hall. What was his name? Anyway, the old man was neatly dressed in formal attire, so it was impossible to tell whether he was a wizard or not just by looking at him.

There were also a few other wizards walking around in plain clothes, but they weren’t the mainstream. First of all, the thing that caught my eye the most… a huge muscle-bound man, who weighed at least five people, was standing in the center of the banquet hall, showing off his muscles and sweeping up food.

He was still in the same outfit I saw him in on the first day, half naked except for a skirt-like bottom that reminded me of a warrior. He must have been a bit nervous because it was a banquet hall, but the bow tie around his neck was really… annoying.

Another person who was drawing attention was none other than Lin, who was walking around the banquet hall with a huge doll that at first glance looked like an actual corpse. It was commendable that she wasn’t swinging the doll around like before or making a scene, splattering blood everywhere, but the fact that she was carrying around something that was 80% corpse in itself was a problem.

While I was enjoying a banquet with Cosette and admiring the wizards, I heard a rustling sound from somewhere. I looked around wondering what it was, and what the hell was that? The wizard, who was usually called a new girl, a new year, a new, or something related to a new thing by the Academy students, was approaching me.

The sorceress had a rather voluptuous body, and every time the birds flapped their wings, the body that was not covered was exposed. Really, she’s not wearing anything? She’s just walking around like this? I stared at her approaching with my mouth open in surprise. Maybe she was putting on some strength for the banquet. Usually, all the birds were white, but today, they were quite colorful.

“Are you enjoying the banquet?”

“Uh.. yes, kind of.”

Probably no one, no matter who you ask, enjoys a banquet more than the magician in front of you. Most magicians seem to act incredibly freely, but I wondered how many people would be more free than the woman in front of me. Aren’t there some real magicians who walk around completely naked? Of course, I wouldn’t want to see a man.

“I’ve wanted to talk to you for so many times, but Lin is such a mess… I finally got the chance now.”

“Aha..”

The wizard spoke, looking at me with sticky eyes for some reason. I wondered if he was also quite interested in my magical power. I decided to ask him the question I had been curious about.

“What kind of research are you doing, wizard?”

“You may or may not know, but I’m researching the nature and personality of magical powers.”

“I’ve heard of that. I heard that a paper was published last year saying that those two things are not related.. By any chance?”

“Yes, that’s the paper I wrote. Unfortunately, it’s not very well-received.”

The wizard wiped his eyes sadly. And if that’s true… maybe after seeing my magical power from afar like Lin, he thought, ‘If someone has such disgusting magical power, as long as their personality isn’t really that crazy, they could be a useful test subject for my research.’ Something like that.

It was a very unpleasant misunderstanding. Whether my magic is disgusting or not is something I cannot personally confirm, so there is nothing I can do about it.. but I had a lot to say about my personality. How many people in this academy are as kind and considerate as I am? If this academy had only people like me, everyone would live peacefully without fighting.

“Oh my, I didn’t even introduce myself.. My name is Filine.”

“Yes, nice to meet you, Mr. Philine. You can call me Leah.”

We just then introduced ourselves and raised our drinks at a nearby table to have a small toast. It was only then that I noticed that Cosette had run away without anyone noticing. Well, it wasn’t because there was a bird right in front of me.

“Um.. but can I ask you one more thing?”

“Anything, as long as you promise to come see me at the top of the tower someday.”

“I can’t give you a definite answer. Anyway, what is the meaning of that outfit?”

“It’s just a hobby.”

Philine answered with a grin. That smile, without a single false note, told me it was true. I made a mental note. Philine of the Tower. Never get involved.

After a few more conversations, I glared at Cosette, who had reappeared quietly as soon as Filine left. Cosette was completely ignorant and avoided my gaze. I was annoyed, but on the other hand, I could understand why, so I sighed and put a snack-like dish of cheese and cookies in my mouth.

While savoring the sweet and salty flavor, I glanced behind me and saw Yu Gram, whose presence was almost as dead as the wall. Yu Gram, who usually dresses neatly, was wearing a dress that was about 30% more stylish than usual today, perhaps because he was conscious of the banquet. Yu Gram was really scary-looking today. Did he notice my gaze? Yu Gram pushed up his glasses and looked at me as if asking what was wrong.

It’s nothing. I just turned my gaze away from Yugram. Now that I think about it… I suddenly remembered the boy who tried to confess to me a while ago when I went to get the dress I’m wearing. I was quite annoyed and for some reason, I was a little angry, so I remembered overreacting a little.

If he had just rejected me or teased me, I wouldn’t have known, but he talked in such detail about his ideal type in front of Yugram… I didn’t think much of it at the time, but thinking about it now, it was really crazy. Did he notice? No, it would have been stranger if he didn’t notice. Who the hell is Yugram, and how smart is that guy…

I let out a deep sigh. Then, suddenly, something of enormous mass slammed into my face from the side. I moved my eyes to see what it was, and it was Cosette’s chest. Cosette, wearing an off-shoulder dress that exposed her cleavage as if to emphasize her huge chest, bent down to stretch her arms to the table, and at that moment, her violent chest touched me!

In that moment, I felt irritated and poked Cosette’s chest with both index fingers. Cosette let out an obscene moan, and for a moment, most of the people in the banquet hall looked in my direction, then realized that nothing was wrong and turned their heads again. Cosette was looking at me with a shocked expression, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Princess! What’s going on all of a sudden!?”

“What if you suddenly shoved that vicious chunk of flesh in my face? I was so surprised that I stabbed you.”

“No.. Really.”

Cosette was about to say something, but when I raised both my index fingers again, she grumbled and stopped. With this, justice was restored, and I began to eat the cookies again with a satisfied look on my face.

Cosette has been steadily growing taller and taller than me for the past few years, and her breasts have also been growing so much that I can’t tell what their limits are, but I’ve never felt jealous of that. Girls are cute when they’re a bit short, and as for breasts… um… I, I think Yu Gram likes them small, so it doesn’t matter if they’re not big, right?

I drank my drink while glancing at Yugram’s face. Even if it was a love that would never come true anyway… wouldn’t it be better if at least the appearance was to the taste of the person I loved? I suddenly watched the large muscle magician who started dancing with incredible technique in the center of the banquet hall, and the students who seemed to have caught on to the atmosphere started dancing along with him.

It was quite a sight. It wasn’t that I liked the look of the muscles, but I really liked the atmosphere where everyone was having fun, laughing and talking like fools without any complicated thoughts. It was a sight that was hard to see at the Academy. The atmosphere that started to spread like wildfire soon turned into a dance floor in most of the banquet hall, and everyone started dancing.

..Should I dance too? But Cosette had disappeared somewhere. This time, the culprit was Lin, and the two of them, with their large breasts, were holding hands and dancing in a circle. Everyone around them was looking at them with astonishment.

After drinking the glass I was holding, I placed it on the table and grabbed Yugram’s hand, who was standing behind me, and dragged him along. Yugram looked a little surprised, but obediently followed me. I whispered so that only Yugram could hear.

“How many years has it been? 5 years? 6 years?”

“..I haven’t had any dance-related classes since that day, so I guess it’s been around that long.”

I moved slowly as Yugram led me. It had been a long time since I had danced, but my body remembered it. Led by Yugram’s firm hand, I moved here and there and danced. Although it was not a particularly intense dance as an exercise that involved moving the body, I felt my body heating up for some reason. No, the reason was clear.

Because I’m dancing with Yugram. Because I’m in contact with the person I love.

‘Is this a bit of a dark thought..?’

I just smiled inwardly and continued to move. The dance became more intense, and I gradually lost sight of anything around me. I continued to move my body, feeling as if only I and Yugram existed in the world. If only this time could continue forever, if only it didn’t end like this…

The musicians seemed to have recognized the atmosphere of the banquet hall, as the tempo gradually increased. As the banquet hall heated up, and our dance became faster and more intense─our dance ended as the music reached its climax.

I was lying backwards with all my strength in my body, and Yugram was clinging to me, lowering his posture, pulling my hand with one arm, and supporting my waist with the other. If we were lovers… we were in such a close position that we could have kissed. My heart was pounding like crazy. Yugram shouldn’t have noticed, but with his hand on my back, would he be able to tell my pulse?

I looked at Yugram’s face as he came closer. From the time we first met until now, Yugram had maintained a doll-like beauty, as if she had completely avoided the passage of time. Her eyes, shining the same color as her beautiful hair, made me feel as if I was being sucked in. It felt like my whole body was being dragged into the deep sea, as if something terrible pressure was squeezing my whole body.

The more I looked, the more I couldn’t help but realize that I liked Yugram. I slowly opened my mouth.

“..Thank you always, Yugram.”

This was the limit of the emotions I could convey. After hearing what I said, Yugram slowly answered in a small voice that only I could hear.

“Yes, thank you, Princess.”

Not a lady, but a princess.

My heart ached because that title seemed to indicate that my relationship with Yugram would never change.