079 – I’m an idiot…

Professor Leyton was looking at me with a gaze that subtly approved of me.

“…”

There’s a rumor going around that a minor is being intimidated by some adult male… you know??

And that minor is your daughter, you know???

Why are you looking at me with such a trusting gaze, you know????

There’s a malicious rumor going around that I’m doing… *that* to your daughter…!

“Lillian says it’s alright too.”

“…When did I?”

“Father approves.”

The two parties involved hadn’t even agreed, yet her parents were already on board.

What in the… I briefly pondered what I could have done to earn Professor Layton’s favor to this extent.

Realizing the conversation was veering off course, I decided to bring it back to the original topic.

“In the history of humankind, not a single person has possessed four Aether Cores.”

Four Aether Cores, indeed.

In reality, Lillian Isoleide was the only one to have even two or more Aether Cores within her.

“Without precedent, we simply cannot know what side effects will arise when a fourth Aether Core is formed within Miss Lillian’s body.”

Whether her body would remain intact with four or more cores, or shatter into pieces…

Lillian Isoleide, who had come of age at the Arcane Campus, hadn’t undergone a fourth evolution.

For now, based on the knowledge I possess, I decided to trust the Lillian Isoleide of the future.

“I’ll just become the first, then!”

“If you so desperately desire to create one, how about this condition?”

“What is it?”

“22 years old. Until Miss Lillian Isoleide turns 22, she will not create any new cores within her body. Creating them in secret is also forbidden.”

“…!”

“In exchange, if she still wishes to create more Aether Cores within her body upon turning 22… I will allow her to create as many as she desires at that time. Five, six, however many she wishes.”

“Really?”

“Of course. However, continuous research in this field must be maintained.”

“I can do that well!”

With this condition, I was satisfied knowing I wouldn’t have to create an Aether Core within Lillian’s body right away.

And Lillian, who could comfortably create dozens of Aether Cores within her body in the future, seven years from now, also found it a satisfactory deal.

“So, you’re saying you’ll remain by my side for at least seven years?”

Professor Layton seemed satisfied in a different sense…

Everyone had achieved a satisfying outcome, so now it was time to rescue the two ladies trapped in the stuffy restroom.

“Well then, with a conclusion reached, I shall get some sleep.”

“Sorry for the sudden visit at this late hour. As an apology, my daughter has offered to give you this elixir.”

“…I never said anything like that, Father?”

“Let’s go.”

“No, wait a moment…! H-half a bottle at least…! Mine…!”

*dragging sound*

Lillian Isoleide was being dragged away by her professor father.

The girl, however, was quite upset that she couldn’t recover the elixir she had worked so hard to obtain.

Using all her hand and foot gestures, she gave a little taunt, making it clear that I would enjoy the elixir.

“Grrr…!”

I saw the father and daughter off.

And as soon as Lillian Isoleide and Professor Layton left the room…

Knock knock knock.

“Are you alright?”

I opened the bathroom door, intending to help the Lady Ella, who had been waiting with such difficulty.

“Shhh. The Mistress is asleep.”

Even in that terribly uncomfortable bathtub, I could see Ella sleeping as peacefully as could be.

It didn’t seem like she’d been in the bathroom for that long, but within that short time, she’d fallen fast asleep.

Perhaps the political battles with the Client Duchy had kept her from getting proper rest for too long.

Anyone could see it was an awkward position, yet she slept so gracefully.

Snooze…snooze…

I gently lifted Ella, sound asleep as if the world could turn upside down and she wouldn’t know, and laid her on the bed.

Then, with a watchful eye on Isabella, I requested that she go to Ella’s bedchamber.

“What would you do without me?”

“You know it’s not like that.”

“If you’re going to do it, you have to do it in front of me. Got it?”

“Good heavens…a pet trying to watch its master fornicate…”

“Really! If you do it when I’m not there, I’ll be completely sulky.”

“Hurry along. We need to send Lady Ella off and then you can sleep with me, right?”

“Yes!”

Having quickly sent Isabella off, who was so vehemently protesting against me coupling with Ella.

I began to softly stroke the sleeping woman’s hair.

“Hee…”

Spending a few moments stroking the hair of the woman whose very sleep-talking was lovely.

Barely five minutes had passed before I could see, via my watchful eye, that Isabella was lying on the bed in Ella’s room.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep well.”

*Kiss*

The ruthlessly devious kidnapper pressed his lips to the woman’s forehead without permission, then swapped the positions of his pet and the Lady.

“Kidnapping.”

With Ella now back in her own bedchamber.

It was time for us to get to sleep as well.

“Well, shall we sleep now too?”

Extinguishing the light as naturally as possible, I was about to get into bed with Isabella when…

“I’ll do what you couldn’t do with the Mistress, instead.”

Isabella, who was slowly beginning to transform into her human form, tried to pounce on me.

“Sleep.”

“I’ll devour the Master tasti… nyaa…”

Without a shred of hesitation, I immediately lulled the woman before me into slumber.

Perhaps because I had forcibly put her to sleep just before the Animagus transformation completed…

“…Oh.”

Thanks to that, I could see Isabella in a perfect beastkin form – with ears and a tail, yet still possessing a human shape.

“Inhale…”

Fuzzy, fluffy ears, and a beautiful girl’s face on top of it all…

The slivers of snow-white tail peeking out from her lower body…

“Pull yourself together, Mihan.”

Quickly, I pulled the blanket up, covering Isabella-ssi’s form.

Then, as if nothing had happened, I closed my eyes once more.

If I looked at Isabella-ssi any longer…

I felt as though I would unleash the desires I couldn’t sate with Ella-ssi earlier today.

“One sheep… Two sheep…”

In my mind, I began counting sheep, the universal ritual for sleep…

“Isabella-ssi, one sheep… Oh, Isabella-ssi is here, without her clothes on?”

Hmm.

This won’t do.

“Intrusion, Sleep.”

It was fortunate indeed that the Sleep skill worked on me as well.

If it hadn’t, I would have become a furry lover tonight.

…

A new rumor began to circulate through the academy.

The rumor of Professor Leighton punishing the lolicon, Mihan.

This rumor had spread thanks to students who witnessed the professor leaving my room in the early hours of the morning.

And more people than I expected seemed to believe it.

“Look how quiet he’s become.”

“He finally knows his place.”

Simply by sitting quietly in the lecture hall as I always did,

whispers circulated that I had received a proper lesson, that people only learn when they are disciplined, and other such nonsense.

‘Hmm.’

However, no matter what those around me murmured, it was nothing to me.

I was preoccupied with a serious dilemma, so their chatter went unheard…

‘What weapon should I use?’

That was it precisely: What weapon should I use in tomorrow’s duel?

‘Fighting barehanded would be truly foolish.’

For the past two months, my weapon of choice had been the dagger.

Professor Leighton had gifted me an item used by a deceased colleague…

But I had buried that dagger in the thigh of the Duke Client’s family head not long ago, so I no longer possessed a dagger.

‘Why did I send it off with the dagger still in him? I should have pulled it out first…’

Of course, in the academy’s duels, lower-year students were required to use mock weapons.

So, if I requested a dagger, I would be provided with a mock one…

‘But I’d probably end up getting killed awkwardly while trying to use a dagger I don’t know how to wield.’

To land an effective blow with a short-reaching dagger,

one had to either ambush the opponent unawares or close the distance with great speed.

However, given the nature of the mock duel, taking place in full view of everyone, imitating an assassin using stealth skills was out of the question.

And how fast could I possibly be to close the gap between me and my opponent?

‘Haa… nothing good comes to mind… Gun-fu? Right. Me? I’m, like, freakishly good at gun-fu.’

If only I had a K2 assault rifle, there’d be nothing to fear.

Sadly, this nation had a mastery of fist-fu, but gun-fu remained stubbornly absent…

‘Don’t talk nonsense and think, dammit! I can’t exactly bring Isabella as a familiar, claiming her as a weapon, to a sparring match…!’

I racked my brain trying to decide what weapon I should use in the practice duel.

And the result of all that agonizing was…

…

“I’m an idiot…”

I glanced around at the students, each clutching their chosen weapon, awaiting their turn.

Given the sheer number of impressive figures mixed in with the spectators who came to watch the sparring matches…

You could see an overwhelming tension etched onto the students’ faces.

“His Majesty is here too! If I can make a good impression this time, maybe I could become a member of the Knights Templar… or at least a candidate?”

“The Pope even graced us with his presence, I’ve been prepping hard to join the Battle Priests… aaa… if I had known, I would have prepared even more…”

Unlike them, I sat alone in a completely empty chair, weaponless.

‘…Should have just said I’d use a sword.’

The difference between someone armed and someone unarmed was undeniably vast.

Doesn’t that saying go something like this?

If a thug you meet on the street has a weapon, don’t even think about fighting, just run.

The presence of armaments provides a whole new level of advantage in a sparring match…

‘No… using something I don’t know well will expose me… and then I’m really screwed.’

The current audience watching the sparring matches was packed with individuals who had reached the apex of weapon mastery.

If I clumsily used a weapon… even if I won the duel…

I’d only invite ridicule from the crowd.

Boxing, wrestling, judo, taekwondo, karate, Ssireum, Muay Thai, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, mixed martial arts, and even Drunken Fist.

I was forced to choose hand-to-hand combat, where countless styles of bare-handed fighting existed.

That way, if I displayed body movements that made no sense to others, I could at least feign Drunken Fist to gloss over things.

‘If only Isabella was here right now… I could use some frantic petting to relieve my tension…’

For a slightly different reason, of course.

Like the other students, I waited for my turn with a slight feeling of tension…

A moment later, I heard my name called by a professor.

“Yes.”

I tried my best to calm my pounding heart as I walked onto the mock dueling arena, observed by hundreds.

—

Deon Cocaine (21)

—

‘…That b*stard.’

As I stepped onto the dueling arena…

Standing opposite me was the student who had hurled insults at me, about how I should simply live up to my name.

‘I didn’t crush his limbs because I was too busy thinking about spending my first night with Ella…’

I blamed myself for not taking care of it in advance, controlled by my lust.

I began circulating the Ether slowly within myself.

‘Just don’t end up looking pathetic.’

I wouldn’t want to be embarrassed in front of the acquaintances watching me.

In this moment, I resolved to do my best and observed my opponent.

*Beep-*

The whistle blew, signaling the start of the mock duel.

Seeing the student charging toward me, I realized:

‘…Is that all? That’s slow.’

It seemed today’s duels wouldn’t be too difficult after all.

*

The academy’s dueling grounds were filled with members of noble houses, merchant guilds, and influential social figures.

With twelve matches proceeding simultaneously, everyone was busy watching either a student they had their eye on or one who had distinguished themselves in a previous match.

“The Uncle is out!”

“Yeah, my dad’s friend too.”

The Frontier Count, the Emperor and his daughter, the Pope, and the Archmage.

The four most influential figures in the magic kingdom were focused on a single dueling ring.

Of course.

Not one of them was visiting the academy in order to replenish their depleted ranks.