Fanfic: Barberian

Chapter 110: Graduation Ceremony (6)

After Balkan's conversation with Professor Mankostil.

With Diana's help, Ellie changed her dress and set her hair, then rode in the carriage to the ballroom.

"Hoo-hoo."

"...? What's wrong?"

Ellie shook her head as she saw Diana smiling faintly at her from inside the carriage.

"No. It's just that... not too long ago, I never imagined us together like this- I wanted to."

"...Ah..."

A few months ago, before their meeting with Balkan and their conversation, there was an invisible wall between Ellie and Diana.

Not being together, the physical distance, the lack of communication.

No, this was just an excuse.

Even if they had been together, they wouldn't have been able to communicate properly.

The conflict between them was a combination of Diana's inexperience as a parent and Ellie's lack of understanding of adolescence.

However, there was one person who stood between the two and filled in the gaps.

He provided an opportunity for mother and daughter to talk, and gave them the courage to try to talk by pushing them on their backs.

If it weren't for him, there would be no awkward laughter in the carriage at this moment.

"Let's keep it pure today."

"...Yes."

Ellie smiled and nodded, though she doubted she could enjoy a social party like this innocently.

"Oh my! Miss Ellie?! You look so beautiful today! When your elven blood is like this-"

"They say clothes are like wings, and they're made of Arachne silk? Oh my, even I have a hard time finding this. Such a luxurious item—"

As soon as she entered the ballroom, people recognized her. Most of them were teaching assistants or professors.

Their gazes went straight to her side.

The teaching assistants gave her a curious glance, but the professors noticed her presence.

She looked and felt different, but the professors could instinctively sense the aura underneath.

"Are you Diana Ordia?"

"Fu, you've changed a lot, haha."

"Oh my, I'm Arpo, the Labyrinth Ecologist! Miss Ellie's academic talent is nothing short of genius-"

"Well, more than that. We've been conducting research on the strange phenomena that have been occurring in the Labyrinth lately, and I was wondering if you, Ordia, might be able to help us find some prey-"

They surrounded Diana like a school of ravenous piranhas upon discovering their prey.

Ellie was quickly pushed aside.

They didn't even pay attention to Ellie beside her, their eyes fixed on Diana.

"Ellie. Why don't you go enjoy yourself first?"

Diana beckoned as she was swept away by a wave of questions, so Ellie smiled bitterly and nodded.

Despite her smile, something bad was brewing inside her.

It was a feeling called jealousy and inferiority.

These vile feelings had been eating away at Ellie's heart for the entirety of her time at the Academy.

"...But, ...now, ...it's okay."

And yet, it was okay.

-Come on, Ellie!!! You can do it!!!

I still couldn't get over that loud voice in the auditorium.

Soon after I heard it...and honestly, I still feel insanely embarrassed when I think about it.

His cry, which went beyond reaching her ears and penetrated deep into her heart, definitely changed Ellie.

In retrospect, it always had.

He recognized her as a wizard in her own right, and gave her the human encouragement that she could do it this time.

Maybe it was because of him.

"Wooo."

In one breath, Ellie emptied the bad feelings that had been simmering inside her.

Her eyes widened.

Taking a glass of wine from a busy server, she moistened her red lips and looked around the ballroom.

The only way to resolve these feelings is to meet the man who had already taken a firm hold on her heart.

"Speaking of which, Ellie, you're a half-elf. Is there a male elf inside that helm?"

"Well, I don't know about that..."

"But those muscles... don't you think that's impossible with an elf's body?"

"Yeah... I honestly felt my uterus flutter just looking at them..."

Very few people knew that Ellie was an adopted child.

Ellie pushed her way through the crowd of speculation to find Balkan.

"...Mister. I don't see you.'

Ellie's elven ears perked up and she scanned the ballroom, but Balkan was nowhere to be seen.

Sullenly, Ellie headed for the balcony to calm her nerves.

"Huh."

The wine washed down her throat, giving her a fuzzy feeling.

As much as she hated to admit it, Ellie was too weak to alcohol.

As she sipped her wine and watched the night sky turn black, she felt relaxed.

Then.

"Sis. Something's wrong. I haven't seen any of the clan members in the banquet hall before."

Along with the sound of unfamiliar footsteps, a sullen voice that sounded like it shouldn't be there came from the balcony next door.

"What was that?"

"I'm telling you. We were supposed to have at least one person on each floor of the ballroom...now, there's no one in sight except us."

"You mean the plan was discovered?"

"I think the information must have leaked out somewhere. We got Assistant Gelsia's parents, so that's unlikely, but maybe the combatants were distracted and someone overheard them and reported it... at this rate, we're going to be caught..."

"Holy shit!"

Thump!

"Hmph!"

The sound of a violent slamming against the wall startled Ellie, and he quickly crouched down, holding her breath.

The drunkenness flew away in an instant.

"..."

"..."

The shouting from the neighboring balcony diminished rapidly.

There was nothing but silence but Ellie soon heard the sound of footsteps.

Ellie's sensitive elven ears recognized the sound of the steps pounding with malice clearly.

She ducked her head in an unknown anxiety, and instinctively began to gather magic in her hands but the time was too short and a black shoe came into view as she stared at the floor.

"There's a rat hiding."

She tried to unleash her unfinished magic.

-Woof!

The magic scattered as it touched the pitch-black orb the woman in the suit had taken out.

Ellie doubted her eyes. What the hell was that?

A strange resistance to magic, like she'd felt when she'd faced the dark, mutated minotaur in the Labyrinth.

It was impenetrable unless she really concentrated.

"What the...!"

Ellie was immediately grabbed by the throat and lifted up.

"Kolok, Keuhuk..."

It was a force that Ellie, who was far from strong due to her studies, couldn't even resist.

As she was grabbed by the neck with such force, her consciousness gradually faded.

"Red hair... Red eyes... Elven ears... Could it be Ellie Ordia, the valedictorian?"

Beside Vesta, who was dressed in a suit, were two more women.

Dray, an officer of Clan Blues, and Kalino, an orc who also went by the name of Iron Ingot.

"Sister. Are you sure? It's Ordia. If you do anything wrong, they'll kill you."

Vesta pondered as she listened to Dray and Kalino's conflicting voices.

Over the years I have been dealing with [them]... [the devil worshippers] and have offered up over a hundred slaves so far.

If we fail to meet the deadline for slave delivery, we will be judged to have broken our contract and exterminated.

'If we can make this payment, our dealings with the devil worshippers will be over. Then, this [orb] will be all mine.'

This [orb] was obtained after a long and arduous struggle with such great risk allows me to control trace amounts of Magi.

Now that the Academy knows about them, everything she'd built up would be for naught, but she didn't care.

'If I can get my hands on this orb in its entirety, I can soar higher and more spectacularly than ever before.'

It might not be a bad choice to abandon life in the labyrinth city and head to Eden on the 15th floor, a land of new beginnings and a place where all kinds of people gather, with a few executives.

Vesta's gaze shifted to Ellie.

'Offering her will not only pay off the debt, but I'll also get an additional orb. A much more valuable orb than the one I'm borrowing!'

A common slave, or even hundreds of Academy students combined, would be worth less than Ellie herself.

The risks were frightening, but the rewards were even greater.

One must have the temperament of a gambler to rise to great heights.

"Don't resist if you don't want to get hurt."

-Squeak!

Vesta grinned wryly and tightened her grip.

"Kwak, kolok!"

Tears welled in Ellie's eyes and streaked down her beautiful face.

She had never been choked so hard in her life. It was so painful, and her consciousness faded into a blur.

Every time she woke up after that, her vision changed.

One moment she was in the sky, the next she was on the street, and now she was in a carriage.

"Ooooo-"

The words didn't come out right and before she knew it, she was tied up in some sort of rope.

Ellie kept her mind and body calm, though she was terrified at the danger she had never experienced before.

She tried to gather enough energy to remain undetected, but Dray, who had been clinging to her side and watching her closely, repeatedly stopped her.

"Stay down, bitch!"

Bam!

Ellie's head snapped back with a dull pain as her last-ditch effort had failed.

Ellie stared blankly into the dark sky from the covered wagon's luggage compartment.

'Was I dreaming?

She'd been so happy just a moment ago, and now she'd been plunged into a downward spiral.

The dress her adoptive mother had bought her for this day was stained with dust and dirt, and her makeup and hair were already a mess.

But this wasn't the end, this was just the beginning.

'...This is the worst.'

If only it were a dream, a terrible nightmare.

She had already fallen asleep drunk on wine, and was lying in her soft bed, having a bad dream.

"Gelsia, what's wrong, let's get going!"

"Oh, we can't leave yet, there's something seriously wrong with the carriage!"

"You fucking bitch! What the hell are you talking about when the carriage it's perfectly fine?"

"Give me a little more time..."

"We don't have time to hang around, they'll notice and catch up to us if we're any slower! We've got to get out of here as soon as we can. Don't you ever want to see your father?"

"...This shit! There's a limit to how far you can go with my parents! Firebo-crack!"

-Pfft! Pfft!

The sound of harsh words and punching from the curtained-off coachman's seat beyond the carriage reminded me that this was real.

-Thud.

After a few moments of commotion, the carriage began to roll slowly.

"Don't be so pathetic. I've seen a lot of slaves in my time, and even if they're a bitch at first, they get used to it after a few years."

Dray, who was trampling Ellie's stomach with her heel, laughed croakily, like a teacher giving a poor lesson.

Ellie cringed at the words.

A future of slavery?

She could never live like that. She had to resist.

She had to resist with all the magic she could muster.

Somehow, the tears wouldn't stop.

The faces of the people I wanted to see flashed in my mind.

My real parents, who died while exploring the Labyrinth, my adoptive mother, who took care of me like a real parent, even though we had arguments during my adolescence and him, who recognized me as a wizard in my own right.

Who told me I was needed, who told me to be brave...

"Mr. Balkan..."

"Dray-!"

A desperate voice came from the back of the wagon.

The wagon had started to roll, and someone was running after it.

"Is that your voice, Valterri?! You've been discovered, haven't you?"

"No, I just happened to see you kidnapping Ellie Ordia, so I ran full speed to catch up with you."

"Ha. Fuck. Well, that's a good thing, I could use another combatant just in case, but what the hell?"

Dray greeted the woman, Valterri, with a familiar face.

It was as if they had always known each other.

Ellie's eyes flickered as she watched Valterri climb into the wagon, taking Dray's outstretched hand.

There were more people, which meant even less chance of escape.

Ellie stared at Valterri in disbelief.

"But when I lifted you earlier, I saw that your hands were… Were they always this muscular? Is it because you're tall? And they're also incredibly heavy? Tsk. I can't tell because of the disguise artifact."

"Haha. Is that so?"

"Uhh. Well, since you're here, I'll have to check with sister first... Wait."

Pausing for a moment, Dray looked at the axe strapped to Valterri's waist and asked.

"Where did you get that axe?"

"Oh. You mean this?"

At that, Valterri casually grasped the handle of the axe and slowly drew it out.

She gently stepped her right foot out in time with the carriage's vibrations.

The axe swung sharply, as if she were demonstrating footwork but behind the all-too-natural motion Dray's throat dropped.

"I brought an axe from the garden, just in case. Don't you think it's a good one for dealing with scum?"

"Ehhh?"

Ellie let out a stupid groan and stared at the unreal thing that had happened in front of her.

A woman's head had fallen off.

In the midst of the unreality of the kidnapping, her thoughts naturally shut down as she faced something even more unreal.

Ellie's eyes naturally turned to the one who had done this.

She naturally walked over to her and broke her bindings with the blade of the axe.

"..."

Ellie was too panicked to speak.

When I saw her face, a mixture of tear-stained makeup and embarrassment, I smiled bitterly and removed the brooch from my chest.

Then the female form vanished in a flurry of color, revealing the big, muscular body Ellie had imagined every night.

Beneath the half-mask was the unfamiliar face.

She'd called him "mister" every day, so she'd expected a face full of scars and beard; however, he was cleaner and stranger than she expected, but she had no trouble recognizing him.

"I've come to save you. Ellie."

The familiar voice penetrated Ellie's mind.

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 its 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…?"

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?

Chapter 113: Graduation Ceremony (9)

Am I hearing this wrong?

Sex.

Or, in other words, copulation.

It was not a word that should have come out of Ellie's newly grown-up mouth...or rather, it was the kind of thing that could come out of her mouth.

"You had sex with my foster mom, didn't you?"

Unlike the first question, the tremor in her voice was much less pronounced in the second, as if my reaction had convinced her.

"I saw it. That night. I happened to be going to the bathroom..."

Ellie had witnessed a scene of simulated sexual activity.

Regret washed over me. I shouldn't have let my guard down that night. I should have at least kept a better eye on the door.

But it was too late to regret it now.

Ellie had already witnessed me and Diana mating, and here she was, standing in front of me, asking me if it was true.

I couldn't lie in front of her.

"Yes."

"...!"

Ellie swallowed hard when I nodded, asking if I had sex with her mom.

In fact, something similar had happened before.

The incident where Eli saw Diana's [Curse of Decadence from the Black Moon] sexual suppression and misunderstood that we were in that kind of relationship.

I had to struggle in the Labyrinth to explain it to her, but somehow, over the course of a few months, I ended up having a relationship with Diana.

In the end, my explanation that I wasn't in a relationship with Diana was in vain, as I admitted to having sex with her.

I'm sure Ellie thought it was a lie and felt betrayed by me but there was one thing that had changed.

"So, tell me one thing. Oppa."

The Ellie of today didn't run away like he did then.

Instead, she looked me in the eye and told me the truth.

"Do you think I should ... continue to think of you as my oppa, or ... think of you as my dad?"

She's asking me for my choice.

Do I continue to live my life as a guest at the inn, without a deeper relationship with Diana?

Or do I take our relationship further and become a full-fledged family.

I bowed my head and pondered Ellie's question.

'Family?'

Up until now, my family had only been my sister.

Nam So-eun, my one and only sister, my only family.

At the same time, the family I don't see now.

In a family of only two people, new people have entered the mix.

I imagined for a moment. A future with my family.

Laughing, talking, fighting every once in a while, crying over a minor misunderstanding, and then eventually reconciling and laughing happier...

That's a very good picture.

"...I'm sorry. I don't know. Ellie."

What finally came out was an indecisive answer.

Family.

I don't know the exact value and meaning of the word yet.

It's not like I'm in a position to seriously think about the future of my family, and I need to take more time to reflect and think about it.

Therefore, I couldn't answer Ellie's question quickly.

"..."

Ellie was silent for a moment, then spoke again.

"...Yes. I can just think whatever I want, right?"

"...Huh?"

Hmm.

Ellie snorted, in full snark mode.

"You said 'yes,' so I guess I'll just go with it, whether you're going to be a dad or an oppa."

Dad, with its strange paternalism and protective instincts, and oppa, with its friendly, heart-tickling quality.

Ellie declared that she would use both titles for me.

It was a way of acknowledging my relationship with Diana, but also of looking at the other possibilities for our relationship.

"...Is that okay?"

"Because I like my adoptive mom, and I like my oppa."

"..."

"You said you don't know, and we just have to like each other, don't we?"

...Right?

Ellie is right.

The rule of law, ethics, morals, and facts don't really matter.

Everything in the world is just a matter of liking each other.

To take extreme examples: incest, daughter-for-daughter mating, polygamy, 3Ps, mother-daughter rice bowls, sister rice bowls, gangbangs, etc.

You can do anything as long as you're in the right frame of mind.

I feel like I've been enlightened.

I never thought I'd find enlightenment from Ellie.

I only remembered her drunkenness and immature behavior, but she was much more mature than I thought.

"By the way, you're so mean. Was that explanation you gave in the labyrinth a lie?"

"No, I wasn't really lying back then, it just happened to be..."

"...heh..."

Ellie listened to me, her long elven ears pricked up.

She seemed to agree with me, as relationships between people can improve over something as simple as alcohol.

She told me about her shopping spree with Diana.

"Actually. I had a similar conversation with my foster mom last week."

"Really?"

You asked Diana if she had sex with me? Seriously?

I knew Ellie wasn't normal, but I didn't think she was this bad.

"My foster mom shrugged it off, just blushed."

Diana's personality wouldn't have allowed her to say in front of Ellie, "Yes, I did it with Balkan."

"Well, it wasn't really sex."

"What? What do you mean?"

Ellie asked, scratching her head.

"Well, technically, sex is when you put a cock in a pussy and bounce it around."

"...Uh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah."

Ellie blushed at my bluntness. But it was necessary for ease of explanation.

And for that, I had to reveal one of Diana's most precious secrets.

'If not to anyone else, then to her foster daughter, Ellie.'

I leaned my face close to Ellie's ear, just in case anyone could hear.

"Hmph!"

Ellie's shoulders jerked in surprise.

I whispered softly into the elf's increasingly reddened ear.

"Ms. Diana can't have sex because her pussy is blocked by a curse."

"Ew."

Ellie looked dumbfounded at hearing one of Diana's secrets.

She wondered if she had heard correctly.

"That's probably why she couldn't say it clearly."

"...Okay, wait, does that make sense?"

"Yep. You won't believe it, but it's true."

"Well, what the hell did I see..."

I gave Ellie one answer to her confused face.

"Because there are ways to have sex without penetration."

What you saw was not penetrative sex.

Ellie's eyes narrowed in confusion.

Her red eyes instinctively darted to my crotch, and when they made eye contact with mine, she flinched and averted her gaze.

"Hmph, hmph."

The corners of Ellie's mouth curled up in an odd groan.

"Foster mom, she had such a curse... she was practically a virgin... hehe."

Was it just my mood that made me think her expression was that of a female who saw an opportunity, rather than sympathy and pity for her adoptive mother?

"Well. What happens when you want to have a baby later on?"

"A baby?"

"Yes. A girl or a boy. You know, you might want to have a baby someday."

"Well. That's... hmm..."

I didn't answer easily at the sudden question.

It was hard enough for me to keep up with Diana right now.

Thinking about such a childlike question was like drinking a jar, not a bowl, of kimchi soup.

"...If you need anything. I-I could help you."

I stared at her, dumbfounded by her words.

What the hell did I just hear?

"Ellie? What did you just say?"

"Oh, I just said that if you need a child... I can help..."

Ellie's hand moved cautiously.

Fingers slid down the dress Diana had given her, and soon pressed against her lower belly, her womb.

"I don't have a curse that denies me the meaning of being a female, so, uh, I can, uh, have children."

"..."

"One, two, or as many... as you want."

I felt myself getting lightheaded as I realized that I was being hugely outnumbered by Ellie's words.

Even I, a man in my prime, was no match for Ellie, who was just coming of age and had a creative sexual appetite.

I gripped her shoulders tightly with both hands and said.

"Ellie, you shouldn't say things like that so easily, it might be misunderstood by the listener, and you should value your body more-"

"Shh, I didn't say it was easy!"

Ellie's voice carried out onto the terrace.

For a moment, my attention was drawn to her, but it was quickly dispersed.

Ellie was standing right in front of me, blocking everyone's view.

It was only then that I could see her face again.

His face flushed red. The sweet green apple flavor of the wine lingering on the corners of my mouth.

Somehow, she swallowed the wine in one gulp, as if she were finally sober.

"Ellie. You're very drunk-"

Ellie's palm, pressed against her womb, covered my lips.

Her face flushed red, she paused to catch her breath, then spoke slowly.

"...I didn't say it easily. ...I said it in front of you."

"..."

Hearing these words, I couldn't think of anything else.

Ellie looks at me.

"I like you, oppa."

Ellie's hand covering my lips dropped and red glowing eyes stared at me, to my lips, to be exact.

"...If you don't like it, stay away."

With my eyes half-closed, Ellie's magpie lips gradually moved closer.

And then beyond.

"...Uhhhhh!"

My eyes locked with Diana's, who was watching me and Ellie with a look of excitement on her face.

Chapter 114: Graduation Ceremony (10)

Balkan's lips met Ellie's.

Ellie's lips were dry, soft, and wet with moisture.

The moment of contact was very, very brief.

It was more of a peck than a kiss.

With a proud look on her face, Ellie pulled away, blushing bright red.

"...An, you ducked, oppa."

"..."

"...Can I do it one more time, please...?"

This time, Balkan approached Ellie directly.

After a moment of surprise, Ellie closed her eyes in shame.

He watched her lips curl shyly into a small smile for a moment, then swallowed them.

"...?!!"

Thinking back to the innocent kiss earlier, Ellie was startled by the sensation of her full lips being pressed together.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

Her body flinched and shuddered as she instinctively realized something was wrong.

But it was too late.

Her lips, which had been curled in a pretty line, were sucked to one side, and they parted painfully with every bite.

Balkan immediately stuck his tongue inside the parted lips.

There were no closed teeth in the way.

It was as if they were waiting for his tongue to enter.

But even then, Ellie's tongue remained awkwardly still, unable to grasp the situation.

The tip of his tongue poked at the wet, warm tongue, and Ellie's surprised tongue responded.

Ellie was curious, too. Her red tongue moved closer to Balkan's, inch by inch.

Ellie took the first step, half curious, half nervous, and immediately collapsed.

Tongue after tongue, tongue after tongue, teeth after teeth, lips after lips, Ellie's tongue immediately twitched like a rat.

"Whoop-? Whoosh-!"

Ellie's head jerked back. The price of being careless was high.

"Hehehe! Oh, shoo!"

This was not the innocent kiss Ellie had imagined.

It didn't happen in the romance novels she sometimes read.

It wasn't the shy, blushing, tickling kisses of lovers confirming each other's feelings.

It's a deep kiss from an overpowering predator, intent on reducing a woman to a mere rug female.

It was a violent kiss, not to make love, but to keep her beneath him, to dominate and subjugate.

Ellie felt like she was going to lose something precious inside her if she kept going.

A sense of crisis, as if her subconscious confidence and pride as a woman would crumble and she'd be reduced to a mere Balkan rug.

Instinctively, she pulled her mouth away and backed away.

-Squeak!

Balkan immediately slid his hands around Ellie's waist, pulling her close, pressing his firm abdomen against hers.

Naturally, Ellie's udders, wrapped in Arachne's silk dress, squeezed and rubbed against his chest.

-Ooohhhh!

Her womb, pressed tightly against Balkan's hard, muscular body, contracted and released.

Ellie felt as if something had exploded in her head at that moment.

Something hotter than fire magic, brighter than flash magic, made her head go white for a moment.

The Arachne silk dress her adoptive mother had bought her was soaked through with the intensity of her gush.

She could clearly feel the liquid running down her thighs, seeping through her shoes and between her toes, and gradually soaking the floor.

Balkan breathed in the fresh scent of the elf's flesh and the green-apple flavor of the wine pierced his nostrils.

At the same time, he could smell the damp, humid air of a female in heat.

Her sweaty red sideburns brushed her face, and her hyperventilation and exhaled breath, full of excitement, roughly struck her philtrum as Ellie's focus faded.

"...a..."

Diana stood on the balcony, dazed, watching the scene unfold before her.

Ellie, the daughter of a dead party member, the daughter she'd adopted and raised like her own, a precious little girl who she had adopted and raised like her own, even though they had fought a bit since adolescence, but they had recently been able to be together again turned into a female just now.

The technique that Balkan had honed over many awkward kisses with her was used to mercilessly ravage her own daughter.

If she hadn't raised Balkan, would her daughter not have been destroyed?

It was a pointless fantasy.

Balkan's eyes, who had been hugging Ellie's waist and giving her a rough deep kiss, turned to Diana.

Those were the eyes of a true male, crushing and dominating a woman under his feet.

KOOOOOOOOK♡.

"Huh?!"

Just by making eye contact, her womb trembled uncontrollably and pitifully.

The swollen breasts were already ready to express milk.

The intense groans coming from the terrace drew more and more attention to Balkan and Ellie.

"...Am I dreaming, now?"

"Is that... a kiss? It's not like anything I've ever done with my husband..."

"Mmm, I've heard that monsters in the Labyrinth ravish men like that."

"That's a monster. That guy is a man… How can he treat a woman so roughly, like a bitch… Whoa… Ouch, punk, the panties…!"

"...I envy...I want to be spanked like that... violently..."

A noblewoman, a freshly graduated academy graduate, a merchant who had numerous relationships.

Regardless of their status, age, or castle walls, females of childbearing age with udders and cunts instinctively watched Balkan and Ellie's sticky kiss with dazed eyes.

Some of them forgot about their bodies and the situation and slipped their hands under their skirts, or rubbed their thighs as they watched.

A kiss between two people had changed the air on all four floors of the ballroom.

Now there was no female here who could make a proper judgment.

Ellie's tongue flicked out from inside Balkan's lips, a bridge of saliva lengthening as their mouths moved further apart.

"Puhhhhhhhhh! Heh!"

Ellie, freed from Balkan's grasp, shook her head and breathed harshly.

The aggressive deep kiss lasted for twenty minutes.

The area around Ellie's lips was already smeared with saliva, which dripped from her ravaged mouth.

Embarrassment filled her red, moistened eyes as she stared up at him.

There was no sign of the magical genius he'd been accustomed to seeing.

Ellie, looking like an idiot who had forgotten the basics in the face of such an enormous shock, simply stared up at Balkan and let out a ragged breath.

After a few more smacks to the side of her lips to calm her down, Ellie finally regained her composure.

"...a..."

"I'm sorry, I was rough. Are you okay?"

"..."

Ellie's face was still dazed.

It was as if her mind hadn't fully returned to reality yet.

"...Is this what a kiss looks like?"

"Something like that. It's a kiss. I think of it as an adult kiss."

"...A grown-up kiss..."

Ellie mumbled Balkan's words for a moment, then looked up, dazed.

"Do ...other adults... kiss like this...?"

"I don't know about that. Probably not."

"...Then...I... don't think I... can kiss anyone else...now..."

Ellie replied with a somewhat dazed look on her face.

She looked down at the hem of her damp dress and at the balcony floor, where a small puddle had formed and started to seep through the bricks.

Apparently, an adult's kiss was more traumatic than she expected.

"It's okay, it's just me."

"Ahhhhhh."

The corners of Ellie's mouth twitched upward at the casual reassurance.

"...Something keeps poking me in the stomach."

"..."

No matter how many shitty experiences he'd had in this shitty world, Balkan was a man.

A woman so beautiful that you could say it's beyond common sense confessed that she liked him, and from the first confession, she kissed him on the lips, and then went further and kissed him deeply… How could he not get an erection?

"Did you get this big... because you kissed me like an adult...?"

I nodded at Ellie, who asked shyly, and she smiled back.

Ellie started to reach for my cock with female instinct, but paused.

The elf's ears twitched, and her rigid head jerked back.

"Ugh-"

Ellie's body shuddered with a panicked groan.

Oh, yes. She finally noticed.

"..."

Diana, who had fallen silent, stared at us blankly.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Not just Diana, but a whole bunch of people who were looking at us with a horny expression.

Squeak. Creak.

Ellie's face was bright red as she turned her head again like a broken machine.

"...We, we. What are we going to do...?"

I smiled bitterly and patted Ellie's head.

If you're embarrassed, you just have to be more confident.

In other words. Attack it head-on.

***

It wasn't the first time Diana had seen Balkan and Ellie like that.

Just a few months ago.

Aaaah!

-Heh!

She'd masturbated to the sound of Balkan spanking Ellie's ass and Ellie moaning in response from across the room.

That day, Diana felt a complicated mix of responsibility as a foster mother and fondness for Balkan.

At the same time, an elusive pleasure rose above the complexity of her feelings.

She felt like she was crossing a river of no return, a memory she had buried for so long.

When she saw the man, she loved kissing her foster daughter, it came back to her.

Balkan, holding Ellie's hand tightly, walked straight to Diana.

Their wombs warmed at the sight of him and Ellie kissing, and they instinctively took a step back, avoiding his gaze.

He was like a single rose.

So beautiful, you want to touch it, but it hurts to hold it in your hand.

What if she fell into his hands and degraded into a rug female.

They instinctively felt the fear that the life they had built would come crashing down around them.

"Uh, excuse me. I'm Delmitri Claudia, Claudia's top executive."

"Hmph. I am Ellieo Rohardt, second daughter of the Marquis of Rohardt. I'm just hoping to spend a little time with you."

However, there were those who approached the Balkan.

Those who would pluck the beautiful rose and keep it, even if it hurt them.

If used well, it could be of great help in the future life of an explorer, but… Balkan completely ignored them and stood in front of Diana.

"Ms. Diana."

"Hey, foster mom..."

The low, heavy bass of Balkan's voice and the panicked tone of Ellie's voice made Diana's heart sink.

But Diana forced herself to compose herself. She couldn't let herself get caught up in the moment.

As a mother of a child, as a woman who loves Balkan.

She had to keep things in perspective.

"Both of you, come with me."

So never, never, never... should she let herself be swept away by this pleasure.

Mmmmmmmmmm.

Diana said, placing a hand on her womb, which continued to pound, urging for a baby.

"...Today, you'll need to be disciplined."

Chapter 115: Graduation Ceremony (11)

On the fourth floor, where even the air was humid from Balkan and Ellie's deep kisses, it was impossible to have a sane conversation.

"Hmph, can we talk for a minute-"

"It'll only take a moment, really..."

Breaking away from the noble and merchant females clinging to Balkan, Diana immediately grabbed Ellie and Balkan and headed to the other floor.

The ballroom was noisy with the excitement of the party and they needed to find a quiet place to talk.

So, Diana headed for the least crowded place she could find: the roof of the ballroom.

Diana pushes open the tightly closed door to the roof.

-Squeak! Puck! Puck!

"That's enough, you've done it twice already!"

"Heh, heh, heh... ha, fuck, shut the fuck up and put more cock in me... ah, fuck yes...!"

Along with the sounds of flesh slamming against flesh, they could hear the shouts of the couples, who were mating stickily in the heat of the party.

"Hmph?"

Diana and Ellie opened their mouths in disbelief at the unexpected scene.

Tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk

Some daring couples were even straddling the rooftop railing and engaging in thrilling copulation.

The man, pushed against the railing, was half-stunned by the woman's aggressive teasing.

The problem was, due to the angle of the rooftop door, they were in full view of each other as soon as the door opened.

Even though the door was open, they didn't even bother to look in the direction of the door, immersed in their immediate pleasure.

I've seen them making love before, when I've come to the rooftop to hunt down the outlaws, and I've gotten a rough idea.

But now it was almost like an animal kingdom.

"What is this?"

Diana, who had witnessed the vivid mating scene, froze in shock, gripping the doorknob.

"...Heh!"

Ellie poked her head out from behind Balkan, her face filled with curiosity and embarrassment as she watched them copulate.

"Ms. Diana."

"..."

"Ms. Diana?"

"...Ah, uh, yeah."

The scene was even more traumatizing than I thought it would be.

Finally regaining her composure, Diana carefully closed the door to the roof and sighed heavily.

She turned around and looked at Balkan and Ellie with a serious face.

"Hmph. Hmph! Ellie, Balkan?"

"Yes, yes! Foster mom!"

Barely recovering from her shock, Diana coughed for attention, and a stunned Ellie replied, clutching Balkan's arm tightly.

Diana's eyes narrowed as she realized they were acting like newlyweds.

"Yes."

Balkan stared at Ellie for a moment, then answered briefly.

A lesser man would have been embarrassed, blushed, or been too embarrassed to answer.

'But Balkan is not like those men.'

Diana was well aware of that fact.

She remembered being pinned beneath him, writhing in pleasure, even if he hadn't managed to penetrate her.

Having reduced her precious foster daughter to submission as a rug female with his first kiss, he responded with a regal air, as if to say, "What's the matter?"

"...You, do you know what the hell you've been doing?"

"..."

Ellie blushed and lowered her head at Diana's question.

'I, uh, didn't mean to go that far...'

Originally, she had planned to confess her feelings and settle for a quick kiss.

That would have made her happy as if she could fly.

However, her innocent delusions were shattered by Balkan's degrading deep kiss.

Every female on the fourth floor of the ballroom witnessed Ellie's first kiss and rubbed their thighs together as they watched her fall to the rug.

"Yep. I kissed Ellie."

"Oh, oppa!"

Ellie, recalling the moment, looked at Balkan in disbelief at the frankness with which he had opened his mouth.

"...Oppa?"

Diana noticed the change in the way Ellie addressed Balkan.

She usually called him Mister. Something, something that could take their relationship further...

"Ellie confessed to me that she liked me, and I wanted to repay her for having the courage to do that."

The mother and daughter stared at Balkan, mouths agape.

She was at a loss for words, even though he had been so open and honest with her.

"Just like that day," Balkan added, glaring at Diana through his half-mask.

"Like, like that day."

Ellie shook his head at the unintelligible phrase, but Diana recognized the meaning at once.

The day she and Balkan had been bonded.

The day when, despite the curse being suppressed by Balkan's blessing, the rush of pleasure and sexual urges overwhelmed her and she nearly raped him.

It was the same day that Balkan, who had been overwhelmed, had reassured Diana and embraced her even more intensely... just as he had embraced Ellie.

"...Really?"

Diana's gaze snapped to Ellie.

It wasn't that she didn't believe Balkan's words. She just needed confirmation.

"...Yes."

With a determined look on her face, Ellie squeezed Balkan's arm a little tighter.

Balkan's arms tightened around the confidently exposed runway of her dress. Balkan, who loved breasts, offered no resistance.

Diana's mouth dropped open in disbelief as the evidence was more tangible than anything else.

Unlike Diana, who'd been a one-way street, Ellie had made a formal confession.

If it weren't for the ballroom, if there weren't anyone watching, if there weren't anyone watching at all...

Diana's gaze traveled over Balkan and Ellie's heads.

[Intercourse count: 0]

[Status: virgin]

[Intercourse count: 0]

[Status: virgin]

The number that came up with the virgin detection magic, and whether Balkan was virgin or not... didn't change.

At the thought of it, Diana's heart fluttered wildly in her chest.

As a mother, she wondered if she should give up Balkan for her precious foster daughter.

The female in her was screaming at the top of her lungs that he's her, he's her man.

As Diana wondered if she should put everything else aside and prioritize the heart of the one she loves.

All of these thoughts intertwined to create a single wish.

"...Yes. But first, listen to me, both of you. The people in this ballroom are not the ones you see in the Explorers' Quarters. These are people who have established themselves in the nobility section, and even have children in the Academy."

Diana's tone became calmer as she spoke.

Her emotions were complicated, but in the end, this was what she wanted.

'I want me, Ellie, and most of all... Balkan to be happy.'

So this reprimand was a warning of another danger.

At least it was half-masked, but what if the bare-faced Balkan had continued kissing Ellie?

Diana was sure they would have gone to any lengths to get him.

All things considered, Balkan's face was worth the blood on her hands.

"You can't show weakness in front of people like that. You never know when they'll use it against you and tear you apart."

"Yeah. I'll keep that in mind."

"Good. But don't be too scared. You can use them to your advantage."

Balkan and Ellie nodded at Diana, who was giving them serious advice.

-Chirp, chirp, chirp!

The sound of mating calls from beyond the door broke the silence.

The sound had been leaking out in bits and pieces before, but this one was particularly loud.

-Hey, how's that compared to my mom's pussy? Who feels better, huh?!"

-Uh, that, that.

-Bastard.

Even the groaning conversations were bizarre.

A family's public dildo, a mother and daughter.

I wonder what kind of situation I'd have to be in to have a conversation like that.

"..."

"..."

The mother-daughter duo's eyes turned to Balkan.

-Gulp.

The sound of swallowing came from somewhere.

Was it the mating outside the door, or was it Diana and Ellie?

I couldn't tell.

"Balkan. Ellie?"

I looked up at Diana's question, and she blushed slightly, opening her mouth cautiously.

"Well, this may be unnecessary, but I don't think it's time for you two to have sex."

"What?"

"Well, it's not that I don't have other ideas, but Ellie's just come of age, and I think she needs a little more time to settle down."

"..."

"And even if she does, she might lose her mind like she did earlier. Don't you think she needs someone to be there for her?"

Parental concern, or a nagging desire to take all the firsts of a loved one?

"Well, yes, I can always be there to teach her and help her...!"

Diana rambled on, trying to experience every single sexual experience her daughter would ever have, and implying that she would be in bed with her.

"Sex, sex, sex, sex, sex!"

Ellie, who hadn't even thought of it that far, blushed.

"...I'm still a little immature, so... hey, if my foster mom can help me, even more..."

Ellie nodded, mesmerized by the memory of a female climax in a single deep kiss.

Balkan was a male she would never be able to handle on her own.

Diana's words were certainly convincing.

The two females' gazes turned to Balkan once more.

"Oh, oppa. I need to talk to my foster mom for a minute."

"Hoo-hoo. Now that we're on the same page, Balkan, would you mind letting us have a mother-daughter chat for a moment?"

The mother and daughter laughed awkwardly, and Balkan laughed bitterly.

'Something's going on here.'

But they already seemed to be in sync so it's hard to tell.

-Hey, stepmom, the order is...

-I, I have a curse, so I'm a little bit...

-Well, then I'll go first...?!

I made my way back to the fourth floor, listening to the muffled conversation behind me.

Despite my short time on the roof, the faces on the fourth floor had changed.

As I passed the strangely crowded women's restroom and headed toward the balcony where I'd stashed my helmet, I caught sight of an unfamiliar figure.

A pale-faced, blond wallflower in a wheelchair.

The girl looked up at me, realizing I was there, and then immediately dropped her head.

"...Ah. This, this, this... Are you the owner...?"

In the girl's awkwardly extended hand was the helmet she had been hiding.

However, I was more concerned with the girl's voice than the helmet.

The voice was shaky, but sweet, penetrating my brain as soon as I heard it.

I had heard this voice before.

"...Armored Knight?"

The first benefactor who saved me, the armored knight.

The girl's voice was the same as hers.

Chapter 116: Second Princess Celsia

Armored Knight.

She saved my life after a life-and-death battle in a goblin nest shortly after I was transported on the first floor of the Labyrinth.

With the help of the healing potions, antidotes, and maps she handed me, I was able to survive the treacherous Labyrinth as a commoner.

It was a powerful memory that I'll never forget, and I still remember it vividly to this day.

'No wonder I even did a naked dogeza to express my gratitude.'

Well, it was more of an accident.

Technically, the armored knight had seen me naked before Diana did.

Anyway,

The memory of the armored knight was still vivid, and I could still remember her voice clearly.

"...Armored Knight?"

The sickly-looking girl in front of me had the same voice as the armored knight.

However, the mood was slightly different.

-Hmph.

The girl's body twitched at the sound of my voice, and her eyes turned to me once more.

In a wall of green that blended harmoniously with her luxurious blonde hair.

Rattling...

The girl's eyes began to tremble like an earthquake as she looked at me.

She immediately bowed her head deeply.

As I went down the exposed crown of her head, her reddened earlobes were revealed.

"Ah, ah, ah, no, ugh, ah, no, that's not it...?"

A very different tone of voice from the armored knight who had been so proud, smirking, confident, and yet strangely coy.

It wasn't just that she spoke slowly, it was that she kept stuttering and chewing her tongue.

Even if you brought a nerd who couldn't talk to anyone at school, he would speak more fluently than this girl.

'It's not just the way she speaks, it's the height difference.'

The armored knight wore heavy, full-plate armor that covered her face as well as her joints.

She was about my height. At least two meters tall.

If it weren't for her bizarrely large chest armor, and her voice, which was ecstatically beautiful to listen to, I could have easily mistaken her for a man.

I stared down at the girl, her head bowed, unable to make eye contact with me.

'...Eh?'

I can't be sure because I'm sitting down, but I'm guessing she's no taller than 150cm even with her feet up.

Her meager breasts barely accentuated her femininity, which only looked like a snort compared to the huge chest armor.

On the other hand, her thighs and buttocks, which were slightly pressed by sitting in a wheelchair, were full.

Overall, it was a female body optimized for the field, so it definitely had a girlish charm, but...

The impression was very different from the armored knight I thought of.

'Is it someone else?'

She can't even wear that kind of armor with her body.

"I, I don't know, I'm not an armored knight or anything... I don't know..."

The girl stammered awkwardly, denying my question.

Was it just my imagination that their voices sounded the same?

But I didn't give up easily.

"Then, are you the White Royal Knight?"

"...!"

The White Royal Knight, that's what the armored knight who didn't want to reveal her name called herself.

It was a pseudonym with the sensibility of a second grader, but the girl's eyes widened ever so slightly when she heard it.

She immediately avoided my gaze.

"...Such a thing. Mo, I don't know..."

I wondered if she hadn't heard of it, or if she knew but was pretending not to.

I couldn't tell because she was too introspective.

Besides, it didn't seem like a good idea to push her further when she was already saying no.

Much to my dismay, I took a step back from the girl.

"I'm sorry I kept asking. You sound exactly like someone I know."

"..."

"I owe her my life, I'm very grateful to her, but I must be mistaken. Oh, thank you for the helmet."

I was about to take the helmet from the girl's hand when she spoke up.

"...That, that..."

"What?"

"...That, that's what I did in hopes of ...something... I don't think so..."

"..."

"I, uh, don't, uh, need to, uh, go, go, go, go looking for, uh, repay the favor."

I frowned at the girl's rambling.

What was she talking about all of a sudden?

Puzzled, I tried to interpret the meaning of her words.

"The 2nd Princess has made her appearance on the 1st floor!!!"

"I, really?! Princess Celsia?"

"Isn't this the first time the 2nd Princess has made an appearance here?"

"She hasn't been out in public for a few years now, and she's very secretive."

"I've heard she's very tall."

"It's not just her height, it's also her, uh, woman's symbol... Hmmmm. Let's go!"

There was a great commotion around me as everyone rushed downstairs with great excitement.

They were so eager to meet the princess that they didn't care about their surroundings.

-bang!

In the age of barbarism, it was more important to take care of one's own interests than to consider a girl in a wheelchair.

"Kaak?!"

The girl's wheelchair crashed into the crowd of people coming and going, but very few people cared.

The girl stiffened, unable to do anything about it, and gripped the wheelchair tightly.

At that rate, she was going to hit her face on the floor and hurt herself badly.

I ran straight to the girl.

I grabbed the handle of the tilting wheelchair to steady myself, and then caught her with one hand as her hips separated and she fell.

Her scanty breasts and light weight pressed against my arm.

"Are you okay?"

I picked her up safely. Luckily, she wasn't too badly hurt.

"...a..."

The girl in my arms slumped to the ground.

Her body seemed to relax as the situation calmed down.

She hugged her legs and looked at me with a dazed face.

I looked at her, too.

As I felt myself being sucked into the green glowing wall, the status window popped up.

[Celsia de ■■■■■ LV.5■]

[Celsia's current Blessings and Curses: 3]

[◆ ■■ ■■ He■ Magic■■ Blessing]

– You gain immense magical talent in proportion to your existing physical abilities.

– Magic control power is permanently increased. You acquire chantless casting.

A censored status window pops up with brief information.

She has a blessing that is quite high level and looks quite deceptive.

She rolled well in the Labyrinth.

'A blessing that sounds a lot like Jeremy's.'

Jeremy lost two centimeters of something that looked more like a clitoris than a dick and gained the experience bonus blessing of becoming a woman.

The girl in front of me had gained magical talent in exchange for physical abilities.

My gaze went straight to her name.

'Celsia?'

Didn't someone say the second princess was named Celsia, or was it a simple homonym?

"Can you get up?"

"...Ah. Uh, umm."

Recovering her senses at my question, Celsia tried to stand up on her own, but she fell back down again and again.

It was as if her strength had been knocked out of her.

"Do you mind if I help you?"

After a moment's hesitation, Celsia nodded, hanging her head in embarrassment.

Swoosh!

"HEEEEEE!"

As I slipped my arm between her legs...between her thighs and calves...to lift her up, she choked out a cute little squeal.

I carefully lifted her up.

She's light. Maybe 50 kilograms?

I could easily lift her with one hand.

Settled into the wheelchair, Celsia gingerly lowered her head.

"I did what I had to do."

No matter how used to the cold, ruthless world I've become, I wasn't so depraved as to turn on a frail girl in a wheelchair.

"...Natural, work..."

Celsia heard me and nodded, her face blank. I then asked her.

"By the way, what was that thing you said earlier-?"

"Oh, that, that, that, that...? Just forget about it...! That, that, and this!"

Celsia stammered and held the helm out to me.

She held on to it even as she fell.

I smiled bitterly and took the helm.

-Clunk.

When I placed the helmet on my head and looked around.

Celsia had vanished without a trace.

***

Inside a carriage with the royal mark.

"Huhhhhh..."

A super-high-level magic that can be used only once every six months, transcending dimensions.

After using the teleportation, Celsia immediately laid down on the plush cushions.

The sensations were strangely dull.

Fatigue overtook her, and she wrapped several blankets around herself.

Getting some rest was more important than fixing her wrinkled dress.

With her face buried in the blankets, Celsia muttered quietly.

"It was dangerous..."

The voice that emerged did not tremble or bow with anxiety.

On the contrary, it was filled with a strange dignity.

The enemy of the hikikomori in the corner of the room is fancy banquets and crowded people. Since there is no one around, even his voice does not tremble.

TLN: A form of severe social withdrawal, called hikikomori, has been frequently described in Japan and is characterized by adolescents and young adults who become recluses in their parents' homes, unable to work or go to school for months or years.

"I never thought I'd see him at a banquet."

The young man she had saved from the labyrinth.

It had been half a year ago, but the memory of that day was still clear.

She didn't know his name or his age.

His voice, his face, the way he bowed naked to her, and the monstrous thing wiggling frighteningly in his pants, were all burned into Celsia's mind.

'Still, it's good to see that you've grown up well...'

She was worried that he would get into trouble because of his face, and she even advised him, but if he can get into the Academy's banquet hall, he must be doing well.

She was forced to go to a banquet she didn't want to go to, but she was glad she met him.

"...I wish we could have met in the Labyrinth."

Celsia felt melancholy.

She had looked forward to meeting him, but she hadn't wanted to meet him in her true form outside the Labyrinth.

The real her was so meager and shabby so she shook her head desperately at his searching words.

She wasn't ready for it yet but a rush of regret washed over her.

If only she had admitted it... if only things had been different.

Just as she was thinking about it, there was a commotion outside the carriage.

"It was an honor to see you! Your Highness, Second Princess!"

"Next time, we will organize a more perfect graduation ceremony!"

The academy dignitaries and the Dean's flattery were like scabs nearly settled in her ears.

Celia cleared her throat and muttered in a small voice.

"Haha. Okay. I was expecting that."

Her voice echoed softly inside the carriage and loudly and proudly outside.

After the chorus of admiring voices died down, the door opened outside the carriage.

– clang.

A two-meter white armored figure slid through the door with ease and sat down in front of Celsia.

""You may rest.""

Celsia's voice overlapped with the voice that protruded from the armor's throat.

-snap.

The armor sagged as if a thread had snapped at Celsia's command.

Celsia pulled off the armor's helm and where a face should have been, there was nothing.

It wasn't just the face. The inside of the armor, where human flesh should have been, was literally an empty tin can.

This armor was remotely controlled by Celsia.

Or, more accurately, the armor she once wore.

Sighing, Celsia opened a subspace and pulled out a piece of paper.

It was written by Serif, a holy priestess of the temple who had once been a member of the same party, and contained the details of a blessing.

[◆ The blessing of the sloppy wizard]

– Lose your existing physical abilities and gain immense magical talent.

– J cup to A cup, 198cm to 143cm, increased magical control and the acquisition of chantless casting.

P.S. How does it feel to go from looking down to looking up every day? Phew.

-Sigh.

It was a blessing that made her sigh no matter how many times she saw it, but its effect was so good that she couldn't easily get rid of it.

She's in a wheelchair because it's awkward to walk because of the mismatch with her old body, but that's not a big deal.

The biggest problem is that this blessing has also affected her personality.

She became extremely timid around people and couldn't speak properly.

She literally became a sham.

However, once the barrier was lowered through the armor, she was able to communicate as before.

It's been five years since she's been holed up in a corner of the royal palace, controlling the armor.

Fortunately, few people know the tiny creature she is now, but one day she would have to make a choice.

'Do I stay this tiny, insignificant creature for the rest of my life or regain my original body?'

"...Haahhhh."

Celsia turned her gaze away from the window, worried about her future.

Soon, the banquet was over.