The Academy’s Crude Pink-Haired Martial Artist

Ophelia’s words could also be a lie.

My guess may have been off from the start, completely flowing in a different direction.

However, that doesn’t mean I plan to deny my assumptions so far. I’ll just leave a tiny possibility that it might not be true.

In any case, the conclusion has been reached.

Uje is the enemy.

So, what about the other pillars?

First, let’s discuss two people: Leona and Flame Sovereign.

Leona wants to kill the Demon King. The killing intent and hatred she emitted back then were real.

What about Flame Sovereign? That human… I’m not sure. For now, I don’t think he’s an enemy, but he doesn’t seem like an ally either.

As for Uje, who knows, but it’s almost certain he’ll become an enemy later.

As for the remaining three: Amzon, Gwi-Chang, and Sword Empress. I have no idea about them. There’s no information available. However, I do know they’ve interacted quite a bit with Uje.

If I were to think of a simple guess, it seems like four of the six pillars have teamed up with the Demon Race.

“This country is a mess. Well, it was like that 400 years ago too.”

I bitterly laughed and hugged my knees.

In the bathtub, with the bath salts dissolving in the greenish water, I wiggled my toes.

The sound of rippling water in the quiet atmosphere was pleasant.

After chatting a few more words, I sent Ophelia away. Not empty-handed, though.

I gave her a new request.

This time, information about the Holy Kingdom.

Whatever it is, I asked her to neatly summarize the events of the Holy Kingdom from 400 years ago to the present.

She said it would take at least four months due to the vast amount of information, so I told her I’d twist her arm, and she reduced it to three months.

I wondered if twisting her arm would shorten it further, but three months didn’t seem too late, so I accepted it.

By then, it would roughly be summer break, which means I could receive the information and visit the Holy Kingdom.

Then, during winter break, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take Pina up north once.

The northern region, adjacent to the Demon Realm. The place has the Qingbing Palace.

They say the Grand Duke of Bennecker gets along well with Dad, so I’d likely be treated quite well even if I went.

And if I’m lucky, I might be able to get closer to Gebihenum with the help of the Grand Duke of Bennecker…

Gebihenum?

“Oh. Club.”

By the way, that Stella girl.

I wonder if she found our club’s supervising professor.

I had been so busy lately that I hadn’t paid attention to it.

When was the deadline again? Had it already passed?

“…Hmm. Did she not find one?”

I roughly wiped the water off my hands and called Stella for a voice conversation using my device.

Drr-drr-drr – the ringing sound passed three times.

[…Eliaernes?]

I heard Stella’s somewhat puzzled voice.

“Hey.”

[Why, why? Why are you calling me so late at night?]

Then, bang bang! a ruckus started coming from behind Stella.

“Did you find our club’s supervising professor?”

The noise came to a sudden halt.

Then a defeated-sounding voice from Stella.

[…What? Was that what you were gonna ask?]

“Yeah.”

[I thought… tsk.]

“What’s with the tsk? So, what happened? Did you find one?”

I heard rustling sounds, like Stella was lying back down, followed by a tiny sigh.

[Ugh… Hmm, yeah. I did find one. But, well…]

There was a pause, and I could hear Stella’s lips smacking. Then she sighed again and opened her mouth.

[Never mind that. I got one anyway. The club starts next Thursday. Of course, I’ll tell you again before it starts, but just so you know.]

“Alright then. Got it.”

[But, what are you doing that makes your voice sound like this?]

“I just finished my period and am taking a half-body bath.”

Half-body bathing. A luxurious bath I couldn’t enjoy often in my previous life.

Didn’t I enjoy it often? No. I’ve hardly done it even a handful of times.

Because of this, I didn’t even know that I liked half-body baths. Maybe it’s because I have this body now.

In any case, I hadn’t taken a half-body bath in an entire week, when I usually do it at least every other day.

Actually, I could have done it starting from the fourth day after, but I waited for it to be completely over, just in case.

So today, I’m enjoying it a bit leisurely.

[…Hah.]

I heard a startled breath, and Stella fell silent for a moment.

[You’re… taking a bath…? You called me while bathing?]

“Would I call you while peeing?”

[Ugh… don’t say such dirty things.]

Rustle rustle– I could hear her moving on the bed again, and Stella’s voice was much quieter.

[…I took a bath too.]

“What’s there to brag about? It’s natural to bathe every day.”

[W-wait! I’m not bragging?! Just… that’s just how it is! And, I also… bathe every day! N-now…!]

“Right. You’re finally somewhat human. You’d be perfect if you didn’t pee your pants.”

Giggle giggle– I laughed while teasing Stella, and at that moment, I heard her scream, Gwaaaaaah!

Ding dong – the bell rang.

[W-what? Who’s at my door?]

“It’s not your room; it’s mine, you idiot.”

[Oh, really? But idiot? That could be confusing! So, who’s come over?]

“Hmm. Doesn’t seem like anyone would visit.”

As I said that, I got out of the bathtub.

Water droplets splashed down my delicate curves with my movement.

I could hear the soft thud of my bare foot stepping onto the bathroom tiles.

[…Did you get up?]

“Yeah.”

Next, I rolled a towel around my head.

My long, wet hair felt heavy, and I didn’t like the idea of dripping water on the floor.

[Why…?]

“Why do you ask? I need to see who it is.”

[Then, make sure to dress properly…!]

“I’ll handle it, so just hang up now.”

[Hang up? No way. I need to know who’s here.]

“What are you going to do with that information?”

With that, I set my device down for a moment and casually threw on a bathrobe.

Normally, it would be more comfortable to dry off the parts that get folded, like armpits or between my thighs before putting it on, but since someone’s waiting, I wore it as is.

Then I picked up the device again.

Stella was still chattering away.

Whether she noticed it or not, someone outside called for me.

-Young Lady!

A bright, cheerful, and transparent voice flowed in through the intercom.

“What is it? Yurasia?”

[W-what?! Is that Yurasia?]

Why did Yurasia suddenly come over?

Does she have something important to say?

[Yurasia, why are you…? Hot, wait! Eliaernes! I-I wanna go—]

“Ugh, so noisy.”

I cut off the call with Stella and opened the door.

“What’s the occasion?”

“Hehe, good evening!”

Yurasia, with a load of late-night snacks, smiled brightly.

*

“Ugh… what if I gain weight after eating all this?”

“What’s the point of regretting it after you’ve eaten? And this amount is fine. Considering how much we exercise, we need to eat three times this to gain weight!”

Giggle giggle – I laughed while picking out the bits stuck in my teeth with a toothpick, patting my belly.

“Wow, Young Lady, your posture totally looks like an old man right now.”

“As if there’s anything you can’t say to me now…”

Of course, I don’t really mind.

In fact, this kind of atmosphere feels comfortable.

“Hehe.”

Yurasia knows how I think, which is why she’s laughing playfully like this.

“So, you didn’t just come to eat late-night snacks. What’s up?”

“No? I just came over for snacks.”

“What? Then why are you here?”

At my words, Yurasia blinked in surprise.

“We agreed to sleep together today!”

[Ugh… I knew it… I should have known…]

Stella’s voice came through the device along with Yurasia’s words.

[If only I moved a bit faster…!]

Stella couldn’t make it to my room.

As soon as Stella stepped out of her room, she got caught by Mikel, the maid, right at the curfew.

After that, of course, she got scolded a lot. On top of that, she couldn’t come out again, or she’d get punished!

So, here we are.

While video chatting, Stella could only watch us enjoy our snacks.

“What’s the use of saying that anyway? I won’t open the door if you come over.”

[W-what?! Hey! If I go, will you not open the door?!]

“Who knows?”

I stuck my tongue out at Stella, who was making a scrunched-up face on the device, and looked at Yurasia.

“So, Yurasia, are you saying you came over to sleep? With a toothbrush even?”

“Yes! I can’t use Young Lady’s toothbrush!”

Riise riise– Yurasia answered, beaming.

And Stella was aghast.

[Oh my… A toothbrush?]

“See? Yurasia’s better than you! You came over with just some ugly pillow and no toothbrush!”

[…]

“That’s a pillow my mom bought when I was a kid!”

“Look closely; it does have a cute side to it. It’s soft, too.”

I quickly added that.

Then Yurasia, who had been listening to our banter, tilted her head.

“But Young Lady doesn’t have a spare pillow?”

“None, right? Aren’t they usually just one each?”

“That’s… true. But I brought mine because I have an attachment to it like Stella.”

“What’s with an attachment? I have none.”

I have a doll, for sure, but no pillow.

And that doll is the Ellie doll my dad made for me, still resting by my bedside.

“Hmm… I thought you’d have a pillow, so I didn’t bring one. What should I do?”

Yurasia was biting her lip, as if troubled.

But then again, it’s not a big deal if there’s no pillow.

“I can just let you use mine.”

[…]

“Ah, is that okay? I hope I’m not being a problem…”

“What’s uncomfortable about it? It’s a big pillow, so it’s no issue.”

[Huh? Huh…?]

“Hehe… then I’ll do that!”

Yurasia nodded happily with a bright smile.

“Well then, I’m going to wash up!”

“Yeah, take your time.”

[Ugh… I should have done that…]

Stella grumbled about something, but I didn’t respond and got up.

[What? Where are you going?]

“Brushing my teeth. You should sleep too. We decided to exercise with Pina starting tomorrow morning.”

[Ah… that’s right. Exercise…]

“Logging off.”

[W-wait!]

“Why again?”

[…Sleep well.]

I gave a vague reply to Stella, who mumbled.

“Yeah. You too. Sweet dreams.”

Before Stella could say anything else, I hung up the video call.

A moment later, I heard a plunk sound from the bathroom.

Plunk? That sounds like someone entering a bathtub.

Has she already filled the water? That can’t be.

Then why the plunk?

I hurried to stand in front of the bathroom door.

“…Yurasia?”

“Hmm… yes?”

Yurasia’s voice sounded lethargic.

“That water… the tub… I was just in that water you just jumped into…”

“Yep!”

“…Why?”

“It was still warm!”

“Look, no matter how warm it is, isn’t it dirty?”

Hahaha– Yurasia laughed, the sound echoing through the bathroom.

“Not at all. It’s perfectly clean. The bath salt smells nice, and it’s cooled down to a comfortable temperature!”

“Better it’s comfortable…? Hmm. Oh well, do as you please.”

“Okay!”

*

“No matter how much I called, wandering around without any caution is dangerous, Ophelia.”

In a secluded back alley where the night had deepened into silence, a soft-looking man stopped Ophelia.

“Don’t worry. It’s just a doll.”

In response, Ophelia smiled brightly, not startled by the suddenly heard voice.

“No matter how much of a doll it is, Ophelia’s doll is not ordinary. It’s a doll that perfectly embodies her body, so as her teacher, I can’t help but worry for my student.”

Ophelia smiled shyly at his warm words expressing concern for her.

“If I were in danger, would you protect me, Master?”

“That’s not incorrect.”

In response to her smile, Uje chuckled quietly and nodded.

“So, Ophelia. How’s your Academy life going?”

“It’s always fun, as I always say. I owe it all to you, Master. Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me. The only reason you were able to enter the Academy is due to your remarkable abilities, after all. In any case, I’m glad to see that you’re having a good time.”

Having said that, Uje took a step forward, speaking in a seemingly serious tone.

“Then, do you have any inconveniences or hardships running the Information Guild?”

“Ah…”

At that question, Ophelia briefly closed her mouth.

There were many potential problems when it came to running the Information Guild.

Among them, there’s a particularly concerning issue that’s been bothering me lately.

Eliaernes Eustetia.

She suddenly appeared one day, destroyed the guild office, and started haphazardly taking contracts… it was rather worrisome.

That said, it hasn’t caused any issues for the guild’s operation. If anything, it has been a help.

She’s foul-mouthed, aggressive, rude, disrespectful, and quite scary…

But when you think about it, as long as she doesn’t lie and tackles the requests well, there’s no better client. Since, you know, her request fee is exorbitant.

Just today, for example.

If this continues, I might just end up dead someday if I say what’s true.

The request fee is not even half of that.

But Eliaernes insisted I take it and gave me even more.

It felt like a threat to my life, but… the amount was too significant to refuse.

So, am I worried about that Eliaernes?

I am, indeed. And I’m scared too. However, she doesn’t seem like a purely bad person.

Thus, Ophelia shook her head.

“I have no particular inconveniences. Thank you for always being concerned, Master.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

Once again nodding, Uje reached into his pocket and handed her a small magic stone.

“It’s late, so let’s put off our small talk for another time. Ophelia, here’s this month’s magic stone.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Carefully receiving it, Ophelia hid it in her bosom as if it were something incredibly precious.

“Will you do it by yourself again this time?”

“Ahaha… Yes. I’ll slot it in myself again.”

“It’s complex seeing Ophelia, who always used to ask for help, smoothly doing it by herself now. Is this what it feels like to be a parent?”

“Ah, no… that’s not it, it’s… I guess it’s because it’s the magic stone that goes into the center of my doll’s chest… I feel shy.”

“Ah, a phase of puberty. I understand.”

Uje laughed lightly as he watched Ophelia, who was flustered and didn’t know what to do.

“Now, go on. I suppose we’ll meet again in about two weeks. Next time, please tell me about the achievement of the assignment I’ve given you and other various topics as well.”

“Yes, of course.”

“And I always say this, but don’t forget your main body. Please remember that.”

“Yes. I’ll always keep it in mind…!”

Ophelia nodded and began to walk toward the Academy where her main body awaited.

After watching her figure fade away, Uje muttered softly.

“One must not forget their main body. That’s a tool created for my Transcendence.”

Chuckling, Uje turned and started walking away.

“I’m curious about what expression you’ll have at the end of this 18-year play, Ophelia.”

As soon as he finished mumbling, the doll that had been taking on Uje’s appearance vanished without a trace.

At the same time, a crow, perched atop an old building and observing everything, spread its wings.

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