250th Chapter
Adalhyde and Machenia received homework from Vargan.
Even though it was already past dinner time, they were wracking their brains, unable to head to the dining hall.
‘Build a 5-story tower using a 5cm diameter mana orb without compressing it…? How am I supposed to do that!’
Machina was pulling his hair out over the troublesome assignment.
He recalled what Vargan had said to them.
—You haven’t solidified your foundation yet. Realize how to finely control mana while building the tower and increase your total mana.
‘Yeah… he’s completely right. By the time we can manage this assignment, we’ll definitely have grown more than we are now.’
However, the problem was that reaching that “point of being able to do it” was extremely challenging.
Moreover, generating mana orbs was notorious for consuming lots of mana, and having to stick them together to build a tower left them with absolutely no time.
Not to mention, enduring without sleep for two weeks didn’t seem feasible for their bodies.
“…”
Machinia glanced sideways at Adalhyde, who was sitting next to him.
She seemed lost in thought, showing no signs of speaking or reacting for several minutes.
Drrk—.
Suddenly, like someone who had made a decision, she stood up and pushed in her chair.
There was barely any change in her expression, to the point that Machenia was confused whether this was the same person who had tried to act like a genteel lady in front of Vargan just a moment ago.
“Where are you going?”
Machinia asked as Adalhyde attempted to leave without saying a word.
His somewhat sharp tone didn’t stop her legs, but it succeeded in getting her to open her mouth.
“Going to the dormitory.”
“Going straight to do homework?”
“…”
“Hey, what’s with your attitude? I’m talking, and you’re just walking away like it’s nothing. Look at you now. You’re just ignoring me.”
“…”
Adalhyde stopped walking and turned to face him.
Her cold eyes looked at the male student who flowed with a different blood.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Finally stopped.”
“Do you have something to say or not?”
“Something to say? Lots. A ton.”
Machinia smirked with a tone clearly laced with sarcasm.
He wore a mask thoroughly in front of others, but not in front of Adalhyde.
“Adalhyde, are you seriously interested in Vargan-senpai or something?”
“What?”
“Like in the auditorium before. And now too. Do you even know what face you make when you talk to Vargan-senpai?”
“…”
It seemed she hadn’t cared about that until now, keeping her mouth shut and trembling her fingertips.
As their conversation continued, her initially expressionless and cold look began to crumple.
Makeniya couldn’t contain her excitement over hitting the nail on the head and found herself getting sassier than usual.
“I’m giving you some serious brotherly advice here… Hey, wake up! Do you really think Vargan senior would even look at a boring girl like you who can’t even react?”
“…….”
“Plus, with beauties like Alicia and Erica around, where do you think you fit in? Seriously, take a good look in the mirror.”
“…….”
Makeniya never thought Adalhyde was actually unattractive.
She boasted beauty that would pass even her high standards.
But she was feeling bold and finally had a weakness to exploit.
Thinking she might poke fun at the usually annoying Adalhyde, she said those words.
And Makeniya’s remarks provoked a response she hadn’t anticipated.
“…So?”
“Huh?”
“Have you said everything you wanted to say?”
“What’s with that look… Is it that worth glaring at? I was just thinking of you….”
“Brother… that annoying brother of yours.”
Adalhyde gritted her teeth.
It seemed like just a few weeks had passed, yet Makeniya was expecting her to treat her as the superior.
It had been a while since Adalhyde glared at Makeniya with such intense fury in her eyes.
Makeniya sensed she had crossed a line and hesitated, but she didn’t back down.
“What? I didn’t say anything wrong, did I? You actually wanted to get into Arbol Frutal in the first place…!”
“Makeniya, do you like me?”
“What?! What kind of nonsense is this all of a sudden?!”
Caught off guard by the unexpected surprise attack, Makeniya flustered.
Meanwhile, Adalhyde looked as if she was facing an enemy, her expression entirely different from her earlier remarks.
Realizing she had overreacted, Makeniya cleared her throat and spoke.
“Ahem. Why would I like someone like you? And I don’t want to accept it, but we’re basically siblings by blood.”
“Yeah. A really crummy fact, but we are siblings. We’re stuck seeing each other anyway.”
“You, how dare you…!”
“So from now on, don’t ever like me again or show any interest. Just thinking about it makes me want to puke.”
Adalhyde’s serious anger was palpable.
A somewhat dazed Makeniya was staring at her, and then Adalhyde abruptly turned and left.
Left alone in the now-empty dining hall, Makeniya felt a heat rising from deep within her.
“I can’t believe she has the nerve to say that, living off me…!”
Her fists were clenched in frustration.
She shouted towards the direction Adalhyde had vanished.
“Hey you! Just wait! I will definitely get stronger than you and crush you thoroughly so you can never look down on me again!”
Makeniya stormed out of the dining hall, biting back her anger.
She headed straight back to the dormitory.
Even if she had to go two weeks without a wink of sleep, she vowed to ace Vargan’s homework perfectly.
*
“Well, that’s it for today… Great job, everyone…”
A worn-out Paula exited the classroom.
Normally, she would be buzzing with excitement at the end of the class, but today was different.
As she left, the chalkboard automatically moved to erase the chalk marks it had just made.
Meanwhile, Erica looked at Paula with a puzzled expression.
“You seem a bit low-energy. Is something wrong?”
“…I guess I have my reasons.”
Vargan showed little interest in Paula’s condition.
In response, Erica murmured, “Hmm,” as she let her curiosity about Paula drop and asked something else.
“Hmm.” I diverted my curiosity about Paula and asked.
“So, class is over for today. What will you do? Are you going straight back to the dormitory?”
“I have somewhere to stop by for a bit. Sorry, but could you head back first?”
“Oh, I see… Okay.”
Erica nodded, looking a bit disappointed but understanding.
She didn’t ask what the matter was. She trusted Vargan completely, but more than that, she sensed he didn’t want to share.
“Then, I’ll head to my room first.”
“Sure.”
“But, uh…”
“Hmm?”
The two stepped out of the main building.
Erica hesitated briefly before shaking off her worries, speaking lightly.
“Never mind. I just hope it’s not too late.”
“The sun has already set, so I won’t leave you alone for long. Besides, it won’t take too long, so don’t worry.”
“…Alright. See you later.”
With a small smile, Erica turned to leave.
As Erica walked away, Vargan shifted his steps toward the agreed-upon location.
The darkness was already thick around them.
The light illuminating the surroundings came from the gentle moonlight in the sky and the lights shining from building windows.
And the streetlight standing on the way.
Vargan walked straight along the path.
Soon, the lights from buildings and street lamps faded away.
He entered the abandoned building, leaving only the soft light from the sky behind.
Inside the dim building.
Vargan advanced, his keen eyes and mana surveying the area.
Eventually, he reached the promised place.
“You’re a bit late, aren’t you?”
As Vargan arrived, a tail began to rise gently.
She welcomed him with sharp eyes that could see well in the darkness—Frieda.
The woman leading the Goddess Church’s influence inside the Academia in Vargan’s stead.
Frieda, who had been waiting atop a desk, casually descended and approached Vargan’s side.
Vargan confirmed there were no traps or people nearby before speaking.
“Report on the current situation.”
“Can we indulge in a little personal chat? There’s no one around. The room is dark. It’s a rare opportunity…”
Frieda’s fox tail waved gently.
On her slender finger was a ring embedded with a red jewel.
Frieda caressed it softly, casting a subtle glance.
However, Vargan only looked at Frieda with cool eyes.
Anticipating his reaction, Frieda shrugged as if to say it couldn’t be helped and spoke.
“Alright then. I’ll get straight to the point as you wish, but first… there’s something I want to do after a long time…”
“……”
Vargan read Frieda’s signs.
As he stepped closer in annoyance, Frieda stretched out her hands to stop him.
“Ah, wait a moment. This time, I want to do something… Is that alright?”
“Do as you please.”
“Hehe. Thank you.”
Frieda chuckled.
With her permission, she slowly approached, standing on her tiptoes.
Gently wrapping her arms around Vargan, she kissed him.
“Mm…”
The warmth of their bodies felt through the thin membrane between their lips.
Frieda stuck out her bright red tongue, knocking softly.
As the door opened, they entered, beginning their sticky dance, just the two of them.
During their exchange, Frieda did not pull away.
When breath was restricted, they let it be as is.
And when breathing opened up, they allowed that too.
“…Huff.”
As the hot heat surged to her face, Frieda tightened her grip around him, pressing their bodies closer.
She focused on the sensations she was feeling.
While her breath was heating up along with her body, Vargan remained chillingly cool.
But he didn’t seem to care, continuing the kiss.
Then, Frieda opened her eyes slightly.
Wondering if she had been keeping them open all along, her gaze met Vargan’s, causing her to break the kiss.
“Ha…”
As she pulled away and caught her breath, Frieda’s tail, which had been perked up, slowly drooped down.
Her heated body gradually cooled, and the redness in her cheeks faded away.
Then, playfully sticking out her tongue, she teased Vargan, deliberately poking at his expressionless face.
“I think next time it would be nice if it’s a bit more intense.”
“…There’s a limit to how much I can let you get away with, Frieda.”
“Ha ha. Got it. Please don’t make that scary face at me. I was just joking around.”
“……”
“I know my place well enough. I’m completely satisfied with where we are now.”
Frieda giggled, shifting the flow of the conversation.
She was mindful that dragging it out too much would make Vargan uncomfortable.
“You asked about the current progress, right?”
Frieda’s tone suddenly shifted.
From that of a seductress luring in a partner, to that of an overseeing supervisor managing affairs efficiently.
“First, to give you the results, everything is proceeding as planned. The internal structure of the Grand Clock Tower is exactly as per the blueprints you provided, so there haven’t been any issues yet.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, the magical tools you supplied have also been successfully digested by the guards without exception.”
“It’s only natural since I instructed the use of increasingly stronger curses.”
“Um… and I think… we should reach the core in about two weeks. Though that’s where the problem lies.”
“Two weeks.”
Vargan’s attention wasn’t on the problem that lay ahead, but rather on the time frame.
Lost in thought, he reviewed the plans sketched out in his mind.
Two weeks… even if it takes a little longer, it’s still manageable.
Thanks to Frieda’s busy activities during the academy’s break.
‘She’s definitely a help. I need to keep her around.’
Vargan was only accommodating Frieda for this very reason.
The two were like merchants trading valuable goods with each other.
As Frieda waited for Vargan to finish his contemplation, she asked, “So… shouldn’t you start sharing some details now?”
“About the ‘core’ of the Grand Clock Tower?”
“Yes. Once we touch it, Chancellor Gulemashia will inevitably find out. It seems unlikely that either me, the Goddess Church folks, or even you, Vargan, would come out unscathed. So what method are you planning to use?”
Frieda had followed Vargan’s lead without complaints until now, but with the critical moment approaching, she wanted to act with a clear understanding of the plan.
It was a matter of life and death, so her curiosity was absolutely justified.
Vargan had previously shared a lot of information with Frieda.
She was already too deeply involved to turn back at this point.
Even if he were to explain the upcoming incidents, she wouldn’t be able to use that to back out.
Having reached this conclusion, Vargan revealed some information from the original story to Frieda.
What he said struck her like a massive shockwave.
“The death of Chancellor Gulemashia is imminent.”
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