novelraw Chapter 231 : Chapter 231
Chapter 231 : Chapter 231
Volume 4, Chapter 19 ~ That Thing of Yours Doesn’t Help You Digest Alcohol Anyway
The once fiery and intense arena instantly turned colder than an ice pit.
In a flash, the ones stirring up the crowd, cheering for their idols, heckling, or gambling all went dead silent—as if collectively frozen in place.
What just happened? Did Rager twist his ankle or something? Why did he go flying backwards mid-charge? Did his thruster fuel get blocked?
Compared to the bystanders watching for fun, the members of Twilight Ashfire were even more dumbfounded.
Where was Rager? That huge Rager—how was he gone in less than thirty seconds??
As his teammates, they understood Rager’s strength better than any of the spectators. The fact that he once single-handedly defeated a Red Beastman was the best proof of that.
And yet.
Someone as powerful as him had lost the match in such an inexplicable manner.
It all happened so fast, and Rager flew so quickly, that neither the audience nor his teammates saw what had occurred.
“A slap.”
“What?” After a brief round of treatment, Kettle and Carin had returned to the stands. Hearing Erian muttering to himself, they all turned their attention to him.
“That Elf girl—she slapped Rager just now.” As the Divine Child, Erian had seen the moment quite clearly.
“You’re saying Rager got knocked flying by a slap from that Elf girl??” Kettle looked in disbelief at the golden-haired Elf standing calmly at the center of the field.
“I couldn’t be mistaken.” After a long pause, Erian shook his head.
“.........” Upon hearing that, the entire Twilight Ashfire team fell silent.
This was beyond mere shock. What had just happened completely defied all logic and understanding.
Even if Rager lost today, it wouldn’t have been entirely unacceptable. Even a crushing defeat could just mean they were outmatched and that Radiant Sun and Moon, also a Crown team, had outgrown them.
But this—this was utterly inconceivable.
Based on what Erian said, what they felt from Teresa wasn’t overwhelming power—it was something eerie.
She hadn’t even bothered to use her Divine Authority or Domain and still effortlessly overwhelmed Rager.
Could the gap between peers really be this vast??
“That slap wasn’t simple.” Erian continued. “It was as if she saw through Rager’s Divine Authority weaknesses in a single glance and applied just the right amount of force to completely collapse it.”
Erian didn’t believe Teresa had landed that slap by luck. If she had, it would’ve been far too coincidental.
One light slap, landing perfectly on Rager’s weak point—and judging by her composed expression, she had clearly come prepared.
She had known where Rager’s weakness was from the start. She had a clear understanding of both her own strength and Rager’s. That was why she had the composure to never even activate her Domain or Divine Authority.
The scariest part was that the golden-haired Elf maintained her graceful smile the entire time—even while slapping Rager. The sight had sent a chill through Erian’s heart.
That Elf woman… was someone who couldn’t be messed with, in every sense of the word.
“Mr. Referee, are you alright?”
A voice pulled the dazed referee out of his wandering thoughts. He looked toward the concerned Elf girl staring at him, coughed, and with a trembling voice, announced the match result.
“M-Match over… Twilight Ashfire’s Rager is ruled out-of-bounds and loses. Victory goes to Teresa of Radiant Sun and Moon. The morning matches are officially concluded!”
Having finished reading the results and handed the rest off to the logistics and Heart-Healing teams, the referee quickly wiped his sweat and exited the stage in a hurry.
Others may not have seen clearly, but from his close vantage point, he saw everything vividly.
That young man—one second he was fine, and the next, he was swatted away by that golden-haired Elf girl like a weightless sheet of paper.
Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
He didn’t dare stay on stage any longer, let alone get near Teresa. He was afraid those soft-looking fingers of hers could crush his bones like twigs.
Referees were selected from among the top instructors. Not only did they have to be able to judge fairly, but they also had to be strong enough to intervene in emergencies—like preventing fatal injuries mid-match.
And it was exactly because he was strong that he could tell just how frightening Teresa’s true power was—definitely not someone to provoke.
Seriously, what kind of monsters had the Academy recruited this year? Each one more absurd than the last.
Be honest—did students like these even need instructors? Are we sure she wasn’t here to teach us how to fight?
Her strength had recovered quite a bit.
Teresa flexed her wrist. Her physical strength wasn’t particularly high among Divine Princesses.
But after unlocking many memories related to technique, she could now identify power points perfectly, and knew how to exert force for maximum efficiency. Her control over strength had become increasingly refined.
Just now, she had used Divine Appraisal to scan for Rager’s weakness, and with her mastery of technique and power control, she landed a single slap that disrupted his molten dive and sent him flying out of the arena.
Though the impact had created a dent in the wall, it only looked brutal. Rager had been protected by his Domain and didn’t suffer much damage—likely just fainted.
With the morning matches concluded, Radiant Sun and Moon’s battles were over as well.
The five of them no longer had to stand under the blazing late-autumn sun and could return to the dorms.
All eyes from the stands followed Radiant Sun and Moon as they left. Once they were gone, the freshmen—who had previously feared the second-years like tigers—were now filled with an unprecedented fighting spirit.
I saw it. I learned it. I can do it too. With this mindset, the first-years suddenly felt like second-years weren’t so scary after all.
So what if they enrolled a year earlier? Just a year older—what’s the big deal?
Even the second-year Crown team had been flattened—those other second-year teams were nothing to worry about!
According to the Conservation Law of Battle Passion and Hope, courage doesn’t disappear—it just transfers. The second-years’ battle spirit had successfully transferred to the first-years.
But now, the second-years began to worry—what if they ended up like Twilight Ashfire, losing to a bunch of freaks? How would they maintain their dignity at the Academy afterward?
Thus, while the first-years grew overconfident, the second-years—though demoralized—became more cautious and thorough.
The results were predictable.
But none of that had anything to do with Radiant Sun and Moon anymore.
Along the way, Wenfu curiously trailed Teresa, her little tail wagging endlessly. She circled around Teresa, practically broadcasting “Big Sister Teresa, how did you win? Tell me, tell me!” with her expression alone.
Speaking of technique, Teresa didn’t really think there was much involved in that slap.
There wasn’t any finesse—it was just raw stats. Though granted, that slap was much more powerful than the average one.
Felicia walked quietly at the back of the group, observing Teresa thoughtfully.
Her senses hadn’t been wrong—this break, it wasn’t she who had improved the most, but Teresa.
From the moment they reunited after vacation, Felicia had sensed something. This Teresa was completely different from the one she had known last semester.
It was as if she had found clarity and no longer ran from anything.
With that confidence, she could naturally display overwhelming strength.
Still, even with an exceptional performance… Was such power really achievable?
Felicia felt there was something more behind it. But she didn’t press—the matter was Teresa’s personal business.
“Well then, our practical combat session for the semester is officially complete! Does anyone want to go somewhere?~” Teresa suggested. “How about we reserve a private room in Witch’s Forest for a celebration?”
Witch’s Forest was a top-tier restaurant within Coleman Academy. Its interior was elegantly designed, using an Alchemy Potion called “Illusion Mist” to give the illusion of being inside an enchanted forest.
“Come to think of it, the Radiant Sun and Moon haven’t gone out to eat together yet. What do you think?~ If we book now, there should still be space.”
“Sounds great.”
“No problem.”
“Mm.”
“Can we go home early after eating?”
Aside from the golden-haired shut-in grumbling about the trouble, the vote was unanimous. All five members of Radiant Sun and Moon headed cheerfully toward the dining district.
Wenfu laced her fingers together and looked at her happy teammates, sensing something was... off.
Then she realized what it was.
“Eh? Wait a sec—where’s Mr. Dylin?” Wenfu finally noticed.
A team going out to eat—but the Divine Child and team captain was missing?
Why…
Wenfu looked around in surprise. Everyone else was chatting and laughing like nothing was wrong. It seemed like no one but her had noticed someone was missing.
Weird. Way too weird.
What on earth had happened?? Had Dylin gotten into a fight with them? Was that why they were all pretending he didn’t exist?
That couldn’t be. If something had happened, she would’ve known. But recently, Dylin hadn’t appeared in her vision much at all.
Wenfu glanced around nervously. Her tail suddenly stood straight up like an antenna.
She had once read a dark fairy tale called “The Person Being Slowly Eaten.” The protagonist’s presence kept diminishing until they were completely devoured by a monster.
In the story, not just the person’s body vanished—all traces of their existence were erased. Eventually, everyone forgot they had ever existed.
But there was a twist: one odd character didn’t forget.
Could it be… Mr. Dylin was being eaten?!
With that thought, Wenfu rushed ahead and held out her hands to block the group’s path.
“Everyone!”
“Hmm? What’s wrong, little Wenfu?”
“Don’t you feel like something’s off about us heading to the restaurant like this?”
The others looked at each other, then stared at Wenfu in confusion.
“No?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, I know—was my makeup too light today?”
Astrid didn’t say anything, but her gaze was just as puzzled.
“.........”
So… they had all forgotten Dylin?!
“Mr. Dylin! He’s not here—none of you noticed?!” Wenfu cried.
“...........”
Another round of silence followed.
If Wenfu had been more observant, she might have noticed that they weren’t speechless—they were speechless with disbelief.
Wait. Hasn't enough time passed? Was someone in this team seriously still unaware?
No way… right?
Oh, but there really was.
Yet in Wenfu’s eyes, their stunned silence meant something else entirely.
Each person frozen and emotionless—wasn’t that proof that Dylin’s existence had reached the critical point of erasure??
“.........I understand now.” Wenfu said no more, turned around, and quietly merged into the group.
She swore—just like the character in that book—she would save Mr. Dylin!
“Little Wenfu… you haven’t figured it out yet, have you?” Teresa tried to ask.
“......”
Wenfu didn’t answer. Her attention was elsewhere. She wasn’t in the mood to listen to Teresa now.
At Witch’s Forest, the five of them got a private room.
The space was incredibly luxurious—not only with sofas, tables, and desks, but even full rooms. Cooling enchantments were built in, and the massive bed could sleep several people. It was hard to tell if this was a hotel or a restaurant.
“One nice thing about Witch’s Forest—unlimited drinks!” Felicia said as she walked in and removed her jacket, now wearing only a short crop top that revealed pale skin and a proud chest.
“I figured—if we’re going out to eat, we have to drink. Right?~” Her amber eyes sparkled with charm as she glanced between Teresa and Astrid.
“Ladies from the Forest of the Elves—do you drink?”
“Ahem.” Yimi, swinging her legs on a chair, gave a deliberate cough, trying to get Felicia’s attention.
In truth, Yimi had a secret she hadn’t told Teresa—she loved drinking.
Drinking until tipsy felt amazing.
Since the princess was footing the bill, the drinks arrived quickly.
Just as Yimi stood up, shoes off and eager to grab some wine, a glass of orange juice was set in front of her.
“Little girls can’t drink alcohol.” Felicia smiled. “Miss Yimi, you and Wenfu sit at the kids’ table.”
“...I’m just short, not underage!” Yimi protested.
Of course, Felicia was joking. Both Yimi and Wenfu were adults and her peers. She was just teasing them for being small.
“I can drink a little, but not much,” Astrid said.
“Ah, I see. Teresa, you totally look like someone who can drink.” Felicia handed her a crystal glass filled with red liquid.
“Tonight—no going home unless we’re drunk, Teresa?”
“............” Teresa smiled politely without answering.
“...Teresa?” Felicia called again, seeing no response.
“Don’t bother—she doesn’t drink.” Yimi snorted. “No matter how developed she looks, it doesn’t help digest alcohol. And all she likes is sweets. I bet she’s never even had a drink before.”
“Hilarious—already lived for... well, you know, and still doesn’t drink. You should go sit at the kids’ table too—ow!” Before Yimi could finish, Teresa silenced her with a light chop to the head.
“Don’t say nonsense. Who says I can’t drink?” Teresa still wore her smile.
“...Wait, seriously?” Yimi rubbed her reddened forehead and pouted in disbelief.
“If you get drunk and cause a scene, don’t drag me into it... Ow!” She was bonked again.