novelraw Chapter 110 : Chapter 110
Chapter 110 : Chapter 110
Volume 2
Chapter 34 : The Sunlight Is Just Right
“If we are speaking of topics everyone has been discussing, then it is probably that mysterious golden-haired beauty who vanished that day.”
As Selicia spoke, her gaze drifted over Muen’s face, which had suddenly grown somewhat stiff.
“Hm? Your complexion seems rather poor. Are you feeling unwell?”
“N-no.”
Muen came back to himself and forced out a smile.
“Did I not say so just now? My body is in excellent shape, and my appetite is excellent too.”
“You should still take better care of your own body.”
Selicia flicked the toothpick in her hand into the trash bin with casual precision, then continued,
“To return to the topic from before, although I did not personally see that so-called golden-haired beauty, according to what Veir and the others said, she was an extraordinary beauty capable of stirring desire in any man. She should have been the sort of woman who would draw a crowd of onlookers anywhere she walked within the academy.”
“W-was she really that exaggerated?”
Muen wiped the sweat from his brow.
“Could she really have been even more beautiful than you, Selicia?”
“I do not think my beauty is anything particularly remarkable.”
Selicia casually flicked her long hair.
Her silver-white hair was veiled in a soft glow beneath the sunlight outside the window, making her already exquisite face appear even more breathtaking.
“Although I cannot rule out that the circumstances she was in at the time made men feel more protective toward her, since even Veir, who is a girl, spoke of her that way, then that beauty was naturally no lie.”
“According to Veir, if that woman had not used her as a hostage, those students who had suddenly been thrown into that upheaval would likely not have organized themselves so quickly.”
“Haha, I see... Then it sounds as though that beauty did quite a bit too.”
“She did indeed. But precisely because she drew so much attention at the time, when those students who could not stop thinking about her were unable to find her afterward, it caused a rather great stir.”
Selicia said,
“I heard that on the second day, the Academic Affairs Office was nearly overwhelmed.”
“Th-then what happened? Was she found?”
“Naturally not. The teachers of the Academic Affairs Office went through the academy’s entire roster and all the student records, only to discover that no such person existed.”
“Ah, so she was not found.”
Muen widened his eyes, then clenched his fist and declared with certainty,
“Then it must have been the enemy’s scheme. Those people from the True Love cult must have deliberately fabricated a beauty and used her as a hostage in order to stir up the students’ anger, so that they could attract hatred and then rapidly accumulate magic power under the students’ magical attacks.”
As he spoke, Muen could not help growing indignant.
“Those people are truly despicable. They actually exploited the students’ sense of justice and sympathy. If I had been there at the time, I would have smashed every one of their heads in.”
“Hm. I believe that was more or less how the professors explained it afterward as well.”
Selicia nodded in agreement.
As for the heroic declaration in the latter half of Muen’s speech, she naturally ignored it altogether.
“So that was how the professors explained it?”
Muen quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Since the professors had already said as much, then no matter how much those hormone-driven students cared about the person he had been that day, they would most likely not keep digging into it.
The commotion would soon fade with time.
Of course, Muen was not afraid of them investigating.
A person who did not exist would never yield any results, no matter how deeply they searched.
What Muen feared was that among them there might be some idle person who happened to be especially clever at a time like this, someone who might notice a clue in that face which, though feminized, still retained perhaps three or four parts of its original resemblance.
So naturally, the sooner this uproar subsided, the better.
“However... I do have one question.”
“Hm? What question?”
Feeling that things might not turn out quite so badly after all, Muen’s mood brightened at once.
“Perhaps I can help you think it through, Selicia.”
“It is not some great mystery, but if you are willing to help me think it through, that would be all the better.”
Selicia crossed one of her fair thighs over the other, rested her elbow on it, interlaced her fingers beneath her chin, and leaned slightly forward. Her cool gaze fixed on Muen as she asked, word by word and in all seriousness,
“At that time... why did those evil believers specifically call for you—Muen Campbell—to step forward by using that golden-haired beauty?”
“...”
Selicia’s voice was cool and carried no emotion, yet those lightly spoken words caused the smile at the corner of Muen’s lips to freeze once more.
And as if she had not noticed anything strange about him at all, Selicia continued,
“Could it be that, in the eyes of those evil believers, that golden-haired beauty was some important person to you? Someone important enough that you would step forward regardless of the danger?”
“...”
“Well? Why are you not saying anything?”
Selicia’s expression remained blank, yet there was something meaningful in her gaze.
“Did you not just say that you would help me think?”
“Well... p-perhaps...”
Muen gave a strained little laugh as he avoided Selicia’s sharp gaze and desperately searched for an excuse.
But he knew that something like “she was my cousin” absolutely would not work on Selicia.
If she wanted to, she could probably investigate his family for eighteen generations and uncover everything.
And with Selicia’s sharpness, if he told too many lies, she would certainly notice the cracks in them.
So at a time like this, the only thing he could do was play dumb!
“I... I do not know either. Perhaps those evil believers simply assumed I was a very kind person and thought that if they casually fabricated someone’s appearance, I would take the bait.”
Muen explained,
“But whether that golden-haired beauty was real or fake, she has absolutely nothing to do with me!”
“Then why did they call you by name? They looked as though they knew you quite well. Have you done something to that True Love cult?” Selicia pressed on step by step, firing off one question after another.
“No, absolutely not. They came for me because... because...”
As sweat broke out on his forehead, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Muen. He straightened up and declared solemnly,
“I fear it was simply because they coveted my peerless beauty!”
“Your beauty?”
One of Selicia’s brows arched faintly. “How so?”
“Isn't that True Love cult basically a cult of men who desire men? And since I, among men, am a top-tier handsome fellow ranked near the very top in appearance, it is only natural that they would set their sights on me.”
In order to avoid becoming a cross-dressing deviant in Selicia’s eyes, Muen decided he could afford to sacrifice certain other things instead.
“They set their sights on you?”
Selicia studied Muen carefully for a long while. Only after staring so intently that his scalp began to tingle did she at last give a reluctant nod.
“Perhaps. In terms of appearance, you are indeed not without merit. The notion that a cult like that might set its sights on you is not entirely implausible.”
“See?”
“However...”
Selicia touched her chin and said seriously,
“In that case, you may need to be a little careful.”
“Careful?”
Muen was baffled. “Careful of what?”
Could it be that there were actually men in the academy coveting his body?
“Although I do not really understand things like men who like men, or tops and bottoms, I do remember Veir mentioning something once.”
Selicia said in all seriousness,
“In many stories of that sort, a person’s inclinations often begin to change after someone starts coveting them and launches a fierce pursuit.
“So if you also came to like men, then I imagine...”
Selicia paused briefly.
“Duke Campbell would be heartbroken.”
“...Of course he would not! My inclinations have always been perfectly normal!”
Muen froze, then immediately broke down in miserable protest.
“Do not connect things from novels to real life! And besides, I think you really should dismiss that Veir. Her strange way of thinking is already starting to affect you!”
“Has it?”
“It absolutely has!”
“Hehe...”
Muen was still flustered with embarrassment when he saw the corner of Selicia’s lips lift, something rare indeed.
Like ice and snow melting, like spring water rippling, even the splendid sunlight of noon seemed to lose its brilliance before that faint smile.
“Do you feel a little better now?”
“Hm?”
“You were rolling about on the bed just now, and I thought that after being shut in this room for so many days without anyone to talk to, you were probably feeling rather stifled, so...”
Selicia tilted her head slightly, weighing her words, and said softly,
“I tried making a joke?”
“A joke...”
Muen stared in astonishment.
Selicia could make jokes too?
And the reason she had done so was to help ease the frustration of him having been stuck in this hospital room for days?
That was truly unexpected.
And yet warmth rose quietly in Muen’s heart.
“Thank you, Selicia.”
Muen said with genuine feeling,
“I do feel much better now.”
“That is good.”
“But could we change the subject?”
Muen could not help showing a pained smile.
“Jokes like that are very hard on the heart.”
Just now, with the way Selicia had looked so serious, Muen had nearly thought she had discovered something.
But if he thought about it carefully, Selicia had not truly looked especially serious. She simply always looked this cold.
And yet—
Precisely because she was usually frozen over all year long, when that ice softened even a little, the warmth it gave off struck all the deeper.
It made one unable to resist wanting to explore further, wanting to know what kind of blazing warm sun lay hidden deep within her heart, beyond that endless storm of snow and wind.
“It seems I truly am not very good at making jokes. But since you asked, then let us change the subject and speak of something else.”
She straightened her slender waist and crossed her long, fair, powerful legs in the opposite direction.
That faint smile had still not vanished from the corner of her lips, and so Muen could not help but feel a hint of anticipation. What kind of new subject would she, who seemed unusually gentle at this moment, bring up next?
“So—”
Selicia drew back her smile and asked with complete seriousness,
“Why were you naked at that time?”
“...”
...
...
“It is getting late. I should take my leave.”
Glancing at the clock on the wall, Selicia rose to depart.
If she did not go back soon, Veir, who was still helping process documents, might truly begin to cry.
“G-go carefully.”
At present, Muen no longer had the strength even to rise and see her off.
They had merely chatted for a little while, yet he already felt utterly limp upon the bed, as though he had truly become a salted fish.
“Oh, one more thing. Someone asked me to pass along a message.”
“Hm?”
The salted fish laboriously turned his dead fish eyes toward her.
“Who?”
“Student Rein.”
“Student Rein?”
Muen jerked upright.
“Is he all right?”
“He is all right. However, because he had close contact with the evil believers, he will need to suspend his studies for the time being, undergo a complete physical and psychological examination, and remain under observation for a period of time,” Selicia said.
“That is good.”
Muen let out a sigh of relief.
For someone like Student Rein, who had nearly been contaminated, this was probably already the best possible outcome.
“So then, what message did he want you to pass along?”
“He said—”
Selicia recalled it for a moment, then repeated Rein’s words exactly, one syllable at a time:
“I saw everything, Student Muen. You were truly very handsome.”
“Did he really say that?”
Selicia could not imitate Rein’s tone, but from those words alone, Muen could still feel the sincere emotion that honest, sturdy boy had poured into them.
And so Muen, too, was genuinely happy for him.
“That is good. When he returns to the academy, perhaps the two of us may become true friends.”
“...”
Having delivered the message, Selicia had originally been prepared to leave.
But looking at the happiness on Muen’s face now, then recalling that burly schoolmate built like a bear and the “shyness” that had appeared on his face when he asked her to relay those words...
She somehow felt...
“Muen Campbell.”
“Hm?”
“Although I have no right to interfere with whom you like, or who may happen to like you, still...”
Selicia turned back and admonished him with complete seriousness,
“Duke Campbell truly would be heartbroken.”
Muen: ???
...
...
“Ah, I am exhausted.”
After Selicia left, Muen collapsed completely onto the hospital bed.
He felt as though his body had been hollowed out.
“And yet... I do not dislike it.”
Staring up at the white ceiling, Muen could not help smiling faintly.
After all, he had managed to see a somewhat different side of Selicia as well.
“I should sleep for a while first.”
Muen closed his eyes, preparing to gather his strength.
Because after he was discharged tomorrow, he might never have another stretch of time this leisurely again.
“Oh my. It seems I came at a rather poor moment, did I?”
Yet the instant he shut his eyes, he heard a familiar voice.
At the same time, a fragrant breeze reached his nose, enough to stir all manner of fanciful thoughts.
“Anna?”
When he opened his eyes, he found exactly what he expected: that familiar lovely figure, her form-fitting uniform outlining her alluring curves.
“Did I wake you, Junior?”
“No, I had only just closed my eyes.”
Muen was somewhat surprised.
“More importantly, Anna... do you not usually have classes in the morning, or library work? Why have you come here?”
“There were no classes today, and the library is not open for the time being.”
Anna walked into the room carrying a bag of fruit as well, then gave Muen a smile.
Her eyes curved into crescents, and the tear mole at the corner of one eye lent her a hint of seductive charm.
“It just so happens that today is the day your hospital room is open to visitors, so I came to see you the very moment I could, Junior. Though...”
When Anna saw the apple already set beside Muen’s bed, she lifted a brow in surprise.
“Even though I hurried over the moment I received the news, someone still got here before me. Junior, it seems you are even more popular than I imagined.”
“It was Selicia.”
Muen did not hide it.
“She simply received the news earlier and came to visit as the president.”
“I see...”
Anna set down the fruit in her hands and asked with a smile,
“Then would you like an apple, Junior?”
“No need, I just had—”
Muen was about to decline out of instinct, but in that instant, he suddenly noticed Anna’s gaze drift lightly—almost imperceptibly—toward the trash bin.
Danger!
That word flashed through Muen’s mind.
He absolutely could not answer that way!
Muen came to his senses at once and immediately changed course.
“I do. Of course I do. I love apples.”
“Hehe, I had no idea you liked apples so much, Junior.”
Anna sat down in the chair, which still retained a trace of warmth, smiling radiantly.
“But since it is your wish, naturally I will satisfy it.”
And so she began peeling an apple as well.
She did not possess Selicia’s dazzling swordsmanship, but Anna was very careful. The shape of the peel was not as perfect as Selicia’s had been, yet it was pared so thin that light could shine through it.
As though she was unwilling to waste even the slightest bit of flesh.
“Here you are, Junior.”
Instead of cutting the fruit apart, Anna handed the entire apple to Muen.
“Hm? You are not going to eat any, Anna?”
“I am not hungry.”
“But it is only fruit. It would not take up that much room...”
“Muen, my dear Junior~”
Anna shot him a sidelong glance and said in a coquettish tone,
“At a moment like this, you must not disappoint a girl’s heartfelt efforts.”
“...”
Looking at the apple in his hand, the largest and roundest one Anna had specially chosen out for him, Muen could not help twitching at the corner of his mouth.
He had the distinct feeling that what it contained was something more than mere heartfelt effort.
With no other choice, Muen could only eat the entire apple.
And all throughout the process, Anna rested her cheek in one hand and watched him quietly.
The staring made Muen’s scalp crawl, and he could not help asking,
“Anna, is there perhaps something dirty on my face?”
“No.”
“Then what have you been staring at this whole time?”
“I am looking at a pervert.”
“Hm? What pervert?” Muen was stunned.
“Are you not one, Junior?”
Anna covered her mouth and laughed softly.
“Appearing stark naked before the entire student body—even I must admire the degree of your perversity.”
“That is not what it was at all. It was all because of you, Anna...”
“Because of me?”
Anna smiled, though not quite smiling.
“Those are rather irresponsible words, Junior. Although it is true that I asked you to take off your clothes, that was because of the potion.
“I certainly did not ask you to appear naked before the entire student body.”
“...”
There was no rebuttal.
And so Muen could only droop his head in dejection and quietly gnaw at the apple.
It seemed the label of pervert was not one he would be shedding any time soon.
“However... you were very handsome.”
“Hm?”
Muen lifted his head in surprise, only to see Anna gazing at him in all seriousness.
“Throwing yourself onto that monster without a moment’s hesitation was very handsome indeed, Junior.”
“N-not at all.”
Muen froze, then shyly scratched his head.
“In the eyes of outsiders, it probably looked like nothing more than a lunatic pervert having an episode.”
“That is not necessarily so.”
Anna suddenly took out a newspaper and placed it before Muen.
“This is...”
Muen looked down along with her.
In the photograph, the man was golden-haired, brightly radiant, with firm muscles—the sort who looked as though he could easily charm young girls.
—That was, if the man happened to be wearing clothes.
“The Newspaper Society?”
The moment he saw the paper, Muen flew into a rage.
“Are they starting again?”
“Hehe, do not be angry, Junior. This time, they reported the matter truthfully. Even the student council would have no grounds to criticize them.”
Anna pointed at the picture. All the important parts of the figure had been censored with mosaic blurring, and the darkened blur around the crotch was especially eye-catching.
Although one could still tell at a glance that the person in the image was a certain famous blond from the academy, there was indeed nothing actually improper in the photograph.
And the headline, too, lacked the former sharpness and deliberate misdirection of their previous work. It merely stated in a plain, straightforward manner:
“Late at night, a naked man leaps from a high building—the secret behind it is actually...”
—It was still misleading, all right! Hugely misleading!
Muen raged inwardly.
Yet when he continued reading, he froze.
Compared with the Newspaper Society’s usual sensational headlines, the contents of the article were much more proper.
In fact, more than half of it consisted of positive descriptions of Muen.
Though the article repeatedly emphasized that Muen was a naked man suspected of being an exhibitionist and that he might have some unclear relationship with the men-loving cult, the greater part of it nevertheless praised the courage he displayed in that moment when everyone else hesitated and he alone leaped down without the slightest delay toward the monster.
At the end of the article, it quoted the statement of a certain well-known secretary from the student council.
“Although I rather dislike Muen Campbell, I have to admit that this time, when he jumped down from that building, he was truly, truly handsome.
“—But based on my many years of experience following The Tyrannical Evil God Falls in Love with Me, after that naked-man battle between Muen Campbell and that classmate Rein, there is definitely going to be further development. If there is, please let me know. Thank you...”
“...”
Muen silently folded up the newspaper, ignoring that final sentence, which stabbed painfully at his eyes.
Then he unfolded it again and reread the report over and over.
In the end, his eyes settled on the words “courage” and “handsome,” and he stared blankly at them.
“Actually, after this incident, together with the Newspaper Society’s earlier clarification, your image in the eyes of the female students has improved quite a bit, Junior.”
“And yet I am still a pervert.”
“That is not the same at all, Junior.”
“Hm?”
Muen looked up in astonishment, only to find that Anna had put away all her frivolity and teasing and was looking at him with complete seriousness.
In the sunlight, she seemed wrapped in a solemn halo of light.
“When a person is drawn in by the dazzling light shining from you, all your other little flaws become insignificant.
“So at that time, compared with the trivial matter of you not wearing any clothes, I think what more people saw was the decisiveness and boldness with which you leaped toward danger without hesitation, and how handsome you looked doing it.”
“...It sounds rather like being a celebrity.”
The words slipped out of Muen’s mouth before he realized it.
“You are a celebrity.”
Anna suddenly smiled mischievously.
“You have long since become one of the academy’s great stars, Junior. So would you like to reconsider the debut I suggested before? Even if you cannot become a girl idol, you could still become a boy idol. I have even already thought of a name for you. It would be called—”
“Do not even think about it! I will never become any sort of idol. Not even in death!”
“Hehe... your reaction is so amusing, Junior.”
Anna laughed sweetly, then before Muen could react, suddenly reached out and ruffled his full head of golden hair into a complete mess.
“So—”
“Stop belittling yourself, Junior.”
“You have already worked very hard, and your hard work has been rewarded.”
“You are already an excellent junior.”
“Anna...”
Muen stared blankly. He did not resist. Looking at Anna, who seemed bathed in a sacred, gentle glow, he suddenly felt the bridge of his nose sting.
“Oh my, oh my. Your eyes are red, Junior. Surely you are not about to cry?”
“There is dust in my eyes.”
“You may cry if you wish. My embrace is very warm. I can lend it to you.”
“I said it is only dust in my eyes.”
Muen turned his head away and tried hard to hide how wretched he looked.
Anna watched his back with a smile and did not tease him any further.
Only after Muen had calmed down did she take out something she had already prepared.
“This is...”
Looking at the Fundamentals of Magic textbook Anna had taken out, Muen was once again stunned.
“I thought...”
Anna tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and said softly,
“With your temperament, Muen, after being cooped up here for so many days, you should already be unable to sit still any longer.
“So I brought the textbook.”
Tilting her head slightly, Anna asked,
“Shall we have class, Junior?”
“...Yes!”
The wind suddenly rushed into the room, billowing the pale curtains open.
An ocean of sunlight poured into the room, scattering into clusters of splendid, blurred motes of light.
Like the glittering surface of the sea at noon.
The whole world became indistinct, and only the girl opening the book remained clear.
And in that moment, Muen suddenly felt that learning in one month what others took a year and a month to master did not seem like something impossible after all.
Because the one teaching him was Anna.