章 26: The Academy's Competition (VIII)
"Haah... the hotel's bed really is comfortable."
I muttered, collapsing onto the soft mattress. The plush fabric embraced me as I rolled onto my side, the exhaustion of the day melting away.
"Master..."
Lumi's soft voice pulled me back from my drifting thoughts. She was lying beside me, her translucent form shimmering faintly in the dim light.
Her large, innocent eyes were fixed on mine, but I could see the fatigue behind them.
I had used her as a weapon earlier, and even though she always insisted she didn't mind, I knew it took a toll on her.
"Here, have some sugar cubes."
I said, holding out my palm to her.
"YAAY!"
Her mood flipped instantly. Lumi practically launched herself at the sugar cubes, chomping down on them with audible enthusiasm.
Her cheeks puffed slightly as she chewed, and I couldn't help but smile at the sight.
She looked cute, like a squirrel munching on his food.
"Hah... thank god, it's one day per round, if not... we wouldn't have a chance of winning," I muttered to myself.
The Academy's Competition takes three whole days since they've decided that after each phase, the students would need to rest to recharge their energies.
And I'm damn thankful for that.
Slurp!
I blinked.
Mhm..? What is this feeling?
I turned to Lumi once again, and I felt a shiver running down my spine as I suddenly saw her body changing into a pink color, and her pupils turning into a vertical slit.
"Master~~"
Her voice took on a sultry, unfamiliar tone, and before I could react, she reached out and grasped my hand.
Her fingers were surprisingly firm as she brought my hand to her mouth, her tongue darting out to swirl around my fingertips, licking off the remnants of sugar.
"Lumi, stop!"
I called out to her, taking my hand out of her mouth.
But something was different... her tongue was different, it was...
Longer?
But then, she lunged forward, her sharp teeth grazing my finger.
"Agh!"
A sting shot through me as a few drops of blood welled up on my skin. Her unnaturally long tongue shot out, snatching the drops in one single movement.
And that was when I truly saw her tongue.
It was a long tongue, very reminiscent of a snake's, having a split in the middle.
"Don't tell me...?"
I gulped audibly, prompting her to look at me with curious, yet sharp eyes.
In the novel, there was a mention of an ancient creature called the: "Gluttonous Slime".
This rare type of slime could absorb the racial traits of creatures it devoured and replicate their abilities—sometimes even their physical characteristics.
"Was Lumi... one of them?"
No wonder she had been targeted by that insane scientist. Not to mention, that she must be the reason the morph weapon she became was considered a high-grade artifact.
So... if the Holy Nation truly saw me with her, I could potentially become their target of elimination.
God damn it.
My life is only getting more complicated with each passing second.
"Now... how do I get you back to normal?"
I muttered, rubbing my temples as she continued suckling my finger, her tongue savoring every drop of blood like it was the most exquisite treat in existence.
But the moment I spoke, she stopped.
Her tongue withdrew slowly, and her vertical pupils met mine.
"Hey... what are you doing?"
She crawled closer to me until her face was just a few centimeters away. Her tongue stuck out, and suddenly...
Lick...
She licked my neck, causing my body to quiver unnaturally.
"Master... tasty~"
Her voice dripped with delight, and a shiver ran through my body as her tongue glided down my neck.
"Stop."
I uttered coldly, making her tongue retract back almost immediately.
Woah... this was more effective than I had thought.
And if that wasn't enough, the pink hue faded, her snake-like traits disappearing as quickly as they had come.
In moments, she was back to her usual shimmering green form with her long cyan-tinted hair framing her small, innocent face.
"Master?" she called out, tilting her head in her usual manner, full of curiosity.
"Hah..."
I let out a long sigh of relief and reached out to pat her head. She leaned into my touch, her eyes closing as a contented hum escaped her lips.
"You're too cute for your own good."
However, if this cute thing is a gluttonous smile...
It's going to be a very, very big problem if someone finds out.
"Damn it..."
Leaning my back against the bed, Lumi snuggled into my chest and let out a small giggle right next to my ear.
I hope this peaceful atmosphere doesn't go away.
.....
The next day, after waking up and finishing my daily routine, I rushed out to the arena. My classmates were probably already there waiting for me.
I was already late.
'Gosh, I hate mornings...!'
Clang!
The sharp clash of metal greeted me as I entered the arena. Two figures were sparring under the morning sun.
Ella and Lucas.
Seeing them locked in combat, I exhaled a sigh of relief. I wasn't late after all. But... something felt off.
The usually bustling arena was strangely empty.
"Hah... A-Aestrea...?"
Ella stammered, her voice faltering mid-swing as her eyes landed on me.
"Mhm? Oh, hey!"
I greeted her with a casual smile and nodded toward Lucas, who lowered his weapon slightly.
"What are you doing here?" Lucas asked, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.
I was confused but decided to ask nonetheless.
"I thought the second phase was happening right now?"
Lucas chuckled, shaking his head.
"Let me guess—you're not good with mornings?"
"Not at all."
He smirked faintly before explaining:
"Today's competition is postponed. It seems the Saintess had an issue and needed to take a day off to heal from some injuries."
"Huh... no wonder."
I muttered, stretching my arms until I heard a satisfying crack.
"Well, thanks for letting me know. Guess I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," I teased with a sly grin, turning on my heel to leave.
"W-wait! We're not lovebirds!"
Ella shouted after me, her cheeks flushing a deep red.
I chuckled at her reaction but didn't stop walking. Lucas remained silent, though I caught the subtle twitch of his lips.
Ella's future is designed to be with Lucas, so in the future, she'll probably turn into his wife.
Although I teased her in Lavousier's Cafe... that shouldn't change their relationship, right?
Well, it doesn't really matter.
If today is a free day, then I guess I'll take a trip around the capital.
But then, something struck me.
Wait a second.
Did Lucas say something about the Saintess having a problem?
Immediately, I turned back and then approached Lucas again.
"What... are you doing here again?"
Lucas asked, exasperation creeping into his voice.
"I just have a small question, I won't bother you too much. What exactly happened to the Saintess?"
Hearing my words, Lucas had a thoughtful expression as held his chin, but then, he finally seemed to have remembered something.
"I think... it was something related to the attack of demon beasts."
I froze entirely.
"Demon beasts?"
"It seems that more and more demon beasts seem to be appearing around the capital, more precisely around the forest zone."
"And unfortunately... many people got injured because of that. Some people even..." His voice trailed off, and his expression turned somber.
"...died."
I went blank upon hearing his words.
"Aestrea...?"
Ella called out to me, seemingly staring at my face.
What kind of expression was I making, I wondered.
"You... okay?" She stepped closer, concern etched across her face.
But, my lips quickly curled into a smile as I replied to her with the same tone.
"I'm fine. Just thinking about something."
"I'll be going now..."
I said leaving them alone.
"His expression..." Ella murmured softly.
Lucas glanced at her, then nodded.
"He seemed a little bit off. As if something that shouldn't have happened... actually happened."
"Exactly..."
Ella bit her lip, a flicker of unease crossing her features.
"Fuck..."
My mind was a whirlwind as I stormed through the corridors, heading straight for the forest.
Swoop!
CRASH!
I slammed my fist into a tree, splintering it in half. The crack echoed through the stillness, but it did nothing to calm the rage boiling inside me.
I gritted my teeth as I swung yet another punch at some other three.
Why?
WHY?!
I was warned by the system.
I could prevent people from being dead!
And instead of investigating... damn it.
I shouldn't have gone to the academy competition when I knew that there was a fucking horde of demon beasts coming to attack.
"DAMN IT!"
THRASH!
Another tree shattered, then another, as my fists tore through the forest. The gusts from my strikes toppled even those untouched.
I bit down hard on my lip, tasting the faint metallic tang of blood.
I should have investigated sooner. I should have taken the warnings seriously.
"I can't wait anymore."
I growled through my gritted teeth.
"I'll leave a note for Vivian or something."
Furrowing my eyebrows, I went back to the hotel where I met Lumi and made her transform back into a sword.
Then, I walked to Vivian's hotel room and left a small note before leaving for the forest.
The note talked about how I would probably only appear during the last phase of the competition if they indeed passed without me.
Along with that, it was the weakness and fighting ways of every opponent that I had seen fighting.
I hope they can hold on without me and reach the last phase of the competition.
Besides, if there's a chance of that horde of monsters appearing, I need to make sure they die before it's too late.
Even if I told the Sword Circle or the Holy Nation, they probably wouldn't believe it. So, I'll need to make this my own way.
I was still wearing my Leader's Suit as I walked down the forest, and couldn't see my expression, sometimes I couldn't help but think...
Was this an expression by Aestrea or me?
Or both of us?
I knew we had become a single entity, but still...
It felt strange, this rage coming deeply from my heart. I was never infuriated like this before, but why was I so mad?
I didn't know.
But soon enough...
Something reached my nostrils.
The disgusting smell of blood.
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット