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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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Chapter 174 - Summer Vacation at the Duke’s Manor (5)
What the hell was she talking about? An arranged marriage?
Wasn’t the whole reason Knightley invited us here because she was breaking off her engagement?
She brought me and Kaiden here in exchange for the engagement being called off—wasn’t that the deal?
Then what the hell was this?
"Ah-hem, ahem!"
Just then, the Duke rode up alongside us, fixing his wife with a stern gaze.
"Go back to the house and see to our guests."
"Oh my, you’re right! How careless of me. Let’s talk again later, Professor Dian."
"Wait! Hold on! Madam!"
I tried to slow my horse to go after her, but the Duke grabbed my reins.
"What do you think you’re doing, Dian? We need to get on with the hunt. I had a bunch of deer and other game released just for you."
"Wait, Duke. Just now, your wife said something strange to me. What was she talking about?"
"Hm? I didn’t hear anything. Now, come on, let’s go! Hyah!"
The Duke spurred his horse forward, forcing me to turn my attention ahead.
Damn it…
"Headmistress. You heard that just now, didn’t you?"
"Wh-What are you talking about?!"
Kirrin, sitting in front of me, flinched and hunched her shoulders.
"You Dark Elves have sharp ears. What did that woman just say?"
"Uh…? The wind was too loud, so I didn’t catch it."
"Really? Hm…"
# # # # #
The hunt was a blast.
Just as the Duke had said, an absurd number of animals had been released into the area, so game kept appearing left and right.
According to Weaber, this was all artificially set up. In a real hunt, you could roam around all day and still not see so much as a rabbit.
"If someone’s caught more than ten deer in their lifetime, they’re considered an incredibly skilled hunter. Even then, it’s nearly impossible without traps or snares. Humans just can’t compete with wild animals’ instincts."
I wasn’t particularly skilled with a bow, so most of my shots missed. But the Duke was different.
Out of every ten arrows he loosed, at least three or four hit their mark, and eventually, he brought down a large stag.
Weaber, though, was on an entirely different level.
His arrows curved just slightly around the trees in front of him, striking hidden prey with unerring accuracy.
It was just like how Celine used to shoot. I never thought I’d see something like that again.
Quorina hunters really were a class of their own.
Anyway, we enjoyed the hunt to the fullest, and once we were done, the Duke began dressing the game right then and there.
"This’ll be for tonight’s barbecue party. I wouldn’t have killed it if we weren’t going to eat it."
"Let me give it a try."
Weaber took the dagger from the Duke and got to work on the rest of the stag.
His blade danced across the carcass, cleanly separating the bones and meat into neatly portioned cuts.
"Impressive."
The Duke, watching with admiration, suddenly turned to me, as if he’d just remembered something.
"By the way, Dian. How old are you this year?"
I told him my age, and he nodded, looking quite pleased.
"That’s a perfect age."
"For what, exactly?"
"Isn’t it about time you started thinking about marriage?"
"Marriage? No way. I have no plans for that."
"Why not?"
"I’m happy with the way things are now. I don’t want to be tied down."
The Duke let out a hearty laugh.
"Marriage isn’t a cage, Dian. It’s the beginning of a whole new chapter in life."
"Maybe so, but I’m still not interested."
"Hm, I see. But once you actually do it, you might change your mind."
"How would I change my mind about something I have no intention of doing in the first place?"
"Still, you never know. What if—"
As the Duke kept pushing the subject, I decided to just plug my ears.
Marriage, my ass.
"...Um."
Kirrin, who had been trailing me all day, suddenly opened her mouth.
"Um…"
"What?"
"No, it’s just…"
She hesitated, scratching her head instead of finishing her sentence.
# # # # #
The hunt finally wrapped up around sunset.
We sent the meat to the kitchen for final preparations, returned the horses, and made our way back inside the mansion.
In the parlor, Orendi and Kaiden were buried in their studies.
A mountain of magic tomes sat beside them, and the table was littered with scribbled notes.
Orendi would ask a question, Kaiden would answer, and Orendi would cast a spell, which Kaiden would then correct.
That bastard… getting free, one-on-one lessons from a Grand Mage. Unbelievable luck.
Loud laughter and the sound of tankards clinking echoed from the dining hall. Brogg and Kazador were still drinking.
No one else seemed to be back yet.
Anna was probably still gawking at the Duke’s horses, and the group at the lake must have been having too much fun to leave.
"Professor, you’ve worked up quite a sweat. How about a swim in the lake?"
Weaber’s suggestion sounded pretty good, so I headed toward the lake.
Kirrin trailed closely behind.
The path leading from the mansion down to the lakeshore was well-maintained.
As we got closer, the sound of laughter and splashing reached my ears.
The beach stretched out like something from a seaside resort, with fine white sand.
I’d heard that some freshwater lakes had natural sandy shores, but seeing it in person was something else.
Picnic parasols, beach towels, and lounge chairs were scattered along the shore.
Ismera was sprawled out under a parasol, completely at ease.
A High Elf in a swimsuit was a rare and captivating sight.
Even in the shade, she seemed to glow under the summer sun.
Beside her, Merilda lay reading a book—but, next to Ismera, she looked like a mere child.
Sorry, Merilda. I had no choice back then.
"So pale…"
Kirrin murmured, looking down at her own hands as if suddenly self-conscious.
In the water, Felimia, Lina, Hindrasta, and Knightley were playing.
All of them were in swimsuits, but Hindrasta was the clear standout.
Even in a crowd of revealing, eye-catching bikinis, her absurd physique overshadowed them all.
It was almost comical.
Why the hell was this dragon incapable of polymorphing into anything else?
Did the Elder Dragons know about this?
That one of their so-called "noble kin" was parading around like this among humans?
If it were me, I’d have broken the thousand-year polymorph curse and dragged her back to her nest immediately.
"Oh! Professor!"
Lina spotted me and shouted, drawing everyone’s attention.
"Ahhh!"
Merilda yelped, flinging her book aside and wrapping herself in a towel. Hindrasta snickered.
"It’s always the ones with nothing to hide who act the most embarrassed."
Meanwhile, she planted her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest, completely unabashed.
Crazy dragon. Not that I could deny it was an impressive sight.
"Ack… I can’t watch this."
Weaber turned on his heel and hurried back to the mansion, unwilling to subject himself to the scene any longer.
Maybe I should come back later.
Joining in now felt… wrong.
"Professor! Come in!"
"Uh, no. You guys have fun. Dinner will be barbec—ack!"
A powerful arm wrapped around my neck.
"If you’re not getting in, why did you even come?!"
Hindrasta.
She dragged me straight toward the lake.
I tried to resist, but even with my enhanced physique, escaping a dragon’s chokehold was impossible.
Completely powerless, I was hurled straight into the water.
"Blugh!"
Coughing and sputtering, I flailed as Knightley rushed over, splashing through the water to help me up.
"Sophie! I told you to stop being so rude to the professor!"
Half-submerged, my head ended up between Knightley’s—
"Move. Move!"
I shoved her away and stood up, drenched from head to toe.
I pushed her away and got to my feet, completely drenched.
"Oh dear, looks like you’ll need to take that off."
Before I knew it, Lina had sidled up, reaching for my shirt. I quickly backed away.
"No, no! I’m getting out. Why are you trying to undress me?!"
"But coming into the lake fully dressed like that, even with your cloak on, isn’t exactly appropriate. You should dress for the occasion."
I wanted to tell her to dress appropriately for her position.
Lina was currently wearing a black lace-trimmed bikini. What kind of professor dressed like that?
But then again, Felimia and Ismera were similarly attired, so I couldn’t exactly single her out.
"Come on, Professor! Since you’re already here, you might as well enjoy yourself!"
Before I could react, Hindrasta and Lina lunged at me, tugging off my cloak and shirt.
"Whoa! Look at those muscles!"
"Arghhh! Stop it!!!"
# # # # #
While Dian was being swarmed and overpowered by the women…
Kirrin stood at a distance, absently kicking at the sand.
Maybe she shouldn’t have come.
She wasn’t particularly close to the professors. She wasn’t familiar with the students. The Duke made her uneasy.
But she had wanted to be with Dian.
She hadn’t even asked the Second Princess for permission—she had just followed on impulse.
She had wanted to relax, chat, and spend time with him.
But with so many people around him…
There wasn’t a place for her.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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