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[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 263: Molting (1)
The only light in the room came from the soft glow of scented candles.
A platinum-haired woman, dressed in a gown so thin it could pass for sleepwear, lay languidly on the long sofa, a contented smile playing on her lips.
“Fufu. Did you enjoy the reward?”
“Ah… yes. Well, it was nice.”
In truth, it felt more like I was the one giving the reward rather than receiving it.
But what did it matter who gave or received?
‘The important thing is strengthening my relationship with Empress Camellia.’
Judging by the way her smile was slightly more pronounced than usual—her lips curling upward in satisfaction—it seemed that the ‘reward session’ had been a highly gratifying experience for her as well.
“By the way, I didn’t see the spider around the staff dormitory. Do you know where she is?”
“You mean Professor Elisha?”
“Fufu. I brought some fine liquor from the palace this time. I was thinking of having a light drink with her.”
“…….”
Having a light drink, just the two of them, huh?
‘Is she still feeling guilty about being harsh to Professor Elisha during their first meeting?’
Well, it was rather endearing to see the Empress making an effort to mend their relationship.
“Professor Elisha has entered seclusion training.”
“Seclusion training?”
“Yes. To absorb the effects of the Blessing of the Sovereign you gave her.”
“Hmm. How long has it been since she started?”
“She went into seclusion right at the start of the winter break, so… it’s been about five weeks now.”
Five weeks.
Now that I thought about it, it had been that long already.
‘I miss her.’
I still kept in touch with the other party members occasionally through their Hero Watches, but it had been over a month since I’d contacted Professor Elisha.
“Five weeks… hmm…”
Camellia narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, it’s just… that seems a bit long for absorbing the effects of the elixir.”
“Well, it’s not just any elixir—it’s the Blessing of the Sovereign. Wouldn’t it take that long to fully absorb it…?”
“No. The Blessing of the Sovereign doesn’t take nearly that long to be absorbed. Even in the worst-case scenario, it would be fully absorbed within two to three weeks.”
“…….”
Which meant…
Professor Elisha was continuing her seclusion for another reason.
“Do you know where she’s training?”
“Ah, yes. I do.”
Currently, Professor Elisha was training on the first floor of the Abyss—the same place that had been used for the first-semester final evaluations.
“The first floor of the Abyss, huh… that’s not too far.”
“It’s right beneath the school, after all.”
If one were to dig directly downward, they would reach the first floor of the Abyss.
Of course, if entering through the proper entrance, one had to take a long detour through a subterranean tunnel far from the school grounds.
“Hmm… why don’t you go check on her yourself?”
“Without contacting her first?”
Disturbing someone during seclusion training was considered a grave taboo among heroes.
“Normally, yes, you should notify her first. But this could be an emergency, no?”
“What do you mean…?”
“The Blessing of the Sovereign is potent, but if the user fails to control its power properly, it could damage their body instead.”
“…….”
I was well aware that the stronger the effects of an elixir, the greater the potential danger.
‘But there’s no way Elisha would fail to control it.’
After all, I’d seen her skillfully wield dozens—no, hundreds—of spider threads as if they were extensions of her own limbs.
Her magic control was undoubtedly on a transcendent level.
“Even a monkey can fall from a tree… so why couldn’t a spider get caught in its own web?”
“…….”
…Damn it.
Now I was worried.
“Understood. I’ll go see her myself.”
Feeling a rising sense of urgency, I got to my feet and drew the sword from my waist.
“…Wait. What exactly are you planning to do?”
“The fastest way to the Abyss is to just cut straight through the ground, isn’t it?”
“…Put the sword down and calm yourself.”
Camellia shook her head in exasperation.
“Failing to control the Blessing of the Sovereign might harm her body, yes, but it’s not going to kill her or leave her permanently disabled.”
“But still—”
“Do you really think they would create an elixir for the royal family that could do that?”
“Ah.”
Right.
When she put it that way, it made sense.
“So calm yourself.”
“…Understood.”
I nodded and slid my sword back into its sheath.
“Haa. I thought you were a composed individual… but it seems you’re not so level-headed once your emotions get involved.”
“Ugh…”
As the heat in my head cooled, I felt a wave of embarrassment at my rash plan to slice through the ground.
“Fufu. There’s no need to be embarrassed—it only shows how much you care for your lover.”
Camellia shrugged and placed the bottle of liquor back on the shelf.
“Given the situation, we’ll save the celebratory drink for later. Now, go.”
“Thank you.”
Without delay, I turned and hurried out of the room.
Tak.
The door closed behind me.
Camellia leaned back into the sofa, gazing at the candlelight flickering softly in the dim room.
“…I’m envious.”
Her faint murmur drifted into the stillness.
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[Translator - Night]
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* * *
After leaving Empress Camellia's chambers, I headed straight for the entrance to the Abyss.
Since the first floor of the Abyss was far larger than the entirety of the Hero Academy’s campus, I had to travel quite a distance outside the academy grounds to reach the entrance.
Normally, I would have taken a magic vehicle to cover the distance.
“Hah.”
But upon stepping outside the academy, I took a deep breath and lowered my body.
Fwoooosh!
Ashen flames ignited around my legs.
Focusing the surging mana into my limbs, I kicked off the ground.
BOOM!
Berald’s Martial Arts.
Storm Stride.
Thudududududu!!!
A thunderous roar, akin to an earthquake, echoed behind me as my vision stretched into a blur.
At a speed so explosive that it would have reduced an ordinary person to pulp from air friction alone, I covered the 30-kilometer distance in less than a minute.
“Hoo.”
Arriving at the entrance to the Abyss in the blink of an eye, I swept back my disheveled hair and approached the cavern.
“…Hmm?”
I noticed traces of something having passed through the underbrush near the cave entrance.
‘Elisha?’
No.
The tracks seemed too fresh for it to have been her.
“…No way…”
A chilling shiver ran down my spine.
A dreadful thought surged like a volcano in my mind—
What if someone had infiltrated the Abyss and attacked Professor Elisha while she was in seclusion training?
“Damn it!”
Grit.
Clenching my teeth, I kicked off the ground once more.
Like a gust of wind, I streaked through the long corridor.
“Elisha…!”
The first floor of the Abyss was so vast that an entire city could fit inside it with room to spare.
Wandering aimlessly would make finding Elisha nearly impossible.
‘In that case…’
Fwoooosh!
Ashen flames erupted violently around me, enveloping my body.
Spreading my arms wide, I clapped my hands together with force.
Berald’s Martial Arts.
Thunderclap.
CRAAAAACK!
A deafening roar reverberated through the Abyss.
“Elisha!!!”
I shouted her name at the top of my lungs, running through the cavern.
Just then—
Slither.
A single, translucent silver strand drifted toward me.
A spider thread.
The moment I recognized it, a wave of relief washed over me, and I exhaled a sigh of gratitude.
‘She’s safe…’
I had been growing increasingly anxious after Camellia’s words, but the spider thread meant that Elisha was unharmed.
Slither, slither.
“…Hm?”
The spider thread coiled around my wrist and gently tugged me forward.
“Follow you?”
The thread bobbed up and down as if nodding.
Following its lead, I moved my feet.
At the end of the thread’s path—
‘…A cocoon?’
A massive, snow-white cocoon made of intricately woven spider silk.
I glanced around in confusion but saw no sign of Professor Elisha.
‘Don’t tell me…’
I cautiously called out to the cocoon.
“Professor Elisha?”
[Didn’t I tell you not to call me ‘Professor’ outside the academy?]
Her voice flowed into my mind through the spider thread.
“…What’s going on here?”
[That’s what I should be asking you. Why are you here?]
“I couldn’t get in touch with you, so I came to check on you.”
[Oh? What a heart-fluttering thing to say after so long.]
A faint chuckle echoed in my mind.
“But… what’s with this?”
[Hmm… Should I call it perversion? No, that doesn’t sound right. Let’s go with molting.]
“Molting?”
[Didn’t you experience something similar before, Candidate Dale?]
“Something similar… Oh.”
A memory flashed through my mind.
“…Don’t tell me—physical reconstruction?”
A rare phenomenon that occurred when a hero broke through their limits and transcended into a higher realm.
In such cases, their body would undergo a complete transformation, reforged to withstand the newfound surge of mana—
the birth of a true superhuman physique.
[It appears to be something like that.]
“Ha…”
No wonder it had taken her so long to absorb the elixir.
Her entire body had been undergoing a metamorphosis.
‘Physical reconstruction… Only Camellia among the Masters has ever experienced that.’
A hero who underwent physical reconstruction gained a body immune to the ravages of time.
No aging.
In fact, they often became even more youthful in appearance.
Even Marianne, the Pope ranked second among heroes, and Lionel Ryu, ranked third, had not escaped the effects of aging.
The fact that Elisha was now experiencing physical reconstruction spoke volumes about how extraordinary this phenomenon was.
“…I’ll leave so I don’t disturb you. Sorry.”
[No need for that.]
Slither, slither.
Countless silver strands began to unravel, the massive cocoon slowly unfurling like a tangled mass of thread coming undone.
And from within—
“Elisha…?”
She emerged, stark naked, her flawless skin gleaming like polished porcelain.
“It’s been a while, Candidate Dale… No, that’s not right.”
Elisha slowly approached, draping her arms around me, her breath brushing against my ear.
“My husband.”
“……”
Pardon my language, but—
What the hell.
“Hmm? Something hard is poking me.”
Ahem.
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[Translator - Night]
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