------------------
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
------------------
Chapter 264: Molting (2)
The Abyss, located beneath the Hero Academy.
Despite its infamous reputation as the place where the Demon God was sealed 500 years ago, the atmosphere inside was not eerie but rather warm—no, it was boiling hot.
“…Uh, w-what about your clothes…?”
I swallowed dryly as I glanced at Professor Elisha’s completely naked body.
Even though we were already lovers who had shared our bodies, just seeing her like this made my heart pound as if it would explode.
‘And… something’s different.’
I locked eyes with Elisha, who was holding me.
As expected of someone so tall, our gazes met at a nearly equal height.
‘She looks… younger?’
Even before, she never looked particularly old, but now, her face appeared so youthful that she could easily be mistaken for a fellow candidate.
“Hm? What is it?”
“Uh, well… I think it’d be faster if you just look in a mirror.”
“A mirror?”
Elisha glanced around before lightly snapping her fingers.
Piiing!
A strand of web shot from her fingertips and retrieved a small hand mirror from a bag in the corner.
“…Do you always carry a mirror around?”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“I just didn’t picture you as someone who’d carry a mirror around, that’s all.”
“Hmph. What do you take me for, Dale? I am still a woman.”
Elisha pouted slightly, narrowing her eyes.
‘Ah.’
I quickly scrambled for an excuse.
“Ah, no, that’s not what I meant! It’s just that you’re so naturally beautiful that you don’t even need to put on makeup.”
“Hm.”
Elisha folded her arms and narrowed her eyes.
“50 points.”
“…Huh?”
“You reacted quickly, but your words were too crude. You should put more effort into choosing better compliments in the future.”
“…Yes, ma’am.”
As expected of a professor.
Ruthless.
“Well, in any case, what’s changed—”
Elisha’s eyes widened as she saw her reflection in the mirror.
“…Huh.”
Even she could tell that her appearance had grown more youthful.
She let out a low chuckle as she brushed her cheek.
Her fingers traced her face until they reached the scar at the corner of her left eye.
“…The scar remains.”
Just as she said, despite the restructuring of her body, the scar running across her left eye was still there.
“It must’ve been there for so long that your body recognizes it as part of itself.”
“…A plausible theory.”
Elisha traced the scar with a bitter smile.
I let out a small laugh and stepped closer, gently running my fingers over the scar.
“That’s good.”
“…Good?”
“Yeah. That scar is one of your most charming features.”
The scar running across her left eye.
Some might see it as disfiguring, but to me, it was nothing short of captivating.
“…Ahem.”
Elisha coughed, struggling to suppress the corners of her mouth from curling up.
She hurriedly turned her head to the side, but the redness creeping up to her ears was impossible to hide.
“So, Professor, what’s my score this time?”
“…S-shut up!”
Thwack!
I got kicked in the shin for being cheeky.
“Anyway, shouldn’t you put on some clothes…?”
She was still stark naked, and I had no idea where to rest my gaze.
“Fufu. You’ve seen me plenty of times before, so why does it matter?”
“…It’s different.”
Seeing her in bed was one thing.
Seeing her like this out in the open was an entirely different experience.
“Hm… What should I do…?”
Elisha smirked mischievously, as if enjoying my flustered reaction, and spun around.
Just as I was about to shut my eyes tightly—
“Oh, how about this?”
She snapped her fingers with an idea.
Piiing!
Strands of spider silk shot out from her fingertips, wrapping around her body and gradually forming into clothing.
“…You’re making clothes out of spider silk?”
I gawked at her as the threads wove themselves into a complete outfit.
Elisha had always been adept at using her silk to form nets and weapons like spears, but—
‘Clothing is on a whole other level.’
Clothing is far more complex than most people realize.
Especially modern-style clothing.
“Fufu. Advancing in my abilities has made this possible.”
“Wow.”
To weave silk into clothing with such precision…
‘She’s surpassed me in magic control.’
I prided myself on my ability to control mana, but I could never manipulate it as delicately as Elisha just did.
“Almost done.”
“…Wait, that’s—”
Elisha’s new outfit was the Hero Academy candidate uniform.
“Ahem. It might be a bit childish, but… Since I look younger, I thought I’d try wearing it.”
She smoothed the unfamiliar pleats of her skirt, her cheeks faintly tinged with red.
“Well? Does it suit me?”
Suit her?
Was that even a question?
“You look amazing.”
I gave her a firm nod and a thumbs-up without hesitation.
“Fufu. Good.”
Elisha smiled in satisfaction.
“Then… how about this?”
She stepped closer, gently taking my hand.
“Dale-senpai~♡ Do you wanna hang out after class today?”
She winked and spoke in a playful, cutesy tone.
“…Uh.”
Uh.
Hmm.
How could I phrase this in a way that wouldn’t hurt her feelings?
After careful consideration, I slowly opened my mouth.
“…That was horrifyingly unfitting.”
“……”
Elisha froze mid-smile.
“…Couldn’t you have put it more gently?”
“I was being as kind as possible.”
“…No.”
That was kind?
“…Ugh.”
------------------
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
------------------
Elisha drooped her shoulders in pure devastation.
I smirked and shrugged.
“It’s a joke.”
“…A joke?”
“Yeah. I think it’s cute. It’s a fresh look.”
I wasn’t sure if it was because she looked younger or because of the cadet uniform she was wearing.
Elisha, who had always been far from the word "cute," looked surprisingly adorable.
‘Though I still wouldn’t go so far as to say it suits her.’
Anyway.
The fact that I could see a different side of her wasn’t a bad thing.
“Hm. Your reaction is a bit lacking… but I’ll be generous and let it slide.”
Elisha smiled faintly and stepped closer to me.
“Well then, Senior Dale….”
She grabbed my hand and gently pulled it toward her mouth.
Then, she lightly sucked on my fingertip.
“Sluurp….”
“……!”
A soft sensation spread from my fingertip.
I hurriedly tried to pull my hand away, but instead, Elisha took my finger deeper into her mouth and moved her tongue.
“E-Elisha…?”
“Hehe. There we go, now you’re finally reacting properly.”
Haa.
Elisha exhaled a heated breath as she pressed her body against me.
“You don’t mean… to do it here, do you?”
The place we were in was the first floor of the Abyss.
Not a single person or even a beast was around, but still, it was technically "outside."
“Thirty-seven days.”
“…Huh?”
“The time I spent in seclusion training.”
Ssshhh.
Spiderwebs slithered across the ground like snakes and coiled around my body.
“And… the time I spent away from you without a single chance to exchange messages.”
Haa, haa.
A golden reptilian gleam flickered in Elisha’s eyes.
“And now you’re asking if I intend to do it here? Heh. What are you even talking about, Cadet Dale?”
Elisha licked her lips, her predatory gaze glimmering.
“I only ever planned to do it here from the start.”
“…….”
Like a starving beast, the ravenous spider lunged.
[PR/N: TRASH!!!]
* * *
How much time had passed since then?
Being inside the Abyss, I could still vaguely grasp the flow of time, but one thing was clear—it had been a long while.
“Hoo.”
Elisha let out a satisfied sigh, smoothing her now radiant face.
“It had been so long that I got a little too excited.”
“…Yeah, no kidding.”
Meanwhile, I nodded weakly, my face looking completely drained.
‘First it was Lanez, and now Elisha…’
Just where do they get such endless stamina?
I staggered as I stood up and looked over at Elisha.
“So, your seclusion training is over now?”
“Yes. I still need some time to adjust to my new body… but I’ll do that outside.”
“You worked hard.”
“Hehe. I’ve already received more than enough reward, so it’s fine.”
Elisha smiled in satisfaction and leaned in to give me a light kiss.
“But… did you not step outside at all during your training?”
“Hm? Normally, when you’re in seclusion training, you don’t step outside at all, right?”
“Then….”
A memory suddenly flashed through my mind.
“What about the traces near the Abyss entrance?”
“…Traces?”
Elisha narrowed her eyes.
“What traces are you talking about?”
“Oh, when I arrived at the entrance, I saw signs that someone had passed through.”
“…….”
Elisha’s eyes narrowed further.
“When I arrived, there were no such traces. And during the break period, access to the Abyss is strictly prohibited—only faculty members can enter.”
“Then….”
Elisha and I exchanged glances.
“…That means someone might have trespassed into the Abyss?”
“Most likely.”
Elisha nodded gravely.
“Did you run into anyone during your training?”
“No.”
Well, the first floor of the Abyss was vast.
Unless someone deliberately searched for another person, encounters would be rare.
“Looks like… we have something else to take care of before we leave.”
If someone had entered the Abyss unauthorized, we couldn’t leave until we found them first.
“I’ll search for them.”
“Search for them… don’t tell me….”
A memory surfaced—Elisha once spread her spiderwebs throughout the entire royal palace to locate a hidden passage.
Even that had been a shocking feat, but the first floor of the Abyss was dozens of times larger than the imperial palace.
Even if Elisha had reached a new level of power, I doubted this would be an easy task.
“Ssshh.”
Elisha took a slow breath and spread her arms wide.
Fiiiiiing!
From her fingertips, thousands of spiderwebs shot out, spreading across the entirety of the Abyss.
And then—
“…Found them.”
Elisha’s violet eyes gleamed ominously as she turned her gaze toward the center of the Abyss.
------------------
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
------------------
