Chapter 99: Boyfriend-Service

Shimu lay breathing hard on the ground, her twin dark swords resting beside her.

She looked up at the girl a short distance away and smiled. “Good job, Princess Sylene.”

Sylene was also injured and exhausted, but she was the one left standing, gazing down at the girl with a look of distaste.

Shimu got up as the six hours finally concluded. Evolving in the middle of the fight… My mission is finished as commissioned, Edel Mireveil.

***

After the six hours of the survival event ended and all remaining students were brought back to the center of the colosseum, where those who had already been eliminated waited, Kaimon delivered a speech of congratulations amidst the applause of the audience. Meanwhile, many spectators cast keen eyes upon the young talents, eager to invest in them.

[Story Mission Completed!]

[Rewards:]

[Choose any of the following element for a Tier-2 magic to be learned:]

• Fire

• Water

• Wind

• Lightning

• Half of Aura Blade (Rare)

[For surviving against a boss early-on, a bonus option has also been included.]

No ice? I was hoping to learn ice magic for the scenarios that happen further on.

Lucion and the students marched toward the academy halls in formation, while all the guests were escorted by royal maids and butlers.

Right now, I grasp a faint trace of aura and imbue it into my weapons, but it's nothing compared to the real deal. It is a great advantage to learn half of it like this, but what will be most effective for the upcoming events is lightning.

[You've learned Tier 2 Magic: Lightning Bolt!]

[New Missions Available!]

[Story Mission: Survive the first arc]

The two thousand students stopped before a massive set of doors leading to the academy's grand assembly hall. They glanced at one another, speaking with those they had allied with while surviving inside the dimension.

Inside here will be the Headmaster, the Principal of the academy. Lucion looked around. And we are the first cohort of an academy destined to last for centuries.

The gates swung open by magic, leading the students into a vast hall paved with black-and-white tiles, with large white Aether chandeliers hanging overhead.

Most were hardly impressed, having already witnessed similar opulence within their noble estates or royal castles. But to Lucion—a commoner, and a gamer who had spent his life confined to a dark room—it was nothing short of magnificent.

Meanwhile, the guests were seated in the private balcony boxes above, each reserved for specific kingdoms, organizations, or prominent individuals.

As the students waited in silence, a girl seemingly younger than Lucion stepped forward onto the central balcony. She looked down at the assembly and cleared her throat.

Channeling sound magic, she began, “I am Sinia Asignar, the Headmaster of Onyx Spire Acade—”

An unrestrained laugh echoed loudly through the hall, breaking the silence.

Everyone looked toward the balcony from which it originated. Sure enough, it belonged to Crimvane.

Noa slapped the armrest of his chair, tears brimming in his eyes as he roared with laughter.

“The Headmaster is a loli! I can't, man! This is too much!” he gasped, breathless with mirth.

Beside him, Vionette pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes shut tightly as she fought to suppress her own laughter.

Kaimon, standing beside Sinia, dragged a hand down his face. This kingdom.

One of Sinia's brows twitched in irritation, her fingers clenching into fists. I swear, King of Crimvane…!

She erected a barrier around the Crimvane balcony, abruptly cutting off all sound from the outside world.

She cleared her throat once more. “I am Sinia Asignar, the Headmaster of Onyx Spire Academy…”

As she delivered her speech, Lucion stared at her. Sinia Asignar, a genius mage with exceptional Aether compatibility. Her mother was human, and her father a dragon; she looks so young due to her draconic lineage.

“Based on your accumulated points in today's event, we have assigned your ranks.”

Sinia channeled her magic, and glowing white words woven from Aether materialized throughout the hall.

She smiled. “But remember, your classroom assignments are randomized, not divided by rank.”

Lucion found his name at rank 503, and Emmy's at 620.

The top rank was awarded to Heyla, with Sylene second, and Jeik, the red-haired elf, third. At the bottom, both holding zero points, were Lirth and Astris.

“Rest assured, if your points were equal, you have been assigned the same rank,” Sinia announced.

Meanwhile—

“Noa, stop it,” Vionette murmured, shielding a chuckle with her hands. “You're going to make me laugh, too.”

Noa subsided, exhaling a breath. “Sorry, I couldn't help it.”

“Look, they even put up a barrier for us,” Vionette smiled.

Noa turned around to look at the two girls seated nearby. “By the way, where did you two run off to earlier?”

Lina and Elina instantly averted their gazes, their eyes darting every which way.

“W-we were just grabbing some skewers!” Lina replied hastily.

“Y-yeah!” Elina chimed in. “We were t-totally not running a scam!”

Lina clamped a hand tightly over Elina’s mouth, though it was far too late. Oh my god… is she even trying?

So they were. Noa closed his eyes.

Sinia dismissed the floating text across the hall with a flick of her fingers. In its place, new information regarding their assigned classes and dormitories appeared.

“Once you have memorized your class, you may proceed to your assigned dorm rooms to rest for the day. Classes begin tomorrow.”

***

The sun dipped low, surrendering to the encroaching night.

Inside their private quarters, Vionette sat on the edge of the bed. Resting across her lap was Noa's head, looking up at her as he idly poked her belly button through the dark fabric of her dress.

Noticing something moving inside her mouth, Noa asked, “What are you eating?”

“A toffee Elina brought. I snatched it in exchange for a neck scratch.” She rolled the candy around in her mouth. “It tastes like mint, leaves a freezing sensation.”

“Huh? Let me see.”

She pouted, reluctant to share. But then she leaned down and pressed her lips to his.

After they parted, Noa savored the toffee she had passed to his mouth. “It does feel like that. Where did they even find these?”

Why is he poking my belly button? she wondered. It feels tingly and good at the same time.

“Those kids are pretty capable, aren't they?” Vionette asked.

“Those students?” Noa kept his gaze locked on her breasts. “Well, not by our standards, but for their age, yeah, some of them are.”

She looked down at him. “Blackie, what class do you think will fit me the most?”

He finally dragged his eyes away from her chest to meet her gaze. “For you? Mmm… maybe the one with that vampire kid? Or maybe that ice tsundere?”

“What do you think of that boy named Lucion?”

“Him?” Noa made a skeptical face. “I mean… he's alright, I guess. He has skills and some tactical sense, but that's about it.”

Vionette straightened her posture, staring blankly ahead at the wall. “You guys must be blind or something.”

As his eyes drifted back down to her chest, an important question crossed his mind.

“Is it pink?” he asked.

Vionette looked down, studying his face for a few seconds with half-lidded eyes and a slow smile.

She slipped her hands beneath her shirt to playfully touch his chest as she lowered her face, her hair cascading around him.

She whispered softly into his ear, ‘It’s like my lips.’

Leaving Noa's eyes wide with shock, she pulled back and straightened up.

He stared at her lips. Like those pink, soft, glossy ones?! Holy shit! Just imagining it—

“Want to see?” Vionette reached for the side of her halter neckline, pulling the fabric aside enough to show the sight of a black bra.

Noa rolled over, pressing his face against her thighs with his back turned upward.

“Don’t tease me,” he muttered against her skin. “Actually, are you sure we can find that magic here? I'm losing my patience.”

She reached out to play with his dark hair with a soft smile. “The Headmaster is a genius mage, so I'm sure we can find it here.”

One of his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling his face tighter against her abdomen. “You better be quick, Vio.”

“Most of the guests will be heading back now that the ceremony is over, but like us, some might stay, and all of them will be eyeing that artifact.” She pinched his cheek. “We need to get ready, too. Can you drop me off in Crimvane tomorrow?”

“Kay,” Noa murmured, closing his eyes.

She smiled softly as she watched his face. It takes months to travel back to Crimvane. Even when using teleportation circles across various kingdoms, it took us a full month to arrive here.

But [Blink] allows us to teleport to any location we can see, and [Vacant Eye] lets us observe any location we've previously visited. By combining both skills, we can instantly jump anywhere we've ever been.

It shouldn't be possible, yes. But like how [Echo Reclamation] required him to harvest negative emotions to bring out the Null Essence in his body, [Blink]’s only condition was laying eyes on his destination. The Aether cost doesn't scale with distance, either; it always remains the same.

She glanced upward, a mischievous smirk dancing across her lips. 

They feel less like skill conditions and more like third-rate restraints, don’t they, dear readers?

She looked back down at him, her playful smirk melting into a fond, warm expression.

“Night is coming. Want to sleep there, darling?” she asked, gently stroking his hair.

“Yeah…” Noa smiled, rubbing his face against her stomach. “This is the best place to sleep—” He paused, raising a finger. “Wait, I take it back. This is the second-best.”

“Hmm? Then what's the best?”

“Your boobs, obviously.”

Vionette glared down at his back, pouting angrily and whispering, ‘Well, why didn't you say so before, moron?’

Releasing his head, she crawled back toward the center of the bed. As Noa looked up in confusion, she grabbed him by the face and dragged him upward.

She cradled his face against her chest, wrapping her arms around him. “Is this better or the best?”

“The best, of course…” Noa closed his eyes with a smile.

“Wait, actually, let me change into a night outfit first.” She released him and slipped out of bed. “It'll make it smoother for you.”

Noa immediately threw his hand up in a thumbs-up. “Yes, mommy!”

“I am not your mom~”

***

Morning spilled through the windows, accompanied by the chirping of birds and the chatter of students heading toward the academy grounds.

Noa sat in a chair, gazing out the window while sipping black coffee.

Having just rolled out of bed, Vionette padded toward him, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“Good morning, babe,” she murmured, stepping up behind him.

Noa looked up at her over his shoulder. “Morning.”

He reached up, pulling her down into a lingering morning kiss.

After parting, Vionette wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned forward with a lazy yawn, her chest resting right against the top of his head.

Noa's eyes rolled back in sheer bliss. Holy hell!

Still half-asleep, she mumbled, “I'm going to meet that cute Headmaster today. Wanna come with me?”

“Nah, you go. I don’t really feel like sitting through a long conversation.” His eyes darted away awkwardly. “...And I don't think she'd like me very much, either.”

I guess I'll go check out the local shops in the meantime.

***

“Ladies and gentlemen, behold this magnificent treasure box!” the merchant gestured grandly. “It can store items safely within its space, making it much easier to carry your belongings around. Who wants to make an offer?”

A man stepped forward and purchased one for sixty silver coins.

The crowd consisted mostly of students and their guardians preparing for the academy's first day, alongside a minority of local capital citizens.

Among the bustling crowd stood Lina.

I need to find a cool sword today at least. She glanced around at the surrounding students, scanning their auras. Are these guys really only three years older than me?

“This item will be exceptionally useful for close-combatants!” The shop owner hoisted a black katana accented with gold. “This is a masterwork blade forged from Admelia, one of the hardest metals known!”

“M-made from Admelia?!” a student gasped. She quickly tugged on her father's sleeve—a duke. “Father, I absolutely need that one!”

Another turned to his attending maid. “Make sure we buy that sword.”

The shop owner smiled brightly. “The price is two hundred gold coins!”

Just as the price was stated, everyone opened their mouths. But before anyone's words could go out, a heavy coin pouch slammed onto the counter.

“I'll take it,” Fois said, glaring at the woman standing beside him as she set down the pouch.

“Hey! Wait a minu—” The girl's mouth was swiftly muffled by her father.

‘Stay quiet. That is a royal, and not from some minor kingdom like ours, either,’ he whispered urgently.

‘I heard they skipped the opening ceremony,’ a baroness murmured.

‘Yeah. Even if the ceremony wasn't mandatory for enrollment, blowing it off is a disgrace to Gergrain.’

‘Are they really that confident?’

The shop owner glanced at the white insignia on Fois’s collar. Why is royalty slumming it in my shop? Looks like I'll have to skip town after making this sale—

“I would also like to purchase that sword.” Another pouch dropped onto the counter.

Fois whirled around to glare at Lina, his face contorted with fury. “What did you just say?”

‘Is that…’ a whisper rippled through the crowd.

‘Yeah, that's the Crimvane King's little sister,’ a student whispered. ‘I don’t think this is going to end well.’

“I said I want the sword,” Lina flicked a finger toward her ear. “Are you deaf or something? It's mine.”

Fois gestured to the woman in mage robes, who instantly began chanting as a magic circle flared across her palm.

“Say another word,” he smirked, “and you're finished.”

Lina glanced around at the surrounding crowd. Looks like I'll have to—

Suddenly, the shop doors swung open. Everyone turned to see Noa standing on the threshold, surveying the scene.

A lazy smile spread across his face as his eyes landed on the woman standing beside Fois. “Oh~?”