Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 231 It doesn’t matter

"Blind date!?"

Inside the bathing seminar venue, Melcy let out a scream that no one she knew had ever heard before.

In contrast to Melsie, the others present seemed completely unfazed, as if they had only heard a rumor that was good no matter what.

"Strange, was it only Melcy who listened to me carefully? Alright then, I'll be magnanimous and say it again. It will be in three days... no, one day has already passed, two days from now."

Two days!?

"Alright, alright, we already heard that, no need to repeat it again."

Faced with the earnest expression of the bathing goddess and the startled reaction of Melsie, Noah reluctantly joined the conversation.
"For a noble family like Elson, what's so strange about family members arranging marriages with the offspring of other noble families? Although I don't know much about it, even if the Elson family controls the western border of the Kingdom of Libera very well, they can't stay there like an isolated island forever, can they? So, in order to seek change, marriage is the most common and least likely way to arouse suspicion from others."

Noah's casual analysis left the goddess of the bath stunned.

"So, it seems Noah was also of noble birth."

"What do you mean?"

"So, if Noah were in this situation, and his family made him go on a blind date with some complete stranger he'd never met, would he accept?"

"if not?"

Noah raised an eyebrow and asked in return.

Although her face showed dissatisfaction and her tone was displeased, this was simply Noah's natural state. She clearly didn't care about such things, or rather, she considered fulfilling the obligations of a noble's offspring to be a matter of course.

"Hey~ Would your family be interested in a marriage alliance with a deity?"

"You really are something else."

Over the years, Noah had doubted the goddess of the bath countless times about her divine identity. Then, one piece of evidence after another, which could not be explained by anything other than the goddess of the bath being a deity, dispelled her doubts.

"In short, for nobles, arranged marriages and political unions are perfectly normal. Besides, your use of the term 'unidentified fellow' is inappropriate. Unless there's absolutely no other way, nobles wouldn't allow members of their family to marry someone who doesn't match their age, character, or appearance. Doing so would damage the family's reputation."

"What about Tabasha? Will Tabasha just marry anyone chosen by her family in the future?!"

The goddess of bathing, who had no interest in listening to serious discourse, interrupted Noah and turned to Tabasha, who was shaking her head to the side.

"I...I wasn't asleep."

"That's a classic reaction."

The goddess of bathing didn't seem to care that Tabasha was in a half-asleep, half-awake state, and patiently repeated the question again.

"A marriage alliance? That's a bit hard to imagine. Since I've already entered the magic academy, I guess I won't encounter such a thing until after graduation or when I'm close to graduation."

Tabasha tilted her head and spoke slowly.

"However, I'm considered an oddball in aristocratic social circles, and my reputation is terrible. I have many brothers and sisters in my family, and the family itself is only a minor noble family. The position of our territory is also very delicate. So, even with the title of a graduate of the magic academy, I might still not be able to get married."

Tabata, who usually seems to be not thinking about anything, surprisingly has a clear understanding and sense of self and her family's place.

"So then, I will become a nun and accompany the Goddess of Bathing forever—"

"Waaah—Tabitha! Unlike some heartless green-haired bastards, you are my true believer!"

"Aha?"

Noah, who was inexplicably attacked, was unsure whether to protest the nickname "Little Green Hair" or deny that he was a follower of the goddess of bathing.

"Well, if there's nothing else for me, I'll take my leave. After curfew, the professor might just stuff me into the Iron Maiden."

Miriam half-stood up, put his hands together in a gesture of "excuse me," and prepared to leave the venue.

After Ritas and Seren left, Miriam realized at some point that it seemed a little inappropriate for him to be the only male student in a place full of female students, especially since it was already quite late.

To be more precise, even now Miriam doesn't know why he participated in these negotiations.

"Sit down, Millie!"

"Oh"

Miriam sat down again.

Although he wasn't afraid of the Bathing Goddess, the Bathing Goddess now exuded an indescribable aura.

Since there was no way to slip away, and in order to end things sooner and avoid actually breaking the curfew, Miriam scratched his head and joined the conversation.

“Goddess of Bathing, judging from our previous conversations, I think you might be trying to stop or sabotage Professor Ritas’s blind date. Although I do not know much about noble matters, is it really okay to do this? Based on what I know of the professor, everything he does must have a reason. He does not blindly follow anyone.”

Miriam said, recalling the Ritas he knew.

Miriam, who had been studying magic with Ritas for almost half a year, was probably the one who understood these things the most.

Whether it's the way Ritas teaches Miriam or the way Ritas himself uses magic, which of them isn't unorthodox?

Ritas will respect authority, tradition, and heritage, but he will not obey them unconditionally.

"So, if we really interfere with the professor's blind date, won't it cause consequences far beyond what we imagine, and even lead to huge losses for the professor's family?"

As Miriam spoke, the previously somewhat noisy hall suddenly fell silent.

Among those present, the blue-haired female student who most hoped that Ritas wouldn't go on the blind date also silently lowered her head.

Indeed, as Miriam said, the arranged marriage, intended to resolve some of the family's difficulties, was disrupted, leading to a crisis that threatened the Elson family's survival. The consequences were not something that those present, nor even Ritas, could bear.

In this atmosphere, what firmly interrupted everyone's thoughts was the voice coming from the disc.

"Won't!"

The goddess of bathing is full of confidence.
"Ami!"

"Ami?"

"The great professor of magical arts, Ritas Berengrom Elson, once said this before his death!" "Before his death?"

"Since a family is going to be destroyed at this level, it's better to just let it be destroyed."

Just from that frivolous tone, everyone knew that Ritas definitely hadn't said that.

However, Ritas did actually say something similar.

For example, a world that needs to be saved by some students might as well be destroyed. Or, for example, families that can be extricated through farce shouldn't have been separated in the first place.

"In the end, why is the Goddess of Bathing so insistent on interfering with this blind date?"

After going around in circles, Miriam finally asked the most crucial question.

"Well, how should I put it? Let me give you an example, uh, let's use 'grain eggs'! Of all the foods from your area, this is the one that left the deepest impression on me."

"Imagine you've never eaten whole grain eggs before, but recently you accidentally tried one and found it incredibly delicious—something you'd never experienced before. So, you decide to eat nothing but whole grain eggs for the rest of your life. Doesn't that seem a bit odd?"

"." "." "." "."

The wondrous metaphor of the goddess of bathing brought everyone present together with the same thoughts for the first time that day.

"Tsk, it seems the analogy failed. It's like that... although this blind date isn't even really a blind date, it's just 'getting to know each other' in name. But, after all, it's Xiao Li, he'll definitely get engaged to her directly and then get married at a similar time. And the reason he does this is partly because it's simpler and easier, and partly because... 'it doesn't matter'."

"If they think it doesn't matter and therefore accept it, I always feel something is wrong. It's like, not everyone in this world has a strong reason to survive, to the point of 'having to live.' If they think it doesn't matter and just give up, then isn't there a big problem with this world? Uh, never mind, I'd better not use any analogies."

"Xiao Li probably doesn't know what it's like to like someone. He's even less clear about the concept of becoming a partner, supporting each other, and spending a lifetime together. Will he never know these things? Probably not. He's just young, not some inhuman monster. So, he's just accepting and pushing everything forward because of the reason of 'it doesn't matter.' One day in the future, he will definitely regret it, and regret it very intensely."

"So, since there's still room for maneuver, I don't want Xiaoli to regret it because of this."

Unbeknownst to them, only the voice of the Bathing Goddess remained in the hall, echoing with these earnest and sincere words.

As they listened to the words of the goddess of bathing, the expressions on their faces, which had previously shown impatience, dazedness, anxiety, or indifference, began to change.

Finally, after taking a deep breath, it was Miriam who stood up and spoke first.

"Since the Goddess of Bath has said so, there's nothing we can do. After all, if Professor Ritas regrets it, something terrible might happen."

With her hands on her hips and a hearty smile, Miriam boarded the pirate ship.

"You're making it sound so serious. It's like you can't get a divorce after getting married. Ah, this... I... I'll help, so could you please not hug me so suddenly? Well, it's not that I can't hug you, it's just... it's not really appropriate to do it suddenly."

During the conversation, Noah was suddenly hugged by Melsie and helplessly bound to the mud ship that was the goddess of bathing.

As for Tabasha, a member of the crew of the leaky mud pirate ship from the beginning, she naturally obeyed the captain's orders without question.

"Very well! Now that everyone understands my good intentions, let's plan how to stop this evil marriage!"

While a farce was brewing in a seminar hall somewhere on campus, in a mansion in Spring City...

"Damn it! That damned Ritas must have done it on purpose! He deliberately arranged for those people from that academy to slap me in the face just to spite me! Ughhhhh! I'm so angry! It was all his doing!!!"

Leaning against the large bath, watching part of her body float up, Cortrienne listened to the angry curses coming from not far away, and had a dazed feeling as if she had traveled back to a few days ago.

"How can this be blamed on Ritas?"

"If not him, then who is to blame?"

You yourself?
Cortrienne knew the answer instantly in her mind, but she didn't say it aloud.

Trying to reason with Xia Luoluo is probably the most futile thing in the whole world.

Looking back, even though Cortelne was constantly being mocked for being "stupid" during her time repeating a year at the academy, she didn't take it to heart. The reason was that she knew exactly what a truly natural "idiot" was like.

"Speaking of which, after the exchange meeting started, everyone from Bayano Academy should have arrived, right? Are you sure it's okay if you don't stay in the dormitory that Ers arranged for you with them?"

Cortrienne still feels a bit sad when she talks about it.

Although she acted that way, Charlotte deliberately took advantage of her holiday to arrive in Spring City early, clearly wanting to see Ritas more often.

I just never expected those things to happen.
"The dorm? The guy who shares a dorm with me was asking, 'Why does my dorm always feel so small? I can barely stretch my arms and legs!' Then he answered himself, 'Oh! I get it, it's because there's a student in my dorm who repeated two years!' Pshaw, I've just been in the academy for about twice as long as everyone else, not that my body has doubled in size!"

"No, no, no, that's not the problem!"

Was Xia Luoluo being bullied at the academy?
Cortrienne quickly and carefully inquired about Charlotte's situation at the academy, since Charlotte might not even realize that others were bullying her.

After repeatedly asking many questions from various angles until Charlotte was annoyed, Corteline breathed a sigh of relief.

Xia Luoluo's situation at the academy was actually not bad, except for a few conspicuous students who would occasionally pick on her. The degree of their picking on her was somewhere between measured mockery and inappropriate jokes.

After letting out a sigh of relief, Cortrienne sighed again.

It can only be said that even if there was a reason for it, it's still quite absurd that Xia Luoluo, who has been an adult for several years, was teased by students who might not even be adults yet.

"By the way, did Phil come to Earls too? I think I saw him at the academy before."

Charlotte, who was scrubbing her shampoo to produce a lot of foam and turning herself into a "sheep," casually asked.

"Yes, he did come. But he left after delivering the message."

"Is someone from the family like Siguang? Why did they send Phil to deliver the message?"

Although Fernandez's position within the family is somewhat ambiguous, his outstanding performance under the "Sword Saint" in recent years has ensured that while his status is not as high as that of Cortriene, Ritas, and others, he is certainly not reduced to becoming a messenger.

"Oh, well, the letter was just something I did; he wanted to see Ritas."

Halfway through her sentence, Corteline realized that there were some things she couldn't let Charlotte know, so she tried to cover it up with a half-truth.

However, Cortrienne did not notice that Charlotte's eyes, hidden within the large amount of foam, had become sharp at this moment.

Perhaps, Xia Luoluo is indeed not very smart.

However, she could also sense that Cortrienne was hiding something.

(End of this chapter)