Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 254 Illusory Blue
a new day.

Around noon, the Bathing Goddess appeared online on time again, mainly discussing the matter of the Cowardly Lizard and its sister.

Since the root cause of Langna's demonic possession has likely been found, the Goddess of Bath optimistically believes that her condition will improve after the academy exchange meeting, when the pressure on Langna decreases.

But Ritas doesn't think so.

It's a well-worn topic that the "Demon Loss Syndrome" has no logic. Didn't Ritas know the root of his illness and try to solve it? But the result is that the situation remains essentially unchanged.

However, at least Elise's problem is solved.

Although Ritas had a premonition that even without the "individual lessons" excuse, his students would still treat him like a wish-granting machine, making all sorts of requests unrelated to magic, he was still slightly relieved that all his students' individual lessons, except for Charlotte's, had come to an end.

"To be honest, I never expected this. Langna, who looks like that and always seems so imposing in the game, is actually so gentle."

At the end of the conversation, the goddess of bathing sighed.

This time, Ritas was in favor of the goddess of bathing.

He hadn't expected that Langna, who was not only renowned within the academy but also considered a rising star in academic circles, wasn't like most geniuses—overconfident and brimming with brilliance. Rather, she was very likely someone else who had placed her in her current position.

Just as the Goddess of Bath initially perceived those in his world primarily through nicknames and labels, Ritas also relied on preconceived stereotypes when judging unfamiliar students. Therefore, what was actually a very simple matter only became clear to him yesterday.

"Sometimes, people don't even understand their own personality. For example, someone who has always been timid and shy might find themselves completely relaxed and even enjoying the spotlight and the gaze when they first stand on a big stage. Or, someone who usually appears very assertive might be surprised to find their legs suddenly go incredibly weak when facing a major competition."

Since they were to travel to Spring City that day, Ritas, as previously agreed, sought out his "bodyguard," Boudica.

However, upon arriving at the academy's stables, Ritas discovered that Boudica had brought another elf with her.

It was a girl dressed in a short-sleeved top primarily in light green and white. Although the overall outfit seemed designed for ease of movement, the girl was also wearing white stockings that reached her thighs. She appeared neither agile nor particularly defensive.

This elf, with her long golden hair tied into a bun, has a pair of exceptionally bright, azure eyes.

It's not hard to guess that this elven girl, like Boudica, came from the elven guard that Livis had conscripted from the elven kingdom.

While she still appears to be a young girl on her own, standing next to Boudica, she clearly looks a bit older. This might explain why she doesn't usually act as a student, but instead remains hidden away, guarding the academy.

"She didn't get a tan!"

"."

Ritas, of course, would not relay such rude words from the goddess of bathing.

At first, she seemed to have been dragged there by Boudica, so she was somewhat unwilling. When facing Ritas, she still stood upright and gave the shoulder salute of the elven guards.

Just as Ritas was about to ask about the specifics, Boudica suddenly clutched her stomach and dramatically collapsed.

"Ouch—ouch ouch ouch—I'm suddenly feeling unwell—so—Member Hipper—please take my place on this—escort mission—"

"." "." "."

This was undoubtedly the most egregious example of stilted reading that the three of them had ever heard in their lives.

And after saying that, Boudica, who should have suddenly fallen ill, disappeared quickly after a few "whoosh" sounds, just like usual.

"."

Beside the carriage, Ritas and the elven girl named Hipper looked at each other in bewilderment.

After a moment of silence, Ritas remembered Boudica's earlier words about hoping that the other guards could also visit Spring City. He sighed and decided to take on the troublesome task that the student had thrown at him.

However, seeing that Hipper's enthusiasm remained low, Ritas, just to be on the safe side, said...

"I don't actually need bodyguards very much. So, Miss Hipper, if it's inconvenient for you..."

"Don't worry, sir. I will complete the escort mission perfectly."

Withdrawing her equally speechless gaze from the spot where Boudica had disappeared, Hipper spoke seriously.
“Although the officer already knows my name, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Hipper, a former ranger of the ‘Jungle Blade’.”

"Nice to meet you, Hipper. And I hope you won't address me as 'sir' here."

After a series of familiar-sounding words, Ritas and Hipper boarded a carriage bound for Spring City.

As members of the Elven Guard, Hipper and Boudica are clearly very different.

Of course, I'm not talking about skin color.

Hipper seemed quite demure. At least, she wasn't like Boudica, who either hid on the roof or under the carriage, or clung to the ceiling like a spider, requiring Ritas to order her down and sit still.

Her every move and posture revealed her excellent upbringing. In human terms, she exuded the air of a noblewoman from a prominent family.

Therefore, Ritas became curious about the composition of the elven guard that Livis had recruited.

"Please allow me to once again express my apologies to the professor on behalf of Boudica's players."

On the carriage, Hipper spoke in a steady, clear voice, more like Boudica's older sister than her colleagues, explaining Boudica's words and actions to Ritas.

Ritas, who had already spoken with Boudica beforehand, naturally didn't care about these things.

"At the same time, Professor, please don't misunderstand. Not all members of the Elven Guard think that life in the academy is dull and isolated, like Boudica does."

As Hipper spoke, the carriage entered the eastern district of Spring City.
"I'm eager to see new and interesting things!"

Hipper, no longer resembling her former self, pressed her face against the carriage window, gazing at the bustling scene of the eastern district of Spring.

"."

Ritas felt as if he had witnessed this scene before. Shaking his head, he wondered if he had simply lived in this area and hadn't realized it. Spring City, in fact, was considered a large city even by continental standards?

Ritas paid for the day's "escort" service by spending about two hours shopping with Hipper.

He felt he should retract his previous idea that Hipper and Boudica were very different.

Putting everything else aside, at least when buying her desired items, Hipper pulled out identical large gold bars. Faced with the vendor's stunned expression, Hipper, still holding her face, said something like, "Isn't this enough?" and pulled out another one.

Fortunately, Ritas was already mentally prepared, and this time he had the coachman stop the carriage near the gold exchange.
So, is the Elf Kingdom built on a huge gold mine?

In short, after Hipper, satisfied with her luggage, had shipped it all back to the academy, Ritas and his guards arrived near their destination.

"Don't worry, Professor, I will definitely keep a close watch outside. I won't let any suspicious person slip by!"

“Don’t worry.” Looking at Hipper, who was wearing a brown trench coat with the tag still on, which she had bought sometime in the past, a black wide-brimmed hat, a mask and sunglasses, Ritas couldn’t remember what “don’t worry” meant for a moment.

Hipper, dressed like that, was furtively peeking around the alleyway wall with her back pressed against it. It seemed impossible to find anyone more suspicious than her in the entire city of Spring.

If we encounter real danger in the future, it's best not to bring members of the Elf Guard.

Livis Boudica Hipper.
If it weren't for the "ugly elf" who was there to protect him, Ritas might have developed a prejudice against the entire elf community.

After putting the white disc, which he had been eyeing Hipper all along, into his personal bag, and then taking out a mask and putting it on, Ritas headed towards his destination.

Sir Jim's residence.

This is the place Ritas planned to visit that day.

Since Sir Him had greeted him last time, Ritas hadn't noticed that this old mansion, which was dilapidated in every way, didn't have a magic bell.

Pushing open the half-closed courtyard gate, Ritas walked straight in and then knocked on the mansion door for a while.

However, no one came to open the door for a long time.

"Strange, did they go out?"

Ritas was puzzled because Mary and her group, who were responsible for monitoring this area, had not submitted a report.

After knocking on the door for a while, the old, dilapidated gate of the mansion opened automatically, its lock loosening and coming loose.

"This...this...this...it looks a bit like a classic scene from a suspense or thriller!"

Whether it was the timid bath goddess recalling the "haunted house" or worrying about her "third wife," her voice sounded panicked.

"Next, if you go in, you'll either see a ghost or a pool of blood!"

"."

In fact, none of these scenes appeared after Ritas pushed the door open and went inside.

Apart from being quieter and dimmer, there was nothing unusual about Sir Himm’s mansion.

For Ritas, a civilized, law-abiding, and kind-hearted civilian, trespassing on someone else's property was already going too far. However, for the "White Pope," who walked the line between the law and reality, it carried little burden.

So he not only entered the house, but also began to search around.

Soon after, he found Sir Him in a room on the first floor of the mansion, where he was either asleep or unconscious.

"Even if Spring City has good public security, such laxity is unacceptable. What if a thief breaks into the mansion?"

"You're not much different from a thief!"

Amidst the goddess's complaints, Ritas left Sir Him, who seemed unlikely to wake up anytime soon, and began exploring other parts of the mansion.

The entire second floor of the mansion is like an exhibition hall for Sir Jim Himm's works.

Almost every room is densely packed with a large number of Sir Jim Himm's own paintings, as well as other unfinished or abandoned works.

"Hey~ Could that old man be a really amazing painter?"

Based on Ritas's impression of the goddess of the bath, she should have been completely ignorant of art. However, even she couldn't help but admire it, which is enough to show that Sir Sim's paintings are undeniably excellent.

Whether it's a landscape painting, a portrait, or a painting whose subject is unclear, Ritas and the Bathing Goddess can all sense a tension within them.

Ritas, who observes more closely, can sense the artist's focus and meticulousness from the delicate lines of the painting, and feel the "power" the artist wanted to infuse into it from the bold lines drawn in one go.

However, all of these highly completed works are quite old.

Sir Jim seems to have a habit of signing his name and marking the date of completion, and the earliest painting with these features is about five years ago.

"Did you fall ill and become unable to paint anymore?"

The goddess of bathing also noticed this and speculated.

Ritas, who had previously seen many abandoned works, held a different view.

After coming down from the second floor, Ritas went down to the first floor.

Compared to the second floor, the first floor shows more signs of daily life.

Or perhaps it's just too much.

Many untreated garbage piled up in room after room, and the smell made Ritas frown.

Then, after exploring both the first and second floors, Ritas realized a problem.

Where is Miss Maud's room?

"Yes, where is it?"

Compared to her initial excitement at "sneaking into the third wife's house to do bad things," the goddess of the bath now clearly felt heavy-hearted.

After a brief recollection, Ritas returned to the room where Sir Himm, who was still unconscious, was.

From the somewhat abruptly standing side of the room, outside, Ritas and the goddess of bathing saw a staircase leading to the basement.

After having the goddess of the bath, who could walk through walls, scout ahead, Ritas entered the basement.

In contrast to the somewhat cramped entrance, the basement of the Him mansion is surprisingly spacious.

However, when he went down to the basement, Ritas still couldn't help but feel a stuffy feeling, as if he could hardly breathe.

Not long after searching in the basement, Ritas and the goddess of bathing found their target.

Compared to before, there was not much change. The young girl, Maud, who was still so thin that she was almost skin and bones, was concentrating on using a small brush to apply the blue paint from the paint bucket to the canvas in front of her.

It was a particularly bright and clear blue, almost reminiscent of the color of the sky to everyone who saw it.

Even the blank spaces on the paper caused by the damaged brushes resemble leisurely clouds floating naturally in the sky.

(End of this chapter)