Chapter 65

T/N: This bonus chapter is sponsored by Kaden K. (10/14) See my Ko-fi if you want more bonus chapters.

About five minutes after responding to Ethan’s request and slowly matching steps in the center of the stage…

By the time we finished the first song, holding hands with my partner and following the choreography, the impression in my mind was simpler than I thought.

‘Surprisingly, following along wasn’t as hard as I thought.’

Of course, I was aware that Ethan was moving slowly in consideration of me being a beginner at ball dancing. I wasn’t dull enough not to notice that while moving together in sync.

However, it was also true that the process of following the choreography wasn’t very difficult.

First, the song itself wasn’t very fast, so there was no need to move the dance in a hurry.

Other than that, it was probably because I had unknowingly become familiar with the choreography while searching for Agnes and other characters from the game.

‘Originally, evening ballroom scenes appeared frequently in the game too. Maybe I got used to it then.’

With a playtime of 2,000 hours, even if I extracted just the ball-related events separately, wouldn’t it amount to about one to two hours worth of content?

Thinking that I might have subconsciously become accustomed to it, I calmly matched steps with Ethan to the slow dance.

“You dance well, Lili. Did you learn it somewhere?”

“Who knows? Maybe I got used to it from watching. Or, it could be because Ed is leading me well.”

“…I’m grateful you said that.”

“Did it help you change your mood? If not, are you going to dance to another song, Ed?”

“…Will you accompany me more?”

“If it’s just a song or two.”

“Then I’ll ask that of you, Lili.”

“Alright, Ed.”

After exchanging some words at the end of the first song, we started moving our bodies again to the second song.

When the orchestra’s performance reached the middle, suddenly, dozens of soldiers rushed in through the entrance of the hall.

BANG!

“Esteemed guests! Please give me your attention for a moment!”

“…?”

The nobles chatting at the edges of the ballroom, the people dancing in pairs in the center like Ethan and me, and even the orchestra gathered on one wall of the evening Rose Hall playing classical pieces…

At the words of the knight, who seemed to be the captain among the soldiers who entered through the door, everyone stopped their actions and focused their gazes on him. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

Soon, the words that came out of his mouth were enough to surprise everyone in the hall.

“Just recently, an abnormal monster proliferation phenomenon has been confirmed at Lake Verdan, located north of the royal palace! There is a possibility of a monster wave, so esteemed guests, please gather in the main hall of the palace to receive protection from the palace guards!”

“M-Monster wave?!”

“…L-Lake Verdan isn’t far from here!”

“N-No…”

The guests of the masquerade ball showed various startled reactions to the sudden declaration by the security forces.

Well, looking at the faces of the people gathered here, it was only natural for them to show such reactions.

As it was the birthday banquet of the Third Princess, most of the attendees at this party were guests around Seraphine’s age.

The majority of the people gathered here likely hadn’t even entered the academy, let alone graduated from it.

Even if they had enrolled, they would be, at most, 1st or 2nd-year students.

Especially for noble mages who grew up in a greenhouse *1, it wasn’t uncommon for them to encounter monsters for the first time only after entering the academy, so as soon as they heard the words “monster wave,” they couldn’t help but fall into a panic.

“AAAAHHHH! I-I’m going to leave here quickly! Bring out my carriage fast!”

“That won’t do! Outside the palace is dangerous right now! Until the situation calms down, you must stay inside the palace and receive our protection…”

“Let go of me! I’m going to run away from here right now…!”

Amidst the chaos, a young lady who couldn’t endure the anxiety screamed and rushed out, only to be caught by the guards and struggle.

Just as I was feeling worried that her actions would only amplify the confusion among the already anxious crowd…

A man who walked out from the crowd cast a spell, and she fell asleep like a puppet whose strings were cut *2.

“…Nature, grant a night of peaceful rest.”

“Wake me up… rrright…. nowwwww……..”

As the young lady collapsed into the soldier’s arms with slumber, a green-haired man stepped forward simultaneously.

As soon as I saw his appearance and heard his voice, I was convinced that he was a character from “Luminor Academy.”

“They seemed to be in trouble, so I put them to sleep for a bit.”

‘…Ah.’

Green short hair, an androgynous voice, and sleep magic, one of the nature-based magics.

There were countless ways to identify him, so it would be strange not to recognize him at a glance.

A character from “Luminor Academy” and one of the main characters who could join as an ally if needed.

Orion, the Sage of Verdure. It was the moment he first revealed himself before my eyes.

“O-Orion…?”

“The top student of the 2nd-year magic students…”

“I didn’t see him even once in the ballroom earlier…”

Orion’s appearance caused quite a stir among the audience, perhaps because he was already a somewhat famous figure within the academy.

Thanks to his presence, everyone seemed to have completely lost interest in the nameless young lady sleeping in the soldier’s arms.

Seeing the momentarily bewildered soldiers, Orion continued.

“I will also participate in the battle to fend off the monster wave. Evacuate the others to the shelter and guide me to the front lines where the soldiers are.”

“Ah, that won’t do, Sir Orion! We cannot allow a guest of Princess Seraphine to engage in such a dangerous task!”

“Don’t worry. Despite my appearance, I’m the top student of the 2nd-year magic students at the academy. I’m sure I’ll be of considerable help.”

“B-But…”

“You know it’s the best solution to select capable individuals to participate in the battle and resolve the monster wave rather than gathering all the noble children in one room and waiting, right?”

“Those words… You are correct, but…”

Orion took control of the conversation with the security knight as soon as he appeared.

Seeing his frank and straightforward manner, I couldn’t help but think that he couldn’t help but be a popular character in “Luminor Academy.”

If Seraphine stretched out the main story with unnecessary, frustrating plot points to increase the playtime, Orion was the type to skip bothersome episodes with his frank manner of speaking.

For example, let’s say there was an episode where the entire party accepted a request to defeat a certain monster together. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

In the process of carrying out this type of episode, there were sometimes cases where the playtime itself differed depending on whether Orion was present in the party or not.

There were times when it was possible to skip additional quests attached to episodes, such as proving one’s skills to hunt dangerous monsters if Orion was among the party members.

It’s all because of that character’s unique way with words and his position as the top student of the academy’s magic department.

‘He’s essential for speedrun plays. Thanks to Orion, I was able to skip a few episodes and progress quickly.’

…It would have been better if it weren’t for those suspiciously narrowed eyes *3 and a slightly gay-looking appearance.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that 50% of the female players of “Luminor Academy” played because of Orion. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

As I was watching him with such trivial thoughts, Orion gave us a sly, suspicious smile.

…And he immediately began a public ‘recruitment’ targeting the guests gathered in the ballroom.

“Is there anyone among you who has experience defeating monsters or is confident in their skills? I’d like to gather people to go with me to stop the monster wave.”

“…”

“If you have hunting experience or confidence in your abilities, you don’t necessarily have to be an academy student. Of course, I can’t provide any rewards myself, but the imperial family might express a small token of gratitude to those who fight diligently.”

“…T-The imperial family…”

“B-But a monster wave is a bit…”

“Hmm, is there really no one?”

Despite Orion’s rather lofty recruitment of noble volunteers, the guests were hesitant to step forward.

Most academy students would have experience defeating monsters, and even those who hadn’t enrolled yet, about half of them would have experience.

Nevertheless, the reason they didn’t readily volunteer was likely due to the atmosphere of fearing monsters themselves or worrying about unfamiliarity. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

If the age range of this party was a bit older and there were a few upperclassmen from the academy mixed in, there would have been some people voluntarily going out.

However, since the gathering consisted mainly of prospective academy students and lower-grade students, everyone lacked confidence in their abilities.

‘I want to go out the most if it were up to me, but…’

The problem was that the moment I did that, my identity behind the mask would be exposed, and the fact that I was a commoner maid, not a noblewoman from somewhere, would also likely be revealed.

I had just calmly received greetings from other nobles while pretending to be a noblewoman, so if it was revealed now that I was a commoner, it probably wouldn’t end well.

Moreover, I currently didn’t have a dagger to use as a weapon, and considering the gazes of others, I couldn’t freely use magic in my position.

As I was watching Orion while expressing deep regret in my heart…

“…Ahem.”

Suddenly, I heard the voice of someone beside me responding to Orion’s ‘recruitment’.@@novelbin@@

“…If it’s alright, even if I’m not a student at the academy yet, I’ll participate.”

“Oh, really?”

“…?”

I was also enveloped in a slightly confused emotion as the familiar black hair unexpectedly pushed me aside and leaped forward.

Focusing my gaze on the back of his head, my ‘partner’ soon began to speak to Orion.

“Ethan Richard Blackwood, eldest son of the Blackwood Duke family. My specialty is magical swordsmanship using body enhancement magic.”

“…Hmm.”

“My power may be weak, but I promise I won’t be a hindrance.”

…What?

Why are you suddenly stepping up?

T/N

The use of the word ‘greenhouse’ here is a metaphor likening sheltered nobles to plants in a greenhouse, protected from the dangers of the outside world.

Ever seen the choreo of Fake Love by BTS?

Speaking of narrowed eyes, read Ruminas’ TL!

Hello! Axiomatic here.

Great news!

I just received a $3 donation from JoshuaW on Ko-fi. Thank you so much for sponsoring one bonus chapter! The Google Sheets schedule has been updated with your name on it, and I’ll now be on track to publish Chapter 104 by June 28!

Also, as I was translating this chapter, something kinda clicked in my head. Lilith is currently wearing a crimson dress, and I expect Ethan to be fighting what seems to be monsters alongside Lilith in the next chapter. Doesn’t that remind you of the cover image??? We’ll both find out tomorrow.

Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow!