Chapter 297

“Praise me.”

“What?”

“Praise me.”

“What?”

The same exchange happened twice, and Ellen and I glared at each other sullenly.

“You said you’d scold me if I didn’t win! So since I won, you should praise me!”

“I never said I’d praise you,” she replied in a teasing manner.

“Reinhart, you’re the best! I knew you’d win!” Olivia said.

“... Your praise is so cheap it doesn’t even affect me.”

“That’s so mean!!!”

The tournament was over, and as everyone expected, I had won.

Though the matches had resulted in wins and losses on both sides, there was no lingering resentment toward me from either Ludwig or Scarlett. Perhaps both of them were unique people in their own ways.

Just like the previous day, all the Class A and B members went out to celebrate my victory.

After all, it was a festival.

Harriet and Charlotte sincerely congratulated me on my win.

Ellen also pulled me aside on the way back to the dormitory, after waiting for everyone to leave.

“...”

Ellen seemed hesitant.

She could have just given me some praise, but it seemed like she couldn’t stand saying it herself.

Her face was a bit red.

“I... I know saying this is... kind of weird,” Ellen muttered.

“... What is?”

“... I was proud of you.”

Her unexpected words left my mind blank.

“You made me proud.”

It wasn’t so much joyful as it was confusing.

‘I mean, saying I was great or impressive would have been one thing, but proud? That’s a bit weird!’

“Are you my mom or something?”

Ellen’s expression turned sullen again. She was acting like she had raised me or something.

‘You know I fed you more than you fed me, right?’

“I taught you,” she said, but it felt like she was saying, “This hopeless kid I taught for a year ended up winning the tournament!”

“So, you’re saying it’s all thanks to you?”

“Yep.” Ellen nodded and smiled. “You’ve done well to keep up all this time.”

Her smile and her words left me utterly speechless.

I mostly had Ellen to thank for turning me into what I had become.

Ellen smiled at me radiantly.

“You’ve worked hard, Reinhart. Congratulations.”

“...”

Even if all of this was thanks to Ellen, it was I who had persistently pestered her to teach me swordsmanship, even to the point of being annoying.

Even if I had benefited from many coincidences and cheats, it was I who had swung the sword, clashed with my opponents, and was beaten down, learning tenaciously every step of the way.

Not all my strength came from effort alone, but it couldn’t be said that there was no effort involved.

That was why Ellen was acknowledging my hard work.

“Well... yeah, thanks,” I said hesitantly.

I had whined to her for praise, but now that I was hearing it... it felt... weird.

In the end, though, I received Ellen’s praise.

No one seemed particularly bitter about my victory, and Ludwig and Scarlett seemed to have grown more fond of me. It was a good outcome.

But my shoulders felt heavier, and my stomach churned as if I had indigestion.

It was the side effect of Mana Reinforcement. I had used Mana Reinforcement throughout the three bouts to overwhelm Ludwig, and the physical fatigue was no joke.

I had indeed overdone it.

I wasn’t about to faint or cough up blood, but I felt dizzy.

However, it wasn’t just because of Mana Reinforcement.

I wished that I could bask in the joy of victory and forget the pain, but I couldn’t.

It was Tuesday night, and the next day was Wednesday.

“Damn it....”

The cross-dressing contest would be hed the next day.

‘Is this what it feels like to dice onions while crying?’

My condition was worsening, not improving.

In the end, I decided to forfeit my spot in the Open Tournament finals, knowing I wouldn’t be in any condition to compete after the cross-dressing contest.

***

It was Tuesday night at the Magic Research Club mansion.

Harriet de Saint-Ouen was testing something in the safety room in the mansion’s basement. The room was a large laboratory equipped with barriers, protection magic, and soundproofing magic strong enough that one could experiment with high-level destructive magic.

While there were outdoor practice areas, destructive magic often involved loud explosions, so such soundproofing measures were necessary for testing.

Given the festival, it was impossible to conduct such experiments outside.

Harriet was conducting an experiment inside the safety room, and the members of the Magic Research Club were watching from outside through the security window.

Wooong...

A stream of flames shot from Harriet’s fingertips, hitting a target dummy on the opposite wall.

Bang!

The target exploded, and then streams of flames rose from above Harriet’s head, encircling her shoulders.

It was a lower-level destructive magic spell called Firebolt.

Five Firebolts formed in an instant, hitting five targets simultaneously.

Kwakakakabang!

All of it happened incredibly quickly, and the casting time was almost nonexistent.

Strange blue mana lines formed intricate patterns along Harriet’s arms from her wrist to her forearm.

“It worked!”

“You did it...!”

“I-I can’t believe... this really works!”

Harriet continued to demonstrate numerous lower-level destructive spells, including Lightning Bolt, and even cast and launched spells like Fireball.

All of these were spells Harriet had already mastered. Even those who didn’t specialize in destructive magic could do this much.

The difference was that the casting speed was abnormally fast, and she was even multi-casting.

When Harriet emerged from the safety room, the members of the Magic Research Club all looked at her in amazement.

“Is it complete now?” Cristina asked.

Harriet, looking exhausted, gave her a weak smile. “To some extent. But I think it still needs some refinement.”

“You’re a genius, Harriet!” Rudina exclaimed, jumping up and down with joy as if it were her own achievement.

“I... I can’t believe this actually worked...” Louis Ankton muttered in disbelief.

Harriet laughed at the dumbfounded Louis Ankton.

“How can you be surprised when you’re the one who made it?”

“Well... I mean, it’s one thing to theorize, but to see it actually work...”

Louis Ankton was utterly astonished to see his concept become reality.

“This is a magic system that no one but you can use. No other mage can do this. I never thought it would actually be possible.”

In other words, Louis had created a tool that Harriet was using perfectly. Louis Ankton was a genius for creating it, but Harriet was an even greater genius for being able to use it.

“Really? Well, that’s good for me.”

Under Harriet’s right sleeve, the blue glowing patterns on her arms hummed and then faded away.

Harriet stretched and sighed deeply, looking tired. “Ugh! Since Reinhart won, I need to do something too.”

The Open Tournament was on a different level compared to the first-year tournament.

Even though she wasn’t sure who would win, Harriet did not think she would be eliminated in a pathetic manner.

The other members of the Magic Research Club knew what Harriet was capable of, so they didn’t consider her confidence to be arrogant.

Olivia Lanche, the annoying person who kept butting in and spouting nonsense...

Harriet was determined to bring her down a peg.

Olivia, who was always focused on Ellen, wouldn’t see it coming. She would be utterly blindsided.

***

It was Wednesday, and Harriet was busy and not in the dormitory, and those participating in the Miss and Mister Temple contests were also absent, likely preparing for the event.

In short, all my close friends were busy with their own affairs.

I wasn’t exactly free either.

“Hey, Reinhart! We’re going to watch the parade. Want to come?” Connor Lint called out to me.

Heinrich and the hopeless trio, who had been friendlier towards me since the tournament, waved at me.

“No, I’m going to rest.” I responded.

“Oh... Did you overdo it yesterday?”

“... Yeah, a bit.”

I had indeed overdone it, and my body felt like it weighed a ton, making me want to rest. But I couldn’t afford to rest that day.

I had to participate in the cross-dressing contest.

This event, which could increase my mana by 5, might be the most important event of this festival.

My current mana was at 14.2. A 5-point increase could bring it to 19.2.

Just 0.8 more after that, and my Mana Domination talent would blossom.

I couldn’t afford to give up.

In the end, the fact that my friends weren’t pestering me to go somewhere was actually a good thing.

No one would be around to notice whatever I did. I could sneak out to the cross-dressing contest and be back without anyone asking where I had been.

‘Here I am, plotting to sneak out of the dormitory to attend a cross-dressing contest and come back unnoticed. I must be out of my mind!’

I was indeed a crazy guy who sold his soul and dignity to complete events and challenges. I had crossed the line when I transformed into a girl and confessed to Connor Lint, and I couldn’t go back.

It was all my karma.

It’s often said that decisions should not be rushed. Now that the candy vendor had found out a weird twist, they were continually giving me such tasks.

If I hadn’t done that, they might have offered this generous reward for some other event during this festival.

‘In the end, it’s my fault. It’s totally my fault. It’s all my big fault.’

The cross-dressing contest was going to be held at night.

Of course, it wasn’t being held in a huge place like the main stadium, but in the indoor auditorium of a general class. I already knew the location of it.

It was lunchtime, and the contest would start at six in the evening, but I needed to start preparing. I had prepared a dress that I could put on and take off by myself, but I couldn’t do the makeup alone.

First, I planned to leave the Temple, get my makeup done by Eleris, then return with my clothes packed in a carrier.

Naturally, I would wear a hood when going out and on the way back.

Fortunately, entry and exit protocols at the Temple’s gates during this festival period were more relaxed. They probably wouldn’t comment about how I didn’t look like Reinhart when I presented my ID.

The whole thing was bizarre, but I could work around it.

First, I’d get everything ready outside the Temple, then kill time in a quiet place until the contest was about to start, then rush in at the last minute.

There was no point in wandering around inside the Temple.

I didn’t know why I was considering all these contingencies for something like this, as if it was a secret mission or something.

‘To be completely honest, this is a hundred thousand times more nerve-wracking than the first-year tournament!

‘What if someone recognizes me? What if someone sees me? What if the announcer suddenly says, “Is that Reinhart!”?

‘Should I just not go? My mana will increase over time anyway. Am I putting too much on the line for this? Do I really need Mana Domination? I already have Incantation.

‘Yeah, maybe I don’t need to be so greedy here.’

Even though my mind was spinning, I was already halfway out of the dormitory, wearing a half-dead expression.

The streets were bustling with people enjoying the festival, but I had no energy to pay attention to where they were going.

I was simultaneously thinking about giving up on the cross-dressing contest and how to change my expression to look less like Reinhart, which made my brain feel like it was splitting in two.

‘No, the brain is already divided into the left and right hemispheres.’

My mental state was deteriorating so rapidly that I was forgetting even the most basic facts.

I didn’t even know what I was thinking when I left, and it was still broad daylight.

Eleris had moved to a different residence, but she still operated the scroll shop. It seemed business was still slow.

That day, though, I had told her to close the shop and wait at home.

When I knocked on the basement door of a house in the residential area near the Aligar shopping district, Eleris opened it.

“Welcome, Your Highness.”

“Hey.”

Eleris had not only cleaned the room but also laid out her makeup tools. She had clearly been making her own preparations.

She looked at my complexion and tilted her head.

“The tournament... It didn’t go well?”

“No, I won.”

“Then why is your expression so... Oh. I see.”

Eleris seemed to have forgotten the reason why I couldn’t be happy despite my victory.

She nodded, and her lips twitched slightly. “Still, congratulations, Your Highness. Your growth is remarkable.”

“Thanks...”

After offering a few words that could be taken either as praise or consolation, Eleris sat me down in a chair.

“So.... shall we start right away?”

“... Might as well get it over with. No point in dragging it out.”

We both wore grim expressions.

I washed my face and used the Sarkegar’s ring to change my facial features into the preset I had previously configured.

The changes were subtle, but with makeup and a different expression, I would look like a completely different person.

In the reflection in the conjured mirror, I saw my slightly-altered face, still bare but now with silver hair.

“... Why do I—No, never mind. Don’t say anything.”

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

‘I look so weird! How do I look like this with just a slight change to my appearance and no makeup?!

‘It’s like one of those drawings where they insist it’s a boy but it looks like a girl!’

“... Alright, let’s begin,” Eleris said.

“... Yeah.”

This was the prelude to an utterly hellish time.

‘It’s just for a day. After today, I won’t have to go through this dreadful ordeal again. No matter how hellish things are, once they’re over, they’ll become just another memory.

‘Just like how dawn will come even if you strangle a rooster, time will pass, and even if the world turns upside down, the cross-dressing contest will be over today!

‘No matter how slowly time moves, tomorrow will come, and with it, I’ll say goodbye to this humiliating ordeal and run away with boosted mana stats and Achievement Points!

‘Once it’s over, I’ll think, “Yeah, it was worth it.” I’ll be proud of myself for enduring this embarrassment for the greater good!’

I kept coming up with excuses to justify the situation to myself.

‘Ah... At this rate, I might level up my Self-Deception skill.’