Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 299 Golden Apple
When she opened her eyes again, the goddess of bathing found that she had returned to the foot of the golden apple tree.

The peaceful grasslands, azure skies, snow-capped mountains, and golden wheat fields remain unchanged.
But even though the scenery in her field of vision was the same, her mindset was undoubtedly completely different from before.

Because things happened so quickly, the goddess of bathing was "reborn" before she even realized she was "dead".

Therefore, after returning to the "starting point", some momentum slowly began to emerge.

Unconsciously, she wrapped her arms tightly around herself, and even the pain of her nails digging deep into her flesh seemed to take a long time to register.

It was a feeling that nearly drove the goddess of bathing mad.

This feeling can be simply summarized in one sentence.

It's really... terrifying.
The goddess of the bath was still a little unsteady when she stood up.

But as she leaned against the tree trunk, the worst images flashed through her mind.

An overwhelming discomfort permeated her body and mind. After gagging for a while, the goddess of the bath didn't even know if she had actually vomited anything. She simply wiped her mouth and forced herself to move.

The first person she thought of was Millie.

Because of her perspective, the scene of Millie being killed was clearer and more distinct in what she saw.

The last time, she had simply run and jumped around for a while before reaching the wheat field. But for the Goddess of Bathing this time, it seemed exceptionally far away.

With slow, deliberate steps, the goddess of the bath finally arrived at the wheat field after a long while.

Then, she saw Millie sitting in the same spot, still hugging her knees, but with an extremely pale face.

"Millie—"

In that instant, she felt a mix of relief, joy, and relief that Millie was still there. There was also worry and heartache at seeing Millie's subtle withdrawal due to her past experiences. These complex emotions welled up within her, and in the end, she rushed forward and embraced her.

Although she clearly didn't understand or like the frequent physical contact with the Bathing Goddess, Millie, who was being held in her arms, still had a slightly brighter look in her eyes, and her face regained some color.

After a long time.

"Is it about time you let go of me, Sister Yu? I'm actually fine."

Millie struggled symbolically for a few moments but couldn't break free from the embrace of the goddess of the bath.

It wasn't that she didn't want to. It's just that she felt incredibly exhausted no matter what she did. So, she really couldn't break free.

"At that time... how should I put it? It felt like all my senses went numb instantly. So I can't recall any pain, and then that was it."

"Don't dwell on that feeling!"

The goddess of the bath said with some complaint, and then sat down next to Millie.

With each other's support, the two girls gradually recovered from the shock of "death".

Although she says she doesn't want to think about it, since she's already experienced it, the goddess of the bath naturally can't completely avoid looking back.

"Speaking of which, what exactly happened? The impact was too great, I've forgotten. It feels like it was just a fleeting moment, a single glance, and then..."

The Bathing Goddess, whose abilities were extremely limited in all aspects, couldn't even see the movements of the black mist shadow opposite her. She only remembered a flash of sharp light, and then they were all dead.

"It's not that my memory is wrong. It's that, well, that demonic being, his power is truly extraordinary. In an instant, we were slashed several times by his sword."

Millie replied, having seen more than the goddess of the bath.

"Huh? They really used...swords to attack us? I can't even cut fruits and vegetables that neatly!"

"."

Although it's a vivid analogy, Millie still hopes the goddess of bathing won't use it as a metaphor anymore. After all, it's themselves who are being cut.

"What the hell is going on here? We were suddenly killed by a monster and then suddenly came back to life. What kind of place are we trapped in?"

As her emotions returned to normal, the Bathing Goddess began to complain.

Millie, who had the illusion that she could rely on the goddess of the bath when she saw her appear and embrace her, sighed helplessly.

"The second question... we may not have an answer for now. However, perhaps the reason we were able to be reborn is because..."

Millie spoke, gesturing briefly.
"The golden apple that Sister Yu took out."

After some time, guided by the goddess of bathing, Millie left her "starting point" and arrived at the golden apple tree.

“It’s incredible”

Upon seeing the golden apple tree, Millie couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

On the one hand, the sight of trees laden with golden fruit is indeed fantastical.

On the other hand, the golden apple tree was so thick that it should have been very conspicuous, visible even from across the wheat field. However, Millie hadn't realized there was a tree growing there until she got closer.

"So this thing is a resurrection item."

The goddess of the bath looked around, then picked up two golden apples that had fallen from the tree and immediately gave one to Millie.

According to Millie, at the moment of their death, the golden apple shattered into golden particles, carrying their bodies, which had also turned into particles or powder, into the sky.

The scene she witnessed ended there, but it's not hard to imagine that they used the power of the golden apple to return to the "starting point" and reshape their bodies.

"Luckily, I was quick-witted and grabbed a few. Otherwise..."

At this point, the goddess of bathing couldn't help but tremble.

Of course, it's also possible that they could be killed and return directly to reality without taking the golden apple.

But who dares to gamble on that possibility?
Based on current trends, the most likely scenario is that if they don't have the golden apple, then their deaths are truly permanent.

"What's next, Sister Yu?"

"Well, let's rest for a while. Just now... I don't know if it was just now. Anyway, after going through something like that, we all need to adjust, both physically and mentally. Since such a terrifying monster appeared in that town of Pu something, let's not go there! Let's just wander around the area."

Looking towards the town of Prista, the Bathing Goddess, still somewhat shaken, made this suggestion.

Although Millie felt something was off, she still agreed to it for the time being.

Millie was initially panicked and anxious about suddenly finding herself in this inexplicable situation, and even reverting to her childhood self. She wanted to escape this strange state as soon as possible and return to reality. She was also afraid that the longer she stayed here, the more problems she would encounter.

But now, she's not in a hurry anymore.

how to say?

After all, he died once.

Moreover, it was a complete, utter, and undeniable death.

All I can say is that this experience was truly amazing.

After dying once, Millie suddenly felt that many of the things that had worried her before had become insignificant.

And so, the Bathing Goddess and Millie, under the pretext of "gathering intelligence nearby," began to slack off.

Perhaps remembering that they would get hungry if they stayed out too long, the Bath Goddess and Millie mainly gathered food around the seemingly endless wheat field.

They picked a few ears of wheat and found that they were indeed full of plump grains, and that the grains were indeed edible.

However, the experience of eating dry wheat grains is really not good.

So, the Bathing Goddess, who always boasted about her "wilderness survival skills," gave them some advice. First, she found some water, then a smooth, large rock. Next, she ground wheat grains into powder, mixed it with water to form a paste, and placed it on the rock to bake it in the sun.

Finally, after struggling for most of the day, the two of them obtained something that was barely solidified and mostly a paste.

After reluctantly trying it, the two were both amazed by what they found.

It doesn't even taste as good as chewing wheat grains directly!

The two had been busy for most of the day, and night was about to fall.

Although they were still tired and hungry, their eyes were undoubtedly much clearer.

Demanding that civilized people live in places like the primeval grasslands all the time might be a form of torture. However, having a few days occasionally to immerse oneself in nature without any worries would be a wonderful experience.

Lying on the boundless grassland, watching the first star faintly light up in the distance, and worrying whether the Twilight Demon would catch up with the two girls at the Golden Apple Tree, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Although I have a feeling that things have come to this point, Millie, haven't you been learning how to cook with magic from Little Ri? Why aren't you using magic today?"

Clutching her stomach, the bath goddess, feeling that her "wilderness survival" hadn't been very successful, asked this question.

"The professor wasn't teaching me how to cook with magic."

I've even been teaching myself how to play the piano recently.

wrong
"I don't know. Is it because I'm too young to be exposed to magic? Or is it a minor issue like not having a wand? Or maybe... it simply doesn't exist in this world. I can't sense any magical particles right now, so I can't use magic."

Millie explained as she reached out her hand toward the increasingly dazzling starry sky.

"A space without magical particles? That sounds more like the 'World Tree Space'. But we were indeed caught up in the super-expansion after leaving the academy, right?"

The goddess of bathing felt her mind was in a daze again.

It's not that she's actually lacking in intelligence, but rather that the sealing of some memories after arriving in this world has affected her overall thinking.

"Forget it. Let's just enjoy this strange world for another day. I'll start working hard again tomorrow."

Even at night, a gentle breeze, not cold, caressed the goddess's skin, making her feel drowsy.

This feeling only lasted for a moment.

If the harbinger of the Twilight Demon is a crimson sunset, then...

Therefore, the harbinger of this sudden change is the arrival of night.

When she came to her senses, the monster was already standing next to the goddess of bathing.

Bare feet, reeking of a foul odor, were almost touching the head of the bathing goddess, who lay reclining on the grassland.

An old woman, her face full of wrinkles, with a long, curved nose, resembling a witch from a fairy tale, hunched over and staring down at the goddess of bathing.

"Why are you still out so late?"

"!"

It was a sharp, hoarse, strange, and unsettling voice.

"Bad children should be punished."

As she spoke, the witch began to make strange, chirping noises.

Completely terrified, the goddess of the bath had no time to react before she saw the witch raise her staff high and bring the pointed end down.
Her vision went black.

He opened his eyes again.

Millie found herself back beside the golden wheat field.

"Aha."

Compared to the goddess of the bath, Millie, who struggled somewhat, was ultimately killed by the incredibly strong witch.

After curling up and recovering for a long time, Millie began to move.

Based on the witch's words, it's not hard to imagine that the witch would appear if they hadn't "returned home" by nightfall.

Therefore, wasting time on things like adjusting your mindset will only cause the same old scenario to repeat itself endlessly.

Standing up, Millie tried to remember the direction of the golden apple tree and headed there.

Then, under the tree, Millie saw the Bathing Goddess, who was hugging her knees and crying, shouting, "I want to go home."

Unlike the "first playthrough," where she was killed before she even realized what was happening, the "second playthrough" clearly inflicted severe psychological trauma on the goddess of the bath at the end.

Ignoring any thoughts like, "Is this person really a goddess?", Millie stepped forward to comfort "Sister Bath".

Somewhat reluctantly, he resorted to physical contact, and it took a long time for the goddess to regain some mobility.

“We need to hurry, Sister Yu. If night falls, the witch might reappear. So before that, we must find a ‘home’ to return to. At least not in the wild. So, we still need to go to Prista Town.”

"If we go to that small town, won't it be destroyed by dusk anyway? We can't go. So, this time, we're going to the snow mountain. If we're going to go, we'll go to the snow mountain!"

Millie, who felt that the goddess of the bath, who was unwilling to go to Prista Town, made some sense in what she said, picked up two golden apples and headed north with the goddess of the bath towards the snow-capped mountains.

All I can say is that on the way to the snow mountain, Millie had a vague feeling that there was something wrong with the plan.

Although they weren't exposed much, their rather thin clothing made them unsuitable for areas covered in snow.

However, she never expected that the entire snow-capped mountain area was an "anomaly" in this world.

The moment their feet touched the snowfield, the two seemed to be completely lost in the white snowstorm all around them.

This time, however, there's no need for monsters to appear at all.

With just a gust of biting wind, the two of them were dramatically turned into ice sculptures, which then shattered and scattered in the relentless storm.
I woke up for the fourth time.

Beside the wheat field, Millie covered her face with her hands.

She wasn't crying, but rather she felt she couldn't go on.
The Bathing Goddess is no good!

We can no longer listen to her orders!

No wonder Professor Ritas, who usually seems to respect the goddess of bathing, always says what she wants and does what she wants.

Since this is also related to Ritas's awkward mindset, even when he does things for others, his starting point is not "for others" but "I want to do things for others."

However, the fact that this situation occurs so frequently with the goddess of bathing suggests something.

Therefore, if I really keep listening to the goddess of bathing, I will definitely be trapped here for the rest of my life!

No, there's no such thing as a lifetime.

Previously, Millie had carefully counted the number of golden apples on the golden apple tree.

In the second playthrough, there were seventy-one fruit trees, but in the third playthrough, there were only sixty-nine.

Although some have fallen to the ground, it's certain that with the golden apples dwindling, if they continue to squander their lives aimlessly, they will eventually exhaust the seemingly plentiful supply of golden apples.

In just a few short playthroughs, Millie had truly come to understand the existence of the "Bath Goddess," and at this point, she had made up her mind.

No matter how much the Goddess of Bath disagrees, she will stick to her opinion this time and take the Goddess of Bath with her to Prista Town!
(End of this chapter)