Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 334 EP2 A Fragmented World

Faced with the crimson barrier that completely surrounded the town of Prista, the Goddess of Bath and her companions tried every method they could think of, but they were unable to budge it in the slightest.

It was a very strange feeling.

The attacks hit the barrier without any sense of collision, absorption, or bounce. As the goddess of the bath described it, it was "not even on the same level."

It was precisely because the feedback from the crimson barrier was so strange that they realized this wasn't a problem that could be solved simply by trying harder or exerting more effort. Without finding a solution, they would likely never be able to break through or pass through the barrier.

"Could this be the consequence of not being rescued in time, and the regional leader being completely controlled by the wanderers?"

Looking at the Prista area, which was now completely inaccessible, the Goddess of Bath frowned and said.

Although she couldn't think of the specific consequences at the moment, the goddess of bathing could feel an exceptionally bad feeling in her heart.

"So, the one trapped inside is Kurt?"

Xia Luoluo, who could barely keep up with the situation, asked the two of them.

"Although there is no direct proof, it is highly likely that Miss Cortelne and her soul are fused together, and it is probably the 'Tin Man'."

Millie's words were only directed at the interior of Prista town.

It wasn't that she was trying to excuse herself and the Goddess of Bathing. She had this feeling that even if she hadn't wasted two months at the Elson mansion, by the time she first saw the Shadow of the Black Mist in the town, it would have been "too late."

It's also possible that because they hadn't met Cortelene directly, Cortelene didn't have the opportunity to "ask for help" like Charlotte did.

But Millie still felt that the "Tin Man" and the "Carrier Pigeon" were fundamentally different. Cortrienne, it seemed, did not resist the darkness that had been stirred within her.

Furthermore, unlike Charlotte, whose body and soul are separated, Corteline is likely to have her body and soul together, but still surrounded by black mist.

In the previous duel between the Shadow of the Black Mist and the Sword Saint Roland, the Sword Saint's sword failed to pierce the Tin Man's body. However, the Tin Man still chose to flee after being wounded.

The reason might be that the surface of the iron plate was unharmed, but Cortriene, who was actually inside the armor, was injured by the shock.

"Speaking of which, why was this town the area where Kurt was born?"

Xia Luoluo asked, puzzled.

"Shouldn't you be the one to ask that? We don't know what happened to you when you were little. All we know is that Xiao Li lived here for a while before she was adopted."

"That's true. Hey~ Ritas is from such a small town, huh?"

Because of what Ritas did at the Elson mansion, it had already become a matter of course in her mind. Therefore, Charlotte really didn't care about what happened to Ritas before he became "Elson".

After crossing her arms, tilting her head slightly, and thinking carefully for a moment, Xia Luoluo seemed to remember something and spoke up.
"Oh, didn't that incident also happen in this small town?"

Which matter?

"It's that... well, to put it simply, there used to be a series of murders in a small town where about five people died in a short period of time."

Pressing her forehead, Xia Luoluo recalled as she spoke.

Millie and the Bath Goddess exchanged a glance, realizing that things made sense.

When they first came to Prista, someone warned them that things were not very peaceful in the town recently, and that children should not go out at night.

The goddess of bathing had previously thought that it was a harbinger of the appearance of the Shadow of Black Mist, but she never expected it to actually reflect reality.

"I don't know why, but as the story went on, it became that the serial killer was from the Elson school. But... this doesn't seem to have anything to do with Kurt. In the end, it was probably the old man who personally went to arrest him. And the criminal wasn't a disciple of the Elson school, just a madman who wanted to join but was rejected."

Hearing Charlotte's explanation, Millie and the Bath Goddess were slightly disappointed.

However, they didn't show any "Why did you say anything if it's okay?" expression; they just silently made a note of it.

"Looking back now, I'm really lucky that you were able to rescue me."

Unable to enter Prista Town, they had no choice but to temporarily return to the Golden Apple Tree. Charlotte, the only one whose face did not show any signs of distress, said this.

"Indeed. Although it's not appropriate for you, the one who was rescued, to have such feelings."

The goddess of bathing nodded.

It's estimated that only Charlotte's area is just right for her and Millie.

First, the timing was perfect. If Charlotte's inner darkness had been fully unleashed before they came into contact with Little Ritas, that area would likely have fallen into the hands of the Wanderers as well.

Secondly, that region is relatively stable. Or rather, the word "relatively" can be removed; only that region is truly stable, providing them with ample time to process information, gather intelligence, and acquire the power to resist in this world.

Finally, there's Xia Luoluo, the regional leader, who's just the right amount of weaker than the others.

but
Is it just right?
From this series of events, even the most oblivious person could sense something was amiss.

There was a very obvious force guiding her.
And who else could this force be?

But since Ritas has the resources to do all these roundabout things, why doesn't he just come out directly?
While the goddess of the bath was puzzled, she inadvertently turned her head and looked at the beautiful scenery in the center of the fairy tale world.

Suddenly, a strange idea popped into her head.

Perhaps it was because she had played the "Star Pattern" game, clearly knew the process of the "bedtime reading" BOSS battle, and understood what the real fairy tale world should look like, that she was able to feel it.

The art style of this world is the real problem!

It lacks the bright and vibrant colors of fairy tales, and is devoid of fantastical or bizarre elements.

Although there were many strange and bizarre aspects, at least the period of life at Elson's mansion, apart from the "mechanisms" related to the regional leaders, was entirely logical and realistic.

That's why she had that sense of loss, as if she had truly returned to the past.

But whose "fairy tale" will turn out like that in reality?
But if someone could, through sheer willpower, distort a fairytale world that should be filled with fantasy into something indistinguishable from reality...

It's that person, of course!
so.
Xiao Li, are you there?
The goddess of bathing suddenly raised her head and stared at the sky, trying to pierce through the layers of white clouds to see if a familiar face would appear on the other side of the sky.

Unfortunately, no.

She originally wanted to voice this question aloud.

But just as the words were about to be spoken, his intelligence suddenly prevailed.

Even if Ritas is currently doing something at the level of "world construction," his condition is probably not very good. Otherwise, he wouldn't be secretly guiding her and Millie in such a covert way.

Furthermore, the will of "bedtime reading" and "wanderers" should indeed exist.

Her pointless shouting might have revealed something she shouldn't have, and might have only made things worse. "Aren't your expressions a little too gloomy?"

When the goddess of bathing snapped out of her thoughts, she saw Xia Luoluo's large face right in front of her.

After successfully causing the goddess of bathing to take a step back, Xia Luoluo ran over to observe Millie's expression up close.

"I admire you for not being affected at all. After all..."

The goddess seemed about to speak but hesitated.

"After all, Kurt was arrested, so what's there to hide?"

The success surprised Millie, causing her to take two steps back. Charlotte, seemingly unconcerned, said...
"That Wanderer needs us to control this created world, right? That means she still needs us, so she can only manipulate us in those underhanded ways, instead of killing us directly. Since that's the case, Kurt isn't in any real danger, so what's there to worry about? As long as she's alive, there's always a way! And I trust Kurt; she's not so easily manipulated!"

Xia Luoluo said, hands on her hips.

Having grown up with Cortrienne since childhood, she had great confidence in her outstanding cousin.

"It seems I need to hand over the role of the team's optimist to you, Xia Luoluo."

"What is that?"

"Millie, did you discover something again? You do look quite serious."

Unlike the Bath Goddess who was just thinking about things before, Millie's expression has been particularly unpleasant ever since she left Prista Town.

"It's not really a discovery."

Millie shook her head and forced a smile.

She did realize something.

Just like when she was "sent back" by the Golden Apple, she was able to forcibly stay for a period of time by relying on her soul perception. When Charlotte's area collapsed, Millie's soul still lingered for a while.

Even so, Millie didn't see anything directly.

All that was visible in the dissipated area was a portion of Elson's mansion and the fact that Little Ritas, who was already severely injured at the time, had not disappeared.

At first, Millie just thought that the disappearance of the area was not instantaneous, so it was normal for there to be a sequence of disappearances.

But seeing the fall of Priesta, and realizing that Cortriñe might already be "too late," she thought of something very, very bad.

If Cortelne has been completely controlled all along, then why is it that the Prista town area has only now fallen into a state of collapse?

What exactly was preventing this phenomenon in the past?

Could it be that the Elson mansion wasn't just based on Charlotte's memories and perceptions, but rather a region jointly constructed by Charlotte and Cortriene's memories and perceptions?
Therefore, only after the part that hindered Charlotte disappeared will it all belong to Cortriene.

If that's really the case.
"By the way, Miss Charlotte, have you ever actually fought against Mr. Roland or Mr. Freud?"

Trying to sound casual, Millie asked as if it were a sudden whim.

"Huh? Fighting? Why are you fighting?"

Charlotte looked confused, not understanding the meaning behind Millie's question.

Millie simply said "it's nothing" to cover it up.

really
Even though she was the daughter of a sword saint, and had given up on swordsmanship early on with very limited talent, Xia Luoluo had no idea how strong the sword saint Roland and the sword saint's shadow Freud really were.

However, when they fought against the tin-man-like Cortriene, the power displayed by these two top Elson-style fighters was not the kind of strength that could be imagined out of thin air. Rather, it was a genuine and tangible strength.

Therefore, that powerful and accurate understanding likely came from Cortrienne.

In other words, even if Charlotte's soul is released, as long as Cortelne is still alive, the area that symbolizes the past Elson mansion will not completely disappear.

Even the eerie silence that filled Elson's mansion during their battle with the carrier pigeons wasn't entirely due to the black mist sealing off the battlefield.

Because Cortrienne had already arrived at the Elsen residence at that time.

If there is anything more terrible than the destruction of the world, it is being left behind in the shattered aftermath.

If Little Ritas hadn't disappeared with them, he would most likely have been left in the hellish Elson mansion.

So, did Little Ritas, who seemed to have noticed many things, proactively provoke the decisive battle with the "carrier pigeons" under the premise of anticipating these situations?

In the end, Millie buried all her thoughts and questions deep inside.

These were ultimately just her associations. And saying them aloud would be of no use anyway.

All it did was futilely affect the other two people.

"Eh? Are we still going to that snow mountain area? Why don't we take a break? It's almost evening, and it's not that I'm tired, I'm just worried you guys are pushing yourselves too hard!"

Having been captured the entire time, Xia Luoluo, now in her "first playthrough," is finding it difficult to keep up with the two "girls'" pace.

After returning to the golden apple tree, which served as the central point, the Bathing Goddess and Millie had a brief discussion before deciding to head to the snow mountain region.

On the one hand, now that the town of Prista is closed off, there's nowhere to go.

On the other hand, when they were previously considering who the regional leaders might be, they speculated that Ritas, who represented the "unicorn," was based in the snow mountain region.

Finding Ritas is always their most important main quest.

Although the goal had been set, the goddess of the bath couldn't help but glance at the sky again, now having some doubts about whether Ritas had been "normally" controlled as the regional leader.

But if Ritas isn't, then another problem arises.

There are only a handful of people trapped in the fairy tale world. And who else could the unicorn be but Ritas?

It can't be that the Wanderers are personally eroding the Unicorns or something like that.

And who exactly is using this golden apple?

The goddess of bathing turned her gaze to the golden apple tree.

After picking three golden apples, one for each of the three people, there were less than forty golden apples left on the tree.

(End of this chapter)