Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 344 The Golden Butterfly
The question of whose body the Bath Goddess currently inhabits is one that only the Bath Goddess herself should be concerned with. After all, Millie and Charlotte are not familiar with the Bath Goddess; their impression of her is limited to the image of the white disc.

The goddess of bathing, in fact, had considered this issue.

They even speculated that it was in a very nearby place.

After all, there are very few people who could leave her with such an initial outfit, suggesting that the whole world is similar to a dream world, and that the breakthrough to regaining her memories lies in "fairy tales".

Furthermore, hints regarding gender had already been given. Millie had explained soul magic to her; its essence was a strange phenomenon created by how the shape of the soul could distort the shape of the body and even reality. Charlotte's experience clearly demonstrated that in this world different from reality, the separation of soul and body was relatively easy to occur. After regaining her soul, the ten-year-old Charlotte immediately reverted to her twenties.

Most importantly, it would be one thing if she had absolutely no memory of it. But after remembering everything, the Goddess of Bath should be able to recall that among the people around her who were involved in the incident, only one had black hair.
So, rather than saying she didn't notice it, it's more accurate to say that from a certain point onward, the goddess of bathing subconsciously didn't want to confront the truth, and therefore deliberately ignored these discoveries.

"Little one, don't you have any shame or anything like that?"

Holding her head, the Bathing Goddess, unsure of what to do, asked helplessly.

She should have expected this long ago.

Ritas, who can calmly dance with students in a ball gown at events like banquets, probably wouldn't think much of lending her body to someone else to become a woman.

"Shame and all that. Hasn't the Goddess of Bath realized that the physical body is a very important 'anchor' for someone who wants to be reborn in this world? But your body didn't enter this world; only your soul was brought in. So, if you're allowed to continue drifting in this world, it might cause irreversible consequences."

"Well"

"Even though it's something I don't understand and can't control, I keep using it to waste a lot of energy on things that defy common sense, even after almost encountering danger before."

"No no no!"

The goddess of bathing understood perfectly what Ritas was saying.

If Ritas accidentally knocked her unconscious while using light-type magic, it could be considered an accident that didn't need to be taken into account.

The "fireworks artist," relying on her abilities and intuition, nearly discovered her existence. This essentially proves that certain forces in Ritas's world can directly influence her through the "network cable."

Even so, the goddess of bathing never took it seriously. Ritas's occasional admonitions were simply ignored.
"Let's leave those lectures for later. In any case, lending you my body is a form of 'insurance' for me. After all, if this attack wasn't originally intended by the 'bedtime reading,' then my wanton use of the power within the golden apple to stir up the world would certainly be stopped."

Ritas slowly let out a sigh of relief.

"That's true."

As Ritas closed his eyes slightly, his mind drifted back to all the adventures he had undertaken with the goddess of the bath, and the scenes before they began.

Holding a swaying, golden apple in his hand, he suddenly saw the sky neatly split in two.

Someone is like someone turning the pages of a book with their hands, and they are just a tiny figure standing on the pages.

A repulsive, enormous face revealed a hypocritical smile, and then an irresistible hand reached into the "story," capturing Ritas, who was trying to turn everything upside down from within the "story."

"I hate people who break the rules."

Ritas made his disgust for the red-haired woman, the "wanderer," clear.

"Tsk, something about what you said sounds weird."

The goddess of bathing couldn't help but complain.

If you really want to say something, Ritas is also someone who quite enjoys breaking the rules.

No, if you have to say, Ritas is more like the type who likes to exploit loopholes in the rules, that is, the type who likes to take advantage of "bugs".

While it wasn't exactly commendable, it was still within the framework of the "rules." But what happened to him was like cheating by ignoring the "rules," or like someone with higher authority tearing off their mask and personally intervening.

"So now, to put it more simply, part of my soul has been captured and is being severely restricted."

"I'm curious how you would describe your current situation in an unconventional way."

My account has been suspended?

"However, this world ultimately doesn't belong to her. She's nothing more than an ugly parasite. So, for her, the one behind the scenes, to personally appear and hinder my actions, she can't escape a price. And you, you've done well, you've thoroughly derailed the entire world from its original course. Of the four regions, one is in your hands, another has completely vanished, and only one region has fallen into her hands."

Ritas was speaking when the image in the ice mirror suddenly fluctuated wildly, almost severing the connection. And, whether it was the goddess of bathing's imagination or not, she seemed to hear a beast-like roar coming from the other end, where Ritas was.

"X-Xiao Li!?"

"Well, that means we have limited time. We shouldn't spend all of it explaining the causes and consequences."

In the video, Ritas clearly glanced to the side at other directions, then turned his face back and spoke as if nothing had happened.

"So, so, so, so, what should we do next? Or rather, where are you? You've been captured, right? So, are we going to rescue you?"

Although she also felt that Ritas's previous actions were a bit strange, as the communication was about to be cut off, the goddess of the bath focused on matters of higher priority.

"I will act in my own way."

"Hey!"

"Millie. I think that's the right way to address her, isn't it?"

Bypassing the goddess of bathing, Ritas calls out to Millie.

"Um"

Millie, whose mind was completely blank, looked at Ritas's face and nodded.

"You should realize that you are a very special existence in this world. Not only did you awaken together with the Bathing Goddess who possesses the 'protagonist's' body, but you are also using magic normally to a certain extent in this world where magic should not be used."

"what"

It was only after Ritas pointed it out that Millie realized her various abnormalities.

Even the powerful Estria was previously limited to the snowy mountain region according to the rules of this world. She may have even been part of the regional leader at one point.

However, she alone, aside from her shrunk age, never held any "title" from beginning to end. Furthermore, she awoke alongside the bathing goddess, who was the "protagonist," in an area near the center and the beginning.

Meanwhile, Xia Luoluo's shouts, "Can't I use magic too?" were ignored by everyone present.

"As for the reasons, you'll have to find them yourself. I don't know what your reasons or thoughts have been hiding. But hiding doesn't mean something doesn't exist or can't be seen. So, since this special situation forces you to reveal everything, why not take this opportunity to face yourself, to face your true self? Not the past, but the present, the self that has gained so much experience and knowledge." "Your true self?"

Millie looked at Ritas with a somewhat blank expression.

"What are you still talking about with riddles at a time like this! You're just making the child anxious!"

The goddess of bathing complained from the side.

Ritas still didn't respond to her comment, but instead changed the subject to other instructions.

"As for you, you'd better be careful with your next move. More than the obvious plot and 'story,' you have a potential threat. That is, because the story needs a 'protagonist' to drive it forward, I am only bound, and the Goddess of Bath will not truly die. But if the parasites that are trying to devour this world find a 'substitute,' our situation will become very bad."

"Huh? A substitute?"

While the goddess of the bath was still looking puzzled, Millie immediately had a figure appear in her mind.

As Ritas gave his final warning, his figure and appearance began to blur rapidly.

No matter how hard Xia Luoluo tried to repair the ice mirror she had created, it was all in vain.

After the golden writing on the back of the goddess's hand disappeared, the connection between Ritas and the three was completely severed.

Somewhere in the world of fairy tales.

Ritas flicked his fingers, and the mirror in front of him turned into tiny ice crystals, which vanished with a gust of cold wind.

"No matter what, you're too noisy."

In the empty space, Ritas's gaze swept towards the corner.

It was a small flowerpot, and on the flowerpot grew a flower with a rather thick stem. And from the center of the flower, a human-shaped upper body, only the size of a palm, emerged, completely green.

The face connected to the upper body was none other than the hideous "Tree Witch" Livis.

"teacher"

Seeing that the "Livis Flower" was still roaring incessantly, Ritas sighed and walked over, picking up the watering can next to him and watering it.

Once the roar subsided, Ritas put down the watering can and returned to his original position.

His illusory soul body was surrounded by golden particles.

If there's anything that the goddess of bathing and Millie "didn't ask," then it's something that Ritas didn't say.

That is, even if the soul and body are separated, Ritas still has a way to control his body to a certain extent.

After all, while the Bathing Goddess's side was considered "insurance," entrusting everything to her was unsettling. Therefore, Ritas left a small backdoor.

The voice that the goddess of the bath occasionally hears, which seems to come directly from her mind, is actually emitted by Ritas.

Moreover, neither the Bath Goddess nor Millie noticed that in the "Pigeon" area, the Bath Goddess was alone with Little Ritas.

Sometimes, it's Ritas who controls the body.

Of the three, perhaps only Charlotte noticed that Little Ritas was acting strangely, knowing too much, especially towards the end.

After all, Xia Luoluo really did grow up with Ritas. Therefore, she knew that Ritas wasn't as exaggerated as some people claimed when he was a child.

However, every time Charlotte raised her doubts, the Bath Goddess and Millie would say, "Sigh, that's just how it is."

So, Xia Luoluo eventually stopped worrying about these things.

One of the key objectives of Ritas's covert operations was to make contact with a certain person.

As Ritas waved his hand forward, a cave appeared before him, accompanied by the sight of a rag wiping away dust from glass-like surfaces.

The door, embedded in the mountain wall, was wide open, leading to an old library with a large number of books of all kinds on the shelves.

"Your selfish motives are perhaps stronger than anyone imagines."

A clear voice rang out from inside the library. It was not the voice of Ritas, nor of anyone else who had ever been around him.

"Have it?"

Ritas remained noncommittal.
"When the snow mountain region was destroyed, I used my power to preserve it. It was simply to exploit the enemy's blind spot and truly disappear without a trace. As for the books inside, they were partly incidental, and partly to verify whether their contents confirmed my suspicions. And the teacher's situation was just a matter of convenience."

So, what percentage of that is 'curiosity'? Thirty percent? More than half? Or ninety-five percent?

The woman in the library exuded a lively spirit simply from her voice.

"Guess whatever you want."

Ritas started walking towards the interior of the library.

"So, after your verification, what is the conclusion?"

Ritas's question echoed in the empty room.

"Well, at least with my level, I can't see any errors in the content of these books. Moreover, the content is so advanced that even I, who have been to the 'Hall of Wisdom,' have to admire it. If another 'genius' with similar abilities to you hadn't been born in this world, these books would probably be the last 'spark' that you left for the people of the apocalypse in the future."

"That's not what I wanted to ask."

“I know. But what I said before basically answered that question, didn’t it? Such precise ‘knowledge’ couldn’t possibly originate from the subconscious or memories. It must be a clear ‘record’. So at this point, we can be fairly certain that the source of this world’s existence, besides the memories and cognition of the people at the core of the region, also includes the ‘record’ of this land, or rather, the world as a whole.”

In the library, golden butterflies fluttered about in large numbers, eventually gathering in front of a chair and forming a young figure.

"By the way, I haven't asked yet how I should address you? 'Junior brother,' 'junior,' or 'son'?"

Before Ritas, Sofia Elsen, a figure from the "past," asked with a smile.

(End of this chapter)