Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 373 Price Bartolicia
"I'm not entirely sure how it works either, but basically it's about being able to see other people's memories."

In the memory space, Xia Luoluo scratched her head and explained simply to Wei Yin.

The reason she had the leisure to explain was that, although the scene before her was a memory of Ritas, its content was rather monotonous.

Ritas, who looks only five or six years old, already has the air of someone who will grow up in the future. He is taciturn, rarely communicates with others, and hardly moves at all.

Considering the events preceding the appearance of the memories, Charlotte felt she shouldn't just stand there blankly watching others' memories, like the Bathing Goddess and Millie. After all, they were probably in a situation where they were being attacked.

Unfortunately, Xia Luoluo tried everything she could, but to no avail.

They were trapped in Ritas's world of memories.

Now it seems futile to reflect on their impulsive behavior.

"My Brother's Memories"

Viyn whispered.

Her real memories continue to intertwine with her memories from the fairy tale world.

However, whether as "Vein" in the fairy tale world or as the "Daughter of Original Sin," Vein is undoubtedly exceptionally interested in Ritas's past.

Originally, in Wayne's memory, Ritas seemed to be living an exceptionally smooth life. Unlike her, who couldn't do anything, Ritas was so outstanding that everyone who knew him regarded him as their pride.

But in fact
In the scenes of memory, the unchanging parts began to rapidly shift.

Then, the scene, filtered through the lens of time, lingers on a dining table.

At first glance, it was an ordinary, even somewhat heartwarming scene of a family of three dining around a square table.

However, in the eyes of Charlotte and Wayne, this scene had an inexplicable eeriness.

The man, whose adoptive father it was, was a slightly overweight middle-aged merchant. He was usually busy outside and rarely returned home.

His emotions seem easily influenced by his career, and his temper fluctuates. But it's always just average. Even in the worst moods or when he's most irritable, he might yell at his family a few times, but he won't overstep any boundaries.

During this period, Ritas's adoptive mother was a woman who, even without any makeup, looked exceptionally alluring. Furthermore, she appeared remarkably young, contrary to her actual age.

Ritas's adoptive father, a traveling merchant, often brought home local specialties from various places. This time, he brought some rare mushrooms. Although Ritas's adoptive mother showed some clumsiness when doing housework, she still managed to make a fragrant soup with the mushrooms.

At the dining table, as all the dishes were served, dinner time officially began.

On this day, Ritas's adoptive father, the head of the family, seemed unusually excited. He kept boasting about his experiences since he started trading, his voice so loud that the other two could no longer understand what he was saying. And Ritas's adoptive father, who usually showed some restraint in front of the children, was now spewing vulgarities.

Before his adoptive father's unusual behavior became too obvious, but he suddenly started talking loudly, Ritas picked up his spoon and scooped some mushroom soup broth.

At the same moment, Ritas's foster mother, who was resting her cheek on the table with one hand, was gazing with great interest at the young boy on the other side of the table.

Perhaps it was a sudden whim.

Perhaps it was a change of heart.

Or perhaps, they felt that keeping Ritas would provide better cover, and that Ritas himself could also be of use.

So, just as Ritas was about to drink the mushroom soup, a hand with exceptionally bright red fingernails stopped him.

The soup in Ritas's spoon spilled onto the table, forming a small puddle.

In the reflection of the pond, Ritas's adoptive father was yelling and screaming beside the dining table, clutching his head, before collapsing to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

?

Young Ritas, with a neck that seemed rusty, struggled to turn it, watching his foster father rapidly die on the ground. He didn't scream in terror, but simply opened his eyes wide and turned his neck back.

At the other end of the table, Ritas's foster mother put her finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture.

She seemed quite satisfied, satisfied with Ritas, this "demented" child.

Next, Ritas's foster mother first smoothed her long hair down to her right chest with her hands, repeatedly stroking it until it was smooth. Then, she took out a small mirror to make sure she looked elegant and beautiful in it.

Finally, dip your hand into the gradually cooling mushroom soup, dab some soup on your lips.

Once, and again, and again.

Until she too slowly collapsed onto the dining table.
On that day, an unfortunate accident occurred at the home of the traveling merchant Mischi.

Among the mushroom specialties he brought back, some were accidentally mixed with highly poisonous mushrooms.

Mischi himself died on the spot from the poisoning. Fortunately, his adopted son did not drink the poisoned mushroom soup. His wife was also poisoned, but the poisoning was mild and she received timely treatment, so she survived.

"." "."

As the scenes of their memories shifted, a long silence filled the space between Charlotte and Wayne.

Rather, they had already felt suffocated when the scene at the dinner table unfolded earlier, and had involuntarily held their breath for a long time.

"...So people can die so easily?"

With a gurgling sound in her throat, Xia Luoluo finally managed to utter a sound, and said this with an unpleasant expression.

In reality, Xia Luoluo knew that people were more fragile than they imagined. After all, in this fairy tale world, she had been resurrected several times, only to be easily killed each time.

But that feeling was completely different from what she was seeing now.

She encountered witches and tin men—powerful and terrifying beings against whom she had no chance of resistance. One could even say their very existence was solely for killing.

But Ritas's adoptive mother was just an ordinary person.

An ordinary person would actually try to kill her husband, and do so with ease.
This incident instilled fear in Xia Luoluo.

A fear that is entirely different from the sudden appearance of ghosts or overwhelming power, originating from the level of the mind.

"Do they have a bad relationship?"

Viin asked in a very cautious voice.

"No, no, no, this isn't about whether we're close or not! And although I don't know the details, it's just a feeling..."

She didn't believe that Ritas's adoptive mother did these things out of hatred, obsession, or anything like that. But it was precisely because Ritas's adoptive mother didn't seem to have these strong driving forces that Viyn felt particularly terrified.

Because at that time, Ritas's foster mother appeared so calm and composed. There was not the slightest hesitation or fear.

In the brief conversation, Ritas's memories had completely changed.

It was a rainy day, a rainy day that had passed since Ritas's adoptive father passed away, and he didn't know how much time had gone by.

Ritas stood beside a tombstone.

The tombstone bears two lines of brief epitaph praising noble qualities. The name connected to these lines is that of Ritas's adoptive father.

Ritas stood silently in front of the tombstone in the rain, seemingly lost in thought.

At one point, the raindrops stopped falling on him.

It wasn't that the rain had stopped, but rather that someone had held an umbrella for him.

"I feel very sorry about what happened to your father. I am just as heartbroken as he is. After all, even though we haven't seen each other for a long time, he was still my older brother."

A middle-aged man dressed in a black priest's suit gazed forlornly at the tombstone alongside Ritas.

"I've heard a little about your story from others. So, including this time, what happened to you is truly unusual. It's as if you're cursed."

Although he said these words, the priest's tone did not carry a accusatory undertone.
"But if such a thing really exists, dealing with it is part of my job, isn't it? So, even though we have different surnames, if you're willing, I'll take over raising you from your older brother."

Before the middle-aged man dressed as a priest could finish speaking, two arms wrapped around Ritas from behind.

"Excuse me, what are you saying to my 'child'?"

A woman dressed in black, wearing a black veil, spoke these words in a tone full of warning.

Soon after, Ritas's new life began.

The younger brother of his former adoptive father resigned from his job as a clergyman and remarried Ritas's adoptive mother.

The three of them lived a comfortable life, though not particularly well-off.

Until one day...
As agreed with his new adoptive father, Ritas went to the church where the father used to work to pray. As soon as he opened the door, he saw...

In the dimly lit central hall, beneath the towering statues.

The former priest lay dead on the ground, and his foster mother stood beside him, gesturing for him to be quiet.

Time goes by.

Ritas and his foster mother moved to a new town.

"Even if there is 'evidence' to prove that those were unfortunate accidents—some people have hereditary diseases, some accidentally ingested poisonous substances—the frequent occurrences will inevitably arouse suspicion. I'm not very good at investigating. Hehe, even if I told you all this, you probably wouldn't understand."

By now, Charlotte and Wayne have a general understanding of Ritas's foster mother.

Her name is Price. Her real surname is unknown, or perhaps she doesn't have one at all.

After arriving in this new city, she began to call herself "Presley Bartolicia" and proclaimed herself Bartolicia IX.

Although she wasn't particularly interested in history, she had still picked it up from a young age. Therefore, Charlotte knew the name "Bartolicia."

The other party was a notorious duchess from the continental war era. She was said to have an extremely licentious private life, taking pleasure in torturing people, and creating many torture instruments that are still in use today.

Charlotte couldn't see any point or benefit in claiming to be a descendant of such a villain who would leave a bad name in history.

But to her surprise, Price's approach actually worked.

By squandering the inheritances of her previous husbands to cultivate her image, Price quickly integrated into high society in her new town.

Price seems to possess a kind of "magical" quality. She can always easily attract the attention of men, and after getting to know them, she can effortlessly capture their hearts.

As for this kind of demonic power, Xia Luoluo couldn't tell whether it had actually taken effect on Ritas.

Or perhaps she simply couldn't understand why a "Black Widow" like Price would keep Ritas by her side all the time.

Initially, she was probably worried that Ritas would tell others what she had done and ruin her plans.

Even if Ritas is just a child, as long as his words attract the attention of those who are interested, just as Price herself said, her resume is completely unverifiable.

However, after moving to a different town, and even changing her name in a way, Price's continued association with Ritas became somewhat inexplicable.

Perhaps she felt that her persona as a strong single mother with a young child would precisely attract the attention of certain groups of people?

As for why Ritas was following Price, Charlotte didn't find it strange at all.

As a well-known critic of Ritas, she has virtually no positive feelings towards him and does not believe that a child who is only a few years old has the right to rebel against his guardian and choose his own life.

If it weren't for the fact that his name is "Ritas," Charlotte wouldn't even think that a child of this age could realize what his adoptive mother was doing.

However, Charlotte felt that no matter how much prejudice she had against Ritas, it couldn't compare to that against Price.

Because Price clearly sees the future "Professor Elson" as a disabled child who is underdeveloped, mentally deficient, and has severe autistic tendencies.
"Ugh."

While inwardly finding Price ridiculous, Charlotte couldn't help but sigh.

From an objective standpoint, aside from her habit of periodically killing her husband, Price was actually a very good mother. She genuinely cared for and looked after Ritas, who was "born with a defect."

So, if Ritas really is the child Price has in mind...
Shaking her head, Xia Luoluo banished the extraneous thoughts from her mind.

In any case, she should not sympathize with Price, such a heinous sinner, or feel sorry for her.

The scenes from my memory continue to unfold.

On some unknown day, Price, dressed in an elegant evening gown, returned home. There she found Ritas, who, no matter how spacious the mansion, would always be found in a corner.

"Choose one from these five. Next, which of them would you like to call 'Father'?"

As she spoke, Price placed portraits of five middle-aged men in front of Ritas.

(End of this chapter)