Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 374 Severe disease
Drake Hasbed.

This is the new "adoptive father" that Ritas has chosen for himself.

"This person?"

Price watched Ritas's choice with great interest and thought about it seriously for a moment.

Besides being a Black Widow, Price has another hidden identity: a gambler. This identity, besides being used to cultivate her image and for extravagant spending, is also the reason why Price's assets rapidly depleted.

Sometimes, people have a desire to let a complete "newbie" complete a betting game on their own.

They might want to take advantage of the so-called "newcomer luck," or they might feel that handing over unimportant bets to others to try their luck means they won't suffer too much loss even if they lose.

However, it is extremely rare for a gambler like Price to entrust the crucial "bet" to a novice.

"The Hasbed family, a fallen noble family? If this noble family were still prosperous, the sudden and mysterious death of an important member would definitely cause a huge uproar, and it would be difficult to extricate oneself from the situation. Those on the fringes of social circles are the most convenient. And the decline of the Hasbed family is not because the family's wealth has been depleted. There are hardly any people in the family who are in the best position now."

As she spoke, Price, who was becoming more and more satisfied with the portrait of Draco Hasbed, hugged Ritas tightly in front of her.

"That's wonderful, dear 'Mischi'. You really do bring me good luck."

Price's tone was as if she believed that once she made the decision, everything would fall into place naturally.

Sure enough, not long after, Price moved into Draco Hasbed’s mansion with Ritas.

"Compared to mine, your name sounds more like that of a former nobleman, hahaha—"

Ritas's new adoptive father is a witty middle-aged man.

Draco, who has been widowed twice, and Price, who has been widowed countless times, are a perfect match.

Price is also very satisfied with her newlywed life.

Compared to her previous husbands, Delacroix was handsome, well-mannered, and very generous.

But Ritas became increasingly taciturn within this family.

If Price had previously misunderstood Ritas's eccentric behavior as a sign of intellectual disability, then in his new family, Ritas seemed to deliberately present a dull and listless demeanor in front of his adoptive father.

In addition, Ritas's memories frequently show him standing in a certain place.

Next to the guard post in the town.

Ritas seemed to be hesitating and troubled.

Despite the fact that no one was willing to help this child who was pleading for help, no one offered him any assistance.

Ritas, standing there, was either chased away or kicked down by the guards who yelled "What a disgusting brat!", or led away by his foster father, Draco, who seemed to be watching him. Or perhaps...
"What are you doing here again, darling? Is there something here that's attracting you?"

Price will hug you from behind.

Although he was being held tightly against his body by his nominal mother, Ritas probably couldn't feel any warmth from behind.

"Give up, Mischi. Even if you tell the whole story, no one will believe you."

Behind Ritas, Price's shadow completely enveloped the young boy.

Even Charlotte and Wayne, who were watching this scene, couldn't help but tense up.

After putting themselves in Ritas's shoes, they felt the vast disparity in "power".

As Price said, no one would look past her glamorous "Mrs. Hasbed" to believe a small, strange child.

Both she and her husband were subtly spreading rumors that Ritas was mentally unstable. Therefore, instead of being trusted, everyone would only look at Ritas with pity.

"Do you really like that 'priest'?"

Price asked with a smile.

She seemed to have forgotten the name of her ex-husband, whom she had killed with her own hands.

"I can't say I like him. He's always trying to make me understand some very abstract doctrines. And he believes that only the light of God can heal me."

Ritas shook his head slightly.

"Hehehe, if he saw how you talk now, he might really think that the gods cured you~"

"No. Everything he did stemmed from his guilt and his desire to escape. He was drawn to you and abandoned the faith he had upheld since childhood. He succumbed to his desires but refused to admit his weakness. Even though he was no longer a priest, he always tried to pretend that he hadn't been alienated by God."

"Hmm~ So he was such a complicated person after all?"

Price spoke with a hint of interest.

"But at least he was trying to help me."

Ritas broke free from Price's embrace, then turned around, looked up, and gazed into Price's eyes.

He seemed to have made up his mind and faced the "Black Widow" who was constantly creating tragedies for the first time.

"Why do you always do these things?"

"Hmm? Didn't you analyze that priest very well before? Why don't you analyze me in the same way?"

Price continued, as if she were casually chatting with Ritas, smiling as she spoke.

"Oh, I see. It must be because even though you know more than I thought, you're still not exactly a 'doctor.' So, you didn't realize the 'serious illness' I have."

Are you sick?

Ritas asked in surprise.

His eyes, which usually seemed unable to open any wider, could always open even wider when needed.

"Yes, I'm sick. And very sick, it's deep in my bones. I've had it since I was born, and I can't get rid of it."

Price lowered her gaze slightly and continued,

"The disease is called 'poverty'." "?"

"Hehehe, you're giving me that 'That's an illness too?' look. I thought you'd be as sick as me. Look at you now, so thin you can easily feel your bones. I really don't know what kind of life you've been living before, to be able to take such good care of yourself for so long and still not gain an inch of weight. Hmm, could it be that you secretly threw up the food you ate when I couldn't see you?"

After reaching out and casually giving Ritas's shoulder and arm a squeeze, Price said, puzzled.

"So, you're just in it for the money."

Ritas stared at the woman in front of him in disbelief.

Price, who was once a mystery in his eyes, has now become a purely vulgar, cruel, and evil being.

"Well, you could say that. Although I don't really like your 'it's all for money' argument. In my view, everything is just a choice. I either choose to go hungry, even to the point of starvation, to maintain the purity of my soul, or I choose to abandon things that have no value whatsoever and use any means necessary to get what I want. I'm only using the method you're seeing now because it suits me and is easier to achieve."

Sensing the "disgust" emanating from Ritas's body, Price withdrew her hand with a somewhat dejected expression and said this.

"What you call a 'two-way choice' can clearly be achieved simultaneously!"

"To achieve both simultaneously? That is, to maintain the purity of my soul while obtaining everything I desire?"

Price rested her fingers on the side of her chin, supporting her arm as she pondered for a moment.

"Just as people are born with the choice of being 'chosen' or 'not chosen,' the ideal situation you describe will also be divided into 'people who can do it' and 'people who are destined not to do it.' And unfortunately, I seem to be the latter."

Shaking her head, Price, whose heart might have already strayed from the path of "humanity," spoke without a trace of regret, looking at Ritas.
"And since you don't seem to be one of the 'unchosen' people, then I sincerely hope and wish you well in becoming the one who 'can do it'."

"."

"What's wrong? I said some nice things, but your reaction was so cold. Oh, is it because you feel that your fact that you're not actually stupid has been exposed, so you won't have that chance anymore? It really makes me a little sad that you think that way, my dear Mischi. If you want to be someone I actively 'abandon,' you at least need to grow up quickly and accumulate enough 'medicine' to cure my illness to attract me."

Price stepped forward and, as always, gently embraced Ritas.

"Although I still can't quite understand why I chose to take in a little one, don't worry. Everything I'm doing now is to build a bright future for you. Even if it's not possible now, I will definitely bring you into a happy family in the future. So believe me, only I, only your mother, will never leave you—"

In the memories, Price's words, which sounded like a curse, echoed.

"What is the correct way to do this?"

Beyond the scenes of memory, Wei Yin's lips trembled slightly as she murmured to herself.

In her mixed memories, there are now two "mothers".

The mother in the beautiful dream is practically flawless, except for her strong sense of unreality and lack of realism. The mother in the nightmare, however, embodies all the worst qualities.

But even with such a terrible, nightmarish mother, Wayne didn't think she couldn't "make a choice."

Because all you have to do is be patient.

The foster mother that Ritas faces is, in a way, a combination of mothers from two different dream scenarios, each with a different style.

When she saw the thin Ritas, Price probably assumed that he suffered from the same "poverty" as herself, and that he also had intellectual disabilities. So, in addition to feeling sympathy and taking care of him, she genuinely developed feelings similar to "motherly love".

Therefore, upon learning that Ritas was actually different from what she had imagined, she showed a sense of relief, a genuine happiness for Ritas.

In other words, if we're only talking about Ritas, Price is truly a very good mother.

But
"Hmm, I'm about to remember, I feel like I'll remember soon."

Beside Wayne, Charlotte pressed her hands to the sides of her head, seemingly struggling with something entirely different.

Although it wasn't something she experienced firsthand, but rather hearsay and rumors, Xia Luoluo felt she could immediately recall what was about to happen.

A very bad thing.
The scene in my memory has changed again.

It's unknown how long the Hasbeds' married life lasted.

After a period of silence, Black Widow finally decided to bare her fangs once again.

All I can say is that Ritas can play a role to some extent by being by Price's side.

For example, he can celebrate his birthday as many times as he wants throughout the year. And to celebrate his birthday, his family often hosts a small family dinner.

Just when everything was ready.

Ritas, who appeared in the mansion's corridor, suddenly reached out and grabbed Price's arm.

On this day, Price was dressed in a beautiful evening gown and holding a bottle of special wine.

Ritas seemed to say something to Price, but the memory scene seemed to malfunction, with a strange noise completely masking Ritas's voice.

However, the two onlookers could more or less guess the content of her words from Price's response.

"How could we possibly give up now? Contrary to what you imagine, completing such a plan actually takes a long time, implementing each step step by step. Besides, the things those brothers left us are already few and far between... Who would have thought that a merchant and a priest would be so poor? The merchant is one thing, but that priest, all these years, he has simply been dutifully performing the duties of a priest."

After complaining for a while, Price simply patted Ritas on the head and then walked into the mansion's dining room.

What followed in the mansion was a nightmare for both Ritas and the onlookers.

Price Bartolicia encountered a colleague.

The so-called Draco Hasbed does not exist. This Draco is merely a notorious serial killer who, many years ago, after slaughtering the real Hasbed family, usurped the status of a fallen noble family.

During this period, his two wives, who died of illness, also died at his hands.

The couple, each harboring their own secrets, discovered each other's tricks and exposed each other's identities in the mansion's dining room, and then began a life-or-death struggle.

No one knows what Ritas was thinking after witnessing this scene. Was he utterly despairing?

He simply locked himself in a small closet and then sank deeper and deeper into darkness.
Until the noise outside subsided, the cabinet where Ritas was hiding was opened by someone else.

His adoptive parents had become two corpses lying in a pool of blood.

(End of this chapter)