Chapter 102
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 102
“Please have a seat here.”
“Excuse me.”
Grace, who had arrived at Professor Delphoi’s research lab, settled herself onto the sofa.
Meanwhile, Professor Delphoi returned to his desk to prepare some light refreshments.
During that time, Grace looked around, wondering if anything had changed in Professor Delphoi’s research lab.
His research lab closely resembled the typical offices of professors—a place dedicated to theoretical research rather than practical training.
The location for practical training was elsewhere. She herself had visited that place many times.
‘This will probably be the last time here.’
After today’s consultation, she planned to conduct her research under Professor Godin instead of Professor Delphoi.
Although Professor Delphoi, being from a renowned institution, was competent, there were too many unsettling aspects about him.
Sometimes, he would call her name in a greasy tone or subtly initiate physical contact, among other things.
If not for Mr. Sivar’s warnings, she might not have noticed such behaviors. Each time, she had firmly rejected him.
When she rejected him coldly, Professor Delphoi would only laugh awkwardly and back off, refraining from further inappropriate contact.
‘Skill and character are separate matters.’
Skill and character are indeed separate. This was something she had painfully realized from her own household.
While lions are said to throw their cubs off cliffs to make them strong, that phrase merely emphasizes the harshness of the wild.
In reality, lions are known for their strong sense of community. However, her family, the Duke Berche’s Household, quite literally threw her off a cliff.
Even that alone was enough to make her shudder, but they had mastered the art of using both the carrot and the stick.
They provided various support to help her climb back up after being thrown off the cliff, which only made her laugh bitterly.
‘It seems like Mr. Sivar holds some ill feelings toward him.’
Grace glanced at Professor Delphoi, who was now preparing coffee after the refreshments.
She had been curious as to why the professors had restricted Sivar’s attack rights, but she had recently found out the reason.
It was because of Professor Delphoi’s political intrigue. He had imposed the restriction solely on the grounds that Sivar was too strong.
If it had been any other student, they would have protested against such an absurd condition, but the problem lay in the fact that it was Sivar.
Having lived in the wild, he lacked morality and common sense. Hence, he was deemed dangerous.
This perception was so deeply ingrained that many professors sided with Professor Delphoi’s opinion.
‘He’s not harmful at all.’
After teaming up with Sivar several times, she realized that he was not harmful at all—rather, he was quite docile.
Especially when given delicious food, he would readily comply with any request. Conversely, if his food was taken away, he would turn ferocious.
In any case, Sivar was unlike other wild animals; he was calm and gentle. The perception of him being dangerous likely stemmed from the accidents he had caused.
Clatter—
While she was lost in thought, Professor Delphoi placed the refreshments and coffee on the table.
Grace looked at the tea in the cup. It was green overall, with a bit of powder settled at the bottom.
“This is green tea. It’s one of the famous teas from the East, known for its ability to clear the mind. The powder at the bottom is also green tea leaves.”
“I see. I’ll enjoy it.”
Grace smiled faintly and took a sip of the tea that Professor Delphoi had prepared.
A meaningful smile appeared on Professor Delphoi’s lips as he watched her, but unfortunately, Grace did not notice.
“It has a unique taste.”
“That’s the characteristic of the East.”
Professor Delphoi said this while also taking a sip of the green tea. Meanwhile, Grace put a piece of the tea snack into her mouth.
The tea snack matched the Eastern green tea. It had a peculiar taste—a blend of sweetness with a slight hint of bitterness.
Satisfied with the harmonious taste, Grace set the teacup down.
“So, you mentioned that after today, you’ll be conducting your research under Professor Godin?”
As soon as she set the teacup down, Professor Delphoi spoke with a friendly smile.
On the surface, he seemed completely harmless, but to Grace, his expression felt slightly sinister.
That mushroom-like hairstyle of his already gave off a sense of disharmony, and the addition of a smile only made it worse.
However, showing her discomfort would be impolite, so she responded as courteously as possible.
“Yes. While you are an excellent professor, what I need right now is theory. If nothing else, Professor Godin’s theory classes are nearly perfect.”
While her intention was also to distance herself from Professor Delphoi, her decision was influenced by Professor Godin’s expertise as well.
The evaluations she had heard about Professor Godin were as follows: though lacking in practical combat, he made up for it entirely with his thorough understanding of theory.
Indeed, the papers authored by Professor Godin were impeccable, and many achievements had been made based on his theories.
“Thanks to him, I realized that what matters now is not practical training but theory. I plan to learn theory from Professor Godin and then gradually move on to practical training.”
“Hmm… I see. I was curious as to why you wanted to learn from someone like Professor Godin…”
Someone like Professor Godin? Grace’s expression turned peculiar at Professor Delphoi’s somewhat condescending remark.
Judging by his expression alone, one might think she had misheard, but she had heard him clearly. It seemed he did not think highly of Professor Godin.
As she sipped her green tea, she tried to deduce the nature of their relationship. First, she decided to ask a question.
“What kind of person do you think Professor Godin is, Professor Delphoi?”
“To be honest… I don’t think he’s a very good person. Theory is important, but at the Academy, practical ability is what matters most.”
Even now, his subtle jabs made it clear that he strongly disliked Professor Godin.
However, there was a glaring flaw in Professor Delphoi’s argument—a very significant one.
Maintaining her faint smile, Grace countered Professor Delphoi’s opinion.
“That’s strange. Aren’t you a mage as well, Professor Delphoi?”
“…That is correct.”
“The origin of magic lies in language itself. No matter how important practical combat is, without exceptional language skills—the foundation—it all becomes meaningless. By that standard, Professor Godin’s abilities are outstanding, wouldn’t you agree?”
There was nothing wrong with Grace’s statement. Language is the root, trunk, and fruit of magic.
Considering this, it was absurd to underestimate Professor Godin, who had produced numerous theories and papers.
“…That’s true. But even if the theory is excellent, it means nothing if it doesn’t yield results in practical combat.”
“Well, I disagree. Even disproving a flawed theory through continuous verification is valuable in itself, in my opinion…”
Grace stopped mid-sentence. Or rather, she was forced to stop.
For some reason, her tongue felt stiff and rigid. She tried to move her mouth, but it was no use.
“Ah… Uh…”
But even her lips refused to move. Starting from her tongue, a sensation of paralysis began spreading throughout her entire body.
What on earth was happening? Grace looked at Professor Delphoi with a panicked expression.
Professor Delphoi, still wearing his friendly smile, calmly opened his mouth to speak.
“What’s wrong? Could it be that you’re experiencing symptoms like paralysis of the mouth or an inability to move your body?”
“Uh… Ah…”
“I see. So, your body is paralyzed…”
Then, in an instant, Professor Delphoi’s smile vanished. With a contemptuous expression, he spoke coldly.
“So now, you can’t do anything, can you?”
“Ugh…”
Thud—
By now, her entire body seemed to be paralyzed, and she collapsed helplessly. No matter how desperately she tried to move, even her fingers wouldn’t budge.
Her mana was no exception. Even as she tried to circulate it within her body, it had no effect on her movements.
“Circulating your mana won’t help. This drug was specially formulated. You’ll feel every sensation in your body.”
“Why…”
“Why, you ask? You’ve always annoyed me. Those condescending eyes looking down on me. But now, they’ll change, and that will be enough.”
Swoosh—
With a lecherous grin, Professor Delphoi adjusted Grace, who had collapsed on the sofa, to lie flat.
If she were to close her eyes now, she would appear to be peacefully sleeping. But Professor Delphoi’s crime did not end there.
“I don’t understand why everyone looks down on me—this guy, that guy, even that damn wildling. I couldn’t take it anymore.”
“… …”
“Let me make it clear, I’m not afraid of your household. In fact, you should be the one afraid of your household. Isn’t that right? If no one finds out, it’ll be better for both of us. And even if they do, you’ll disappear anyway.”
Throughout history, ‘purity’ has been a crucial matter for women. If their purity is tarnished, the consequences are immense.
Especially for a noble young lady, and even more so for one from a ducal family, the repercussions would be severe. Grace felt her heart sink at the thought.
Could he have considered all this before committing such an act? As he said, she could already foresee how her household would react.
Most of all, the scars she would bear would remain forever. Forget her household—she would no longer be able to show herself in the world.
“Just endure it for a little while. The pain will be brief, and soon you’ll feel good. Hehehe.”
“Ah… Uh…”
“Shall we start by changing those filthy eyes of yours?”
Professor Delphoi gently touched Grace’s face before slowly moving his hand downward. His hand stopped at her shirt button.
Eventually, as each button was undone, only a single piece of clothing remained—a white T-shirt that matched the color of her school uniform.
If even this T-shirt were to disappear, the only thing left would be a single piece of underwear.
“This is troublesome. I might as well cut it off. Let’s see what kind of underwear a noble Young Lady wears.”
“Ugh… Ah…”
No matter how much she struggled, her body wouldn’t budge. Yet, it seemed her tear glands were still functioning.
Tears began to well up in Grace’s eyes as a sense of crisis set in. How had things come to this?
Riiiip—
Before she could even curse the world, Delphoi sliced Grace’s T-shirt in half with a knife.
In the end, Grace tightly shut her eyes. As she closed them, tears streamed down her face, soaking the sofa beneath her.
“Ha! As expected, mature underwear. Is it because of that body of yours, so close to that of an adult?”
Delphoi, satisfied, pushed the torn halves of the T-shirt aside. Her figure was truly remarkable.
It was a figure befitting a noble who ate and slept well. And that figure was now covered by purple underwear.
All that was left was to toy with it as he pleased. Delphoi licked his lips with a sly smile.
“Just think of it as bad luck, Young Lady. Don’t even think someone will come to help you.”
“··· ···”
No. Someone will come. Someone will come to help.
Her purity had not yet been defiled. Grace desperately prayed for someone to arrive.
She even prayed to a god she normally didn’t believe in, begging again and again. She didn’t want her life to end here.
‘Please… Anyone…’
Was there truly no knight from a fairy tale? Was her long-held innocence about to shatter completely?
Just as Grace’s heart began to sink into despair, Delphoi’s filthy hand moved toward her chest.
At the very moment Delphoi was about to indecently toy with the ripe fruit before him—
Knock, knock, knock—
As if answering Grace’s prayer, someone knocked on Delphoi’s door.
At this, Delphoi scowled deeply and turned to look at the door. The timing couldn’t have been worse.
“Tch.”
Clicking his tongue, he stepped away from Grace. In that moment, Grace felt a glimmer of hope descend upon her.
She hoped the visitor would realize the situation, but Delphoi wasn’t a fool.
Creeeak—
He opened the door just enough to obscure the view inside. If things continued this way, the visitor might leave without suspicion.
Grace’s lips trembled as she tried to move them, but even that was difficult.
“······Who are you?”
“Grace?”
“Grace?”
“Yeah. Is she here?”
That voice… It was Sivar. Grace’s eyes widened upon hearing Sivar’s voice.
She didn’t know why Sivar had come here, but she had never felt more reassured.
She tried to scream with all her might. Though her tongue wouldn’t move, she had to make a sound.
“Ah… Uh…”
“She’s not here. What’s the matter?”
But even that faint sound was drowned out by Delphoi. The glimmer of hope began to dim, leaving only despair.
At this rate, Sivar might leave. Grace desperately wished he would notice something was wrong.
“Not here? I can smell her.”
“Smell?”
“Yeah. Grace’s scent.”
“She must’ve just left. And why do you even remember a woman’s scent? You’re a strange one.”
He wanted to tear that mouth apart right then and there. The very man who had just tried to violate her purity.
Along with her despair, Grace felt rage boiling inside her. She wanted to bring Delphoi down, no matter what.
“Enough. Just leave already, and don’t come back.”
“Alright.”
Clunk—
But that feeling didn’t last long. Sivar obediently listened and closed the door.
Grace felt the last glimmer of hope vanish completely as she shut her eyes. Her chest felt like it was about to burst from frustration.
“Hmph. What a perceptive guy. That was close.”
“··· ···”
“Now then, since the interloper is gone, let’s finish what we started, Young Lady.”
With a sly smile, Delphoi approached Grace. Grace clenched her teeth, then let her body go limp.
There was nothing she could do anymore. Tears streaming, she moved her lips.
“Help…”
“What? I can’t hear you.”
Delphoi continued to mock her. With a sense of resignation, Grace forced herself to speak to the end.
Perhaps the paralysis had eased slightly, as she managed to speak in a faint voice.
“Help… me…”
“Sure, I’ll help you. Now—”
Bang!!
Delphoi’s words were cut off. The research lab door suddenly burst open.
No, it didn’t just open—the door flew off its hinges, scattering debris across the lab in an instant.
Startled, Delphoi turned to look at the door. Standing boldly behind it was the face he had seen earlier.
“I heard it.”
Hearing that voice, Grace gave a faint smile. At the same time, another tear rolled down her cheek.
“Your voice.”
Fairy tale knights did exist.
Though this one was a bit unconventional.