Chapter 16: Sexual Intercourse

14 Years Old Arc: The No-Staff of Magic Academy

Sexual Intercourse

Senior Gotengram unilaterally decided that the duel would take place in the suburbs near Baroslau, the largest city in the industrial and agricultural province of Julesien, where the Gotengram family's factory is located.

Early the next morning, after the duel was declared, we boarded a specially chartered bus and headed towards the Gotengram family's villa near Baroslau.

We stopped at a service area for lunch and a restroom break, but otherwise the bus drove continuously on the Autobahn.

There were 12 people on the bus: student council officers and executive committee members, plus, for some reason, me, and 12 students from the National Academy.

"Celica, it's been ages since I've been on a bus for such a long trip, not since elementary school."

"Yeah, that's true."

Al, who was sitting next to me across the aisle, spoke to me.

I don't have very good memories of that time, though, because a boy from my class who was sitting next to me forcibly touched my animal ears and tail.

..... Let's change the subject.

"Did you go on any school trips after I left?"

"No, I was absent, so I didn't go."

"That's unusual. Al, you seem like you'd be excited to go. Are you sick or something?"

"Well, yeah, about that....."

"?"

Al, who usually answers clearly and confidently, was speaking in an unusually hesitant manner.

I wonder what's wrong? Is he feeling unwell?

Just as I was thinking that, Max warned me about talking to a student from the school academy.

"Hey, Celica. Don't talk so friendly with that guy from the National Academy. They'll suspect you of collusion."

"Al isn't a bad person. But Max's right. I'm sorry, Al. Let's not talk for a while."

".... Okay."

Al looked at me resentfully, but backed down.

"It looks like we'll be arriving soon,"

As the bus emerged from the tunnel, Student Council President Felzer announced, looking out the window.

In the middle of the forest, a particularly large mansion and what appeared to be a research facility came into view.

That large mansion was the Gotengram family's villa where we would be staying.

★

I packed my bags in a room I was shown to by someone who appeared to be the Gotengram family's butler.

I was sharing a room with Max.

"What? I'm sharing a room with Max? Even though Max and I are best friends, don't you think it's a little inconsiderate to assign a boy and a girl of that age to the same room?"

".... Well, I guess so."

Now it was Max's turn to hesitate, his expression unreadable.

What's wrong with both Al and Max?

Changing the subject, we chatted for a while when an announcement came over the loudspeaker that dinner was about to begin.

Max and I joined the other student council members and headed to the mansion's grand hall, the designated venue for the dinner party.

The grand hall was a magnificent and enormous room, adorned with dazzling decorations such as Gallic chandeliers, decorative electric lanterns mounted on the walls, and large portraits depicting figures who appeared to be related to the Gotengram family.

In the center, there were several tables laden with various dishes, presumably for a standing reception.

Along the walls, there were rows of chairs, and about 30 members of the press, carrying cameras and laptops presumably for writing articles, seemed to be preparing for some kind of interview.

One of them noticed me and began pointing his camera at me.

"Why are there so many members of the press here?"

"They probably want to broadcast it nationwide and publicize how superior they are."

After confirming that the student council members, executive committee members, myself, and the students from the National Academy, including Al, were all present, Senior Gotengram ascended to the landing of the stairs leading to the second floor.

He must have arrived earlier by plane and prepared; he was wearing a black suit, a striking red bow tie, and his long hair neatly styled back.

The members of the press began filming.

Senior Gotengram remained silent for a while before speaking loudly.

"Good citizens of Mittelland, tomorrow is the day of the decisive battle. It will become clear which is more suitable to be your shield, sorcery or magic, and which is superior to the other."

Senior Gotengram uses inflammatory language to argue for the superiority sorcery over magic.

The sounds of flashes and camera shutters click echo.

"And now, the time will come for the deceit and dishonor of the past to be cleansed. The one who should truly be praised in the last war is that of Gotengram Family, who developed magical technology and created the Einherjar, not Bernstein's, who stole the victory using it."

Is that his objective?

Does Senior Gotengram want to disparage the Bernstein family to elevate his own?

"Please rest assured, ladies and gentlemen of the Great Alba, who are of the highest integrity and outstanding in the world. The outcome of tomorrow's duel will demonstrate that Gotengram is worthy of being the guardian of the Mittelland Federal Republic. This concludes my speech."

A thunderous applause erupts from the students of the National Academy and the press.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen in the hall, please enjoy the Gotengram family's meal at your leisure."

Senior Gotengram's speech ends.

Multiple cameras surround us, the student council, pointing microphones at us and asking for comments.

President Felzer and Vice-President shielded Max and me from the questions.

"Let's eat something for now. Being hungry will affect us tomorrow."

"Okay."

I didn't have an appetite, but I had no choice.

We forced ourselves to eat food far more luxurious than what was served at the Bernstein household.

The anxiety about tomorrow's duel, combined with the feeling of being filmed, made it feel like we were chewing sand.

The boys from the National Academy seemed confident of victory, answering the reporters' questions with composure and enjoying their meal.

Seeing the aerial mages with their prosthetic wings removed, Senior Gotengram had a fleeting flash of insight before suddenly raising his voice again.

"Hey, you guys! If you win, you can have Celica Ahrenheim all to yourself!!"

"WOHOOOO!"

"WE DID IT!"

"HELL YEAH!!"

"I CAN'T WAIT!!"

A roar shook the great hall.

The boys from National Academy all stared at me with gleaming predatory eyes.

I felt as if they were piercing holes in my face, chest, and groin.

Many cameras were pointed at me. A reporter, speaking something, almost shoved a microphone in my mouth.

Memories of almost being gang-raped in the park four years ago flashed back.

A shiver ran down my spine. My hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.

Scary, scary, scary, scary, scary, scary!

But....

If they win, they are the heroes of Mittelland.

Even if I said I didn't want to be 'used', everyone in this country would probably ignore me.

More than that, they will happily throw me to be eaten alive by those heroes.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, No, No, No, No, No, No, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, N—

Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand.

It was Max.

Max's hand was trembling slightly, but his body heat flowed into me, giving me a little comfort.

Suddenly, I made eye contact with Al, who was among the ecstatic students of the academy.

His gaze was clearly malicious, piercing me.

Even I, with my poor perceptiveness, could understand.

Al, no, Albert Mergen, hates me for ruining his life.

He would surely try to defeat our academy team without hesitation.

I gripped Max's hand tighter, as if clinging to him.

He squeezed back even tighter.

★★★

Burkhardt Gotengram, occasionally answering reporters' questions, sipped his fine wine from a high-quality glass, reveling in the sweet taste of victory.

This wasn't arrogance.

He was simply enjoying a little bit of the glory already assured of his future.

Tomorrow was the day he would bring down the Bernstein family, who had worn a false crown, and the anniversary of the start of the Gotengram family's glory, which should have been bestowed upon them long ago.

Even so, he thought his earlier declaration was a good idea—a way to gain the loyalty of the aerial mages without hurting his own pockets.

Burkhardt secretly despised the crude, utterly uncultured students of the National academy.

They were nothing more than hungry beasts.

'And beasts are best suited to feasting on other beasts.'

Burkhardt wore an even more sadistic smile.

'And what exquisite entertainment it would be to see the expression on Bernstein's face.'

A pathetic cuckolded man, no longer even a descendant of a hero, who can only watch helplessly as his beloved girl is toyed with and mistreated.

'If I can continue to watch that, I might even let Bernstein's boy stay at the academy I now lead.

I'll forgive him if he begs on his knees. That's what I'll do.'

Burkhardt sipped his drink from his glass with relish, congratulating himself on his own generosity.

★★★

After finishing the dinner, which I couldn't taste anything, I took a shower in the bathroom I was shown to and changed into my pajamas.

Max and I sat on the two beds side-by-side, gazing at each other.

There were no words.

My chest was crushed with anxiety about what was to come. I was still trembling.

Eventually, Max spoke.

"Let's go to sleep now. We won't be able to fight tomorrow if we don't get enough sleep."

"Wait!"

I called out to Max, who was about to go to sleep.

And looking firmly into Max's eyes as he turned around at the sound of my voice, I spoke.

"Take it."

"....What?"

"Max, please take it. If I'm going to be toyed by those guys, at least I want my first time to be with Max. I want Max to take my virginity."

"...Celica."

I was still a bit hesitant to engage in that kind of act with a man, especially since I still occasionally remembered the time when I was a man in that world. And the trauma from 4 years ago that resurfaced just a while ago further intensifying my aversion.

But now that it comes to this situation, hesitation won't do me any good.

I know I should have believed in our academy.

I know I should have believed in Max.

Believe that we can win tomorrow match.

I know that! But....!

Remembering the way those guys looked at me at the dinner filled my heart with dread.

I'm scared....

Even if we can somehow come up with a miraculous strategy to greatly increase our odds of winning, I still fear the slightest probability where we lost.

If my virginity is going to be taken anyway, rather than giving it to those beasts, I want to give to Max, a person who I cherish and cherished me back.

I got off the bed and knelt on the floor.

Placing my palms on the floor, I lowered my head and kissed the top of Max's foot as he sat on the bed.

"Please, Young Master Maximilian. Have mercy on this wretched beast. Please show mercy to this lowly woman who will soon be used as a plaything by many men."

The reason I didn't kiss his lips was because I wasn't worthy of Max.

This vile beastly woman, who will soon be defiled by countless men, is not worthy of Maximilian, a member of the glorious Bernstein family.

"Celica!"

But against my will, Max grabbed my arm, pulled me up forcefully, and kissed my lips.

He then dragged me onto the bed and pinned me down.

My nightgown was ripped off.

I looked up at the ceiling, feeling my body being violated by Max.

★

I could feel the sunlight streaming in through the window of the not-so-large room.

I was lying naked under the sheets.

Max was already awake, in the process of getting dressed.

"You're awake? It's time for breakfast. Hurry up and get dressed."

Max said this curtly, his back still turned to me.

"Yeah... Thank you for last night, Max. If you enjoyed my miserable body, even a little... I'm happy."

"Enough of that! Come on, hurry up and get ready!"

★

It wasn't far from the villa, but an open area in the middle of the forest.

There, members of the Bellandenburg Academy's Student Council, wielding magic Staff, students from the National Academy, fully armed with prosthetic wings, and members of the press, equipped with cameras, had gathered.

Four helicopters, presumably belonging to the press, were circling above the forest.

"The duel will consist of three 3-on-3 simulated battles. Killing the opponent is forbidden, so the Aerial Mages will only be allowed to use magic projectiles with reduced power, and the Mages will only be allowed to use magic with its effects minimized to the extreme.

As it stands, the Aerial Mages have a significant advantage, so let's give them a handicap. If Mages can defeat Aerial Mages even once, the Student Council will win."

Senior Gotengram loudly explained the rules so that the press's microphones could pick them up, then declared confidently with a radiant expression.

"Just one win is enough. That fact offered a glimmer of hope, isn't it?"

"Hey, Celica,"

Al—no, Albert Mergen, now my enemy—spoke to me.

I didn't reply, hiding behind Max, whose physical connection I still felt in that part.

Honestly, I didn't want to see Albert Mergen's face.

But out of morbid curiosity, I glanced at Albert Mergen's face from behind Max, and as expected, he was glaring at me with hatred.

Albert Mergen and I were now sworn enemies.

★

My faint glimmer of hope, however, was shattered with each passing battle.

In the first battle, the student council members, led by the secretary, activated their lightning magic, but were detected by the National Academy students in the air. They were surrounded and subjected to a barrage of lightning strikes, forcing them to retire.

In the second battle, the Aerial Mages, using stealth magic, fired incendiary projectiles at the Mages, including the vice-president, who were fleeing through the forest. The student council members, forced to escape the forest, were then immobilized one by one with lightning strikes.

Now it's our turn. Max, Student Council President Felzer, and I huddled together in a circle, engaged in a secret conversation.

Looking behind us, we saw Senior Gotengram looking at us with an expression that seemed to revel in sadism.

Many cameras were filming us from a distance.

"What are we going to do? At this rate, we'll lose."

"Maybe it's hopeless after all."

My body began to tremble again with fear.

Suddenly, Max gently put his arm around my shoulder as I hunched over.

I remembered the warmth of last night.

Max spoke.

"I have a good idea."

Max explained his plan to me and the student council president.

"No! That would put Max in danger! I'd rather..."

"Celica."

Max interrupted me with his own words.

Then, looking firmly into my eyes, he said...

"I want to stay with Celica from now on. Please, I beg you, cooperate. I also ask for your cooperation, Student Council President."

"...Understood. Now we have no choice but to stake everything on your plan."

We broke our circle and entered the forest with our magic Staffs in hand.

As the forest grew deeper and only a little sunlight penetrated, Max and I parted ways with President Felzer.

TL Note:

Baroslau: It refers to Breslau, the historical German name for the city of Wrocław, which is located in western Poland today. And yes, in German Empire era, it was the sixth-largest city in Germany and the main cultural and economic center of Lower Silesia (though in this novel, its called Julesian)