Chapter 303

Chapter 303

I had won.

I’d achieved what I’d wanted, and everything had gone as planned, but it felt like my soul had been violated. I realized my mistake—focusing solely on the cross-dressing contest itself.

Anyway, I needed to get out of the venue. Naturally, there was no security detail to escort me. I should have considered that there might be crazy people waiting outside to grab me. Unfortunately, I had only thought about winning, and had not planned a safe means of escape.

It seemed that many of the spectators whose passions had inadvertently been ignited by me, both girls and boys, were waiting outside to latch onto me as I left. The sight of the crowd gathered outside the auditorium could only mean trouble.

“...”

I felt like a celebrity.

Unlike a celebrity, though, I was the anonymous winner of a cross-dressing contest, and both men and women were dying to know my true identity.

‘Would they even know who I was if I told them I was Reinhart? They wouldn’t! Why are they so curious about something that would mean nothing to them even if I told them?

‘If I go out like this, I’ll get caught. If those people cross into my personal space, I can’t guarantee I won’t throw a punch.’

The other cross-dressing contestants saw me stuck at the exit and offered awkward smiles as they left. Naturally, no one was swarming them.

‘What should I do?’

It seemed like this was the only exit.

‘Should I exit through the window?’

As I stood there, unable to move, someone spoke to me.

“Um... If you’re not planning to leave...”

“Hm?”

I turned around and saw Connor Lint. He had changed back into his own clothes, so he wasn’t in a dress anymore, but the makeup still made him look ridiculous. Of course, I didn’t have my own clothes here to change into.

I couldn’t just walk out.

“Ah, sorry.”

As I stepped away from the door, Connor Lint hesitated and slowly tried to pass by me. He seemed intimidated by me in a different way compared to how he was when I was Reinhart.

I hadn’t seen exactly what Connor Lint had done, but I knew something significant had happened. He had managed to teleport something other than himself.

In the original story, the ultimate development of Connor Lint’s ability was teleporting together with his clothes. I didn’t know exactly what had happened, but it seemed he could now teleport other objects.

I didn’t know if it was a sign of increased power or something else, but it was clear that Connor Lint had achieved a remarkable advancement in his abilities, far beyond what had been depicted in the original story.

The enhancement of Connor Lint’s ability was a much bigger deal than my own 5-point increase in mana. He continued to glance at me nervously as he made his way toward the exit.

His ability had evolved... and he could now teleport something other than himself...

Without thinking, I grabbed Connor Lint’s arm.

“W-Wait, wait a minute.”

“Y-Yes?”

His face turned beet red, and his lips trembled as he looked at me, unsure whether he should be happy or not.

‘It’s not like that, you idiot!’

There was a crowd waiting outside.

“Could you, um, teleport me outside? Please?”

At that moment, the only one who could rescue me from the bizarre situation was Connor Lint.

***

Naturally, he was startled.

Connor Lint explained in detail that his ability had not worked like that originally, that there could be side effects, and that I might end up naked. Of course, those things could happen.

‘No, it’s fine! I’ll use Revise!’

I had earned a whopping 14,000 Achievement Points I earned from winning the first-year tournament and the cross-dressing contest. I had 18,000 points when adding in the points I had before, so I could definitely afford to use some.

“I’m willing to risk any side effects. Please, just do it.”

“S-Still... you might end up in a compromising situation...”

Even though I was adamant about being teleported away, Connor Lint looked visibly troubled.

“It’s okay. I won’t blame you. I’ll take full responsibility.”

He looked at me as if wondering why I preferred being transported somewhere naked over being caught by the people outside.

‘No, that’s not it! You can do it! You don’t believe in yourself, and I don’t believe in you either, but the Revise function is like a cheat!’

After a long internal struggle, and still looking bewildered, Connor Lint finally nodded. “Th-Then... I’ll try.”

Connor Lint had successfully teleported an object for the first time, and now he had to succeed in teleporting a person.

Of course, there was a high possibility that something bizarre might happen, like only my clothes being teleported.

So, I decided to use the Revise function.

‘Connor Lint successfully teleports me to a secluded area outside the auditorium, and my clothes come with me.’

[This event requires 100 Achievement Points.]

The whole thing would only cost a hundred points.

That was surprisingly cheap. I had expected it to cost around 500 points.

‘Does this mean his ability has already developed significantly?’

[Using 100 Achievement Points.]

“Uh, your hand...”

“Oh. Right.”

Connor Lint extended his trembling hand, and I took it.

‘Come on kid, don’t be so embarrassed.’

With his face flushed red, Connor Lint focused intently, and I stared at him.

“If it doesn’t work well... please don’t blame me too much.”

“It’ll be fine.”

“...”

He paused for a moment to look at me.

“... Do you trust me?” he asked.

‘No. What are you trying to do? Just send me outside already!’

I had no choice but to smile and say, “Of course.”

Poof!

‘What is this? Why is this happening?’

I couldn’t understand why this situation had come about. This man might genuinely be a benefactor trying to help me out of pity.

However, his eyes were strange.

‘Do you know that you have a really weird expression right now?’

I could tell that the kids calling me “oppa” and “hyung” were just joking, but this guy was serious.

I felt a shiver run down my spine.

“Of course, I don’t want you to misunderstand this. I don’t expect anything in return. I’m just talking about the difficulties you might be facing while living in the Temple. Hmm. That’s all.”

‘Sure, you can say that, but your eyes are really off-putting.’

He was clearly not a Temple student or staff member.

‘Should I just punch him and tell him to shut up?’

Unfortunately, there was a festival going on, and there were people everywhere. Naturally, there were guards stationed all around.

If I started a fight and got dragged away by the guards, it would be even more humiliating. And of course, my identity as Reinhart would be revealed.

This was the final test.

If I lost my temper and threw a punch, the story of Royal Class student Reinhart winning the cross-dressing contest and then beating up a middle-aged man would spread like wildfire.

That would be a real reason to consider suicide.

I had to endure this.

I’d already run into Vertus once before because I’d failed to restrain myself.

If I couldn’t hold back this time, it was really over for me.

“Ah, I understand what you’re saying, but I’m doing fine,” I responded.

“Oh, you should just accept the kindness of an elder. Let’s go somewhere quiet and have a chat, at least.”

“It’s really okay. The prize money is enough, and I’m not in that much trouble.”

“I’m just trying to help because you seem to be in a difficult situation. Don’t think that it’s anything weird. Do I seem like a weird person?”

“I don’t think you’re weird at all. It’s just that I’m really doing alright.”

“Well, then let’s at least have a conversation.”

‘Ah, get away from me, you persistent jerk.’

I felt a tingling sensation along the back of my neck. I was getting really pissed off. Despite my clear refusal, this guy just wouldn’t take the hint. It seemed like I would have to resort to some harsh words.

He wasn’t going to let me go easily.

“You keep making me out to be a weird person. It’s upsetting. Why don’t we go somewhere quiet and have a cup of tea—”

Just as I was about to resort to some harsh words since I couldn’t use my fists, a deep, resonant voice interrupted us.

“Hey, what’s going on here?”

Someone approached us, his voice carrying with it a heavy presence. I turned around to see the human tank, Richard Haulman. He had changed back into his own clothes, so he wasn’t in a dress anymore. Richard Haulman wasn’t alone; he was with a group of people, probably his classmates.

The middle-aged man froze at the sight of someone even more intimidating than himself.

“What do you want, old man?”

“Ah, nothing... I just had something to discuss with this student...”

Richard Haulman looked over at me. “This student doesn’t seem to have anything to discuss with you,” he said.

‘Damn. It feels weird, but I’m glad you showed up. Get rid of him for me!’

Whether he understood my desperate look or not, the over-two-meter-tall giant tilted his head and looked down at the middle-aged man.

“It doesn’t seem like this person has anything to say to you, does it?”

“Well, I mean, I’m not a strange person or anything!”

“Cornering a delicate student late at night and not letting her—I mean him—go? That makes you a weirdo. Do you want me to hand you over to the Temple guards? Get lost before I do so.”

‘A delicate student, he says... You got beaten three to zero by this delicate student in the tournament, you idiot! And you were definitely about to say “her”...’

“W-Well, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. Ahem. My apologies.”

Finally, the persistent middle-aged man, intimidated by the giant, tucked his tail and ran away.

The guys behind Richard, who looked like troublemakers, were whistling.

—Oh, nice one, Richard!

—This is gold.

“Ah, be quiet please!”

While I was grateful for being saved, it seemed like I had attracted even worse company.

Richard looked down at me and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Uh, ahem. Are you alright?”

‘I’m starting to give up on this now.’

It was just like the saying: if it tastes good, who cares about the ingredients?

I was losing my mind...

‘No, I’ve already lost it.’

“Oh... thank you.”

Hearing Richard’s classmates or seniors whistling made my blood pressure spike. They had probably shown up just to see Richard in this state.

I didn’t know why he’d entered the cross-dressing contest, but anyway...

“You should head back quickly to avoid any misunderstandings,” said Richard, his face flushed red, without making proper eye contact with me.

“Y-Yes, I should...”

—Hey, are you just going to let her go like that?

—At least invite her for a meal!

“Oh, please!” Richard shouted at the group behind him.

This guy, despite everything, was behaving in a somewhat gentlemanly manner. I had thought he was a complete jerk, but perhaps I’d been mistaken. Thinking back, I was the one who had picked a fight during the tournament, not him. The real jerk was me.

Richard looked at me with a troubled expression.

“Uh, you should really go back quickly before things get more complicated...”

“Ah... yes. Thank you.”

In the end, with the unexpected help of Richard Haulman, I managed to shake off the persistent middle-aged man.