Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 140 Additional Remuneration
"I see. Xiao Li, I get it! Say 'Nina' ten times quickly in a row and see!"

Deep in the black maze, looking at the battlefield in the distance which has returned to complete peace.

After thinking for a while, the Bathing Goddess, who seemed to have accepted the reality that "White Cat" equals "Nina", said so.

"why?"

"Anyway, just tell me! You'll understand if I tell you!"

"Nina Nina. Nina——"

After heaving a sigh of relief somewhat helplessly, Ritas still did as he was told.

"How was it? You said 'nya' and made a cat sound, right?!"

".not at all."

Ritas speaks very clearly and fluently.

"Well, alright then. Hey, Xiaoli Xiaoli, I got it! Say 'Nina' fifty times quickly in a row and see—"

"No need, I actually said it just now, but I just didn't have the nerve to admit it."

Feeling that if he didn't admit it, the Bathing Goddess might ask "Nina" to have sex with him all day, Ritas gave in.

"That's right, it's 'nya'! This is the clue, this is the foreshadowing in the game 'Star Pattern' that Nina was once a big white cat!"

"."

If this degree can be considered a foreshadowing, then the tens of thousands of people named Nina on this continent will surely be able to turn into cats.
"To be precise, it wasn't in the past. Whether in animal form or human form, she is always Nina. And although it can't be said to be a hint, Nina's name may really come from the sound of a cat. For example, when asked 'What's your name?', Nina, who had just become a human and was not used to talking, made a cat sound, and it was considered a name or something."

Ritas said that he always felt that it would be a bit silly if such a scene really happened.

But since it's something related to the goddess of bathing, maybe I shouldn't think too smartly.

"That makes sense!"

Look.

"But why did Nina turn into a white cat? This time, it's really not my fault."

Is this déjà vu?

Ritas didn't know how many times he had heard this sentence.

"I know everything about Nina!"

So does this sentence.

"I'm sure there's no plot where Nina is an orc, or turns into a white cat!"

Listening to the words of the Bathing Goddess, Ritas pondered for a moment.

Putting aside the prejudice against the Bathing Goddess, perhaps the reason for the intelligence problem this time really has nothing to do with the Bathing Goddess. Or...
"Indeed, this time it was mainly force majeure. And it should be said that it was because I was sure that the Bathing Goddess knew Nina very well that I could judge that the White Cat and she were the same person. From the previous questions, I learned that in the game "Star Mark", there was almost no mention of anything related to Nina's past. Although, this may be because Nina did not talk about it, and the people around her did not touch on it. But it feels to me that it is more like Nina, as a human being, has no "past" at all."

"In the real world, things related to the white cat are also very strange. After all, no matter how things develop, the white cat as an individual should exist. Because, according to investigations, it is easy to find that the white cat has been active around Lily of the Valley Town a long time ago. In other words, the white cat does not exist because of my interference or some butterfly effect. Then, the white cat's presence in this town is much stronger than that of adventurers. There are almost no adventurers who don't know about the white cat, and the white cat itself has no reason to leave Lily of the Valley Town. But there is no trace of the white cat in the 'Star Pattern' game, which means that the white cat has lost its 'future'."

"Nina was missing her past, and the white cat lost her future. The time points seemed to match, so I connected them together. After that, I conducted several tests and found that the power of the Star Mark Emblem seemed to be hidden in the white cat's body."

Combined with some things about the White Cat Adventure Group and Helian, Ritas's speculation gradually turned into certainty.

"Hey, when did you do those tests?"

"White Cat has been in a coma for several days here. I treated him and rode him for a few days. The chance is really good."

"Ah! So, you knew that the white cat was my second wife, but you still rode her for so many days!?"

"."

Does this woman really know what she is talking about?

"In fact, until just now, everything was just speculation and not certainty."

"Tsk, tsk, your ability to judge is quite smart."

Amid the teasing of the Bathing Goddess, Ritas coughed heavily and changed the subject.
"Well, as for our world, why didn't White Cat turn into Nina? I also don't understand. Among the types of beastmen, beast form and human form are quite common, and they can often transform into the other extreme form through transformation. However, the transformation usually can't last too long. Therefore, whether White Cat transforms into beast form for a long time, or transforms into human form for a long time like in the game 'Star Mark', it is abnormal."

Xia Lu is a good example.

In addition to being unable to maintain, according to Xia Lu, after the humanoid beastman transforms into beast form, he will feel a deep discomfort.

"So, I speculate that the white cat in the 'Star Mark' game must have had an adventure. During the adventure, she completely transformed into a human form and even lost her past memories. I can't think of what kind of adventure could lead to such a result. Perhaps, it is related to the 'Helian' in the 'Star Mark' game that we have never been able to find. Or perhaps, it is related to the 'mysterious messenger'."

The "mysterious messenger" mentioned by Ritas is actually a being he assumed.

Since Ritas never thought that the girls' star emblems were naturally formed, he needed to set up such a mysterious existence that would create and trigger the star emblems, so as to rationalize his various inferences about the star emblems to a certain extent.

And through the incident with the white cat, Ritas became even more certain that the "mysterious messenger" really existed.

Because, the white cat obviously has the power of stars in its body, but it does not have the matching star mark emblem to stimulate that power.

But in the "Star Mark" game, the white cat who became Nina not only turned into a human, but also had a star mark emblem on the back of her neck.

“Meow—ah, kah-ka-ka, meow—!”

After leaving it there for a while and making sure it was absolutely safe, Ritas carried the disc and walked towards the direction of the white cat and the duo of adventurers.

The white cat, exhausted, pressed its chin against the ground, trying its best to express something to Ritas.

"Um"

Ritas also tried to understand, and then said,

"If it's the hair on the back of your neck, it will grow back quickly as long as it's properly nourished."

"Meow!"

"Well, even though I don't understand cat language very well, I can feel that she is saying 'that's not the question'!"

Of course, Ritas knew that this was not the problem.

Speaking of which, Nina is really just a smart white cat at the moment, so it’s really hard to communicate with her.

For a moment, Ritas didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that the white cat missed the "adventure" that she was supposed to have for some reason.

Ritas is a human after all, so from a human perspective, it is undoubtedly a bad thing that the white cat cannot transform into a human form.

But who can tell if this is really the case?

"Although I did this and that to you, considering that I saved you, healed you, and helped you save your companions with your own strength, we are even." Ritas looked at the white cat, then at the two adventurers who were sleeping very soundly, and said so.

The white cat expressed its dissatisfaction with various sounds.

"Actually, I'm not going to kill you. Since there are too few samples of the Star Mark Emblem, my 'Potential Stimulation Magic Array' is not complete, and I can only channel out a portion of the power. Also, in order to prove that the orcs' physique is strong enough, I also went through two stages of practice."

Ritas, who "almost" let the cat slip, turned his eyes away from the white cat that was about to breathe on him and went to check on Helian and Einfeld.

After removing the armor and other unnecessary equipment from Helian, Ritas took out a few pages of paper that looked a little moldy. Then, he took a few drops of blood from the parts of the bodies that were transformed by the undead and the parts that were not transformed.

Looking at the blood on the paper made of special material, which revealed information that only Ritas could interpret, Ritas sighed softly.

"It's almost the worst possible outcome. However, since the injuries to their bodies are minor, there may still be room for purification. Anyway, you should get them out of the maze first."

Ritas said as he lifted the two men up and hung them on the white cat.

"Meow"

Feeling the weight of the two people on its back, the white cat made a low sound.

"Don't complain. If you can't run, just rot here. And try to run far away. I can't guarantee that what I do next won't affect you. Don't worry about anything else except evacuating. Soon, this maze and its owner will no longer have the time to interfere with you."

"Meow!"

“She seems to be expressing something else?”

With the reminder from the goddess of bathing, Ritas communicated with the white cat for a long time by guessing and guessing, and finally understood what she meant.

"Are there other companions? That is, the Black Nun? However, in your current state, it is already very good that you can escape successfully. How can you spare time to save others? Moreover, don't forget that whether your two companions can be rescued depends on your next performance. So, do you want to return to protect the two people, or abandon the two people in order to save your leader who doesn't know what is going on now?"

Ritas asked as he examined the white cat.

"!"

Xiao Li is actually asking a cat the trolley problem!

The bathing goddess who was watching from the sidelines was a little surprised.

This kind of situation often happens to Ritas.

Judging from the atmosphere or flow, there seems to be nothing wrong with what he does and what he says. But if you calm down and take his actions out and describe them objectively, you will find that this person is very outrageous.

Although, the White Cat, who may become the second wife of the Bathing Goddess in the future, is being troubled by Ritas.

However, the Bathing Goddess, who generally stood with Ritas, did not make any noise to interfere.

The white cat on the other side was rubbing its chin on the ground and scratching the ground with its claws, and it fluttered for a long time without making a decision.

"Well, since there is really no way to have the best of both worlds, why not compromise? We will split into two groups. You will be responsible for bringing the two back, and I will try to rescue your leader. However, the commission I received was only to rescue Einfeld, and for now, it has been completed. Therefore, if you want me to do more, you need to pay me more."

"Meow~!"

After Ritas made this suggestion, the white cat began to shout in succession.

Naturally, Ritas and the Bathing Goddess didn't understand what the white cat promised to Ritas.

But in the end, Ritas decided to make a "deal" with the white cat.

"Well, I will be responsible for going deeper into the maze. And you will lead your companions to a safe place."

After watching the white cat get up, Ritas hung a package around her neck.
"Take this with you, too. If this thing suddenly starts glowing, throw it aside and stand back."

"Ow!"

After receiving a clear response from the white cat, Ritas watched her leave, watching her steps gradually become steady from the initial staggering.

After the white cat disappeared from sight, Ritas turned around and continued to walk towards the core of the black maze.

"I didn't expect you to care so much about the 'commission'."

As they continued to go deeper, since Ritas did not encounter any pursuit or obstacles, and even the seemingly endless undead disappeared without a trace, the Bathing Goddess began to chat with Ritas.

"Since I'm an adventurer, even if I'm going to retire soon, I have to abide by the rules of adventurers before that. What's more, it's the first commission I've ever received. And I've already used up the 'commission money'. If I don't complete the commission, it will be unacceptable to all parties."

In Ritas' mind, the thin figure of Alan appeared, who had followed them all the way and came to entrust them with a bunch of worthless "inflated amulets".

"Come to think of it, even if White Cat didn't offer those extra rewards that you didn't even know what they were, you would still go to Black Sister, right?"

"Of course, the goddess of the baths still rides on this strange thing until now, so we have to know what its use is."

Ritas raised up the white disc that was still merging with the white blade.

"Malice! I sense malice from the way you describe it!"

"No matter what, we need to meet the black nun and the 'old friend'."

Ritas said with a sigh of relief.

In addition to the incident of the white blade, the main reason for the huge deviation in the "original plot" of Lily of the Valley Town is most likely the Black Nun.

Also, although the White Cat Adventure Group encountered a crisis of destruction, if you think about it carefully, you can find that the quality of the adventurers recruited by the Black Sister is surprisingly high.

The white cat who has the chance to become a star mark holder, the free magician Einfeld, and Helian whose physical abilities are like a monster.

Each of these people is one in a million, and it is obviously an abnormal phenomenon for them to gather together in a short period of time.

Therefore, Ritas has many reasons to meet the Black Nun.

"So, that's what you call the 'art of compromise'? If you don't say that, the white cat might just follow you."

"Almost. Although it can understand our words, it is still a cat after all. If things really get out of hand, I won't have the time to train it. And since I've already suffered a big loss in the commission, as a qualified adventurer, I have to find a way to earn more in additional rewards."

"What about a qualified adventurer? I don't know what kind of honor adventurers have in your mind~"

While the two were talking, Ritas walked through a long and narrow passage.

The moment he stepped out of the end of the passage, Ritas's vision suddenly became extremely broad.

It was a huge space where the ground was covered with the paleness of bones.

In the center of the space, there was a throne made of bones. Next to the throne was a huge cross also made of bones, which bound a woman in a black nun's uniform in mid-air.

Black Nun.
It was the first time for Ritas to recognize someone so easily and clearly.

(End of this chapter)