Damn Academy - Chapter 200

[Episode 200] Backstage Maneuvers (16)

Looking closer, there was a curious connection between Haley and Elliot. Not only their remarkable appearances, but more notably… the two shared the same hair color.

I wondered for a moment if they were distant relatives, but with many blondes around, I dismissed the thought.

Even after waiting, there was no sign of a partner for Elliot, and the silver-haired individual was nowhere to be seen.

My mood sank. Ever since seeing someone I wished not to, my ball experience had crumbled. Memories and names I wanted to forget surfaced one after another, turning the festive excitement in my heart to mire.

I wanted to stop staring at the ghosts of my past, ruminating on painful memories.
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I even found myself wishing the Magic Sword Hunters would crash the event and turn everything to chaos.

At that moment, like a savior appearing, a girl suddenly stood before us.

It was Luna, dressed in a white frill dress, looking refreshingly different with her hair tucked neatly behind her ears.

Luna gave a slight bow to the two seniors.

“Hello seniors. Damian is my partner… may I take him with me now?”

The seniors, without a word, twitched their eyebrows and glared at Luna. She met their gaze without faltering.

After a brief standoff, Jenia let go of her arm and tossed out casually,

“Sure, we’ve had our fun. Take him.”

Finally free from their clutches.

I stood beside Luna and bowed to the seniors. Leaving them felt slightly uncomfortable, but I was eager to get away from the ballroom.

Haley smiled lightly and said,

“You two make a good pair. Have fun.”

I nodded in acknowledgment and swiftly departed with Luna from the ballroom.

***

Jenia and Haley stood still, watching Damian’s retreating back.

Luna, trailing beside him, subtly slipped her arm through his.

Jenia remarked with amusement,
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“The magic and spellcraft students really fancy the newbie. Quite curious.”

“Combat arts are still dominated by Elliot, though. Almost to a religious extent.”

“Did you see? The newbie’s face turned stone when Elliot was mentioned.”

“Why would the newbie care about Elliot that much?”

“Who knows? Maybe his competitive spirit flared up, seeing someone better with the sword. He’s sensitive to provocation, huh? Cute.”

“I’m unconditionally on the newbie’s side, but…”

Haley trailed off.

“Why? The newbie’s a tough one, isn’t he?”

“Based on what he’s shown so far, it’s not enough. Feels like there’s something more to him, but it’s just an intuition.”

In terms of popularity or skill, Damian didn’t match up to Elliot. Even as a favored junior, that fact couldn’t be covered up.

Jenia laughed lightly,

“But there’s one thing the newbie has over Elliot.”

“What’s that?”

“The princess’s attention that even Elliot couldn’t earn went to the newbie.”

Haley mused quietly,

“The princess… her attention…”

It was true. Even now, the Grand Duchy’s embassy was eagle-eyed in a corner of the ballroom, scrutinizing the girls around Damian and scribbling something in their notebooks.
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It was an odd situation. Elliot was more valuable in every aspect, yet last year the princess had mercilessly dismissed him without a second thought. And this year, she not only accepted Damian but showed enthusiastic favoritism.

Jenia watched Elliot, the ball’s star, and said,

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“I do prefer the newbie. Elliot… feels like a crafted product, meticulously made by the empire.”

“…Not wrong there.”

***

The student plaza adjacent to the ballroom had been turned into a neat garden thanks to the Plantaras’ overnight work, with couples strolling through.

We leaned against the ballroom’s entrance railing, sitting side by side.

“Thanks for getting me out, Luna.”

“…Yeah. Today, you’re my Damian.”

“And today… you’ve changed so much I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Luna tucked her stray hair behind her ear, blushing slightly.

“Candy has to make an appearance in the first part… I’ll wait for you somewhere else.”

I handed Luna her mask. She took it silently and put it on her face. It matched mine in shape and texture, looking as if it was specifically paired.

“I’ll be back.”

***

I changed my clothes and switched my mask to a crude wooden one before entering the ballroom, where the air was already thick with sultry music, the center filled with dancers.

Raised steps at the edges provided a view over the central dancers, where girls waiting for dance invitations had gathered.

Some were surrounded by boys, while others sat alone, pretending not to care… Their presence felt like a miniature reflection of life itself.

Finding Cecil among them took some effort, as she was engulfed by a cluster of boys.

Neither Cecil nor Luna would face the dishonor of the wax-flower if I didn’t ask them to dance.

I wove my way through the boys to where Cecil was negotiating with her suitors.

“…No, I won’t simply accept a dance invitation.”

“Why, do you think I’m like some commoner?”

Another boy, fearing he might miss his chance, interjected hastily.

“We collaborated on the spellcraft project, remember?”

“Yes. But not just with you, senior, we all cooperated.”

“Cecil, are you waiting for someone?”

“No, I haven’t promised anyone.”

Not promised anyone? Stunned by her words, I stood quietly as Cecil glanced at me, feigned rubbing her eyes, and winked.

What was she playing at?

“So, what will you do?”

“Let’s do it the traditional way. You know the age-old Eternian tradition. Everyone turn around.”

She waved her hand dismissively. The dazed boys complied, and she urged them again,

“Hurry.”

Reluctantly, they turned their backs. Cecil signaled for me to do the same.

A moment later, she spoke,

“Alright, you can all turn back now.”

Cecil fiddled with her dress straps and clutched something white and round in her hand. I couldn’t guess her intention.

“You know the tradition, right? I like men of action. So I’ll dance with the man who brings me this and have fun all night.”

She then unlocked a tall window and threw it open. Cecil tossed the mysterious object into the bushes outside.

Immediately, the boys glanced at one another before racing out like it was a competition.

The scene was clear now. It wasn’t just Cecil’s whim. Popular girls were throwing items out the windows, and nearby boys scrambled to retrieve them.
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I stood alone before Cecil and asked,

“This isn’t what we agreed upon.”

Cecil smiled at me, dusting off a speck from my chest, and tenderly adjusted my bow tie.

“No, this is still a promise. You agreed to become my slave, right? Go. Fetch my item. Make my day since it’s all for me today.”

“But what did you throw?”

Cecil slapped my chest lightly.

“Don’t ask, just go! Or you’ll miss out. If you fail, I really might play with someone else!”

Why does Eternia have so many traditions I’m unaware of?

I sighed and leapt out of the window.

***

With most boys gone chasing after the competition, the ballroom was left with mostly girls.

Cecil joined a group of popular girls in a waiting area at the corner, including Marta, Elias, Brissel, Iris, and others—a group of about a dozen first-year girls chatting away.

Their main topic was the boys they were eyeing as partners.

One of Cecil’s friends, Elias, said,

“There’s this guy, Fontaine, from the magic department, who asked me out right in front of Victor.”

“And? What happened?”

“I was going to accept Victor, but… it’s too easy to say yes immediately. So, I threw my underwear out the window for them to fight over.”

“Oh my.”

“What if Victor can’t find it?”

Elias faked a sob,

“That’s what I’m saying. I’m so anxious.”

“Still, he’s in the top five in combat arts, so he’ll find it. Hopefully.”

“If it’s Victor… ugh, lucky.”

Elias received much envy from the girls for having a well-liked Victor among the freshmen.

Soon Marta vented,

“All the good ones are taken. Victor’s with her, Varian has a fiancée, Hubert’s been grabbed by a senior… The only one that seemed free was Damian…”

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“Didn’t he show up with two seniors?”

“No, Damian just made an entrance and dashed off somewhere.”

“I saw him. He went with Luna.”

“What? With Luna? Ugh.”

Since the recent sparring evaluations, Damian’s reputation improved, but his past lack of sociability meant some resentment remained.

Nyias started gossiping about Damian,

“Damian is such a jerk. He completely ignored my greeting.”

“He did the same to me. What’s with the mystery act? Hope Luna gives him a hard time.”

Cecil quietly rested her chin on her hand, just listening to the gossip.

Then Brissel casually turned to Cecil,

“Cecil, who was it again? The guy always wearing a mask and hiding away?”

“Ah… yeah.”

“He seems timid, do you think he can fight well?”

Cecil grinned and replied relaxedly,

“You’ll be surprised. He’s quite fierce in a fight, but very gentle with ladies. Those flashy types like Damian and Hubert wouldn’t stand a chance against him.”

“…You’re unusually generous with the praise?”

“Handsome guys are usually all show.”

Soon, the boys who had gone outside to win their partners returned to the ballroom.

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Matched with the girls’ anticipation, their nervous eyes watched the boys approaching, sweaty and breathless. But they were met with an unexpected shock.

Most boys returned empty-handed.

“Where’s my handkerchief?”

“Nobody brought my underwear?”

“Shake out my socks. Who’s my partner?”

Amidst the confusion, the boys complained,

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“Some… crazy guy…”

“That’s right. Some weirdo took everything white.”

“I almost had it, but that guy…”

The girls, unsure of the situation, just rolled their eyes around.

Marta shouted incredulously,

“One person? One person took them all?”

Then, a man wearing a wooden mask entered the ballroom.

As he walked up, silence fell over the area.

His clothes were covered in dirt, buttons missing, sleeves rolled up bloody as if from a brawl.

In his hands, he held an assortment of white belongings, from underwear to socks and handkerchiefs.

Approaching the girls, he laid each item out on the table.

Cecil’s eyes bulged,

“Candy… what is this?”

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“You didn’t tell me what you threw, did you?”

“…So you brought back everything?”

“Yes.”

“You only needed to get one bra. Why go to all this trouble?”

“…It wasn’t just one, though.”

“Shouldn’t you have just grabbed the biggest?”

At Cecil’s comment, the girls hesitated for a moment.

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“…”

Candy, trying to hide his embarrassment, looked away as if he hadn’t heard her.

Cecil covered her mouth to giggle and said,

“Well, whatever, since you brought everything… who are you choosing?”

The girls swallowed nervously as they watched him.

Without much thought, he spoke up,

“Cecil. Let’s go.”

All eyes turned to Cecil.

She suppressed her laughter, stood next to Candy, and linked arms. Then she looked back at the girls and said calmly,

“Didn’t I tell you? He’s incredible.”