I Think My Fiancé Has Regressed

Chapter 59: The Eloreal Empire (5)

It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve been rooming with Alex in the Eloreal Empire.

The hectic schedule we had when we first arrived is now somewhat organized.

All that’s left is to wander the grounds of the Eloreal Academy, searching for possible spots where the Witch of Walpurgis might appear.

Since she feeds on magic to grow stronger, I’m guessing she’ll first appear in a place with the highest concentration of natural magic.

I only know that her first appearance will be at the Eloreal Imperial Academy but I don’t know which part of the Imperial Academy she will appear in.

I also don’t have an exact date for when it will appear.

I’ve narrowed it down to three possible locations, but they’re far enough away from each other that it’s not a good idea to wait around.

A creature the size of the Witch of Walpurgis would surely generate a strong magical aura in the days leading up to her resurrection.

Two weeks have passed and I have yet to detect any magical aura reactions at the Imperial Academy.

…Surely I’m not in the wrong place?

Maybe she first resurrected in another country, not the empire, and the Eloreal Empire was like a transit point on the way to the Leavrov Kingdom…

I briefly considered that possibility, but quickly dismissed it as the most unlikely of possibilities.

‘As for the game itself, Academy Light Romance, I can assure you that I know it better than anyone, both in my previous life and in this one.’

The setting is that it’s a demon that originated in the Academy of the Eloreal Empire, and that it’s resurrected during this time of year and invades the Kingdom of Leavrov in the spring.

The reasoning behind how it destroyed the Eloreal Empire and grew in power during its destruction, despite not being a very powerful demon, was me in my previous life who put that setting and the technology to match into the game, so of course it’s impossible to be mistaken.

However, the setting itself isn’t that important, so I may have been a bit vague about when and where it first appeared.

If the revival and defeat of the mid-boss takes longer than expected, it might be harder to get back to Leavrov in time.

I’ll need to meet with Prince Eamon and Charlotte to finalize the plan once again.

“Ah.”

With that thought in mind, I started to get ready to go out, but I needed a little help from my fiancé.

“Alex, could you come into the dressing room for a minute?”

“Sure, I’ll be right there.”

Hearing Alex’s voice from the other side of the door, I paused in my preparations for the night out to wait for him.

Living together without a relationship comes with a number of uncomfortable constraints.

For one thing, even though I’m sharing a bedroom with Alex, we’ve agreed to abstain from naughty things for a while.

Naturally, we have to be careful with each other in sensitive areas like washing our faces and changing clothes.

He also told me that if I didn’t comply, he would use a separate room, so in the end, I had no choice but to listen to him.

I didn’t need to ruin the precious time I had with my fiancé with my own greed.

Also, there’s no way to know if forcing a relationship into a situation that he really doesn’t want to be in will actually end well or not until we’re in it.

I’d rather have Alex feel a little disappointed in me than have him harbor unnecessary guilt towards me.

And I’m kind of content with our quasi-cohabitation situation.

We’re sharing warmth at a distance where I can lean in at any moment, which means I’m feeling Alex’s sensations at a similarly close distance.

And even if it doesn’t lead to anything naughty, it’s enough to satisfy my pleasure in small ways.

“What did you call me about?”

I asked my fiancé as he walked through the door of my dressing room, turning around to show him my back.

“I’m having trouble buttoning the back of my dress by myself, Alex, would you like to help me?”

“Oh, Ariana….”

Alex’s blushing face whenever I play this kind of naughty trick on him is the highlight of my day these days.

Other than that, the only other things I can think of are intentionally wearing my robe loose after a bath, or asking Alex to get me a towel after I’m done washing up in the bathroom.

Alex’s reaction every time is hilarious, so I do this at least once or twice a day.

I mean, it’s the least I could do to my fiancé, who hasn’t hugged me in years, right?

“Maybe you should call Elise for this, not me.”

“Why do I have to call Elise, who’s waiting in the next room? Alex is much closer.”

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for Ariana to help her button up her dress, but you’ve been so blatant about your intentions lately.”

“Well, whatever, and you saw worse than my back yesterday.”

“That’s what Ariana showed me first, too….”

With a small grumble, Alex walked up behind me and immediately began to work on the lowest button.

“Did you figure out where the Witch of Walpurgis is going to appear?”

“Still no sign, I think we should warn Prince Eamon and Charlotte that our return to Leavrov might be delayed.”

“It doesn’t matter if we’re a little late. With the wind magic, we’ll only have to leave four days in advance.”

I felt Alex’s hand move from below to the second button.

“I think we should get ready to convene at least once anyway. You’ve been keeping in touch with Prince Aemon, haven’t you?”

“We’ve been talking on the royal communicator. Eamon’s noble exchange should be over sometime today, and he says he’s free to join us after that.”

“That’s good to know.”

Alex said, reaching up to button the second button and quickly pulling on the third.

“Eamon’s got a pretty relaxed schedule, and most of his activities seem to involve traveling with Charlotte.”

“That’s because we have different goals.

And Charlotte’s not the kind of person to send Prince Eamon anywhere alone, she’s all well and good, but she’s too soft on her fiancé.”

“…Ariana, you’re the only one who’ll do it.”

“What?”

“…It’s nothing.”

That was the moment Alex tugged at my dress to fasten the fourth button.

“Ugh.”

A light groan escaped my mouth as I couldn’t stop wincing at the intense pressure around my chest.

“Ariana, what’s wrong?”

“I’m fine, it’s nothing….”

“Maybe you’re just tired from all the work you’ve been doing lately. Do you want me to call and let them know that you’re taking the day off from teaching?”

“Uh, not really, it’s just something I’m a little embarrassed to tell Alex….”

“Something so embarrassing that you can’t even tell me?”

“…….”

…To be honest, it’s a story I’d rather not tell Alex.

But it’s not like it’s going to be hidden, so I might as well get it out of my system first.

“I casually checked my weight this morning, and I’m up about half a pound from two weeks ago….”

“…….”

“I guess the weight gain has made my dress a little smaller, although I’m sure it wasn’t uncomfortable two weeks ago….”

Hearing my words, Alex was silent for a moment, but then he started to say something that seemed to comfort me.

“…You shouldn’t worry about it. It’s probably not because you’ve gained weight.”

“What?”

“Well, technically, you’ve gained weight, but it’s probably not the kind of weight that Ariana thinks you’ve gained.”

‘If it’s not the flesh, what have I gained?’

I’m already approaching my nineteenth birthday, and I’m not going to grow any taller anytime soon.

I can’t think of any reason for me to have gained weight.

“I thought it looked different when I saw you last night too, I can’t believe you were growing there….”

Alex mumbled something to himself that I couldn’t make out, then pulled my shirt tighter and buttoned it up to the fourth button.

He was probably lying to me out of the goodness of his heart.

After all, no one would tell their fiancé outright that they’d gained weight in the first place.

Alex’s hand reached for the last button at the neck.

“Ariana, you don’t have an afternoon lecture today, do you?”

“Yep. I’m almost done with my backlog, so I only have morning lectures for a while.”

“Good timing. I don’t have anything scheduled this afternoon either.”

“I see.”

“So you’re free. I was wondering if we could have lunch today.

And for dessert, we could try that dessert place Ariana mentioned the other day.”

Alex pinned the last button, and immediately followed up with a suggestion for an afternoon date.

The Witch of Walpurgis hasn’t appeared yet, but the lack of signs of her presence suggests we’re safe for today at least.

It’s a date I never know when I’m going to get again so I don’t see any reason to turn it down.

“Okay, Alex.”

My heart leaps a little in joy at the thought of finally being able to go on a proper date with my fiancé.