I Became a Veteran Heroine in a Harem Story

“It’s almost gate closing time. How many have returned?”

“About 1/2.”

“The rest will probably enjoy until the very end. I’ll go check on the students inside. Keep monitoring.”

The instructor who yawned left the entrance to the Student Council students and headed into the building.

The four students left alone at the main gate leading to the wide garden began to become increasingly dazed as they gazed at the road to the city and the noisy lodgings.

While others had spent the day doing whatever they wanted and having fun, they had been working, so they couldn’t help but be mentally and physically tired.

“Hey, do you know where train stations that alchemists can’t use are? Non-smoking areas.”

“…”

In that silence, while Eric was finally losing his mind and talking nonsense to his peer, Karin, who had been watching cautiously, slightly raised her hand.

Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned to her.

“I’m sorry. May I go to the bathroom?”

“From now on, just say you’re going and go. I don’t want to control such things.”

Upon hearing about the bathroom, Karin’s partner, a second-year Magic Department student, frowned and waved his hand.

Karin briefly saluted in gratitude, then immediately moved toward the external bathroom.

[00:11:35]

‘The remaining time is tight. It could be dangerous if it takes too long.’

Kiina, who was watching Karin, noticed that there wasn’t much time left until the penalty application time and naturally followed her.

It was under the pretext that she also needed to go to the bathroom.

‘N-no way. No. She’s r-really just going to the bathroom too. Yes, I’m the one having strange fantasies. As usual.’

Meanwhile, Karin, who was walking ahead, rubbed her goosebump-covered arms at the sound of Kiina’s footsteps behind her and somehow moved her legs.

‘But the way she touches Lunara all the time, and how she’s always surrounded by girls when bathing…’

Karin was a mage, and because magical talent appears relatively quickly compared to other abilities, her academic knowledge was higher than Deina, who was royalty. She knew more than others accordingly.

And among that vast knowledge, there were quite a few miscellaneous things.

“Hey, I’m just asking out of curiosity.”

“What is it?”

When Karin looked around the wide garden between the main gate and the lodgings and saw that there was no one, she opened her mouth first. Kiina replied in her usual dry voice.

However, Kiina’s gaze, with all her attention focused on the identity of the penalty, was focused on Karin’s body as if to pierce through it.

“Just… a trivial question. We haven’t really talked much like this together. I think there have been many awkward moments. We hardly know anything about each other, right?”

“Go ahead. I’ll answer.”

Kiina, who was puzzled by Karin’s somewhat rambling behavior, nodded for now. At this moment, Karin’s eyes were wildly shaking, not even knowing what she was saying.

“Well, just like, the kind of talk you have with other girls. For example, if there’s a guy you like romantically.”

Unable to look directly at Kiina’s face, which was staring clearly at her, Karin grabbed the hem of her skirt and threw out any words.

Of course, though it was just any words, it was also designed to confirm her fantasy.

“A… man? Romantically…?”

But at that moment, Kiina’s brow and around her eyes wrinkled briefly. Karin didn’t realize that she had uttered words that were practically taboo for her.

“Ah, no! If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to!”

‘No way, really? Kiina? T-then she really… me? Why me of all people?’

Seeing Kiina’s expression crumple for the first time, Karin was startled and covered her mouth. As a result, she didn’t hear what Kiina was about to say afterward, that she wasn’t interested in anyone regardless of gender.

“It seems strange that she would have such an urgent matter, is this a precursor to the penalty?”

Karin, with a greatly bewildered face, let out a near-scream and rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

I, who hadn’t come to go to the bathroom in the first place, waited in front of it, timing. Now, less than 5 minutes remained.

“Um, you can go ahead.”

“I’ll just wait. Take your time.”

As time approached, I couldn’t help but be concerned.

Meanwhile, from inside the bathroom, the sound of a head banging against the door could be heard. Whether her stomach was hurting a lot, I wondered if this too was the effect of the penalty and couldn’t relax my tension.

‘Remaining time, 2 minutes. This means the penalty will occur on the way back.’

It was 2 minutes before when Karin opened the bathroom door with trembling hands and came out. I steeled myself and walked with her back to the main gate, our duty post.

“If you feel strange or notice any changes in your body, tell me. I can help.”

“Hmm? N-no. I’m fine.”

“I’m serious. You could be in danger.”

With about 1 minute left, I grabbed the arm of her who kept watching me for some reason. Even I was getting anxious, disturbing my state of clear mind.

“Eek!”

However, she shook off my hand. My body froze for a moment at the unexpected reaction.

“I’m not that kind of…”

“Wait, this is!”

And at that moment, as she was backing away from me with her arms wrapped around her body.

[00:00:00]

The time had come. Simultaneously, a powerful magical condensation was felt behind Karin, emitting a strong whirlwind.

“What’s happening! This is… huh!”

“Impossible. It’s a gate. A gateway to the Demon Realm!”

The seniors nearby ran over and were shocked to see it. I also knew what it was. A kind of connection passage created by invaders, considered a disaster in this world.

The slowly growing black crack emitting ominous and eerie energy made us step back.

“Ah…”

Karin, who stepped back and touched my chest with her body, sighed. What appeared from inside the gate was a large hand covered with rough skin.

The owner of the sturdy hand, which looked like it could crush a decent person’s face with one hand, poked its head through.

“It’s a Minotaur. A high-level magical beast!”

“What are you looking at, run away! We can’t handle it!”

The seniors, who were shocked by the large bull’s head with black horns and gleaming eyes, grabbed our bodies and pulled us.

The Minotaur is considered a high-level magical beast, and even an officially appointed knight by the king cannot handle a high-level magical beast alone.

It was not an opponent that mere trainees, who weren’t even at the level of apprentice knights, could handle.

“—!!!”

The Minotaur, who had fully extracted its massive body that must have been easily 3 meters tall, roared.

The roar infused with magic is a kind of skill that freezes the bodies of the weak and instills fear.

The seniors, who had been screaming to run away, suddenly went silent and their bodies stiffened due to that influence. They were crushed by the overwhelming power of that monster.

“Get a hold of yourselves. We need to escape.”

I slapped their cheeks once each to make them snap out of it.

From the gateway, behind the Minotaur, numerous magical beasts called Kobolds, with dog-like faces, were rushing out armed.

“R-run! Ruuuun!!!”

‘Oh no.’

But it was already too late.

The Minotaur swung the huge battle-axe it was holding toward us, who hadn’t fully escaped yet. Clearly, the battle-axe wouldn’t reach us who had already distanced ourselves. However, the magic entwined with the battle-axe was enough to tear our bodies apart with just its aftermath.

That grinning monster knew that this wind pressure alone was enough to crush weaklings.

“Kiina?!”

Ignoring Karin’s startled words, I turned my body and stood facing that wind blast mixed with magic that was coming, crushing the ground.

‘Where do you think you’re going, you worthless bull head.’

Half the feeling of protecting Karin and the seniors, half the anger at being ignored by such a monster.

I drew up my mana and concentrated it on one point.

The secret technique developed by the King of Fists, who had finally reached the position of God of Martial Arts, to kill me, and the highest level martial technique I had learned. Although all I could do now was imitate it for an extremely short time, it was enough to shatter that wind pressure, which wasn’t even a proper attack.

“Aaaah!”

“Kyaaaa!”

The dark red mana that erupted from my fist, traveling up my arm, collided with the wind pressure thrown by the enemy, causing an explosion.

Like a pin bursting an approaching balloon, the strong impact caused my body and those behind me to lift off the ground and briefly fly through the air.

‘Just this much.’

I bit my lip at the strong pain I felt in my wrist and shoulder, which were under heavy strain.

A blow that, if used properly, would have pierced through the Minotaur behind and blown it away without a trace… But now, it was just enough to offset the aftereffect that the creature had casually thrown.

“Ugh, urgh.”

None of us who had rolled into the pond and bushes were standing properly. I immediately got up and raised Karin and the seniors without even brushing off the grass on my body.

“T-the Minotaur?”

“It seems it didn’t think we were worth it and left for the city through the main gate, leading most of the Kobolds. But it’s not over. They’re coming. Quickly prepare to fight.”

After helping Karin up, I pointed to the front.

There, some of the Kobolds that had jumped out of the gate were running madly toward us, screaming grotesquely to kill us.

“It’s impossible! W-we don’t even have weapons!”

“Then will you die sitting there? If you want to live, fight. The instructors will come soon.”

I rebuked Eric’s words, who had fallen into the pond and was soaking wet.

At the same time, I dodged a crossbow bolt that flew from behind by slightly tilting my head, then turned my body and strongly kicked the face of the charging Kobold warrior with my shoe, infused with mana.

The real battle, overflowing with dense killing intent aimed at making the opponent die, which I couldn’t feel during practice matches or duels.

My senses, tempered in that real battle, stirred again after quite a while.