Chapter 42: Red Forest

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Red Forest

Xavier put the book in his desk in his room, washed up, got dressed, and prepared for another day of lectures. He made his way to the training grounds and changed into light armor in the dressing room. His eyes fell on the lascivious figure of Arabelle, who had just finished putting on her own light armor. He approached her from behind in silent steps and took her in a sudden embrace.

She did not startle and leaned into Xavier’s arms.

"Did you know it was me?" Xavier asked.

"Well, as soon as your scent filled the room, my crotch started heating up and getting wet," she replied.

Xavier tilted her face back and claimed her soft lips in a heated kiss. She leaned into it, her gentle fingers gripping his muscular forearms. He tried to press her heavy, soft mounds, but the steel-plated armor kept him from feeling the softness of her flesh.

"Let’s go or we’ll be late," Xavier said, breaking the kiss.

They headed to the training ground with Arabelle clinging openly to his arm, showing their affection without restraint. Senior students cast glances their way, but neither of them cared.

Professor Alhound began the lecture by demonstrating the next level of advanced imperial swordsmanship: how to imbue mana into a blade and control it with precision.

"At level-2 mana control, mana can be safely imbued into a weapon; the duration depends entirely on the swordsman’s reserves," said Professor Alhound.

Xavier and Arabelle paired up again. They practiced the forms and footwork while imbuing and controlling mana as instructed. When Xavier channeled mana into his sword, a faint green haze surrounded the blade. Each sword around him took on a different colored aura according to the nature of the user’s mana. Arabelle’s blade glowed with a milky-white hue.

For the next couple of hours, they drilled the sword forms and sparred lightly, sweating freely under the practical demands of the lesson. There was still an hour of lecture left when a sudden loud announcement echoed across the entire academy.

Urgent notice for all students and professors, gather in the main atrium of the main building immediately.

The voice belonged to the Dean of the imperial academy. No one considered refusing; the Dean held absolute authority within the academy.

"All right then, today’s lecture ends here. Gather in the main atrium," Professor Alhound said, clapping his hands.

Students and professor left the training ground together, joining the stream of people already moving toward the main building. The halls filled rapidly. The main atrium was vast—almost the size of a football field in Xavier’s estimation—and packed with more than 2,500 students across five years, hundreds of professors, and several hundred scholar-students who remained for research after graduation.

Xavier stood near the front, close to the stage. He noticed a few pretty girls scattered through the crowd, but none compared to the beauty of the ones he had already fucked.

The hall fell silent at the sound of loud footsteps which echoed from behind the stage. An elegant figure emerged, pure unnatural glossy white skin; deep crimson-red hair; sharp gray-silver eyes; full, lush lips the same shade as her hair.

She wore a Gothic-styled strapless black leather corset with a deep neckline that revealed her huge, heavy tits and deep cleavage. Gold-toned metal eyelets and criss-crossed black lacing ran down the front just beneath her soft, full breasts, giving the piece a Victorian edge. The lower half of her outfit was slit high, revealing long legs and thick, plump thighs. A black cloak rested on her shoulders and trailed to the floor, its deep crimson lining flashing with every step; long fitted glossy black leather sleeves attached to the cloak at the shoulders. Knee-high glossy black leather boots completed the look. The entire ensemble was Gothic and deliberately seductive, emphasizing the heavy sway of her plump, jiggling ass and the bounce of her huge breasts with each step.

She walked to the large, elegant throne and settled her thick, soft ass onto the seat, crossing one leg over the other so her plump thighs pressed together. Every professor in the front rank bowed slightly.

"We greet the Archmage and Dean of the Imperial Academy, Milfias Frostborn."

The students echoed the greeting.

Milfias Frostborn was a woman of unnatural beauty. She was not quite human; her pure white skin and striking features marked her as a Frostborn, a race that dwelt in the freezing northern mountains. She had left her homeland seeking glory and achieved it through relentless effort. As a seventh-level mana controller she held the title of Imperial Archmage and ranked among the strongest mages in the empire. Her bearing reflected that power.

Xavier’s mind, however, snagged only on her name. *Milfias... haha, sounds like Milfy-ass. Suits her better with that plump ass of hers in my opinion.*

She opened her mouth and a wave of chill swept the atrium. Even students at the far edges felt the sudden drop in temperature raise goosebumps on their skin.

"An imperial decree has been issued by His Majesty the Emperor concerning the curriculum of our academy. He is concerned that the next generation grows weaker with each year, and has therefore mandated a new compulsory subject for every student, including the scholars, wilderness survival.

It will be a practical course. Once each month, students under the guidance of a leading professor will enter the Red Forest beyond the western walls of the academy for a full week, learning to hunt monsters and survive in the wild."

"Your Excellency, how far into the forest are we expected to go?" one professor asked.

"The Red Forest is dangerous. Their lives will be at risk if we take them too deep," another added.

The Red Forest stretched along the western edge of the continent for hundreds of thousands of kilometers, forming the empire’s natural boundary. Monsters of every shape and size, and worse, unknown horrors, dwelt within it. If the Emperor had ordered this, there must have been a reason—nearly every mind in the hall was having such thoughts.

Xavier’s thoughts and eyes however stayed fixed on the plump, soft curve of Milfias’s ass resting on the throne. He swallowed, jaw tight.

I wish my face was that seat right now