I fell asleep surrounded by human warmth. How well I slept told so.
Morning sunlight stread in, and I naturally woke up as if my internal alarm had gone off. Beside , Dorothy was sleeping with her bathrobe slightly askew.
I sat up and looked around. The other side of the bed was empty, but I noticed a strand of pale gold hair. Alice had slept here too.
That slls nice.
The scent of food wafted from the kitchen. It was obvious Alice was preparing breakfast.
I checked the clock. There was still ti before classes started.
I straightened Dorothy’s bathrobe and placed my hand on her forehead.
Oh.
Good, her fever has gone down.
Whether it was thanks to my care or just the natural course of recovery, it was a huge relief.
I shook Dorothy’s shoulder.
“Dorothy, wake up. It’s morning.”
“Hmm, Presideeent.”
Half-asleep, Dorothy mumbled and wrapped her arms around my waist.
It was a lovely sight, and for a mont, I felt a surge of happiness. But I snapped back to reality, knowing I had to wake her up.
I shook her shoulder a little harder.
“You need to go to the Disciplinary Committee this morning. If you don’t go now, you won’t be able to sneak out in ti before the students go to the academy.”
“...Ah!”
Dorothy’s eyes shot open, and she quickly sat up.
“The committee…! It slls delicious…!”
Dorothy mumbled her stream of thoughts, then she looked at . Her light purple hair was tousled. She giggled.
“Nihihi, Isaac, your hair is a ss. It looks like a bird’s nest!”
“So is yours.”
“Ah, this is not the ti…!”
Just as I was about to ask if she slept well, Dorothy hurried off the bed and went to the closet to change into her uniform.
The Disciplinary Committee was in the morning. She needed to return to her room and prepare before the other students arrived.
“Isaac, I’m sorry! I’ll leave the bathrobe here! I slept well thanks to you!”
“Ah, sure. Be careful, Dorothy.”
Dorothy pulled her witch’s hat down and wrapped herself in starlight mana, then flew out the window.
I didn’t know how many days of probation she’d receive. I’d check on her after the punishnt was decided.
And Alice…
Even though she must have heard us waking up, she hadn’t said anything.
I got off the bed and headed to the kitchen.
I saw the back of a girl with light gold hair wearing nothing but my shirt. It was loose on Alice Carroll.
Alice was making stew. The red apron she wore wasn’t from my room, so she must have brought it herself.
As I approached, Alice noticed and turned around.
“Pfft, look at your hair.”
A bright smile spread across her face, illuminated by the morning sunlight streaming through the window.
Alice ca closer and gently patted my ssy, wavy hair.
“Did you sleep well, my baby?”
[ow, Isaac! Good morning!]
The fat purple cat familiar, Phantom Cat Cheshire, with a small bowler hat, floated in the air and greeted . I returned the greeting calmly with a, “Good morning.”
“I think I slept well for once.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t greet you right away. Dorothy doesn’t like , so I stayed out of the way.”
“I see.”
I was well aware of how much Dorothy despised Alice.
I didn’t know how Alice felt about it, but I doubted she had any positive feelings toward soone who disliked her.
“So, what were you doing?”
“I’m making stew. I wanted to make breakfast for you, Baby.”
“It slls great.”
I usually had a light breakfast or skipped it altogether. Having stew as a al sounded perfect.
I sat at the table. Soon, Alice placed a bowl of stew with a spoon in front of .
The stew was filled with large chunks of at and mushrooms, and plenty of vegetables. Despite it being breakfast, the aroma was quite appetizing.
Alice sat down across from with her own bowl of stew. She then scooped so up, blew on it gently, and held the spoon out to my mouth.
“Baby, say aah.”
Her voice had a sweet tone.
I stared at Alice for a mont, a bit dazed. Compared to Luce’s “open your mouth,’ this was an incredibly gentle gesture. It felt like we were a newlywed couple.
When I opened my mouth, Alice carefully fed the stew.
“Wow, it’s really good.”
I was surprised. It was exactly to my liking.
“Right?”
I looked at Alice in surprise and then eagerly started eating the stew. Only then did Alice begin to eat her own stew.
Ah, right.
“You said you’d stay here, right?”
“Yeah, I don’t really have anywhere else to go right now.”
It would take at least a week to reintegrate Alice back into her academic life with the help of the Imperial Knights.
In the anti, Alice intended to stay hidden in my room.
“You’ll have to stay quiet and not go outside. Why not stay in the hideout instead? You’d have more freedom there.”
“I want to be with you.”
Alice's smiling face was resolute. She seed determined to stay here regardless of the existence of the hideout.
“You care about managing your ti well, don’t you? And you don’t have a personal maid, so I thought I could at least help you with your als for a while.”
It wasn’t a bad proposal.
Most of my minions were combatants, and I didn’t have a personal maid yet.
Moreover, this place was the safest.
Having Alice close by where I could keep an eye on her was also good.
“...Alright, let’s try that for now then.”
However, having Alice in my personal space would be an adjustnt.
For the ti being, I’d have to stop humming in the shower since that would be embarrassing.
Also, there was a risk I wouldn’t be able to fully concentrate on studying before I go to bed.
I decided to give it a try for a day or two and see how it went. If it beca too much of a distraction, I could send her to the hideout then.
“By the way, don’t you have any clothes? That’s my shirt.”
“Hehe, I thought it was a rare chance, so I tried it on. When else would I get to wear your clothes? Ah… it probably slls a bit like now. Sorry about that.”
“No… I don’t really mind.”
The academy maids could take care of the laundry.
Alice then propped her chin on her hand and gave her usual kind smile.
“Baby.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t we look like newlyweds?”
I almost choked on my stew, coughing repeatedly.
It felt like she had read my thoughts.
***
“What were you thinking, revealing your true identity?”
During break ti, in front of Orphin Hall.
On my way to buy a drink, I ran into Lisetta Lionheart.
Second-year, Class A, ranked 4th in the Magic Departnt. She still had her orange hair in a ponytail and left her uniform unbuttoned to reveal her chest.
Unexpectedly, Lisetta spoke to first. Maybe she had developed so attachnt to . I felt good about it so I bought her a drink.
We sat on a nearby bench. I sat at the opposite end of the bench, respecting Lisetta’s space.
She sat cross-legged with the drink I had bought her in her hand.
I took a sip and answered Lisetta’s question.
“There are many reasons. I thought it was the right ti to reveal my identity.”
“Well… soone like wouldn’t understand the intentions of the Ice Sovereign. Haha, my classmate is an Elental King… If I told anyone this, they’d think I’m crazy. It’s so absurd, I couldn’t help but laugh, pfft, shi…”
“If you’re not going to drink that, give it to . It’s good.”
“You gave it and you’re taking it back, you bastard.”
Lisetta scowled and grumbled, and handed the drink back to . I drank it too.
“...What’s going to happen to the Student Council President?”
“She’s going to keep attending the academy.”
“What?”
Lisetta scoffed.
“Are you serious? She was the insider, the main perpetrator behind this terror attack. She almost brought down the academy, didn’t she?”
“It wasn’t her will. She was forced. I’ve also figured out a way for her to atone. It’s all for everyone’s benefit.”
After taking another sip from the drink I took from Lisetta, I continued in a calm tone.
“The academy will make an announcent soon. The Imperial Court also agreed to help.”
“Oh, even the Imperial Court is doing whatever you want.”
“I’m just accepting their help… it’s not what you think.”
“What about the people who are unhappy about this?”
“They can complain to . If they’re weaker than , they should just keep their mouths shut.”
“Pfft! I like that about you, you bastard.”
Lisetta and I laughed together, but then her expression suddenly turned stiff.
“Don’t laugh. It’s annoying.”
“Yeah, you too.”
Lisetta chuckled again.
Today, Lisetta was being unusually friendly with , probably because of the gap between and the people around .
From now on, people at the academy wouldn’t be able to treat as just Isaac.
I appreciated her thoughtfulness.
* * *
The sky had grown dark.
Isaac arrived at the Church located on the hill within the academy grounds and opened the door.
The view of the chapel imdiately greeted him. The Church had a barrier to ensure soundproofing.
Isaac adjusted his glasses and walked forward.
A girl with light pink hair stood quietly, looking up at the symbol of the Helize Church. It was the Saintess, Bianca Anturaze.
In the shadowed pillar, her escort, Sylon, had his hands together and bowed to Isaac.
Bianca turned towards Isaac and with her hands clasped together, she bowed to Isaac.
Her eyes were closed, for she was blind. However, with the aid of divine power, she could see without relying on her eyes.
“Nice to et you, Ice Sovereign. This is the first ti we’ve t face-to-face.”
They were both from the Magic Departnt of Märchen Academy. And they were both in their uniforms.
However, Bianca was addressing Isaac as a Saintess to an Elental King. Her use of “Ice Sovereign” instead of “Senior Isaac” indicated that this was a formal interaction.
Bianca was a figure called to represent the Lord in both the Empire and the Holy Kingdom, so Isaac also bowed his head to show respect.
“Nice to et you too, Saintess.”
“I apologize for making you co all the way here. But this is a conversation that should be held in secret.”
“It’s alright. What is this about anyway?”
Isaac still didn’t know exactly why Bianca had called him here.
Reading her psychology, Isaac realized that Bianca had sothing very important to tell him.
“I have sothing to give you. Sylon.”
At Bianca’s command, her escort, Sylon, stepped out of the shadows and handed Isaac a book.
The book was incredibly old, showing the marks of ti. There were no markings on the cover, and it was relatively thin.
“Do you recognize this book?”
“No… what is it?”
“Sylon, could you open it?”
She instructed Sylon.
Sylon opened the book.
“…!”
At that mont, Isaac’s eyes widened.
He felt like he had been struck heavily at the back of his head. He had a hard ti using his usual acting skills.
It was the first ti since coming to this world that he doubted his own eyes.
“This is…?”
Bianca smiled silently, her lips curling upwards. Isaac’s reaction confird the value of the book.
Inside the book was an illustration that looked like a rainy, icy lake.
And… Korean characters.
What? Seriously, what is this…?
It felt as if only he and the book existed in the entire world.
Isaac turned back to the first page.
The writing was more chaotic than on any other page. It seed like whoever wrote it did so last.
The first page was like a letter.
Isaac read through it.
To my dear benefactor,
To Isaac,
I hope you have found this book.
I ask for your understanding that circumstances prevent from assisting you as much as I would like.
I have filled this book with all the truths I have co to know, in a language that only you can read.
Isaac understood.
The author had discovered so truths and wanted to convey them to him.
The writer did not seem to be affiliated with the ga company “Higgs” that created ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
Before I lose my sanity, I hope you will co to know every truth in this world.
“Even” my sanity.
It suggested that the writer had lost many things. ntioning “sanity” implied the losses were mostly ntal.
For example, “mories” would fall into that category.
After reading this book, imdiately seek out the Tower Master of the Hegel Magic Tower, please.
She will surely beco your ally.
Aria Lilias?
Certainly, Aria had been supportive of Isaac, but…
However, if soone were to ask Isaac if she had provided enough help to be specifically ntioned in such a letter, he would have shaken his head.
In other words, this ant that there was sothing about Aria that Isaac did not know.
And upon seeing the na of the author in the last line.
Isaac’s mind had to stop for a while.
Sincerely, Dorothy Gale.
/genesisforsaken
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