༺ Advanced Notice ༻
“Well then, I’ll wait in the annex!”
“I’ll be waiting there too.”
Ferloche, smiling cheerfully, and Serena, quietly covering her face with a fan, spoke simultaneously.
“……..”
And then, the two girls silently faced each other.
I had seen Serena cover her face with a fan. However, compared to Ferloche, who smiled cheerfully, she seed quite scary today.
“Uh, well… I’ll wait…”
“Sure, just wait a mont.”
“I haven’t finished speaking…”
Clana, muttering timidly behind them, was about to say sothing, but I hastily said that and quietly closed the door.
“Phew.”
I had a feeling that if I followed them now, I would sohow get into trouble. And then, I discovered an interesting fact that made want to leave this place.
“Professor, what’s your relationship with those people?”
As I turned around, Glare, still holding my sleeve, tilted her head and asked.
“…It’s complicated.”
“Huh?”
I had to stop my hand as I was just about to pat her head casually. I looked at Glare. She was observing my left hand with a curious expression. I said in a low voice.
“Stop ddling in others’ business, kiddo.”
A fiancée whose first cycle’s mory only returned during the day, a woman I beca engaged to through the covenant after abandoning the first fiancée, and even a saintess who may seem foolish to others but knows better than anyone else.
I couldn’t briefly explain all these relationships, so I roughly mashed the words. Glare, with a sulky expression, puffed up her cheeks.
‘This is going to drive crazy.’
I was pretty weak when dealing with kids around Aria’s age. Was it because I couldn’t treat her well?
I should have been cold to her like others, but no harsh words ca out.
Perhaps it was the first ti in a while that I felt kindness from a stranger without any reason, and I didn’t want to lose that.
“Get lost.”
“But I’m your student?”
“…Sigh.”
Against my will, I uttered so cold words, but the kiddo stuck closely to , trailing behind.
“Hey.”
“Heik…!”
Deciding to leave her alone for a while, I approached a nearby student who had lowered her head. Then I grabbed her shoulders and said.
“Lift your head.”
“Uh, uhh…”
The girl, visibly trembling, cautiously raised her head.
“W-what are you looking at, you human?”
A familiar voice echoed shortly after.
“Why are you here?”
Surprisingly, it was Miho; she used to be Serena’s assistant.
“Uh, well… I have, uh, reasons.”
“Did you get kicked out?”
“N-no!”
Looking at her tailored uniform, which accommodated her large, fluffy tail, it seed she wasn’t kicked out, at least.
“I-I didn’t want to co… but that dog beastkin threatened …”
“Are you talking about Lulu?”
“F-forget that. Don’t bother, human.”
After saying that, she looked at with a blush.
“B-but, human, w-what was that power from earlier?”
“……”
“Is a human… supposed to be that strong? Why did you hide your strength?”
Her gaze was fierce as she asked, with a cautious expression. However, for so reason, her tail was swaying slowly.
“…Hmm.”
I finally knew why she beca part of the Sub-Heroines.
She beca a sub-heroine due to the changes in the main storyline, leading her to enroll in the academy.
“Y-you better be prepared, human.”
While I pondered, Miho initiated a conversation. She sweated nervously as I stared at her.
“I-I’ll catch you! N-no… I’ll defeat you! My new friends just told all about your bad deeds. I’ll never be decei… Heik?”
I calmly watched her as she rambled, her tail covering her face. Suddenly, Miho scread.
“Wow… It’s so fluffy…”
“Let go! Human! D-don’t touch my tail!!”
As Glare buried her face into her split tails, Miho struggled to push her away, sweating coldly.
“……”
I watched that scene for a bit. Then, I quietly averted my gaze and continued to walk.
“Uh, um… W-well, you see…”
I finally arrived at my destination and saw a restless Aishi. When she saw , she seed to calm down.
“Nice to see you again here.”
“…Uh, y-yeah.”
Unable to discern whether to use formal or informal language with , she began the conversation quietly after cautiously watching for my use of honorifics.
“Th-that, you know. About the curse I cast on you…”
“Ugh.”
“…..!”
She spoke as she reached for my heart. Suddenly, she started to breathe rapidly.
“D-do you want to get rid of that? I have been searching for a way to remove it…”
“…..?”
When I stepped back with a frown, Aishi, looking at my reaction, began speaking.
“What benefits do you gain by removing it?”
“W-well… you see…”
There was no way to lift this curse. Her expression changed when I asked her that. After all, why would she want to help soone who was everyone’s enemy?
“I don’t think you should treat as rudely as you do others.”
“Hm.”
“W-well, I’m the only one who can lift it, you know? So if I don’t tell you, you, you will die.”
As she said, she seed a bit frightened. Aishi, scrutinizing , turned away and spoke with a flushed face when I quietly bit my lip and began to pretend to follow along.
“A-alright. Are we finally on the sa page? So, from now on, you’ll play nice?”
“…I guess I have no choice.”
“A rciless, skilled individual who is everyone’s enemy, yet when alone with , he gets reduced to a plaything with no ability to resist… Isn’t that great?”
She crossed her arms, wearing her usual mischievous smile.
“Uh, from now on, treat like the other students in everyday situations.”
“Yes.”
“And when we’re alone… y-you know what I an, right?”
“I understand.”
As I nodded quietly, she gestured for to co closer, wearing a gentle smile.
“You listened well, so I’ll reward you. Lousy Professor♡”
As I approached, Aishi covered her mouth and whispered in my ear.
I wonder if this was how Sis Isolet felt when I called her ‘lousy?’ A strange tingling sensation ran through my body.
“Now, shall we begin?”
Lost in thought, I absentmindedly stared at her. She playfully wrapped her left arm around my waist and smiled while placing her right hand on my stomach.
– Ssrk, ssk…
Then, with two fingers raised, she made her fingers walk, slowly moving her hand up my body.
– Thud…
She skillfully unbuttoned my shirt as she flashed smiling eyes, bringing her hand to my heart. Suddenly, I felt a stiffness in my body.
‘Indeed, I don’t feel any pain… but the sensation of coldness is the sa as usual.’
Realizing that my fingers didn’t unfold as easily, I discovered that fact and beca confused.
‘Why can’t I feel pain since the appointnt ceremony incident?’
All my other senses are intact, but I can’t feel ‘pain.’ Why is that? Sothing seems off.
– Zap…
“Here, how do you feel?”
Feeling strangely detached due to the lack of pain, I tilted my head. Aishi posed the question as her hand lingered over my heart.
– Zap…
I calmly lowered my head. Soon, I noticed a rather intricate magic circle floating on my chest.
“……….”
“You feel better, right? The pain has soothed down, right?”
Since I had no idea what was going on, I remained silent. The triumphant expression on Aishi’s face was gone, replaced by fear.
“I-I clearly completed the dispelling magic circle… so you should be okay now…”
‘…Darn it.’
And only then did I understand the situation.
‘She was deceived by that fake mage.’
The Pope’s informant and the corrupted royal mage of the Cloud Kingdom seed to have conspired against her.
In the previous cycle, Aishi fell into despair after transferring the curse to her family mber. The corrupt royal mage then provided her with a fake dispelling magic circle that held no effect, adding to her tornt.
As a result, she had intensified the curse every ti she placed her hand on her parents’ hearts until their death. Eventually, she ended her own life, succumbing to despair and deterioration.
And just now, that incident almost repeated.
“Y-you are getting better… right…?”
As I stayed silent, her gaze slowly began to fade.
Finding her response sowhat peculiar, I chose to observe the situation quietly.
‘Why do you carry such guilt? After all, even if I suffer, it shouldn’t matter to you since I’m a villain. Is it because I know the secret of conquering the Demon King? Then, why not use this curse to threaten ?
“N-no… It shouldn’t be. I can’t be wrong here… I-I only…”
Her face grew paler as she began mumbling.
“The dreams that I saw… the mories… it’s all fake. I know it, it’s all fake…!”
Then, she removed her hand from my chest, covered her ears, and raised her voice.
‘What’s actually going on here?’
Finding her behavior strange, I quickly cast a perception-inhibiting spell around and observed. Strange words escaped her lips.
“I hate it, don’t look… No, I don’t want it…”
“Hey…”
“T-the eyes…..”
I frowned, suppressing the shiver that went down my body. I softly whispered in her ear.
“My condition has improved a lot.”
“Hu, huh?”
“Where did you learn that? It seems to be quite effective.”
I spoke with a gentle smile, and the faint blush returned to her pale face.
“O-oh, I see… I-I’m relieved…”
‘Indeed. Is it probably that…?’
She had always claid to hear ‘voices’ since way before.
At first, I thought it might be a hallucination caused by her depression, but now, it’s clear.
‘Soone, no… so entity is guiding her ‘deterioration.’
Such a reaction was unthinkable unless soone subtly whispered depressing words into her ears while she slept, walked, and sat.
“Indeed, when I’m with you, I can’t hear the voices… It’s truly fortunate… No, it’s nothing.”
Moreover, she supposedly couldn’t hear this voice when I was around.
Why in the world?
Could she be trying to keep at arm’s length? If not, were there any unavoidable reasons?
“A-anyway, rember today’s promise, you criminal.”
As I was lost in thought, I heard her speak with her head turned toward .
“R-rember that I hold the leash to your life… Don’t forget.”
Then, she silently left the classroom.
“First, I should deal with that royal mage.”
Watching her depart, I murmured to myself, getting ready to reach out to the Demon King’s army.
“Also, I need to investigate that voice.”
Sohow, I have a feeling.
That… Aishi’s ‘voice,’ which is not ntioned in the prophecy, might be a significant clue.
– Click.
With a serious expression, I opened the door. Soon, my eyes widened.
“Kania?”
“Gasp, gasp…”
As I left the waiting room, Kania rushed to my arms, breathing heavily, and clung to my chest.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt sowhere?”
“…No.”
“But why are you…”
“It’s because I love you so much, Young Master.”
Her expression appeared quite pale.
“I love you, Young Master.”
“……….”
Gently stroking Kania’s back while she buried her head in my shoulder, I quietly murmured.
‘Co to think of it, Kania has been acting suspicious lately…’
It seed like there were many things that I had to investigate.
“Note… Extrely popular among girls… Sohow, it’s quite annoying… Caution required…”
The kiddo, who had sneakily stuck to my back, was pouting with an irritated expression, muttering sothing incoherent.
When did she get behind ? Did she learn stealth magic from the Magic Tower Master?
“Ugh.”
As expected, preparing for the new sester seed more challenging for the professor than for the students.
.
.
.
.
.
“Kiddo, stop following .”
“I don’t want to!”
“Sigh.”
Even outside the waiting room, that kiddo was still on my tail as I walked around, occasionally jotting things down. When we arrived at the designated eting place, the auxiliary building, I frowned and said.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Why? Sohow, you seem like a wounded kitten… Maybe it makes want to help you. Or perhaps, protect you?”
As she said that, she seed unsure about her own words.
‘Do I really look like that…?’
Scratching my head, I took advantage of the distracted kiddo and swiftly opened the door to the annex.
“Heiikk!”
“You scared .”
However, an unexpected person stood in front of .
“Ugh, ugh… ugh, ugh…”
Roswyn, who was about to leave the annex with a pale expression, noticed and raised her guard.
– Ssk…
Seeing her up close after a long ti, I pondered how to approach her when she suddenly scowled and began to stagger.
“…Ah.”
Then, Roswyn leaned on the door sill and started trembling.
Since she disliked , it was natural for her to react like that upon seeing , especially since my reputation had worsened.
“…Sorry if I make you uncomfortable.”
With such thoughts, I slightly failed to maintain my expression and spoke softly, making her stagger and step back.
“Puha.”
She exhaled and collided with Glare, watching us with round eyes. I quietly closed the annex door.
“…Why did she exhale so heavily, though?”
The questions in my mind stopped montarily as I observed the two girls before .
“Then, you guys can talk first.”
After a brief mont with nurous exchanged glances, Serena slowly stood up from her seat.
“I wasn’t in a hurry, so I’ll be generous and yield first.”
“That’s right, I’m overflowing with virtue!”
She headed toward the exit but jolted upon hearing those words.
– Swish.
Then, quietly folding and unfolding her fan, she left the room.
It was an almost unfamiliar behavior, but I felt I knew its aning for so reason, and a shiver ran down my spine.
– Click.
Once the door closed, silence filled the room.
“My cute Lord Frey!”
As I tried to sit down, Ferloche suddenly stood up and, with a foolish expression, started approaching .
“What’s this? Are you acting like a fool?”
I expected her original personality to co out after the sunset, but as I tilted my head, she ca closer and spoke with a bright smile.
“Today, I ca to make an offer. Order? Advice? Sothing like that!”
“…..?”
As I tilted my head at her incomprehensible words, Ferloche embraced and whispered into my ear.
“Do you understand?”
“Heik…”
At that mont, my waist was gently held.
“…Look, I’m right. You’re so cute.”
“Ah, uhh…”
“I know everything.”
She was just burying her fingers a little too firmly into my side, yet I found myself burying my head in Ferloche’s shoulder, who was shorter than , and blushing.
“Today, I’ll advise you on these kinds of things.”
“Huh?”
She gently patted my back and whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.
“Also…”
Feeling dizzy, I closed my eyes. She caressed the collar of my clothes and whispered once again.
“About the Fourth Ordeal that will co soon.”
“……!”
I snapped my dazed eyes open.
“You should listen carefully.”
It might be quite challenging, but I had to keep my composure.
“Gugu, lock the door.”
“Gugu!”
Could I manage to do it?
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