Chapter 7: Of Books and Unexpected Hunger

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Yes!”

“Ughhh…”

After two hours of continuous agony, the knight commander finally declared liberation.

My whole body was screaming, but Marine, somehow, looked even more energetic than before the training.

“Are you a monster, Young Lady?”

I should have known from the way she could rampage for over two hours, but Marine possessed incredible stamina that didn’t match her small appearance.

Marine gave a displeasing smile.

“If you don’t like it, you should have been born into the Derfoger family.”

It seemed Marine didn’t particularly deny the fact that she was blessed by genetics.

“Egu-gugu…”

If I had my way, I would have wanted to sit a little longer, but the magic lesson was scheduled soon.

I couldn’t be late on the first day, so I let out a groan and got up from my seat.

“Now, let’s go learn magic.”

“Okay!”

I hadn’t heard that the Derfoger family members were talented in magic, but Marine wore a confident expression.

‘Still, magic probably won’t be physically tiring.’

It was the first time I would be learning magic since transmigrating to this world.

I was looking forward to it.

---

The place where the magic lesson took place was, unusually, the library.

“Eek, the library…?”

Marine recoiled at the word ‘library.’

Contrary to Marine’s crumpled expression, as I got closer to the library, my main stage, I felt the energy that had been drained in the training ground being replenished.

Creak.

“Holholhol, greetings. I am Deren, a 4th-circle mage.”

When I opened the library door, an elderly old man was organizing books.

“It’s an old grandpa.”

Marine looked disappointed, as if he was different from the image of a mage she had expected.

It seemed she didn’t know the basic principle that mages get stronger with age.

“Hahaha.”

The mage lightly brushed off Marine’s comment, which could have been hurtful in a way.

The mage placed two books each in front of me and Marine, who were seated.

[Fundamentals of Magicology]

[Understanding Mana]

Books that looked interesting just from their titles.

Unlike me, who was excited, Marine’s expression soured.

I hadn’t forgotten how she had humiliated me earlier.

“Our cultured Young Lady naturally likes books too, right?”

“O-of course…”

Marine forced a smile, unnaturally moving her facial muscles.

Seeing Marine flustered felt incredibly satisfying.

The mage, who had been watching us both with a pleased expression, sat down.

“These are two essential books for anyone starting magic. Today’s lesson will be to read these books. If you have any questions while reading, please feel free to ask at any time.”

I chuckled and flipped the book cover.

Soon, I was engrossed in the world of the book.

When I lifted my head after finishing both books, the mage had a surprised expression.

“Young Master, you have truly incredible concentration… You possess the most important talent for a mage.”

“Haha, thank you.”

Scratching my head in embarrassment, I looked to the side.

“Koo-ooh…”

Marine was fast asleep, her face buried around page 20.

Considering there was no content until page 10, it was safe to say she had fallen asleep almost as soon as she started reading.

I’ll have to tease her about this endlessly later.

The mage, confirming I had finished reading, stood up from his seat.

“That concludes today’s lesson.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

The originally scheduled class time was two hours, but the mage had waited for me to finish reading even after exceeding the class time.

Bowing my head to express my gratitude, I confirmed the mage had left the library and then plopped down next to Marine.

“Puuuh…”

Now Marine was even drooling in her sleep.

Worried the book would get wet, I carefully removed it and made a pillow for her with her own arm.

It seemed she wouldn’t wake up for a while, so I decided to leisurely read.

---

By the time the sun had completely set and darkness had fallen, it was evening.

“Uuugh…”

Marine, waking up, rubbed her eyes and stretched.

“Heek.”

Startled by bumping into someone while stretching, Marine jumped.

Turning her head, she saw Hendel sitting next to her, reading a book.

Hendel was so focused that he didn’t react even though she had bumped into him quite hard.

Thinking he was an unbelievable workhorse, Marine clicked her tongue.

Marine, getting up to stretch her stiff body, was startled to see the dark window outside.

The magic lesson had started at 4 o’clock, and since it was midsummer and the sun usually set around 7 o’clock, she must have slept for at least three hours or more.

If she had slept for this long, it would have been reasonable for him to leave her or wake her up, but Hendel had apparently decided to wait patiently until she woke up.

Marine, who still possessed a tiny bit of human compassion, felt grateful to Hendel.

‘I should use my wish coupon on something light.’

Originally, she had a wicked plan to torment Hendel by asking him to fold a thousand paper cranes as her wish, only to tear them up in front of his eyes.

However, considering he had waited for her today, she decided to discard her original plan and make a normal wish.

Since it was a hot summer, she thought it would be nice to go explore a cave.

Coincidentally, the Edgar territory had several large caves renowned as tourist attractions.

She watched Hendel, who was reading a book, leaning sideways against the desk.

Since Hendel had waited for Marine, she also intended to wait until Hendel finished reading his book.

---

Turning the last page of the book, my eyes met Marine’s, who was watching me, leaning against the desk.

“Finished reading?”

“Yes, I’ve finished.”

It seemed Marine had woken up and waited for me to finish reading.

I felt a slight sense of gratitude.

“If you woke up, you could have just called me in the middle of it.”

Marine shook her head.

“Since you waited for me, I should wait for you too.”

“Ooh…”

I never imagined such warm words would come out of Marine’s mouth.

I had wondered if Marine, who tormented people whenever she had the chance, could ever shed the fate of a villainess and be rehabilitated, but today, I felt like I had seen hope.

Growl.

Marine’s stomach rumbled right on cue.

Marine blushed, looking embarrassed.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t participated in dinner.

I got up from my seat before it got too late.

“It seems a bit late, but let’s go to the dining hall first.”

If dinner wasn’t left, I could just ask the on-duty chef for a simple snack.

---

Arriving at the dining hall with Marine, the table was neatly cleared as expected, with only a single piece of paper on it.

[I heard you were in the library with the Young Lady. Books are good, but don’t skip meals. Please ask the on-duty chef for food.]

I had expected the meal to be cleared since it was late, so I wasn’t too disappointed.

Unlike me, Marine seemed to have expected food to be left, as disappointment was visible on her face.

“It’s alright. In times like these, we can just ask the on-duty chef for a simple dish.”

“Okay…”

Just yesterday she was rebelling about not eating, and today she’s dejected because there’s no food.

She was truly like a child whose emotions changed hundreds of times a day.

Arriving at the kitchen holding Marine’s hand, I was flustered by the note stuck on the door.

[Due to the on-duty chef’s sudden indigestion, the night kitchen will not be operating today.]

“What should we do…?”

Marine’s voice was laced with moisture, as if she was sad about not being able to eat.

If it was urgent, I could have asked a maid who knew how to cook, but I didn’t want to go that far.

I turned my head and met Marine’s eyes.

“Young Lady, do you trust me?”

“Huh?”

When I was on Earth, I used to cook occasionally as a hobby.

Although I hadn’t been near a kitchen even once since transmigrating into this body, wouldn’t a simple dish be possible?

“I’ll bring out a dish that’s perfect for your taste, Young Lady, so please wait a little.”

“Have you ever cooked before?”

“M…maybe?”

I had cooked when I was on Earth, but never in this body, so it was an ambiguous answer.

“Cooking isn’t something to be taken lightly, they say.”

It seemed our Young Lady didn’t trust me.

Well, it would be natural to be distrustful if someone who had never cooked before claimed they would make a dish perfectly suited to one’s taste.

In times like these, there’s no choice but to prove it with skill.

It seems I’ll have to show my hidden true feelings.

Holding an egg and a spatula, I declared boldly.

“Prepare yourself, Young Lady! I’ll make you fall for my cooking so hard you won’t be able to escape!”

“Uh… good luck?”

I passionately cracked an egg onto the frying pan.

“Ah…”

It had been a while since I last cracked an egg, so the first one I cracked got shell in the yolk.

Marine’s expression hardened.