episode_0022

A new worry arose for the genius alchemist Elizéo Gremlina.

It was none other than about her first friend in her life, Lopel Teufel.

Whenever she met him, she would stare intently at his face and her face would turn red.

Even at his small considerations, the corners of her mouth would lift and she would feel great joy.

Whenever warm words were heard in her ears from his voice, that resonance would remain in her head for a while.

Even when sleeping, the time she spent with him that day would vividly come to mind and she would even dream about him..

While it was true that she usually felt comfort and happiness from meeting Lopel, recently she has been reacting greatly to his every action.

When she realized that she was unconsciously waiting for the time in the day to meet him.

She recognized that feeling was obvious love.

But that love soon led to a form called worry.

Before knowing what that worry was, first, since recognizing her feeling of love, she had been unconsciously investigating Lopel.

That he was the eldest son of the Teufel family located in the frontier, and a student who had just entered the Academy’s Magic Department this year.

That although the Teufel family was of noble status, they didn’t possess anything special comparable to other nobles, and were just a common frontier noble family that barely maintained their status by inheriting territory passed down through generations.

If one were to point out just one outstanding point, it was that the bloodline had a certain degree of aptitude for magic.

However, this did not mean they were capable of catching up to the many other prestigious mage families, including those from the Magic Tower.

Also, even before entering the Academy, Lopel was so tall and handsome and had a good personality that he was someone numerous noble young ladies had their eyes on.

But fortunately, he was still single and without a fiancée.

Following this, his height and weight, as well as his usual daily routine and what he consumed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, etc.

She would quietly follow him around without him noticing, writing down every single detailed thing without missing anything.

She was engrossed in researching him as if she were holed up in her laboratory.

Every time that happened, Elizéo would be startled by herself.

“Th-th-this is just stalking…!”

But perhaps it would have been fortunate if it had ended at this level of stalking.

It’s just that there are slightly more things she wants to know about the subject compared to others… isn’t it..?

However, what made her seriously worry about him was not her love, but something else closely intertwined with that love: sexual desire.

From her perspective, having met him quite often by now, Lopel was… too lewd.

With his already distinct features and handsome face, he exuded a dark yet decadent and strangely sensual aura.

In reality, he hadn’t yet shown any outstanding qualities in academics, but just his appearance alone had attracted the attention of quite a few young ladies.

But then, with such a face, he would smile warmly, approach closely, and whisper affectionate words?

For Elizéo, who had little contact with others regardless of gender, the stimulation was too great.

That wasn’t all.

Recently, as the season changed, clothing within the Academy began to get thinner.

Consequently, Lopel’s attire also became such that he wore thin shirts that would show through if he sweated, and on top of that, he even started rolling up his sleeves.

His well-trained skin and muscles would faintly surface on the shirt’s exterior and show through the gaps in his clothes, presenting a dizzying sight.

Adding to that, whenever she saw the raised veins of his thick muscular forearm bulging out through his short rolled-up sleeves, she would unconsciously gulp.

She had been somewhat aware of it normally, but after becoming conscious of her feelings for Lopel, she realized how truly dangerous his appearance was.

Yet, whether Lopel knew or didn’t know the danger his body possessed, he would approach her closely with that oh-so-lewd body and even initiate skinship.

Adding to that, the strong scent of his body that she felt whenever she was near him was so overwhelming that it made her unconsciously let out ragged breaths, even feeling ecstasy.

That’s right.

The worry she had was precisely that it was becoming increasingly difficult to suppress these hot and suggestive feelings for Lopel.

If an occasion arose to walk with him, she would want to put his thick forearm between her large breasts and feel that firm sensation between her chest.

Whenever she sat beside him, she would inadvertently stare intently at his trained chest visible through his shirt.

Whenever she saw his two lips from which gentle yet warm and affectionate words came, she would immediately want to overlap her lips with his and insert her tongue.

When she saw him far away at the gymnasium, in a sweaty state after finishing his workout, it made her want to immediately leap into his embrace and feel that body scent.

Crucially, every night alone under her blanket, she was constantly indulging in endless fantasies of holding him and being held by him numerous times, comforting herself.

Enduring and enduring her feelings like that, one day she found herself unconsciously researching various impure types of substances, such as aphrodisiacs, love potions, and sleeping pills.

However, this did not mean she was immediately thinking of knocking him over with drugs and forcefully taking him.

No matter what, she still had reason left in her.

Meaning, she could distinguish between what she should do and what she shouldn’t do.

It was merely a level of rationalization, thinking she was preparing just in case something unexpected happened.

But from a certain day, her last bit of reason and conscience ultimately collapsed.

. . .

“Haah.. Haah.. Lo.. Lopel.. Wh-wh-what should we talk about this time…!”

Elizéo was diligently going to find Lopel.

Normally, meeting during lunch break on weekdays was sufficient, but recently, as she had developed deeper feelings for him, she wanted to spend more time with him.

So today, she was in the process of directly visiting his dormitory.

“Fufuht.. Th-th-there he is..?? Huh? Lo.. Lopel?”

As she approached the dormitory, she discovered Lopel who had just rushed out.

He was dressed neatly, as if he already had an appointment, and was rushing off somewhere else in a hurry.

Wondering what was going on with him, she secretly followed behind him.

Then, she could see Lopel talking with another woman in a place with a good atmosphere, as if a couple were on a date.

“…Lopel..?”

She could tell who the woman next to him was at a glance.

It was none other than Lilith Tistina, the young lady of the high-ranking noble Tistina family, one of the Academy’s celebrities.

If her memory was correct, she must definitely have already had someone else she liked.

Probably most people within the Academy had noticed.

That Lilith Tistina from the Magic Department liked Mark Viserys from the Knight Department.

No, what kind of relationship Lilith and Mark had wasn’t important to Elizéo right now.

What was truly important to her was why Lopel and Lilith were together, walking around in places suitable for a date, and talking to each other happily.

Of course, Elizéo was merely a friend to Lopel.

However, for some reason, she suddenly wanted to approach Lopel and Lilith right now and question their relationship.

However, this did not happen.

This was because she still couldn’t talk to strangers, and in the current situation, she simply couldn’t muster the courage to butt in between them.

Lopel was giving the warm smile he showed her to another woman and even holding her hand.

Elizéo felt a tightness in her chest and it seemed like she couldn’t breathe properly.

Therefore, she ended up just watching them from afar throughout that entire day, unable to speak to Lopel, and returned to her dormitory alone and desolate.

On top of that, she stayed up all night thinking endlessly about what kind of relationship Lilith and Lopel might have, even as she lay in bed.

The next morning, as soon as Elizéo met Lopel during lunchtime, she opened her mouth.

“Lo.. Lopel..! Th.. That is.. there’s something I want to ask.. It.. it might be a bit personal.. can I ask..?”

“Huh? It’s okay, Ellie, why are you like this between us~ Ask anything you want.”

“Uh.. Um.. U-u-unintentionally.. I-i-I saw it really by chance… Uh.. Uh.. I saw you with Li.. Lilith Tistina yesterday weekend.. Wh-wh-what’s your.. relationship..?”

She usually stammered and her voice trembled, but today it was particularly severe.

She was nervous lest she might hear the worst possible answer from him.

“Ah~ You’re asking what my relationship with Lilith is? Haha We’re just friends.”

“Fr-friends..?”

“Yeah, we happened to start talking a while ago. Then, I listened to her worries and we talked about various things, so we became close. Why?

“Ah.. Ah..!.. Th.. That is.. As far as I know, Li.. Lilith likes Ma.. Mark Viserys.. The he.. hero of the terrorist incident, you know..

B-but seeing someone like her walking around here and there with you.. I-I wondered.. if by chance you two had some kind of relationship…”

“Hahaha, I see. That’s right, Lilith likes that guy, Mark.”

“? Th.. Then why..?”

“Well, that is… Ah… this is a secret…”

Mark brought his face closer to her ear as if telling her something confidential.

With his breath and voice heard close to her ear, she froze instantly.

“Because Lilith said she was going to confess to Mark… I was helping her find places for them to go on a date.”

“…! Th… That’s how it was..!”

“Yeah, I told her I’d help because she was hesitating on her own. We ended up going around together, but you know

Well, anyway, Lilith and I are just friends.”

Hearing Lopel’s answer, her face quickly brightened up and became beaming.

And as if relieved, she let out a deep sigh.

Right, that’s right, thinking she had worried unnecessarily.

Thanks to that, she was able to chat happily with him again that day and part ways.

However, that evening, thinking quietly under her blanket, she began to feel uneasy again.

This was because, if her memory was correct, Lilith’s gaze and reactions while with Lopel were unusual.

A sweet gaze, like dripping honey, deeply moistened as if something was wet, unconsciously looking at various parts of Lopel’s body.

Even Lilith’s reaction, spontaneously smiling in response to Lopel’s small considerations.

That was clearly the gaze and reaction of a woman deeply in love, looking at the man she had fallen for.