episode_0022

“Senior, we have arrived.”

The way back was much more comfortable.

Since it was a road I had already tried before, it was less difficult.

Still, it took more than 10 minutes.

“Senior?”

When no answer came back, I looked inside the space.

“Hmm… … .”

Dien had fallen asleep with her hair covered like a blanket.

The blindfold looks very comfortable, I wonder when he got it.

“How on earth do you fall asleep so quickly? Wake up.”

When I shake his body to wake him up, he wakes up groggily.

It feels like I’ve seen this scenery before.

“Ugh… Space magic is convenient, but I don’t have enough time. Isn’t this a side effect of modern society where everything is too fast?”

“Stop talking nonsense and come to your senses.”

Dien yawned slightly, still half-asleep.

“Haam. But it’s too bright here. What would have happened if I hadn’t brought a blindfold?”

“Inventory is not a growing space.”

“It’s a space where you can sleep if you just close your eyes… … .”

Dien, who had gotten up with a groan, poked her head out of the subspace.

“You said you work in Bertain? Let’s see, how splendid is the mansion of the Empire’s top duke… … .”

Dien’s voice gradually gets smaller.

“… What is this?”

“This is an underground prison.”

That’s because it wasn’t at all the scenery she had expected.

“What? Prison?”

“Didn’t I tell you? You’re locked in the dungeon to be punished in place of the princess.”

“You didn’t say anything like that? You keep talking about curses all the time… .”

Wheeee-

The damp, underground breeze brushes my nose.

Dien wrapped her body tightly in her fluffy hair again.

“Ugh… So you just kidnapped the eldest daughter of the Pirandello family and took her to prison?”

“You were kicked out, so why do you only mention your family name at times like this?”

“You weren’t kicked out? You became a monk?”

“Let’s do something like that.”

“That’s not how you do it… … !”

A rare moment when Dien’s voice is about to grow louder.

“Shh. Be quiet for a moment.”

He put his finger to his lips.

Jjang-

I can hear the sound of keys clinking in the distance.

“The guard is coming.”

“What?”

“So, please go in first.”

I pushed in Dien’s small head.

“Eww… .”

As the entrance to the subspace closes, the strange sounds made by Dien disappear.

“Who was here?”

At the same time, a guard appeared.

“… Are you talking to me?”

I started acting casually.

“I think I heard a conversation.”

“How could that be? I’m the only prisoner here.”

At least the nearby rooms were all empty.

Because Berthain’s dungeon is not a prison for ordinary prisoners.

“Sseup… I think I heard that clearly.”

“You seem tired these days. It seems like you should get some rest.”

“… … Okay, I understand. Make yourself comfortable.”

The guard nodded and passed by, his eyes looking suspicious.

Anyway, I know that Luke is Elin’s tutor.

Since he knew it would come out in two weeks, he didn’t seem to have any intention of being particularly harsh.

This is just for show.

Instead, she said she would take responsibility, but it was Natia’s scheme to make Elin feel guilty seeing Luke being punished.

Of course, I’m still able to communicate normally with Elin via long-distance communication.

“Senior, you can come out now.”

After the guard’s footsteps completely disappeared, the subspace opened.

“Hmm… … .”

Dien had fallen asleep again in the meantime.

The subspace was closed again.

“Isn’t this sick?”

I gave up trying to understand any further and opened a portal to Elin.

* * * * *

Shake shake.

Elin’s stupid hair sways from side to side.

He was holding a long-distance communication paper tightly in his hand.

It wasn’t because the food I just ate wasn’t tasty.

“If you’ve finished eating, I’ll clean it up for you.”

“Thank you.”

Chef Bertain.

Ron walked away with an empty plate.

The reason why he suddenly prepared food for the sick Elin was not because of Seon-i.

The reason why he ignored the Duke’s order to return the diet to its original state.

-Are you saying you’re going to back out now?

-Ha, but I…!

-Is this enough?

-I will work hard!

This was because the money Luke had taken had grown to the point where it would not end in a dismissal.

The chef, who was tightroping between such a huge salary and tremendous tension, stepped down.

“When will you come?”

Ellen craned her neck and waited for Luke.

Just look at the place where the portal seems to appear.

Shu-

A space really opened up before my eyes.

Dodo ran, dragging his heavy body.

width.

Luke was held in her arms as she emerged from the portal.

“I thought it was flying.”

Luke, who had accepted it by chance, patted Elin’s head.

“Why aren’t you lying down?”

“I just ate.”

“Oh, then you should sit down.”

I tried to sit Elin down on the bed.

Hug.

He didn’t let go of the strength in his arms that were holding her.

Before a bewildered Luke asks why.

He continued asking questions.

“I guess no one caught it?”

“Yes. I got back before the guards checked and got through safely.”

“Thank goodness.”

“The only good thing is that I managed to find a potion to cure the curse.”

“Potion?”

Ellen tilted her head.

“Can the curse be cured with a potion?”

“Generally not possible.”

If it’s not common, it means it’s possible.

“But first, I need to wake this human up to hear the dosage. Please wait a moment.”

Luke opened a subspace.

What on earth is the potion that cures curses?

Curious, Ellen lifted her brow slightly and peered inside.

“… … ?”

And then it suddenly froze.

I expected there to be a bunch of potions lying around.

“Koo… .”

A pink ball of fur.

A girl who was a little bigger than Elin was sleeping soundly.

Is it possible for people to enter subspace?

Who is this person sleeping here?

Why did the teacher just pick up this ball of fur without any concern?

The swirling doubts soon turned to a sense of betrayal.

Could it be… that student you were teaching?

It was my first time being a teacher.

He also packed me some food.

He also gave me magic lessons.

They even wished me a happy birthday.

It was all a first time, and you weren’t a teacher?

Soon the feeling of betrayal turned into self-loathing.

Why am I feeling this way?

There’s no law that says a teacher can’t have other students.

You have received everything so far, so you have no right to complain.

I’ve been getting a little better lately…

What came out of a series of thoughts was a question so weak it seemed like it would be blown away by the wind.

“… Were there any other students besides me?”

“Yes?”

“Wasn’t I… …the first student?”

Elin mutters in vain with a look of bereavement.

The once fresh hair has withered.

“Ah.”

Luke immediately realized what a misunderstanding had occurred.

“Phew.”

So how could I hold back my laughter?

“… … ?”

Elin shoots a questioning look with her eyes.

Instead of answering, I woke up Dien by tapping her on the head.

“Senior. Please wake up.”

“Senior?”

Did they notice from the title that I wasn’t a student?

“… …Senior?”

Ellen’s eyebrows furrowed as if cognitive dissonance had set in.

“Hnyaaaa… … .”

The culprit of the chaos opened his eyes with a languid sound.

It came out of my hair and rubbed my eyes.

“Hmm?”

I made eye contact with Elin.

“Ah. You’re the student he’s in charge of?”

Dien waved his hand, which was slightly larger than Elin’s (much smaller than average).

“Hello. I’m your older sister who came to cure your curse.”

“Sister…you?”

Ellen suddenly became dazed.

* * * * *

“… … So. This person is your senior?”

“Surprisingly, yes.”

Several times Ellen confirmed the facts.

No matter how I looked at him, he seemed to be the same age as me, but I couldn’t believe he was older than Luke.

“What’s surprising? Anyone can tell I’m your senior.”

Dien, who came out of the subspace, shamelessly stuck out her small breasts.

“Let me introduce you. This is Princess Elin Bertain. She is my student.”

“Hmm. So cute.”

“This is Dien Pirandello. He is a lazy senior who was kicked out of his family and lives in a secluded forest, sleeping in a spread every day.”

“I wasn’t kicked out, right? And if you introduce me like that, what do I become! There’s no mention of an alchemist anywhere!”

“… … so cute.”

“What?”

Dien, who had been grumbling, suddenly froze when he heard Elin’s sentiment.

“Why is that? It must be a compliment you hear often.”

“I wouldn’t be happy at all if I heard it from someone much younger than me?”

Dien growled, baring his small teeth.

“Um… .”

Elin looked back and forth between Dien and Luke.

Small build, similar to Elin.

The past of just the two of them that Elin doesn’t know about.

Luke’s attitude is much more relaxed than Elin’s.

The combination of these three elements creates an uncomfortable feeling.

“But teacher, do you only know female seniors?”

He asked me while poking me in the side for no reason.

Luke thought, quietly getting poked in the side.

“There are only women, but now that I think about it, most of them are like that.”

It seems that most of the geniuses among the senior riders were women.

And Luke usually only hangs out with geniuses.

It was natural that I knew a lot of female seniors.

“Why?”

“Yes?”

“Why are they all women?”

“Well, I didn’t decide the gender of my seniors, so please stop poking me.”

I grabbed Elin’s fingers, which were getting stronger and stronger.

“… But, is it really trustworthy?”

Elin whispered in Luke’s ear while still being held quietly.

“I thought all of the teacher’s seniors were great… .”

He didn’t continue speaking, but the rest of the story was obvious.

If you were to say that a seemingly insignificant pink ball of fur is a talented person, you’d be suspicious.

“I know it’s a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but I’m a pretty great alchemist, right? Who is the person your teacher came to ask you to cure his curse?”

And the little pink ball of fur had rather bright ears.

“That’s right.”

Luke sympathized with the squeaking Dien.

“Even though he is a reclusive loner with no productivity and no friends, he is the best alchemist I know. This time, please apologize, Your Highness, for your mistake.”

“I’m sorry.”

“… … I want to go home.”

Dien pouted, her lips curled up.

“If I don’t send it, you won’t be able to go.”

Dien did not enter the Bertain Dukedom through the normal route.

Luke was originally supposed to be locked up in prison too.

If we get caught, it’ll end badly for both of us.

“Especially if you get caught by a senior, you will go straight to graduate school… … .”

“Oh, really. Stop saying scary things. I want to finish quickly and go home. I’ll tell you how to take it, so listen carefully.”

Dien took out his backpack from subspace.

The backpack was full of flasks filled with a dark liquid.

“Fundamentally, the one who first placed the curse must release it. However, it can be temporarily suppressed. It would take half a day to explain the principle, but do you want to hear it?”

“ done.”

“Okay skip.”

Dien immediately handed the potion to Elin.

“Can I just drink it?”

“Did you just eat dinner?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then you can eat it now.”

Boom.

Let’s open the potion lid.

“Wait a minute!”

Dien grabbed Elin’s hand.

“There are some things to be careful of before eating.”

“… What is it?”

“You can eat it three times a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But… … .”

Dien’s eyes changed and the insignificant expression disappeared.

The person sitting here right now is not a hikikomori, unemployed, furball.

It was the genius alchemist Dien Pirandello who was the professor of alchemy at the Academy and was obsessed with tears.

“It’s going to be so tasteless.”

“Yes?”

“Your tongue will melt, your stomach will turn. It can be traumatic.”

“… … ”

“That’s normal. It’s the process of exorcising the curse near the mana heart.”

Dien held Elin’s hands tightly with both of his.

“So, be a little nervous. It’s not easy to drive out a curse. Especially not with a potion. I’ll forgive you if it goes wrong, but your will is the most important. Do you understand?”

I feel more nervous when the person who was just squirming like a mollusk starts talking seriously.

Gulp.

Elin swallowed and nodded.

I slowly sipped the potion.