Ch.159Chapter 159 – The Circumstances of a Secret Relationship

The Chancellor’s office, located at the top floor of the Tower of Documents at Glesius Academy, was one of those places that students rarely had occasion to visit.

This space was created solely for the Chancellor and those who assisted with the Chancellor’s work, so most visitors only stayed for an hour at most.

For students enrolled at the academy, it was common to graduate without ever setting foot in the Chancellor’s office.

Very occasionally, some students were summoned for a meeting with the Chancellor, but since most incidents were handled at the professor level unless they were particularly serious, it was extremely rare for an ordinary student to visit the Chancellor’s office.

Of course, in my case, I frequently visited the Chancellor’s office.

This was because I had been admitted to the academy through special means, so there was a procedure to check whether I was adapting well.

“But now it’s different.”

Just yesterday, I entered into a romantic relationship with Regina Blasteria, the Chancellor of Glesius Academy.

So my visits to the Chancellor’s office were also to see my girlfriend.

It’s quite an interesting relationship we’ve found ourselves in.

The Chancellor of the Academy and her disciple.

Perhaps that’s why the Chancellor and I haven’t officially announced our relationship yet.

The reason we had to remain unofficial rather than official lovers was at the Chancellor’s request.

“For the time being, I’d prefer if we didn’t announce to the world that you and I are dating.”

“Why shouldn’t we let the world know?”

I was curious about why our relationship needed to be kept secret.

“Not just at Glesius Academy, but at other educational institutions as well, romantic relationships between educators and students are strictly prohibited.”

“Is it because romantic relationships between educators and students can affect objective judgment and evaluation of learning abilities?”

“That’s right. It’s actually part of the required liberal arts curriculum that all students at Glesius Academy must learn. Seeing that you remember that, you really are a clever student, Pathos. Hehe.”

As expected, my assumption was correct.

In my previous world, relationships between students and teachers were also socially condemned if discovered.

Especially since in that world, such relationships typically involved minors and adults, making them even more controversial.

“As you well know, I don’t want to hide the fact that we’ve started dating. However… the position of Chancellor of Glesius Academy doesn’t allow me to do whatever I please. Especially since both of us are nobles, one misstep could lead to all sorts of unpleasant rumors in noble society.”

“Then, when do you plan to make it public?”

“When you graduate?”

The conclusion was that we could only announce our relationship after I graduated.

However, to graduate, I would need to advance to at least the second or third year.

According to the Chancellor, graduation before that was impossible regardless of what methods were employed.

“Even for outstanding talents, there are regulations requiring a minimum verification period… unlike admission, there are no exceptions to this rule. The only way to graduate quickly is through early graduation.”

The Chancellor wore an extremely irritated expression as she explained the graduation requirements.

“Ah, don’t misunderstand. I’m not annoyed with you, but with the people who created these graduation regulations.”

“I know that.”

The Chancellor seemed quite frustrated that I couldn’t graduate quickly.

“I don’t understand why they made the graduation requirements so strict… this means we have to wait at least a year…”

“Are you planning to resign from your position as Chancellor after I graduate?”

“I couldn’t pass it on to someone else because of the curse, but you solved that curse for me, didn’t you? So now I want to put down the heavy burden of being Chancellor and lighten my load a bit.”

If she steps down as Chancellor, who would she pass the position to?

“Who are you planning to hand the Chancellor position to?”

“Ielron Sandrios, Elena Sandrios’s father, is the Archmage of this generation, so I’ll have to entrust it to him. The title of Archmage can only be held by one person in each era.”

I found myself nodding when I heard the name of Marquis Sandrios, Elena’s father.

“To give you more support, I shouldn’t be tied down by the title of Chancellor.”

The Chancellor rose from her seat and approached me.

“Do you know how worried I was when the explosion accident happened before?”

As the Chancellor sat beside me, a subtle lemon scent tickled my nose.

“I’ll tell you now, the demon cult’s schemes will definitely target you, directly or indirectly. To protect you in that situation, shouldn’t I be right by your side?”

“That’s… true.”

It seems one of her reasons for wanting to resign as Chancellor was to protect me.

Here, a question came to my mind.

“If we compare the magical abilities of the current Archmage, Marquis Ielron Sandrios, and you, Chancellor, who would be superior?”

“That’s not a difficult question, but are you going to ask it without offering anything in return?”

Seeing the Chancellor’s eyes sparkle, it seemed she wanted something from me.

“What do you want?”

“Hmm… first, could you change your formal way of speaking? We’re lovers, after all. When it’s just the two of us, I’d like you to speak more comfortably, more softly.”

Formal speech… Having met so many people in my previous world, I got used to speaking politely, and after becoming a noble, the need to show respect to others meant I continued using formal speech.

“As for my speech… I can change it, but I’m still not used to speaking formally…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. When you graduate, I’ll become part of your family, so what thoughtless person would criticize your way of speaking?”

As she said this, the Chancellor created a ball of fire in her left hand.

Without saying a word, just by raising her hand, she could create a fireball—clearly demonstrating that she was indeed an Archmage.

“And, you’re still calling me ‘Chancellor.’ Could you call me something more gentle and affectionate?”

When I heard her request to call her more affectionately, numerous words crossed my mind.

But among them, the most appropriate terms would be “nui,” “nunim,” or “nuna” [Korean terms for older sister/woman].

Terms like “darling” or “honey” would be too embarrassing to use since the Chancellor and I weren’t that close yet. I’ll use those when our relationship deepens.

“If you want affection… n-nuna?”

“Ugh!”

When I called her “nuna,” the Chancellor clutched her chest.

“A-are you okay?”

“Y-yes. I’m fine. It’s just been so long since anyone called me ‘nuna’… I was a bit surprised, that’s all.”

“Ah, hahaha…”

“But… it might feel a little nice?”

…The Chancellor’s face turned quite red.

Seeing her face redder than a radish or tomato, I thought it was truly a wise decision not to use words like “darling” or “honey.”

If I had, our Chancellor might have collapsed from embarrassment.

“So from now on, should I call you Regina nuna…?”

“Then can I just call you Pathos comfortably too?”

Having a woman call my name so intimately was something that only happened at banks in my previous life.

To have someone who matches my ideal type, who has now become my lover, call my name affectionately and intimately—it makes me think coming to this world was worthwhile after all.

Although I didn’t come here by choice, it’s a good thing that I’ve escaped being forever single in this world, isn’t it?

“Oh, by the way, a letter came from the Eastern Continent. Would you like to see it?”

“From the Eastern Continent?”

My interest was piqued when I heard about the Eastern Continent.

I could roughly guess who might be looking for me.

During the autumn festival when I performed the hair loss treatment, an envoy from the Eastern Continent had come looking for me.

The Emperor who rules the Eastern Continent wanted me to treat his hair loss, was it?

Given the enormous distance, the fact that he sent someone all the way here suggests it must be quite an urgent matter.

I took the letter from Chancellor Regina—no, nuna—that the Emperor had sent.

[The Emperor of the Liu Empire writes to Count Pathos Severio of the Gelebrio Empire: I have suffered for a long time from a disease that causes hair loss. I hereby officially invite Count Severio, who possesses the miraculous secret art of regrowing lost hair, as an honored guest of the Empire.]

The letter from the Emperor of the Liu Empire contained an invitation for me as an official honored guest.

It seems the hair loss treatment was that urgent.

“The Liu Empire of the Eastern Continent…”

Some of the heroines in Erasto Chronicle were from the Eastern Continent.

My next destination would likely be the Liu Empire of the Eastern Continent.

“Hmm, if it’s the Liu Empire, I don’t think I can go with you. I have quite a lot of work to do…”

It’s disappointing that Regina nuna can’t come along, but it can’t be helped.