Ch.15Chapter 15

Today is Friday. People love Fridays. They love the moment when, if they just endure today, Saturday comes—a brief escape from studies or work. Nobody dislikes the chance to rest.

But professors were different.

Professors weren’t people worn down by academics or work. It seemed the Professor’s joy was researching something while spending long hours at the Academy.

When the Professor entered the Research Lab, she immediately pulled materials from the bookshelf. After scanning through the rustling papers, she began organizing them. After confirming the information she needed, she stacked them on the desk and started writing something.

The clacking sound of keyboard typing filled the Research Lab. Listening quietly, I sat at my desk and wrote.

Moving beyond just writing my name, I began memorizing and writing simple words too.

Since it felt awkward to constantly ask the Professor “why?” about everything, I tried to find my own solutions. For example, checking letters in places where I could infer what the object was.

“…Research Lab. Research Lab.”

I diligently wrote the characters for “Research Lab.” They were the letters posted above the door before entering. Below them, there was small writing that said “Yuria,” so I figured this must indeed be a Research Lab.

While writing, a doubt suddenly struck me. What if this wasn’t a Research Lab? It could also be called a Professor’s office, and if I memorized it wrong and it became ingrained that way, I’d have trouble later. I groaned at the thought.

Shaking my head, I decided to stick to writing only the characters I knew for certain.

“Ourr. There’s a first-year Academy lecture this afternoon. Want to go?”

“Weren’t we just going anyway?”

“You seem a bit awkward with the Academy students.”

Whether they were writing dissertations for Academy graduation or just spilling out everything they were curious about, it felt overwhelming. Since even proven theories could be overturned in academia, they seemed fixated on such matters.

The thought of facing that again made my head hurt a little.

But since I couldn’t refuse after having gone everywhere else, I slightly pouted my lips.

“Well, that’s fine. I can handle that much.”

“Really? That’s good. I’m quite busy today, so after the lecture, I need to go somewhere else directly instead of returning to the Research Lab.”

“Somewhere else?”

“Yes, have you seen her before? Professor Rosemila, with pink hair like this…”

As she gestured to show voluminous bob-cut hair, a small sigh escaped my lips. We weren’t close, but I’d seen her occasionally since the Professor often met with her.

“I know her.”

“Yes, I’m going to meet her.”

The Professor and Professor Rosemila were friends. They seemed like Academy classmates. Though they had different majors, they somehow got along well. In fact, their different fields of study seemed to create excellent synergy when they collaborated. They always met when important research was involved.

While I was waiting absentmindedly, my phone rang from my inner pocket.

“Huh?”

“Got a call?”

“Yes, umm, it’s Sera.”

“Sera, I see. Looks like she wants to take you somewhere again this morning.”

Since there weren’t many reasons for Sera to call me, the Professor immediately predicted why she was calling.

The prediction was spot on. The Professor readily agreed, and Sera hurriedly took me somewhere. Holding my hand, I struggled to keep up with her long strides.

“Ugh, huff, huff… Just a moment, urgh.”

I stretched my legs hard as I ran. With the violent movement, my belt felt like it would slip down any moment. I held it tightly with my free hand.

“No, I have something to show you today!”

Sera had an excited expression. The place we finally arrived at was a different lecture hall. This space, piled high with papers, was for creating magic.

We drew the attention of all the students gathered for the lecture. At the end of the seats Sera led me to, Aria slightly waved her hand.

There were whispers, probably because they now somewhat knew I was a Demon God. Since I couldn’t hear them clearly and wasn’t particularly interested, I just ignored it.

“Why, why are you in such a hurry…”

As I complained while catching my breath, Sera handed me a paper.

“Ta-da! This is the magic I created last night. I searched through some dissertations to make it, and it seems to work somewhat?”

“…Huh?”

A dumbfounded sound escaped me. There was only one magic Sera would create for me.

Magic to return me to my original body.

It had only been a week since I started attending Academy lectures, and she’d already found an answer so easily. I clenched my fist, thinking that the Academy truly was a place where smart people gathered to make such things possible.

I looked at the magic written on the paper. In truth, I didn’t have the ability to read magic circles. Even with analogies, reading magic circles seemed to be on a completely different level.

As I stared with furrowed brows, Sera immediately pulled out a cheap magic paper filled with data and handed it to me. After drawing the same pattern with a compass and ruler, she presented it to me.

“…But is this verified?”

As I looked at the magic circle Sera handed me, Aria, who was beside me, slightly raised a question. Sera responded with a groan.

“It’s a magic circle that inflates physical age, but the limit is twenty-five.”

“So there’s not much difference.”

“Yeah, not for me.”

Sera laughed awkwardly. The Academy’s admission age was twenty, so for Sera, who was now twenty-two, this magic would be difficult to notice.

“Well, there were no side effects. I think it’s worth trying?”

“That’s good, but I wonder if it works on a Demon God who breaks the rules… More importantly, if twenty-five is the limit and twenty-two-year-old Sera couldn’t feel much difference, does that mean Sera will still look young at twenty-five, or that Sera’s face already looks old now?”

“Hey!”

I was relieved to hear there were no side effects, but I was a bit scared to experiment because I was a Demon God, an exception. I thought Sera was amazing for using such unverified magic on herself.

Actually, I wondered if magic requiring human experimentation should even be developed. I groaned softly at the thought.

Of course, I had no intention of giving up. If there was a chance to return to my original size, it would be too disappointing to back out now. Since it would take the Professor quite a long time to return me to normal, I thought trying this shortcut might be worth it.

“I, I want to try.”

As I fidgeted with the magic paper, Sera smiled.

“Then give it here. I’ll activate it for you.”

Sera took the magic paper and placed it at my feet.

A magic circle that inflates physical age. The eyes of other students gathered upon hearing this. Since the experiment was happening right here, they couldn’t help but show interest.

I was curious too. As curious as I was nervous.

“Ready?”

Sera opened a magic circle in the air. I wondered what she was doing without a separate magic circle, but my question was answered when a staff appeared in Sera’s previously empty hand.

Sera’s hand movements, like an orchestra conductor waving a baton, looked fascinating. Although I had seen magic before, watching magic being cast so formally was still amazing.

Woong, the surroundings seemed to vibrate. Simultaneously, the magic circle on the paper changed from black to pure white. The magic circle emitted light as if it would devour everything above it.

“Step on it!”

At Sera’s shout, I hopped onto it.

With a flash of light, my vision blurred. Losing balance, I slipped on the magic paper and fell on my bottom.

“Ugh…”

As I frowned and scratched my head, I noticed my sleeve tightly gripping my arm. Meanwhile, my belt was securely holding my waist instead of feeling loose.

The moment I realized that everything that had been loose was no longer loose, Sera and Aria looked at me with wide, surprised eyes.

“It worked…!”

“…This, it actually works?”

It wasn’t the time to groan in pain. Hearing the gasps of disbelief around me, I looked at my hands. My clearly larger hands and legs proved that I had grown.

The oversized clothes I’d been wearing finally served their purpose, as my previously loose shirt was now filled out.

“…Oh, oh? I, I really grew…!”

My formerly thin body had filled out. My chest had grown larger, and my thighs had gained some mass. When I got up, dusting off my bottom, the clothes that had been too big for me now fit my body perfectly.

As I looked at my body in amazement, everyone around me fell silent and stared.

Perhaps because a small person had suddenly grown, I felt like I was the center of attention.

“Ah, this was my original form~”

Out of embarrassment, I blurted out something to diffuse the situation. Nevertheless, the atmosphere didn’t lighten, and soon my body began to stagger.

“Eek!”

When I regained my senses, I was back to my previous form.

I looked at my small body again. Feeling the weight of loose clothes and the lowered perspective, I let out a dismayed voice.

“I’m small again…”

“It seems it doesn’t last long.”

While Sera was rechecking the magic she had created, the Professor, who had entered without anyone noticing, shouted.

“Why are you using magic on people without permission! Who taught you to do that?!”

“Ah, I’m sorry…! This is, well, Ourr…”

Sera desperately bowed at the Professor’s scolding.

I looked around with a blank stare. It felt disappointing, like something given was taken away again. Growing and then shrinking made me feel strange.

It could be called successful, but if asked whether it was practical, it wasn’t.

After being thoroughly scolded by the Professor, Sera sat down and groaned to me.

“…Ugh, I can’t even use this magic circle for a dissertation. The effective time isn’t even a full minute.”

“So Sera is so withered that she couldn’t tell she was twenty-five for a few seconds.”

“Why have you been commenting on my appearance age? Are you the only elf here?”

“Yes, I am.”

Aria calmly answered Sera’s question and stretched her shoulders. She seemed to be boasting that she wouldn’t age easily.

After a moment, Aria casually spoke to me, who was slightly dejected.

“By the way, Ourr, do you not wear a bra? The male students didn’t know where to look earlier.”

Oh, so that’s why they were staring like that?