Chapter 180: Academy IF Side Story – The False Family (26)

Chapter 180: Academy IF Side Story – The False Family (26)

“Uum…” “Are you awake?”

“Huh…?”

At my gruff words, Meichen opened her eyes with a bewildered expression.

This is the underground research lab where I knocked Meichen out.

Adela, caught in the magic while defenseless, was unconscious beside me, and the place was a wreck, with dust flying everywhere.

I sighed lightly and glared at the dazed Meichen.

Perhaps it was because she had only recently been freed from mind control, or perhaps she was just groggy from waking up, her mind was slow.

Hmm. Should I just pour some water on her?

However, I decided against using magic, as it didn’t seem like it would help her regain her senses.

After about 10 minutes of scratching my head and waiting for Meichen to wake up.

As drowsiness began to creep in from the fatigue of the battle, light slowly returned to her dull pupils.

“Oh… C-Cecil?”

Her tone suggested she had no idea what was going on.

Hmm. It seems the mind control was quite strong.

The perfume bottle lying nearby was strangely only slightly scratched.

No matter how well it aligned, a mere perfume bottle couldn’t possibly withstand my magic.

That’s truly ominous. Who on earth gave Meichen such a sinister thing?

Whoever it is, I feel like beating them to a pulp if I ever meet them.

I let out a sigh I didn’t realize was escaping and covered Meichen’s naked body with a crudely made cloth.

I wanted to design it like a blanket, but unfortunately, my mana wouldn’t allow it.

“Are you awake now?”

“Uh… Wh-Why is it like this here? And why am I here?”

“Calm down. It’s not the only thing that’s happened.”

Then, Meichen looked in the direction I pointed and covered her mouth with her hand in shock.

“P-Professor…? Why are you like that?!”

“Do you really not remember anything?”

“I don’t know… Something, vaguely… I think I had a dream…”

Judging by her reaction, it doesn’t seem like she’s acting.

She’s not the type to be a good actress.

So, what should I do now?

I have to somehow clean up this mess.

For now, Adela’s magic resistance is so high that she doesn’t seem to be injured.

Why was such a sturdy person no match for Meichen?

It’s probably because of the perfume’s power.

The power to subdue even a professor with that much mana is unbelievable.

I left Meichen, who was in a state of confusion, and picked up the perfume bottle next to me.

‘It feels faintly warm…?’

The texture is quite different from what I expected.

It’s slightly warm yet smooth.

Compared to glass, it feels slightly soft.

I had a gut feeling that something unpleasant was emanating from it.

“…Meichen.”

“Mmm…?”

“Where did you get this?”

“My parents gave it to me as a birthday present…”

“Birthday present?”

You received something like that as a birthday present?

It seems Meichen has almost no memory of what happened.

*Zzzt.*

A faint strange sound came from somewhere, but I was lost in thought and didn’t hear it clearly.

I unconsciously gripped the perfume bottle tightly.

Should I destroy it for now?

It’s a sinister item anyway. There’s no telling what good it will do to keep it.

But, is it right to do something so rash without knowing what this item is?

Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to submit it to the academy for verification?

After all, I don’t know what might be imbued in it.

For example, it could be a bottle used to seal a powerful demon, and if I break it, the demon might escape.

If that were the case, it would be a real disaster, so I have to be careful.

Of course, it’s already slightly cracked.

*Chiiik-*

First, I placed my finger on the small crack and began a simple repair.

If I do this, it won’t break. Probably.

‘What should I do now…?’

The priority is to take Adela and Meichen and ensure their safety.

For now, Meichen is the main culprit, but all she did was have sex with women.

Fortunately, she didn’t have malicious intentions like trying to destroy the academy.

If she had such impure intentions, she would have been dealt with by other professors already.

After a moment of contemplation, the conclusion I reached was to take the two of them, have them washed, and send them back.

It would be best to submit this perfume to the academy.

I flicked my fingers and levitated Adela and Meichen into the air.

“Ugh…”

At the same time, a heavy weight settled on my arms.

I’m not very familiar with this magic, so I have to compensate for my lack of proficiency with my body.

After all, it’s a transport spell designed to move objects weighing about 10 kilograms.

Feeling a strange weight, I headed towards the dormitory building.

I felt like the perfume bottle in my pocket was vibrating slightly.

But I dismissed it as my imagination.

****

“Hoo…”

I sighed deeply, feeling the fatigue covering my entire body.

Lying flat on the bed, a pleasant ache spread through every corner of my body.

For now, I had Lucy help me roughly wash the two of them and then put them in their respective rooms.

Adela in the office, Meichen in her room.

Since it was night, no one seemed to care even if I transported them with transport magic, wrapped in cloths.

After all, there were no people around.

The perfume is in my pocket.

I’ll lie down for about 10 minutes, then go to the academy director’s office to hand it over.

As I moved my body to the side, the contents of the perfume bottle made a small clinking sound.

It felt like it was vibrating slightly earlier, but now it wasn’t moving at all.

It must have just been my imagination.

‘But why am I so sleepy…?’

There’s been a strange fatigue clinging to the inner corners of my eyes since earlier.

I thought it was battle fatigue, but it’s not the kind of exhaustion that comes from losing mana or strength.

I feel so tired, like I could fall asleep at any moment.

Hmm. I shouldn’t be like this. I need to hand over this perfume to the academy as soon as possible.

My eyelids began to close slowly.

My arms and legs felt heavy, and my whole body felt like it was floating on water.

I shouldn’t fall asleep. Really…

The perfume, to the academy…

Perfume…

Finally, with the sweet scent lingering near my nose.

I plunged into a world of indescribable darkness.

****

My body feels relaxed and good.

*Chiiik-*

The sound of something sizzling and cooking echoed in my ears.

At the same time, the smell of delicious bacon and oil wafted through the air.

Feeling strangely hungry, I threw off the covers and slowly got out of bed.

“Uum…”

“Are you awake, sis?”

It’s a familiar voice.

Through the slightly open door opposite me, I could see a slightly chubby and cute dragon tail wagging.

“Yeah. Did you sleep well?”

At the welcome sight, I got out of bed and approached Lucy, who was diligently grilling something.

It was commendable and cute to see her diligently cooking with a stand under her feet.

“For breakfast today, it’s bacon and eggs. Your favorite, right?”

Her cute, beaming smile made me smile involuntarily.

I gently stroked Lucy’s head for a moment.

Then, I brought two sets of cutlery from the kitchen and set the table.

In addition to eggs and bacon, Lucy also grilled some meat.

The savory smell of protein made me feel good.

Perhaps because I just woke up, my mind feels a bit foggy.

Hmm.

Something feels strange.

That doubt disappeared when Lucy, sitting at the table, said, ‘Let’s eat.’

The bacon was cooked quite well, with a golden-brown color.

…But, has Lucy ever made something like this before?

I think she tried once before.

“Sis. Aren’t you going to eat?”

“Uh, yeah? I have to eat. I will eat.”

Then, I picked up the fork I had set earlier, but.

It was no longer a fork.

Should I call it a fork, or chopsticks?

In my hand was something like a skewer with a strange shape.

“…Aren’t you going to eat?”

As I stared at the skewer for a moment, Lucy asked again.

Where did her cute demeanor from earlier go? Her eyes suddenly changed.

I bit my lip slightly and looked at Lucy.

Something is really strange.

Lucy doesn’t give me that kind of look.

And, where is this place anyway?

After the first doubt passed, the second and third doubts followed in succession.

The biggest doubt is why Lucy is cooking.

Now I remember.

Lucy isn’t someone who can grill things beautifully and deliciously like this.

The anecdote of her burning bacon to charcoal when she said, ‘I’ll make you something delicious!’ is still vivid.

‘Don’t eat this, absolutely not.’

I immediately got up and glared at the figure of Lucy in front of me.

“What… are you?”

At first, Lucy remained silent to my words.

But when I asked again and again, she scowled and showed an annoyed expression.

“Damn it… Was it a bit clumsy?”

With those words, dark and sticky smoke enveloped Lucy’s body.

Then, slender and long arms and legs emerged from the smoke.

Her red hair sprouted out of the smoke like lush grass.

The room I was standing in also slowly distorted, transforming into another space.

“Damn it…”

I couldn’t help but curse as I saw a woman with a cat-like movement stepping out of the smoke.

Large horns protruded from her lustrous red hair, and her pupils were reptilian and split.

A demon.

A wicked race, unmatched with magic, revealed itself.