Chapter 20: Suspicious Minds: Arthur’s Doubts

“Ah, Teacher, are you awake?”

Arthur, with a worried look, handed me a cup of cocoa as I sat wrapped in a blanket.

How would you feel if you woke up with the single thought of beating up the bastard who cast the illusion, only to find out that the bastard had already run away? Yes, exactly as I just said.

That bastard, Kama Lerajie, clashed with Arthur, who came after breaking the illusion, and then disappeared.

No, is she really a pathetic bastard who gets beaten by Arthur? I thought, but…

Erica and other students helped Arthur and fought raid-style, so I had nothing to say.

All I could say was, “Well done, I’m proud of you.”

“It was a really tough opponent, but I was able to destroy the mana core… Are you listening?”

Ah, right, Arthur was explaining to me.

I put down the cocoa I was sipping and sat up.

“Now that I’ve grasped the situation, it’s fine. Where’s the Headmaster?”

“He’s…probably in the infirmary.”

Ah, I need to heal him.

 

***

 

“My, you’re sleeping soundly.”

“Haha! When you get to my age, you’ll sleep this much too.”

The Headmaster, free from the illusion, replied while rotating his arm. It would be embarrassing to tell him that his eyes were a little teary.

“Headmaster! This incident…”

“Shh, Arthur. Calm down.”

I grabbed Arthur’s shoulder and pulled him towards me.

The Headmaster still needs to rest. He must still be a bit dazed from the illusion.

“Haha… You look good together.”

This crazy Headmaster.

Does he know? Are his eyes that good?

I loosened my grip on Arthur and said coldly, with a hint of sincerity,

“Arthur, I don’t think you need to calm down.”

“Headmaster…?”

The Headmaster, his orange eyes shining, laughed heartily and slapped his leg.

“Hahaha! Your reaction is quite amusing.”

Ah, this old man.

He was definitely just testing the waters.

I adjusted and lowered my hat.

Then I said to Arthur,

“Arthur? There’s a Red Dragon outside!”

Arthur, a dragon enthusiast, was startled and turned his gaze to the window.

“Huh? Where?!”

This is my chance.

I punched the Headmaster in the solar plexus with all my might, but not enough to be fatal.

“…!! Ooh! That hurts!!”

The Headmaster, drooling a little, started laughing again.

That old man has been through battles, so he’s probably just brushing this off as a joke.

“Teacher? It doesn’t seem like there’s a dragon…”

“Ah, I must have seen wrong.”

Arthur looked at me with a suspicious expression, but there’s no evidence.

Well, now that I’m done with my business, I should mix some medicine for the Headmaster and go.

Roughly this and… Nementra mucus, phoenix feather…

The power of my hand can heal mental issues too, but if I heal him now, there will be side effects.

“Hmm… I feel much better.”

“It’s not just a feeling, it’s real. You’ve probably recovered by at least 85 percent.”

The Headmaster clicked his tongue and took out a cigarette from his pocket.

It was a bit fascinating how he lit it just by rubbing his fingers together.

“Smoking in the hospital room? And with a student present, too.”

“Haha! The teacher still doesn’t know. This is a painkiller.”

This smoke was definitely easier to smell than secondhand smoke on the streets in my previous life.

I could tell it wasn’t a very strong cigarette, but…

That’s because I have herbs in my mask.

“Arthur… Let’s go out. It seems like he needs some time alone.”

“Ah, yes!”

‘Although it’s an illusion, it’s a customized illusion created because an ordinary woman wouldn’t be able to satisfy the Headmaster’s sexual desire.’

I picked up a fountain pen and wrote it down in my notebook in front of Arthur.

If I can’t properly take care of that bastard when I meet him again, I might suffer another terrible experience.

I absolutely won’t tolerate that, I’ll definitely take care of him.

Roughly the same amount of magic power as great magic, with decent quality.

Arthur was briefly affected, but soon broke free on his own.

-The writer also escaped on his own, suggesting a strong will is required.

“…Teacher, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it, Arthur?”

The illusion mainly stimulates sexual desire, and the level varies depending on the person.

In the writer’s case…

“Excuse me, but I want to see under your mask!”

“Is that so? Then do it…”

In the writer’s case, it was just taking off clothes…

Wait.

What?

“For what reason…?”

“I’ve already seen your face under your mask…but strangely, my ‘intuition’ tells me that I need to see it now.”

That all-purpose setting is back again.

Always gaining something with intuition, saving heroines.

Meeting new heroines…

“Hmm, there’s no reason why not.”

I should cast the illusion again.

Since he’s already been affected once, he’ll probably be insensitive.

I took off my mask again.

I roughly recreated the face from the train.

There’s no way there would be any other differences, so there was no need to put in extra effort.

Arthur carefully examined my face and then sighed.

Then he quietly said to me,

“…Mole.”

“What do you mean?”

Arthur looked up at me and said clearly.

The slight puzzlement in his eyes had turned into certainty.

“You have a tear mole, teacher.”

Arthur’s eyes seem to be demanding that I not lie.

What is this, really.

“Arthur, I commend your observation skills.”

But you underestimated a person’s ability to improvise.

Swish.

I wiped the tear mole illusion with my thumb.

Then I modified the illusion so that there was nothing there.

“It was just dus…”

“You’ve been caught, teacher. There was a tear mole there from the beginning.”

“Arthur, do you have something to say?”

“I’m sorry…”

This is the result of grabbing Arthur’s cheeks and shaking them continuously.

That bastard was doubting the teacher.

When I insisted it was just dust that was originally there, Arthur also said, “Ah! Is that so?” and was convinced.

By the way, this method of questioning…it’s similar to what that blue-haired bastard used.

It’s not like they learned this from each other while being rivals, right?

No way.

“It hurts me a little that you’re going this far just because I seem a bit suspicious.”

“I’m really sorry…”

Arthur was apologizing, but I couldn’t help but notice his unconcealed puzzlement.

He’s clearly still suspicious.

After the illusion ended, I gained the ability to read emotions.

According to the skill description, since I’m good at controlling emotions to the point of breaking my own illusion, it’s only natural that I’m good at reading other people’s emotions, according to the miracle’s logic.

“Arthur, you’re still suspicious.”

“To be honest…yes.”

If I reveal my face now, this bastard will definitely become obsessed.

Or he’ll think I’m a demon who stole a body.

“…Sigh, Ao. That guy knows my real face.”

“Eh, how does that guy…”

This guy won’t drop his suspicion with ordinary words anymore. I should have a word with that Ao bastard.

“Ooh? Why would a teacher request a secret meeting with a mere student~?”

“Shut up. No one likes that kind of tone.”

I bought Ao a cup of coffee.

When he asked me to order an Americano, I wanted to hit him.

“Arthur seems to be suspicious about my face.”

“Hmm! Do I know something that even your favorite disciple doesn’t know~?”

I really didn’t want to answer, but I pretended to brush up my non-existent bangs and said,

“..I guess so.”

“Yahoo! Ahahaha!!!”

Crazy bastard.

I muttered quietly, grabbed the rampaging Ao’s head, and said,

“So…I want you to say this.”

“That’s a sexy way to ask for a favor~?”

Ao stopped joking, sipped his coffee, and asked,

“How should I say it?”

“A face disfigured by an accident, or…a face too hideous to look at.”

“You want me to belittle that breathtaking beauty…?”

Ao asked with a genuinely bewildered expression, which was rare to see. What, is he serious about pretty things?

Ao blushed slightly and made a strange expression.

An expression I want to tear apart every time I see it.

“Hmm…I’ll have to put myself under a very strong hypnosis, so I’ll need some…compensation.”

F*ck.

What kind of perverted thing will he ask for this time?

I’m dumbfounded now.

“What is it?”

“Let’s go on a date this weekend.”

Just the two of us.

…Fine.

“Ao. I have something to talk about regarding the teacher.”

At a time when it was too ambiguous for the streetlights to be on or off, a boy with shining blond hair stood before me. His blue eyes shining towards me… Wow.

To come looking for me as soon as we were separated at the cafe.

You would have told everything if the teacher hadn’t asked you to, right? I smiled and walked towards the impertinent junior.

Then I put my hands behind my back, took a deep breath, and said, “What is it, Hero?” “You…said you saw, right? Teacher Pest’s face.”

“Yes, I saw it very clearly.

Unlike you.”

“Sigh…” Arthur took a slow breath and bowed.

“Please, tell me the truth.”

I pondered.

Would this goody-two-shoes really tell the teacher what I said? If he doesn’t, wouldn’t it be more fun to tell him the truth and see his reaction? But… I’m not someone who bets their life on probabilities, so it seemed much better to just keep my promise.

“Well, I wasn’t exactly pleased to see it. It was hideous.”

“…What?”

“His left eye has a huge scar, as if it was scratched by a beast, and his forehead is excessively white, either from burns or something.”

The more I described the most hideous face I’ve ever seen, the worse Arthur’s expression became. So you’re also a common person whose judgment depends on looks. Really… Crack. What the. He cracked the ground by putting strength in his foot?

“No matter what the teacher’s face looks like, you don’t have the right to judge it.”

“Apologize.”

Arthur glared intensely at me. Ho.

“Are you asking for a fight?”

“If necessary.”

Arthur drew his Holy Sword, and I took out my magic book.

“Come at me.”