chapter_0236

237 – I Will Only Draw Blood. The Pain is Temporary!

237 – I Will Only Draw Blood. The Pain is Temporary!

“…Um, is it really okay that I don’t have to conduct research?”

“Yes. You don’t have to.”

I stopped Meiko, who was eager to dissect the Dragon right away.

Seeing me like that, Meiko’s face turned slightly red.

“Student! Even so, wouldn’t it be okay to try it just once?”

“Try what?”

“An experiment! An experiment! If we find out what secrets this Dragon lady holds, we might achieve magical advancements we’ve never experienced before! Perhaps a future where everyone can be happy could unfold!”

Meiko, excited by the appearance of the Dragon, chattered on without pause.

Seeing my mentor so excited made me feel good.

Every time she showed this side of herself, she always brought forth an innovative Illusion magic.

However, unfortunately, today’s direction was wrong.

“What kind of experiment are you planning?”

“Um, first we need to examine the components of her body, so we’ll start by drawing blood…”

“Eek!”

At the mention of drawing blood, Monica jumped in surprise and hid behind me.

Seeing Monica like that, I turned to Meiko and said,

“Master.”

“Ah, why~! I was just joking around.”

“That joke almost scared her to death.”

“……”

Meiko puffed her cheeks at the sight of me protecting Monica.

“Max.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Why are you shielding that girl so much?”

“Well, she’s among the very young ones among Dragons.”

Monica might be considered an adult Dragon, but she was a Dragon who had been sleeping alone in her Lair for hundreds of years, reading novels written by humans.

Not to mention, she was a Dragon who even created videos with Illusion magic.

There was no way such a Dragon could know about human society.

She was practically like a child thrown into the water.

“Student, no matter how you look at it, that Dragon must be hundreds of years old.”

“That’s true, but she’s probably just over twenty in human years.”

At my words, Meiko’s cheeks puffed up even more.

“Max! I’m really in my early twenties in human years!”

“…You are my mentor, after all. There’s a social position to consider in taking care of you.”

“Ugh!”

“Or are you perhaps hoping I would take care of you a little more?”

“N-no, that’s not it, hey!”

Meiko took a step back.

It seemed I had hit the nail on the head.

‘How strange. My mentor’s desire must be to become a slightly more mature woman while I become a slightly younger boy than her.’

It would be the opposite.

She would take care of me, and I, looking younger, would receive that care.

Wasn’t that the desire Meiko wanted?

But the Meiko in front of me felt a bit different from usual.

“Then why are you acting so spoiled?”

“T-that’s……”

Meiko couldn’t answer.

“Max doesn’t need to know!”

She shouted, crossing her arms.

It seemed she was angry about not being able to touch a research subject that could never be obtained again.

“Researching Monica is not allowed.”

“……”

“You can’t look at it that way.”

Meiko, who was staring at me intently, bit her lip.

And then, at that moment, Frelia, who was next to me, whispered in my ear.

“Boss, I know a lot about women. It seems that the Great Boss isn’t angry because of the Dragon research.”

“Great Boss? What’s that?”

“It’s a nickname for your mentor. She likes it when you call her Great Boss. See? It’s cute. Our Great Boss.”

While my mentor is cute, that’s not what’s important right now.

“Then what is she angry about?”

“Well, you see……”

“Frelia! Don’t say it!”

Meiko shouted as she took Frelia away.

“Since it’s come to this, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

Frelia said with an awkward smile.

“Master, don’t be like that……”

“An incompetent student who doesn’t understand the heart of her mentor doesn’t need to know!”

“……”

After finishing her words, Meiko took Frelia and went upstairs.

Bang!

Meiko slammed the door shut.

I let out a sigh without realizing it.

I felt a throbbing in my head.

Was it because I had been away from the shop for a long time following the Hero on an expedition?

My mentor was a bit different from usual.

“I-I’m sorry. It’s because of me……”

Monica bowed her head deeply.

“It’s fine. It’s not your fault.”

It must be my fault.

Frelia said that Meiko wasn’t upset because I stopped her from researching the Dragon.

‘Is it because I didn’t bring her a gift?’

Or is it because I came back too late?

That didn’t seem to be the case…….

If that were the case, she should have scolded me as soon as I arrived here.

But instead, she welcomed me.

-Student, you’ve worked hard! I heard the news that you caught a Dragon! To capture a Dragon! You’re truly my student! No one will underestimate the Illusion magic school now!

She had been happy about that.

The moment she started getting angry was.

‘When I was protecting Monica from Meiko.’

Perhaps that was when she felt jealousy.

‘That doesn’t seem like her character….’

Meiko, who hated being underestimated by others for being young, always acted more mature than anyone else.

From her speech to her actions.

She was Meiko, who couldn’t even change her taste to be more adult-like, unable to drink bitter Americano properly.

In any case, she was someone who absolutely didn’t want to show her childish side to anyone else.

That’s why I thought her tastes had gone that way.

‘To think she would be jealous of Monica.’

She genuinely looked hurt by my actions, which seemed to prioritize Monica over her, her mentor.

“Is it because of me?”

While I was thinking that, Monica cautiously asked.

“It’s not because of you.”

It wasn’t her fault.

It definitely wasn’t the fault of the new customer who had just arrived at our shop.

This was my fault.

It was because of a careless remark I made to my mentor.

I had hurt her with words I let slip out without thinking, intoxicated by the comfort that came from spending a long time together.

“It’s my fault.”

“…M-Max…”

“Wait here. I’ll be back soon.”

Monica nodded like a well-trained puppy and sat upright on the sofa.

I went upstairs and knocked on the door.

There was no response.

“Master.”

“Your mentor is not here right now!”

I heard Meiko’s voice, filled with anger.

“…She’s not here?”

“Yes!”

“Really not here?”

“That’s right! So hurry up and go!”

“Master.”

I spoke towards the door connected to the second floor.

“I’m sorry. I should have taken better care of you, who had been away from Monica for a longer time, but I got too comfortable and ended up saying something harsh.”

“……”

“So please come out. Wouldn’t it be better to talk face to face?”

“I-I told you just now that your mentor, Meiko, is not here!”

Before her words could finish, the door opened.

“Alright, let’s stop this and forgive her. Great Boss.”

It was Frelia who opened the door from inside.

And standing right in front of the open door was Meiko, pressed tightly against it.

She had been listening to our conversation so closely?

“F-Frelia! What are you doing right now!”

Meiko shouted in a panic, revealing her feelings of betrayal and embarrassment.

“Great Boss didn’t want to fight like this either.”

“Th-that’s……”

Meiko, who was about to say something, tightly closed her lips.

“D-Don’t misunderstand. I’m forgiving her because Frelia asked me to forgive her. I absolutely! Did not forgive her!”

Meiko shouted, her face turning bright red.

“Have you not forgiven her yet?”

“Y-yes!”

“Then there’s nothing I can do.”

“What are you going to do?”

I slipped my arms around Meiko’s shoulders and legs and hugged her.

The so-called princess hug.

“Eek! M-Max!”

Meiko’s face turned bright red as I hugged her like a princess.

“To earn your forgiveness, I will be your feet, Master.”

“L-Let go! If others see this……”

“What will happen if they see?”

“They’ll tease me for being a foolish mentor who still clings to her student!”

“They will, huh? I must escort my mentor. At this rate, I feel like you’ll never forgive me for the rest of your life.”

“Ugh! W-wait a minute……”

It was clear that Meiko had almost no immunity to being cared for by someone.

She was weak to such active skinship.

That’s probably why she preferred the appearance of someone younger than herself.

Because she could have the upper hand.

I looked at Meiko, who was blushing in my arms.

She glanced at me, and as soon as our eyes met, she quickly lowered her head, which was adorable.

I wanted to pinch those soft cheeks.

As I took her downstairs, Meiko didn’t say a word and just blushed in my arms.

“I’m sorry. I should have been more attentive to you, Master.”

“……”

“I will continue to be on your side from now on, no matter who comes.”

At my words, she glanced at me.

“Then you’re allowing me to research the Dragon, right?”

Meiko said in a small voice, pouting her lips.

I shook my head.

“That’s not allowed.”

“I’ll just draw a little blood. I promise I won’t do anything else!”

“Please wait until Monica adapts to our life. She just came out of her Lair, after all. We need to take care of her.”

“We?”

“Yes. You and I, Master. We will work together in our shop from now on.”

“It’s an opportunity to observe the Dragon up close.”

“Of course. You can ask anything you want at any time.”

“R-really?”

“Once Monica has fully adapted, we can think about what parts we can research then.”

As I listened to her while standing by her side, she seemed to be gradually feeling better.

I said to her,

“And for a while, I won’t have time to research the Dragon.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I’m talking about Monica. That girl, she perfectly hid her Lair with Illusion magic.”

“She uses Illusion magic?”

At that moment, Meiko’s eyes sparkled.

“Yes. Moreover, she even created videos with Illusion magic.”

“Sh-she created videos?”

“Yes.”

When we arrived on the first floor, I carried Meiko to the sofa where Monica was sitting.

“D-did you finish?”

Monica, still sitting upright, asked without even turning her head.

How tense must she have been?

“Yes. She understood everything.”

I said that and gently placed Meiko down next to Monica.

“Ahem, due to my student’s earnest request, I’ll postpone the research! It’s a pity to miss the opportunity to poke and prod at the Dragon’s body, but I’ll make sure to make it feel good later. It won’t hurt!”

Anyone who hears that would misunderstand.

“……”

Monica looked at me with a frightened expression again.

“Don’t worry, it’s not something strange.”

Only then did Monica nod.

Meiko asked the frightened Monica,

“You can use Illusion magic, right?”

“Y-yes. Thanks to that, I was able to work at Max’s shop.”

“Right. Illusion magic. Then can you show me how much and how you can use it?”

“Ah, yes……”

At Meiko’s request, Monica took a deep breath and began casting her magic.

Hwaaa!

The surroundings lit up brightly.

-Charge Burst!

Monica’s favorite, Brave, began to appear in the illusion.

A word from the author (Author’s note)

Here’s an illustration of our mentor, Meiko, generated by AI. I’ll post a version with glasses separately later!

Thank you, Prominence, for the 30 coins of support!

I will repay your generous support with an entertaining story.

Thank you always!