You Rascal!

After an awkward moment of staring at each other, Protagonist and Master-nim decided to move to a different spot.

…And while we were at it, she should put on some clothes.

Even if we had seen everything there was to see of each other, having her lower body completely exposed was a bit… wasn’t it? While Master-nim went to change, I opened the Workshop’s window to let the thick Spirit Grass mist dissipate.

As the slightly sweet yet refreshing scent gradually faded, the interior of the Workshop slowly became clearer.

Traces of research that had been vaguely visible now appeared one by one.

A familiar beaker, presumed to have contained Cecil’s essence.

Countless remnants of research.

Even the familiar pill-shaped Pills were visible.

After observing those traces for a moment, I headed to the reception room where Master-nim was waiting. Passing through the familiar Corridor, I opened the door to find Master-nim seated, a Pipe-like object held in her mouth.

A soft puff of white smoke emerged with a sigh.

…It seemed she was quite troubled. She only smoked Spirit Grass when things weren’t going well and she felt frustrated, whereas she drank alcohol because it tasted good.

Watching her press her temples wearily while smoking the Spirit Grass… my heart felt heavy. It felt like I had burdened her unnecessarily.

Was I making Master-nim suffer needlessly, when there seemed to be a clear method available?

But Master-nim also adored Cecil…

“Why are you standing there blankly? Come and sit.”

“Ah, yes, Master-nim.”

As I hesitated, Master-nim’s voice reached me.

I quickly ran and sat opposite Master-nim.

Facing her again, she looked truly haggard. Her already pale face was even more pallid, as if proving she hadn’t seen sunlight in a while, and the dark circles, signs of fatigue, were deep.

Through the lightly worn clothes, her fair skin was visible… and as I had seen earlier, thanks to that thing attached to her lower body, her loose clothes were puffed up like a tent.

After staring for a moment, I cleared my throat and spoke.

“…Why is that attached to you?”

I wondered if it was a good first question… but why? It just blurted out. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been subjected to so much already.

“Is that the first thing you say after returning after so long?”

“Ah, no, that’s not it…”

“It’s a joke. Is there any special reason? I merely… experimented on my own body.”

“…I feel somewhat sorry.”

As Master-nim chuckled, white smoke emerged from her mouth. It felt somewhat decadent, clashing with Master-nim’s gentle eyes.

“Still, it seems my disciple still has some shame left. So, what brings you all the way here? Surely you didn’t come chasing after me, unable to wait that long….”

…That’s exactly it. The research wasn’t progressing, and I was scared of my body’s increasingly strange reactions. How desperate must I have been to abandon all my money-making ventures and come here?

I swallowed those words down my throat and pulled up the corners of my mouth.

“You said you were coming, but you didn’t, so I rushed over, wondering if something had happened.”

“…As if a rascal who hasn’t contacted me in years would do that.”

“That… I’m sorry about that, I told you…”

As I bowed my head with a sigh, a slender hand rested on my head. I felt its slightly cool touch stroking my hair.

It was cool, yet warm.

…I accepted that touch, which I would have pushed away just a short while ago. That alone warmed my heart. Nothing had been resolved yet, though.

I heard Master-nim’s soft chuckle.

“My disciple has become more childish in the meantime.”

“…I suppose so.”

“Shall I give you a hug?”

“…Maybe not that.”

“Why are you so shy?”

No, it’s not that! A hug! It’s good! It’s fine. Everything’s fine, but… could you perhaps put that thing away first? I mean, if it were just attached, I wouldn’t mind, but… could you please let that Erection subside?

“Well… could you either get rid of it or make it subside first?”

“Ah.”

When I looked up, I saw Master-nim blinking, her face showing she hadn’t expected that. Soon, she tilted her head.

“Can’t we hug even with it attached? I thought all human males did that.”

“…N-no, human males don’t do that when it’s that erect.”

“…Hmm, I see. Since this is always like this, I thought everyone was like that.”

That’s truly… a terrifying world.

Men hugging each other while erect. I don’t particularly want to imagine that.

Whether she knew my thoughts or not, Master-nim didn’t seem to have any intention of taking down the tent.

“Getting rid of it that way… somehow hurts my pride.”

“Oh… is that so?”

“Yes. For now, just as you said, I thought if I researched a way to get rid of it without ‘pulling it out,’ I might find a clue.”

“Ah…”

The tent twitched.

“So… have you made any progress?”

“…There were no particularly meaningful results.”

“I see.”

Master-nim mumbled with a gloomy expression.

So… had she been living like that, constantly erect? Now that I think about it, she wasn’t wearing anything on her lower body earlier.

…She probably did that because it was uncomfortable.

Anyway, with it constantly twitching, I felt my heart pounding. If you asked if it was fear… no, it wasn’t. My body was, rather… yes, I came here because I was scared of these reactions.

But… just as I suspected… there really were no results.

Thinking that… I, too, became depressed. Even Master-nim, who taught me, hadn’t achieved any results. No matter how much of an outstanding alchemist I was, surpassing my teacher, I couldn’t disregard Master-nim’s years of experience.

That means there’s still no way to reverse it with Alchemy… or rather, there is a way, but it’s a method that can’t be used.

By the way, is she alright health-wise, staying erect for such a long time? I can’t judge by human standards, but even if she’s an elf… she shouldn’t be completely fine.

“Have you had any health problems? Your face looks pale… and it’s not good for that thing down there to stay like that constantly.”

“Hmm…”

At my question, Master-nim suddenly averted her gaze.

Could something bad have happened?

“Nothing happened, did it?”

What’s an Erection compared to Master-nim’s health? Worried about Master-nim’s body, I approached her. Then, for some reason, Master-nim hesitated, stood up, and put some distance between us.

At that sight, my suspicion gradually turned into certainty.

“Why can’t you tell me! You don’t need to do this because of me… get rid of it quickly!”

Thinking that Master-nim was suffering pain she didn’t deserve because of my stubbornness, my eyes welled up. My emotions had been running wild lately anyway, so it was… a natural outcome.

It didn’t take long for the tears, which had been welling up, to fall, drip, drip. Then, Master-nim approached with surprised eyes and pulled me into her embrace.

Even though that thing beyond her clothes pressed against my stomach, my tears didn’t stop and continued to flow.

“Ah, no, why are you suddenly crying? I’m fine. I’m fine.”

“But… but when I thought Master-nim was hurting because of me, I suddenly… *sob*, *hiccup*…”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake… I-I said I’m fine, didn’t I?”

I felt Master-nim’s slender fingers stroking my head. From within her embrace, the scent of Spirit Grass and a fresh, fruity body scent wafted up. Unlike her slightly cool hands, the thing I felt inside her embrace and… against my stomach was hot.

Immensely.

Master-nim, who held me until my tears stopped flowing, opened her mouth with an awkward expression.

“…Don’t worry, I don’t keep this attached until my body hurts, like you’re imagining.”

“Then… why didn’t you just say so?”

“Well… it’s like this.”

Master-nim, who had been silent for a moment, blushed. Because her skin was so fair, the change was clearly visible. Her slightly cool hands also became warm.

“…After it became painfully hard, when I woke up, it was gone, along with traces of essence having been discharged.”

“Ah.”

In other words, she had a wet dream… that’s what she meant. As I realized that fact, my head cooled. I pulled away from Master-nim’s embrace and put a little… distance between us.

Then, Master-nim, whose cheeks were flushed for a different reason, clenched her Pipe tightly in her hand and got angry.

“Y-you rascal! Why did you have to pry like that?!”

“Ah, n-no, I was just… w-worried! You’re not going to hit me with that, are you? M-my body is very fragile, you know?”

There was a bit of a commotion, but once I confirmed that Master-nim was fine, the atmosphere quickly lightened. After a brief game of tag that felt almost nostalgic, I told her, panting heavily, that I had companions with me.

She snapped at me, asking why I was only telling her now, then closed her eyes and mumbled something.

Soon after, someone knocked on the door. Naturally, it was my companions. It seemed she had given orders to the Guardians.

Oh, and… before my companions arrived, Master-nim’s rod… was properly stowed away.

The rod would be securely attached beneath Master-nim’s loose clothes.

On Master-nim’s stomach, that is.

Veronica, her face filled with emotion upon arriving at Master-nim’s Hideout for the first time, Claudia looking around with interest, and Cecil, who seemed delighted to meet Master-nim after a long time, and Master-nim, who gazed at Cecil with satisfaction.

It felt like I had gone in circles, ultimately lost my way, and confirmed that there were no signposts whatsoever.

…But I didn’t feel too bad.