The box was adorned with a purple veil, the symbol of the Illusionist School.

After finishing up with magic and tidying the place, I examined the glasses Helen had given me.

A subtle magic resided in the shimmering silver that made up the frames.

“There’s mana? Could this be…”

“That’s right. The frames are made of Shiranda silver mined from the Shiranda mine.”

It was a material that naturally contained mana, making it a high-grade mineral used in alchemy.

More expensive than gold of the same weight, it was like a treasure to magicians.

The same went for spiritists.

Glasses inlaid with such a high-grade mineral.

The glasses themselves were expensive luxury items that required a considerable level of craftsmanship, and they even inlaid Shiranda silver into them.

“This must have cost a fortune.”

“It’s alright. It’s a token of my gratitude for your teaching, Teacher.”

She handed me the glasses, her face flushed with embarrassment as she cleared her throat.

It was an expression I often saw in my fantasies, but it was a very unfamiliar reaction in reality.

It’s a little awkward.

“…When are you going to change that way of speaking?”

“W-What way of speaking? W-What way of speaking did I change?”

Helen snapped back, her tone hurried and petulant.

“Never mind.”

“A-Anyway, since you don’t have any vision problems, I didn’t make separate lenses.”

“I see. There aren’t any lenses.”

The glasses were empty without lenses.

“I-I’ll get you lenses separately when I have the chance.”

“You didn’t spend all your allowance on the frames, did you?”

“W-What are you talking about? Do you think I’d spend all my allowance on something like this? I just kept it at a reasonable level because I thought giving you too big of a gift at once would make you uncomfortable, Teacher.”

Her grumbling was cute.

“I understand. Then, are you going back now?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll make good use of these glasses. I’ll have to wear them only in front of you, Helen.”

“…Of course. Don’t you dare wear them in front of any other woman.”

Did my words stir up some strange possessiveness in her?

After speaking, she grabbed her coat and headed out.

“Oh, and today’s events are a secret between you and me, Teacher. Don’t tell anyone else, ever.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not one to blab.”

“…Okay.”

Helen opened the door and hurried out as if fleeing.

“I-I’ll come again next time.”

“You’re welcome anytime.”

I saw Helen off as she left.

She ran through the streets of the capital as the sun set.

With the help of spirits, her disappearing figure resembled that of a Taoist master.

“Glasses, huh.”

Perhaps it was because of the fantasies I experienced with the image of a teacher wearing glasses.

Helen was showing a strange obsession with my appearance in glasses.

From now on, I’m supposed to wear glasses when using fantasies.

‘I guess she likes the glasses look.’

Do I really look that good in glasses?

I stood in front of the mirror.

I put on the lensless glasses that Helen had given me.

As the silver frames rested on my face, my reflection in the mirror exuded the aura of a scholar.

“Hmm… Do they suit me?”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure.

Since I had never worn glasses before, I couldn’t tell if they suited me or not.

However, one thing was certain: this look was a direct hit in Helen’s strike zone.

“I should do what the customer likes.”

Even if they’re a slightly temperamental customer, they’re still a customer.

‘Recently, she hasn’t really gotten genuinely annoyed.’

In fact, she rarely got annoyed at all.

Even then, it was all to provoke me on purpose.

I was about to take off the glasses when.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone was knocking on the shop door late at night.

“Who is it?”

“Package delivery.”

A package at this hour?

What’s going on with the civil servants who usually finish deliveries during the day and hardly work in the evening?

I opened the door, and the postman I saw every day was standing in front of the door with a large box.

“A package for the magician.”

“Do you usually work at this hour?”

“No. I don’t work during the night when the Emperor’s grace doesn’t reach. However, this is a special case.”

“Is that so?”

I looked at the package he was holding.

It was a small wooden box with a familiar symbol drawn on the surface.

The purple curtain, the symbol of the Illusion Magic School.

“Did my teacher send it?”

“That’s right. You saw right through it. Your teacher specifically requested that this be delivered urgently.”

She really was someone who was impossible to predict.

Sending things like this suddenly without any warning.

Should I say it’s just like my teacher to be able to persuade the postman at this hour?

“She insisted that it be delivered today no matter what. I couldn’t help it. Haha. I also received a decent amount of money.”

I was about to take the wooden box the postman was offering when he looked at me and asked.

“But what’s with the glasses?”

“Oh, I received them as a gift.”

“Hmm, they don’t really suit you, magician.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. You look too fierce with glasses on.”

“…I see.”

I lowered my hand, which was about to receive the wooden box, and looked at him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Let’s stop with the jokes. Teacher.”

“…”

At my words, the postman grinned.

“Where did you notice it?”

“The fact that the meticulous civil servant came at this hour.”

“You noticed it just from that?”

“The fact that my teacher, who has never offered money first, paid this friend’s postage in advance.”

“…”

“And the unnecessary compliment about my appearance. That friend has never mentioned my appearance. It was all just routine greetings.”

“That’s something I couldn’t have accounted for.”

After speaking, the postman’s appearance changed.

The tired young postman disappeared, and in his place appeared a beautiful woman with blue hair.

A woman with a refreshing charm full of playfulness.

She smiled with her eyes and sighed as if disappointed.

“You’ve become sharper than I thought!”

Unlike her refreshing appearance, my teacher, who was younger than me, had a very mature way of speaking. She tapped her fingers with a mischievous smile.

“Too bad. To be honest, I thought I could completely fool you with the illusion magic I researched this time.”

“Didn’t you deliberately give me clues?”

“Did I?”

Meiko shrugged her shoulders as if she didn’t know anything.

It was obvious that she had intentionally created loopholes to make me notice.

“You haven’t just been playing around.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“…Are you still researching that shameless magic circle?”

“Yes.”

“Facing desire directly is an act that goes against the teachings of the Goddess Church.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say that even the Saintess was enjoying that shameless magic circle.

I couldn’t handle the repercussions that would arise if I said that to a devout believer of the Goddess Church.

Besides.

‘It’s not just about showing it.’

I couldn’t say that either.

She would immediately shut down the magic circle.

“I’m controlling it well.”

“…I see. You’re a student who does well on your own, so I trust that you’ve understood me well.”

My teacher, who was younger than me, put her hands behind her back and sighed deeply.

‘Cute.’

In order not to be ignored by the deans and professors of other schools because she was young, she acted and spoke in a mature manner, making her look like an old soul.

She was a few years younger than me, but the gap between her actions and her old professor-like behavior was quite cute.

It was like a child desperately trying to look like an adult.

“Did you find what you were looking for?”

At my question, Meiko shook her head.

“No. I couldn’t find it. I searched the jungle behind the Witch’s Forest to find the Bretilla flower, a catalyst that can enhance illusion magic, but it’s nowhere to be found.”

Bretilla flower.

It was a purple flower with a legend that it could exert physical force just by combining it with a magic circle.

It was the legendary flower that all the magicians of the Illusion Magic School, who were ignored by all the schools because they had no physical power, were desperate to find.

Meiko, who had heard rumors that it was in the jungle beyond the Witch’s Forest located at the southeastern end of the Empire, had also headed to the jungle to find this flower.

That was why she had been stuck in the jungle for months without returning.

Meiko, who had ended up empty-handed, sighed deeply.

“But why are you looking for that flower?”

“…To not be ignored as an illusion magician. If I have that flower, I can exert enough physical force even with illusion magic.”

Perhaps it was because of her responsibility as the dean of the Illusion Magic School.

She was particularly conscious of people’s gazes.

Even now, she was taking the initiative to improve the perception of illusion magicians.

‘There are only two official illusion magicians, me and Teacher.’

I liked being an illusion magician now.

So what if there’s no physical power?

The physical power of the magic circle wasn’t necessary to create fuel.

Depending on how the caster applied it, indirect physical power could be exerted as much as possible.

Of course, it was a difference in perspective that arose because Meiko and I were looking in different directions.

Meiko was thinking of creating combat and elements that would be helpful in real life using illusion magic.

“Are you still worried about what other people think?”

“Of course. The budget that the government provides as a subsidy is so small that all our school can do is this.”

It was a poor magic school that could barely send mail even with collect calls.

The reason why I was running a shop and doing alchemy on the side was because there was almost no budget coming out of the Illusion School.

A grimy Illusion School.

“Wouldn’t it be better to apply illusion magic in a different way?”

“Max, you know very well how other magicians treat us. I don’t want to leave my beloved illusion magic as it is. Illusion magic is the one with the ultimate potential than any other magic.”

“…”

Meiko’s face was filled with determination.

“Ahem, let’s stop talking about dark things. I don’t have much time to stay here.”

“Are you leaving again?”

“Yes. I have to find the flower somehow. Now that I have a proper research facility there, the next work will be easier than this.”

Wait a minute.

“You have a research facility? Where?”

“Of course, I built it in a village near the jungle.”

“Where did you get the money?”

“…”

At my question, Meiko avoided my gaze.

“Teacher, don’t tell me you spent all the research funds I gave you?”

“Ahem, I didn’t spend it all. I left a little bit.”

“…How much is left?”

“1, 1…”

“Yes?”

“1 gold.”

“…”

What is this.

The money I had given Mayko as support was 40 gold.

That amount was more than enough to research for a year, even if she splurged on alchemical ingredients.

But she’s back in just a few months, and she says she only has 1 gold left?

“W-Well, the truth is, I used the support money too.”

“You touched the support money as well? Good heavens.”

“O-Only a little! About 3, 3 gold?”

4 gold would be within reason, I guess.

Considering that 1 gold is close to a farmer’s monthly salary, she spent the equivalent of a farmer’s salary for 4 months, but still, that’s within reason…

“I used 4, 40 gold.”

“You used 50% of the annual budget that comes out as support money.”

“…Sorry.”

I thought it was a little cool when she was indignant about the small amount of support money given to the Illusion School.

Scratch that.

“Give me the remaining support money. I should manage the support money.”

“A-Ahem… I left it in the forest.”

“You didn’t pawn it off somewhere, did you?”

“N-No. It’s not like that.”

“…”

Mayko hesitated, fidgeting with her fingers, and looked around before asking.

“S-So, about that. Is there any way I could get some money?”

“Is that why you came?”

“…Yeah.”

What am I going to do with this immature teacher of mine?