“Hmm….”
I’m slumped over the desk, letting out little whines.
Nameless approaches and sets a basket down beside me, opening his mouth.
“…Strawberries.”
He grabs three and shoves them into his mouth, munching away.
“Master, what are you thinking about?”
“…You don’t need to worry about it.”
Waving my hand dismissively towards Nameless, who is looking at me with concern.
Usually, whenever I have worries, I ask for Nameless’s opinion, but…
This time, I just can’t.
I rolled my eyes and looked at Nameless.
It seems like Nameless isn’t overly concerned about my struggles not spilling out.
“Is that so?”
He nodded and drifted away from me.
Well, he just moved to the bed in the same room.
And I focused my gaze on Nameless’s chest area.
“Tsk.”
As expected.
The wriggling insects that appeared after that incident have grown even bigger.
What on earth am I supposed to do?
Not to brag, but I’m confident I’ve accumulated more internal energy over 300 years than anyone else.
Yet, even though I’ve tried hard to suppress it myself,
Those disgusting things are now gnawing at not just Nameless, but my own internal energy as well.
No, to be more precise,
Are they eating into me to get to Nameless?
Letting out a deep sigh, I buried my face in my hands.
And,
The confusion swirling in my mind isn’t just about this.
The last words spoken to me by that skull before it dissipated.
“Transcendence…”
Surely that’s the next level I’m aiming for,
And that creature said it as if it knew some method.
Of course, it’s not more important than Nameless’s condition, but…
It’s also one of my long-standing goals that I can’t easily give up on.
…Did I kill it for nothing?
Even if Arnold was in danger back then,
It might have been better to capture and interrogate it.
“Sigh.”
No matter how much I regret the past, I can’t turn back time.
…Well, if I really move to the next level, who knows.
Rising from my seat, I turned to Nameless.
“Nameless, come along.”
“Yes, Master.”
With class time approaching,
Just sulking and worrying would be a waste of time.
Did Elia mention there’s a huge library here at the Academy?
It might be worth checking out as well.
“Hmm, I’ll rely on you today.”
I tucked the wooden sword Nameless made for me, number seven, into my waist and stepped out.
*
The lectures were running smoothly this time, unlike the first day.
Though finishing the first day’s class without a hitch helped,
The reason the students’ eyes were sparkling might be due to a certain rumor circulating at the Academy.
Well, since the rumor turned out to be true,
And it has been downplayed rather than exaggerated, I found it hard to refute,
I’ve practically become a figure equal to Camilla among the students.
Because of that, those students who attended my class on the first day wore displeased expressions at the sudden increase in the number of students.
But that’s not my concern.
“When engaging in battle, you mustn’t only focus on the tip of the opponent’s blade.”
I retracted the raised wooden sword and continued.
“From the angle of your toes to your waist, shoulders, and gaze, take everything in and think.”
As I continued the lecture,
Nameless tapped my shoulder and whispered in my ear.
“Master.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s almost over.”
I nodded slightly and looked back at the students.
What I saw were students whispering to each other while looking at Nameless and me.
Hmm, why are their faces turning red?
I tilted my head for a moment,
Clapped my hands lightly to cut through the oddly tense atmosphere.
“Let’s wrap it up here.”
“Ah… it’s already over?”
“That’s too bad…”
Some students sighed in disappointment that class was finished, and I smiled pleasantly at them.
Well, they might prefer to finish class a bit earlier…
But since I’m teaching in place of Camilla,
It wouldn’t hurt to put in some effort to leave a good impression, right?
“Well, we still have a bit of time left, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
Indeed, glancing at the clock, I saw I had about a tea-time worth of extra time.
“Gasp.”
“…Should I ask that?”
“Go for it!”
Exchanging glances, the students nodded, and one student, presumably their representative, stood up to speak.
“Professor! I heard the hero who dealt with the recent ambush was you, is that true?”
Are they talking about that skull-headed idiot…?
Nodding slightly, I responded.
“Um, I did lend a small hand.”
“Oooh…”
Seeing the students stir with excitement, I happily walked towards the podium.
“See, it’s true.”
“…I really did make the right choice signing up for this class.”
–Tap, tap, tap
“Silence.”
I knocked the podium three times and flashed a grin.
“Let’s stop the small talk here and move on to the next question.”
‘What should the next question be?’ Among the students whispering,
A quiet student who had been listening the whole time raised his hand.
“Professor.”
Turning to look at the student, I was met with a very familiar face.
Hmm, I see he’s going to ask about the lecture.
After all, the one who raised his hand was a student right next to me during the ambush,
So there wouldn’t be anything to ask about that.
I nodded at the student and spoke.
“Go ahead, Arnold.”
Arnold gulped before continuing.
“May I ask a personal question?”
“…A personal?”
“Yes.”
This nerd wants to ask a personal question?
“Hmm, go ahead, let’s see what you’ve got.”
Curiosity piqued, I nodded.
Arnold hesitated for a moment, glancing at Nameless, before opening his mouth.
“By any chance, what is the relationship between Professor Cheon and Assistant Instructor Cheon?”
“…Uh…”
–Thud!
I turned my head at the sound and saw Nameless glaring at Arnold with a furrowed brow.
What’s he suddenly acting like that for…?
No matter how much he’s my disciple, Nameless’s behavior from time to time baffles me.
Trying to dismiss it lightly, I turned to Arnold for the answer.
“We have a master-disciple relationship.”
“Oh.”
But Arnold must already know this?
With a puzzled expression on his face, he tilted his head, and it seemed he realized his explanation was lacking, continuing.
“I was wondering if you are related by blood, like siblings.”
“…What? Siblings?”
“Yes, your surnames are the same, right?”
Though it’s a perfectly understandable question,
The part that gets me flustered is the ‘siblings’ part.
I could understand if we were parents and child, but…
Hmm, doesn’t it look like I’m much older?
I mean, my actions exude experience!
Of course, I appreciate Arnold seeing me as youthful, but there’s a limit to flattery.
“Ahem.”
I calmed my twitching lips as best as I could and addressed Arnold again.
“Nameless and I are not related by blood, meaning we’re not family.”
Well, in spirit, I do think of her as family.
Nameless is well aware of how I feel,
So he would never resent or be disappointed by my answer.
“Then….”
Arnold turned back to Nameless, raising his lips in a smile.
“Are you two married?”
‘When it comes to the same surname for men and women, besides siblings, there’s only this case…’ Arnold mumbled softly.
The surrounding students also lit up with wonder, turning their gazes towards Nameless and me.
“…I was curious about that too!”
“Nice one, Arnold!”
And upon hearing Arnold’s question, I found myself stammering.
“W-what, what?”
Like a broken machine,
I flailed my arms while my face turned crimson.
…Married? Nameless and me?
Turning my head toward Nameless, who seemed averse to being linked with me as a partner, her lips were twitching non-stop.
…It’s a bit hurtful seeing her react like that.
Ah, that’s not it!
I whipped my head toward Arnold, glaring at him.
How could he ask such a question knowing I’m Nameless’s master?!
I-it’s against destiny for a master and disciple to become involved like that!
I need to set him straight!
“W-we, Nameless and I are not like that!”
With that thought, I thumped the podium and straightened my back.
–Ding, ding, ding
Just my luck, the bell marking the end of class rang,
And the students began to stand up, disappointed.
“…See? We aren’t even dating yet.”
“Ha, I’ll put three silvers on it.”
Did they really bet on such an absurd topic?
No, my words aren’t finished yet!
With a face as red as a tomato, I raised my voice so that it echoed through the classroom.
“…You all need to listen to me!”
But,
“See you tomorrow, Professor!”
“Thank you for today’s class!”
Regardless of my shout, the students rushed out of the classroom,
And by the time I collected my thoughts, Arnold had also vacated the room.
In the blink of an eye, it was just Nameless and me left in the wide classroom.
“…Ahem.”
Awkward.
To break the silence, I tried to whistle,
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