Chapter 19 – Hungry Little Angels
In the director’s office, I was sweating profusely.
“The hero of the Sixth Holy Sword and the daughter of the Clan Clorand were killed on the spot, and they only retrieved the Holy Sword.”
“In summary, that’s how it turned out. Oh, Director, didn’t I work too hard for you to see? Isn’t it commendable that I even retrieved the Holy Sword one by one! If I mishandled the Holy Sword, it would have put me in a dangerous situation!”
“……Hmph! This is ridiculous! Fine, I got it. I understand. I’ll make sure to convey it well to the other heroes. Since the corruption of the hero of the Sixth Holy Sword will be recorded in the Holy Sword Archive, convincing them shouldn’t be a problem. The only issue… is how to inform the Clan Clorand about this.”
“They probably… won’t take it quietly… right…?”
“Given the situation with my daughter’s death… the Viscount Clorand will probably tread carefully for a while because of the other heroes, but I honestly can’t guarantee how long he can hold out.”
“Understood. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Please don’t remember this. I will try my best to not get involved. I will handle this on my own.”
“If that’s what you wish.”
When asked if the sudden disappearance of the hero would confuse the students, the response came back saying that it would be dealt with first.
“And… Since the Sixth Holy Sword died, there is no reason for Cecilia to stay in that party. When I asked for her opinion, she said she wanted to stay at this school, so I handled it that way. Is that all?”
“……….”
“……….”
“……….”
“……….”
“Professor Nepherna?”
“Oh! Yes… Yes! Chairman! That’s all… It seems like it, and it doesn’t seem like it…”
As I scratched my head and got lost in my thoughts, the chairman let out a sigh and put down his dumbbells.
“It’s like you’re a completely different person when you go in and out of the bathroom, Professor Nepherna.”
“hahahahahat, I’m really embarrassed about this.”
“… Alright, I understand, so go ahead and tell me.”
“Well… um… it’s nothing special, really…”
“There’s nothing that would surprise me! Just be honest.”
“Well……”
“Um.”
“Cecilia…”
“Your assigned student, I presume. By the way, is there anything wrong with your health? Are you injured at all?”
“The second daughter of the Clorand family suffered severe injuries from the spell cast by her sister…”
“Oh, well. At least she managed to save her life in time. It’s fortunate to see Professor Nepherna giving such a casual response. hahahahahat! “
“hahahaha! Of course!”
“hahahahahat!”
“hahahahaha!”
“hahahahahat!”
“Sir.”
“What is it?”
I said unexpectedly at that moment.
“I had no choice but to turn Cecilia into a relative. I’m sorry.”
I will never forget the expression that was illuminated by the backlight shining through the shimmering scalp of the director at that moment.
***
As a highly anticipated time instructor at the Empire’s prestigious Magic Academy, and the only one to provide luxury lectures to growing saplings, I, Eugene Seo Nepherna, have recently had a new concern.
“…… Now, that’s it for today’s lecture. If you have any questions, please come to me personally, and if necessary, I will share them in the next class. Good job.”
As soon as I put down the chalk, the chairs in the classroom creaked as if they were waiting. It is very rare for students to ask questions when it’s not during exam time.
Of course, I don’t bother myself with such trivial matters. Studying is the student’s responsibility, and I knew very well that expecting it to lead to the next achievement was not a problem.
I was just quietly walking down the corridor, fleshing out a slightly cunning but shallow plan to twist the correlation problem between the main and auxiliary forces for the next exam.
Tip tap tip tap….
A shadow following closely behind me.
The embodiment of my recent worries and my one and only assigned student.
The swaying tail. Pointed fox ears.
The unusually tall student with striking height was named Cecilia.
When I turned around, she began to sway her tail as if she had been waiting.
Swaying gently. The frequency of tail swaying per minute starts to increase rapidly.
A slightly contemplative face and sharply pointed fox ears came into view.
This child, as if waiting for me to speak, blinked her large eyes and gazed at me affectionately.
“Cecilia.”
“Yes, teacher.”
“Do you have any questions you’d like to ask, by any chance?”
“………… A question.”
She pondered for a moment, then gestured to me as if something had come to her.
… Is she asking me to come closer?
Well, the hallway isn’t exactly a suitable place for sharing secrets. It’s just enough for leaning in and listening.
As I brought my ear closer,
“Haah…” A warm breath burst out with a sigh.
My ear melted. Seriously melted. My brain shrinks, and the sensation of all blood rushing to my ear is so vivid that it feels like it’s melting.
Too close! Why is she getting so close these days? Wasn’t it like this before?
I was about to step back in surprise, but Cecilia’s slender voice continued.
“Um… I think I lack blood.”
“Blood…?”
Blood shortage? Are you talking about me?
Well, I’m in a state where every syllable of your voice is itching my ears. I might have been caught trying to forcibly suppress it. Imagining being accused of having perverse thoughts about a student’s voice made me suddenly melancholic.
However, Cecilia continued with a completely unrelated story.
“Professor Freya mentioned that in the early stages of becoming kin, you would need a lot of blood.”
“Ah, that’s true. Are you feeling very dizzy?”
“A little.”
“I see. Understood.”
There weren’t many ways to save Cecilia, who had been severely injured in the snowfields.
Visible trauma could be healed with magic, but minor injuries required examination by a specialized healing magician. Each race had its own medical methods, and it involved dealing with the anatomical characteristics of each race, so even I wasn’t very knowledgeable about it.
Therefore, the only way to save her on the vast snowy field was to turn her into kin, like me.
Becoming kin didn’t bring about drastic changes in the body. After all, Cecilia hadn’t discarded any of the characteristics of the Foxkin.
But I hadn’t delved into how she was accepting being ‘kin’ yet.
“I’ll collect the blood in a vial. Come back around the end of lunchtime.”
As I said that, my collar was tugged. Cecilia murmured with a subtle expression, her tiny lips moving hesitantly.
“Like last time… with a finger…”
“Last time? …No.”
“……….?”
Cecilia perked up her ears and tilted her head, even with such a pitiful expression.
“…Can’t I?”
“No.”
“Finger….”
“No.”
“…Just once…”
“No.”
Last time, I couldn’t help it because you were unconscious, but you can’t just bite someone’s finger without any reason, even if it’s your disciple…
From Noble mtl dot com
Cecilia, who was tilting her head, twitched her fox ears with a lazy expression, and suddenly asked this out of the blue, deep in thought.
“What time do you usually go to sleep, teacher?”
“Sleep…?”
“Yes.”
“Suddenly?”
“I’m curious.”
“Hmm… I usually go to bed around midnight.”
“Midnight…”
For some reason, the child nodded absentmindedly and bowed, then turned around and went back the way she came.
Because it was such a sudden action, I was surprised and called out to her.
“Cecilia, where are you going?”
“I’ll see you in a bit, teacher.”
In a bit? Cecilia, what on earth are you talking about… Please explain even just a little before you go.
I rubbed my forehead and sighed inwardly.
I did hope that the distance between us would get closer, but I didn’t mean for it to get this close…
Lately, there have been moments when Cecilia’s actions made my heart race.
Perhaps it was because even the slightest touch on the shoulder, a gentle tap, made me startle and falter. When I turned around, Freya was blinking awkwardly.
“…Eugene? Why are you so startled?”
“Oh, no… Freya.”
“Why are you like that? Is class over?”
“Uh, it is over. …Have you eaten?”
“No? I was thinking of grabbing a bite now… Want to come along?”
Without much thought, I nodded briefly at Freya’s cheerful question.
***
“You could have just eaten at the staff cafeteria. Wasn’t it troublesome to come outside just because of me?”
“Sometimes, this is nice too. Exotic food.”
Freya loves rice cooked from scratch. I’ve heard that rice was the staple in the country where she was born in her past life. It’s a common sight among those who’ve crossed over from another world, seeking comfort in foods familiar from their past lives, but Freya’s face lights up particularly when she eats rice.
This restaurant, too, was started by someone from another world and has now gained popularity with branches nationwide. Freya happily tapped her feet while relishing mouthfuls of white rice.
…Is it really that delicious? Honestly, I’m not a fan.
“This semester, luckily, the schedule worked out. hahahaha, I didn’t expect classes to end in the same building.”
“Yeah. Last semester, it was in buildings on opposite ends of the campus. I starved out of laziness.”
“I won’t say it often, but don’t skip lunch and stuff. You always skip breakfast anyway.”
“Are you my mom?”
“I’m a guy. …In my past life, though.”
“Then, you’re my dad.”
“… Let’s stop talking.”
Although it was a joke, I regretted it belatedly.
I made a slip of the tongue. I couldn’t help but feel nervous.
To dine with Freya, you generally have to stake your life.
The reason, of course, is Freya’s cult of adoration. Last time, I nearly lost my life to a dagger falling from the sky.
Today might be indigestion again. I wonder if Wendy has antacids…
“What are you doing?”
“Fortune-telling.”
“Fortune-telling? Are you guarding an ammunition depot?”
“You never know where Freya’s cult might snipe me from.”
“More nonsense… Do you really think I’ll fall for that?”
“… Well, I don’t know if you’ll fall for it, but I seem to have discovered something else today.”
We were dining at an outdoor table. People passing by were clearly visible.
Where I subtly pointed, two little kids were standing at a distance, staring at us intently.
If they were ordinary kids, they would have waved playfully and said hi when our eyes met. But the siblings didn’t seem to be in good spirits.
A little boy tightly holding hands with his younger sister.
Dirty clothes covered in dust, a disheveled appearance.
Finally, the girl among them gathered her courage and started to approach. The waiter tried to intervene due to their messy appearance, but we hurriedly gestured to allow them.
The trembling voice belonged to the little girl.
“I’m sorry… um… we’re too hungry… my brother… he’s very hungry… really… sorry… just a piece of bread…”
As I approached closely, her face seemed even more pitiful. The girl, pale in complexion and trembling in voice, spoke in a frightened manner.
“……..”
Begging, perhaps.
It wasn’t common in this area, but it wasn’t an entirely unfamiliar sight either.
What made me and Freya react slowly was the snow-white wings behind the siblings. That distinct feature was unmistakable.
The Baneer tribe.
It unmistakably resembled the wings on Freya’s back.