Chapter 31
Chapter 31
"Yes. She said you're far better than she is."
"My, oh my..."
Lily was staring blankly at Viscountess Müller.
The wariness that had been clouding her face just moments ago had melted away like snow.
Viscountess Müller clicked her tongue inwardly.
'What on earth did Cassian do to her? How is she reacting this much just from hearing his name?'
A saintess who looked like she'd suspect a stack of cash was being shoved at her was disarmed by a single name.
At this point, isn't he practically a cult leader?
And the fact that the nation's saintess was under his spell made it even more unsettling.
'Don't tell me he even has a talent for seducing women?'
Now that I think about it, a picture does come together.
His supervising professor was Iris, several years older than him. Looking at how things were going, she was the senior one and the teacher, but Cassian held the upper hand.
Next was Elysia, assigned to the same group.
She, too, unlike her well-known image, had been smiling brightly whenever she looked at Cassian, hadn't she?
And now this pink-haired saintess in front of her, too.
'Ha.'
It was certain.
'He really inherited quite a gift from that count.'
Count Corinth del Farne had his share of women pining after him back in the day, both before and after he married.
This is why bloodlines are scary.
Müller pressed her advantage and drove the final nail in.
"I'll give you time to think, so take it calmly and answer me. This definitely isn't a bad offer for you..."
"I'll answer right now!"
"...Huh?"
Lily didn't even pretend to think about it.
She clenched both fists and shouted,
"I'll do it! I'll be your disciple! Absolutely!"
"Hah."
Good heavens.
A man can be that scary.
Viscountess Müller found Lily refreshingly straightforward, but at the same time she was floored by Cassian's influence.
Then Lily added hesitantly,
"Um... but, Professor."
"Go ahead. Anything."
"I don't want any other conditions. I have just one request."
A condition, huh.
Money? A scholarship?
Viscountess Müller crossed her arms and nodded.
"Tell me. I'll grant whatever it is."
Lily fidgeted, then opened her mouth a little shyly.
* * *
That same afternoon.
After class ended, I even postponed leaving and sank into the chair in my private lab, staring up at the ceiling in the most arrogant posture in the world, as always.
My legs were crossed and propped up on the desk, and my interlaced hands were supporting the back of my head.
I've been in this posture for days now.
It doesn't get old.
When would it ever get old?
Would I ever get tired of it in this life?
For life... well, not for life. But until graduation, I wanted to stay fixed like a statue in this pose, except during classes like Introduction to Herbalism where we actually got to farm.
The afternoon sunlight coming through the window warmed my stomach pleasantly.
"Wow, sexy."
No crown prince chasing after other women while leaving his future wife behind.
No villainess brewing radioactive tea.
No saintess showing up with animals hanging all over her like a Cassipet.
Even Professor Iris, my teacher, wasn't barging in recklessly because she was reading the room.
What more could a sanctuary be?
This is a sanctuary.
'Please, let the fridge and bed get here already. Especially the fridge—once it comes in, I'm filling it with drinks first.'
I'd already scoured every kind of fruit juice.
Just as my lips twitched at the happy image in my head,
Knock... knock...
A knock, spaced apart, came from the door.
'...What is it?'
There was only one person who could be coming.
So I was thinking "what" instead of "who."
But, how should I put it...
The knocking felt subtly different from usual.
Something... something was off.
A bad feeling creeping in, I dropped my shameless pose and sat up straight.
"Come in."
Creak.
Bad premonitions always become reality and smack you in the back of the head.
The door opened, and Iris came in.
But her expression was a sight to behold.
What is it? Did they raid my potato patch or something?
She was being far too fidgety.
This was unnerving.
My spine sensor detected danger and started blaring, "wee-woo, wee-woo."
"What's wrong? What trouble did you get into this time?"
"..."
She wasn't saying anything.
I really feel this all the time, but...
How is this even a teacher?
She's hesitating like she's terrified of getting scolded.
"Hoo."
No matter how much I bitch, nothing's going to change.
Let's not go on a knight-slaying rampage, Cassian del Farne.
More accurately, let's only go knight-slaying when there's 19+ bait.
Okay.
Mind control complete.
"Just tell me already. The suspense is making me more nervous. Don't tell me they took my lab away again?"
"No, it's not that..."
Iris fidgeted, then avoided my eyes and dropped a bombshell in a tiny voice.
"I'm really sorry, Cassian. This lab... it looks like you'll have to share it with someone for the time being."
"...?"
My hackles shot up instantly.
A bolt from the blue.
Mind-control system collapse.
Brain-rot begins.
"What?! Why? Suddenly? What kind of nonsense is that! You said this was my private space! You said it was exclusive!"
"Well... the situation got a little complicated."
"What's so complicated about that? Didn't Professor Hicks stamp it with his seal? Who'd dare object to the Magic Department's boss, the Great Mage?"
No, wait—after all that swagger from the old man, that's all he could do?!
As I flew into a rage over the injustice of it, Iris let out a long sigh and shook her head.
"I tried to stop it too... but there was an offer I just couldn't refuse."
"An offer you couldn't refuse?"
Isn't that the line mobsters use when they're about to bury someone in concrete?
Did they threaten you or something?
'Who would dare threaten the youngest Great Mage in the empire? Did the Emperor himself come?'
Tens of thousands of conspiracy theories flashed through my head.
But Iris's next words were painfully realistic, as if mocking my imagination, and that made them even crueler.
"The offer was to donate, free of charge, rare magical materials and ancient books worth three years of the department's budget. The only condition was permission for a certain student to use the lab."
Ah.
Fuck.
I think I know who the culprit is.
Throwing money around?
There's only one person in this place who can pull that off.
* * *
And the next morning.
When Iris came back, a very careful, familiar voice came from behind her.
"Excuse me..."
I slowly turned my chair around to check behind me, having been staring blankly out the window.
A pink-haired girl stood wedged in the doorway, holding a luggage bag nearly as big as she was with both hands.
It was Lily.
"...Ha."
A sigh burst up from the depths of my gut.
I ground my teeth.
This damned sunfish bastard even invaded my room?
Was the incinerator not enough for her?
'Viscountess Müller...'
So this was the big picture that woman had drawn.
Lily must have said something like, "Could you make room in Cassian's lab? That place makes really good jerky," and Müller must have said, "Sure, there's nothing money can't do," and thrown stacks of cash at the Magic Department.
For the professors in charge of the department's budget, it must have been too much money to refuse.
And it really would have been a shit ton of money.
'Damn... this is why money talks.'
No, fuck. If that was the plan, just give me the money instead!
I'm the one eating the damage and getting my privacy smashed to pieces, so why do the old geezers in the Magic Department get all the benefits!!
My state-of-the-art greenhouse!
My unlimited company card!
And now it had come back twisted into this.
Viscountess Müller, that woman.
This was absolutely intentional.
She did it to screw me over and to look after her own student.
I despaired at the fact that, in trying to peel Lily off, I'd ended up attaching an even bigger lump—using glue, no less.
Lily saw my murderous expression and ducked behind her luggage bag in a flash.
Even so, she kept peeking at me with sparkling eyes.
As if.
Do I look like I'm in the mood to receive greetings right now?
"What are you looking at? Eyes down. This is my home."
"...!"
Lily flinched, then quickly broke into a bashful smile.
Funny?
"Hehe. Please take care of me, roommate."
"Who are you calling a roommate? You're a parasite!"
"Hehe."
"You're laughing? You're laughing when you don't even understand the situation?!"
As I slammed my hand on the desk and stood up, Iris beside me cut in, her glasses flashing coldly.
"Cassian. This isn't your house. It's an academy lab."
"Is that what matters right now?! My sanctuary has been invaded!"
"...I'm sorry."
"Saying sorry doesn't fix it! You said it was my lab! My lab!"
"...I'm really sorry. I mean it."
Iris cowered.
Normally, that shrinking act would have been cute enough to cool my anger a little, but today was different.
Lily with me --> crown prince barges in --> oh shit, my future crown princess? --> guillotine ending.
Chop.
"Argh! Why is my fate like this!!"
I tore at my hair in agony.
Then it happened.
Rustle, rustle!
The zipper on the luggage bag Lily brought popped open on its own, and two fluffy balls popped out from inside.
A brown squirrel.
A white rabbit.
Apparently fascinated by the unfamiliar surroundings, they began sniffing around the lab floor.
"..."
A whole set, huh?
It's not a two-for-one deal, it's one plus three?
'Wait, why are there two? Where did the other one go?'
The moment a sense of dread flashed through me.
Tap, tap!
I heard a sound from the window.
No way.
I slowly turned my creaking neck and looked at the window.
There.
A baby sparrow was perched there.
With that same irritating look of, "What the fuck are you doing not opening the door?" it rolled its little head around and pecked at the window with its beak.
Very rhythmically.
Tap, tock! Tap!
"Aaaaagh!!!"
I knew it immediately—that little cop bastard.
When I chased it off last time, it must have gone to Lily and tattled, "That guy's lab seems fucking cozy. Maybe we could use it as a hideout?"
Meanwhile, the squirrel crawling around the floor trotted right up to my feet.
Then it tapped the toe of my shoe with its front paws.
Tap, tap.
'Hand it over.'
Its manner practically had "thug" written all over it.
"You jerky-thieving bastards are seriously storming in here now!!!!!"
My scream filled the lab.
In the middle of the chaos, Lily headed to the window with a bright smile, while Iris fidgeted helplessly and only toyed with her staff.
"May I open it?"
She says it so cheerfully.
"Do whatever you want..."
When Lily opened the window, the sparrow flew straight over my head and started pecking at me over and over.
"Looks like it's happy to see you, Cassian, after so long."
Bullshit.
My ass.
'In modern literature, there are scenes where they eat roast sparrow at a street stall.'
I'm really going to check whether this thing is edible soon.
Jerky-fed roast sparrow.
That sounds pretty good.
Damn it.