‘I thought I had gotten used to it.’
After spending so much time around Aisel lately, I thought I had grown considerably accustomed to seeing people.
I had even assumed that ordinary social activities would no longer pose much of a problem……
‘But one of them… no, one person and a crowd are entirely different things.’
To be fair, if there was only one cockroach, a person could at least summon the will to confront it.
But what if dozens suddenly came pouring out from beneath the refrigerator?
What if ten or twenty of them started scurrying around the living room?
Obviously, those situations could not be considered remotely equivalent.
The image played through my mind, and I shuddered.
Congratulating myself once again for limiting my class to forty students, I made my way to the seventh floor.
“Is Professor Prezel here?”
“Who are you?”
“Toscantana Aiden Peacevolt. I was recently appointed as a professor here.”
The Teaching Assistant looked flustered by my sudden visit but opened the door for me anyway.
At the same time, my gaze gradually lowered.
‘……’
Small.
Correction.
Very small.
She had curly white hair, slightly elongated ears of a different shape from an Elf’s, and a pair of small ram horns sprouting from her head.
Taken as a whole, the first thing she reminded me of was a gentle sheep.
What moved me most, however, was the fact that she had a human shape.
Four proper limbs! A torso! Distinct facial features!
…Something about being moved by those things felt fundamentally wrong.
When the awkward silence dragged on, the Teaching Assistant snapped at me.
“I can already tell exactly what you are thinking, so please stop staring!”
“Are you Beastfolk?”
“Why? Have you never seen one before?”
Never seen one……
Come to think of it, I had only ever seen them through a screen.
This was indeed my first time seeing one in person.
When I gave a slight nod, she covered her horns with her palms.
She was apparently trying to hide them, but her hands were so small that the tips of the horns still poked out.
The Teaching Assistant seemed to realize that as well. Her lips twitched before she let out a small sigh.
“So why are you looking for Professor Prezel?”
“I already told you. It concerns Ellin. From what I have seen, the two of them appear to know each other.”
“By Ellin, do you mean Iones Ellin? The first-year student ranked at the top of her year?”
“Correct.”
The Teaching Assistant tilted her head.
“We are the Department of Elemental Magic. Our students enter this department in their second year. You said she is a first-year, did you not? She should still belong to the general Department of Magic.”
Biele pointed with one small hand.
Department of Elemental Magic — Natural Elemental Studies.
Course: Applied Elemental Magic.
I fell silent.
Some universities admitted students directly into departments from the beginning, while others first placed them in broader faculties before having them choose the major that suited them.
With magic encompassing such an enormous number of fields, naturally, students began in a broader department.
During the first year, they learned various forms of basic magic before advancing into a specialized discipline.
“Professor Prezel came up during a conversation with Ellin. I thought she might be her academic advisor, so I came here.”
The Teaching Assistant shook her head again.
“First-year academic advisors should be selected from among professors responsible for the first-year students. Not a second-year professor.”
If that is what you are curious about, I could contact someone through a Communication Crystal for you.
I could hardly admit that I had not known any of this, so I remained silent.
As my silence continued, the Teaching Assistant began to sense that something was strange and cautiously asked,
“Um… are you going to wait?”
“If she will not be long.”
“She said she was stepping out briefly to make a call, so she should be back soon.”
Saying that she would prepare some tea, the Teaching Assistant turned away.
I watched her.
Cute tail.
Did she simply leave it exposed like that?
Between the ram horns and everything else, adapting a Beastfolk body to a lifestyle designed around humans could not have been easy.
There had to be all sorts of inconveniences.
“Professor?”
And then there was that extremely short stature…
If she was a Teaching Assistant, she had to be at least twenty. Was that the end of her growth? Or could she grow taller? Differences between male and female Beastfolk—
“Professor!”
The sharp voice brought me back to my senses.
I looked at the Teaching Assistant, whose face had become faintly flushed, and narrowed my eyes.
“What is it?”
“I… brought the tea.”
“I see.”
Then I continued staring blankly at her.
She had brought tea.
So what?
Judging by the way she had shouted, she clearly had something else to say.
As I continued looking at her, the Teaching Assistant awkwardly avoided my gaze.
“Um… Professor. Your stare is a little uncomfortable.”
My stare?
“Ah, is that so? I had no ill intentions. Please understand. I was merely thinking about Beastfolk.”
“If you are curious, you can just ask… Staring at me like that with a face like yours is a little……”
What was wrong with my face?
Putting that aside, I brought up the excuse I had prepared.
“I heard there is a Master among the Beastfolk. The White Tiger, I believe. Have you ever met him? I heard he is enormous and wields a Greatsword……”
“Uh… um.”
The Teaching Assistant froze, apparently at a loss for words.
“Ordinary people do not get to meet a Master just because they want to, Professor Aiden. Do you have any idea how fiercely nations protect people like them?”
Though I suppose you are something of an exception.
I ignored that last remark.
I had no idea when Professor Prezel had entered, but she began speaking in a warm, gentle voice.
There was, however, a faint trace of bewilderment mixed into her tone.
She carried herself like a seductive, mature woman.
Her voice had a deep, ripened richness to it, like a dark red rose approaching full bloom, and it lingered pleasantly in the ear.
When I turned toward her, I saw a voluptuous woman with red hair.
“Professor Prezel, I presume. I am—”
“I know. Professor Aiden. You do not need to stand. So, what brings you to see me?”
After asking the Teaching Assistant to prepare tea for her as well, Prezel settled onto the sofa.
If she was going to sit down anyway, did she really need to pose in a way that emphasized her figure and smile as though she were trying to entice someone?
Especially certain parts of it.
‘Well, I suppose that is simply her preference.’
I certainly was not too tired to point it out.
“May I ask one thing before we discuss my business?”
“What is it?”
“Are you of mixed Witch ancestry? Or are you a Witch yourself?”
There was a reason I asked.
For one thing, she did not look like a chitinous insect despite supposedly being human.
A seductive woman?
If I could recognize that much with my own eyes, then she was not fully human.
Yet she did not look like an Elf either.
Elves were famous for their exceptionally long ears, so unless she was mixed-blooded, the lack of those ears was enough to rule them out.
That left only Witches among the likely possibilities.
A people possessing immense mana and exceptional magical ability, with women comprising the overwhelming majority of their population.
Prezel let out a quiet sound of surprise.
“I suppose a Master really does have a different kind of Energy Sense. Not many people recognize it the moment they meet me. I am Half-Witch. Does that answer your question?”
It was not Energy Sense.
I had simply guessed.
…But since she had conveniently misunderstood on her own, I did not correct her.
“I came regarding Ellin.”
“Oh my.”
Her eyes widened enough to produce an audible expression of surprise.
When I looked at her as though asking what the problem was, Professor Prezel shook her head.
Instead, her gaze deepened.
“So you are the home that girl found.”
“Home?”
I asked her to explain the incomprehensible remark, but all I received was the sly laughter characteristic of a Witch.
Apparently, she intended to keep whatever amused her entirely to herself, so I quickly gave up asking.
…Though if that was the case, I wished she would stop making it so obvious.
She stopped trying to look seductive and instead smiled brightly at me.
“What exactly are you talking about?”
“Oh, nothing. I was merely thinking… that girl has rather high standards. I wonder whether she realizes how difficult things will be. Hehe.”
“…Enough idle conversation. Were you the one who told Ellin that the coat belonged to me?”
“Not exactly. I merely inferred things from the clothing brand and its size. I had no idea it actually belonged to you, Professor Aiden.”
I nodded.
That much was understandable.
“Ellin has been following me around rather persistently.”
“Oh my, my.”
“She has no particular need to attend my lecture. Which is why……”
“She is obsessed with you!”
Prezel leaned forward with obvious curiosity.
Her lips had parted slightly in excitement.
“…I am concerned that a student from the Department of Magic is wasting her time. Going off-topic during class is not particularly desirable either, so if the two of you are acquainted, I was wondering whether you might speak to her.”
“Off-topic? About what sort of things?”
I swallowed my answer.
I absolutely could not mention runes.
The moment I said ‘runes,’ this professor’s eyes would probably light up as well.
If I could prevent that problem in advance, all the better.
I looked away slightly and gave a vague answer.
“That is nothing you need concern yourself with. Ahem.”
When I cleared my throat awkwardly, Prezel’s face suddenly turned bright red.
Her expression looked as though she had just witnessed something embarrassingly youthful and indecent.
What?
“I-is that so? Yes, well. I suppose there can be conversations meant only for the two of you. Yes. Mm-hmm.”
Something about this conversation felt increasingly strange……
I could only hope I was imagining it.
“This may be somewhat inappropriate to ask, but I heard that you conducted Ellin’s entrance interview. So I was wondering whether you might still have her application materials.”
“Something like her personal statement?”
“Yes.”
Ordinarily, this would violate professional ethics.
Ellin was not even a student under my supervision, so I had no right to casually inspect her documents.
Yet Prezel asked me a question with an intensely mischievous smile covering her face.
“Is it because you are interested in her?”
‘Interested?’
Of course I was interested.
If I were not, I would hardly have come all the way here.
‘The problem is that this interest is threatening my life.’
If someone had their hands around your throat and kept shaking you, would it not be stranger to show no interest at all?
“You could say that.”
“Wow……”
Prezel became speechless and hurriedly turned her head away.
Why had she been acting like this the entire time?
She even broke into a series of dry coughs while deliberately avoiding my gaze.
“…You know that I am not normally allowed to show you this, right?”
“Yes. Which is why I apologize for making such a difficult request.”
“R-request is a bit much. Well, if you are asking a favor, I suppose it cannot be helped.”
She discreetly pulled a document from a drawer and handed it to me.
Then she glanced around before leaning closer and whispering something meaningful.
“You are surprisingly naughty, Professor Aiden.”
I was speechless for quite some time.
There were plenty of things I wanted to object to.
But from an outside perspective, I was a man asking for a female student’s personal statement.
There was very little room for me to defend myself.
Naughty, sly, underhanded—
whatever description anyone attached to me, I had no convincing defense……
Of course, my actual purpose was entirely different, but would a third party see it that way?
For once, I found myself genuinely grateful that Ellin was already over twenty.
Even if her physique certainly did not make it look that way.
“It is all right. These things happen. I understand completely.”
“What exactly do you understand?”
“Well, possessiveness is simply like that.”
“……”
I squeezed my eyes shut and gave up on correcting the misunderstanding.
This professor was the same type as Ellin.
Once she decided something was true, she would never believe a denial.
Arguing would only tire my mouth.
“I will repay you for this later. Then, I shall take my leave.”
“There is no need for repayment. Have a pleasant day.”
Leaving the brightly smiling Professor Prezel behind, I exited the office.
My mind and body were exhausted, but I had accomplished quite a bit.
More importantly, her office had been densely but tastefully furnished, which made it useful as a reference.
‘I do need to decorate my office eventually.’
I should probably do something about that barren atmosphere.
After Aiden left, the smile remained on Prezel’s face.
Biele, the sheep-blooded Beastfolk Teaching Assistant, released a quiet sigh.
“Why are you in such a good mood?”
“Because the student I have my eye on seems to be settling in nicely?”
“Iones Ellin? All the professors in the Department of Magic have been talking about her lately. Is she really that exceptional?”
“Yes. If the ideal pursued by Mages is the pure state of all things, then the most realistic ultimate form they aspire toward would be someone like Student Ellin.”
“The combination of Spirit Sensitivity and enormous reserves of mana?”
Prezel nodded.
“She was born with the advantages of both Witches and Elves gathered into one monstrous package, and her Mana Attunement has surpassed even what I would call genius. She works extremely hard as well. If everything proceeds normally, that girl will probably become the next Archmage.”
Biele looked surprised for a moment before quickly regaining her composure.
“That is impressive.”
“Why? Are you jealous?”
“I am not a Combat Mage. I specialize in theory.”
“Our fields are different.”
As she spoke, Biele quietly looked out the window.
Outside, the blond-haired man was leaving the building.
Ordinarily, the distance should have made his figure indistinct, but his unique presence made him surprisingly easy to recognize even from afar.
“…Besides, there is another true genius over there.”
“That is true.”
“Hehe.”
Prezel gave her usual alluring smile and closed her eyes.
Her expression suggested that she was thoroughly looking forward to the turmoil that was bound to come.