Chapter 18
I slept like a log, I was so tired.
I woke up and tidied my messy hair, and when I checked Lucian’s bed, it was empty.
He went out for training early in the morning again today. Right, get stronger quickly and give me a ride on the protagonist bus.
The next thing to check was the lizard, Albedo, sleeping soundly on the pillow, spread out in a ‘大’ shape.
…So lizards snore too. I learned something new.
“Hey.”
I pressed the lizard’s head with my index finger to wake it up. Where does a lizard think it’s sleeping when its master is awake?
“Wake up, Albedo.”
《Ugh… I had a rough night over here.》
“Don’t be a crybaby.”
More importantly, can demons even have a rough night’s sleep? Aren’t they the ones who cause it?
Albedo looked at me with a reproachful gaze, as if asking how I couldn’t even know that.
Geez. I pressed Albedo’s head a few more times.
“You said you’d teach me how to handle my power.”
《From tomorrow….》
Didn’t you propose a contract because the power I use was interesting?
When I pressed its head again, Albedo slapped my finger with its tail, thwack! as if it wouldn't tolerate it anymore.
At the same time, my body lost its balance and I fell onto the bed with a thud.
An indescribable silence and awkwardness flowed between the lizard and the human.
《You’re not going to say it’s my fault, are you!》
“F*cking h*ll!”
I cupped my throbbing finger with my palm.
It hurts like hell! I almost broke my finger!!
Is that conscience-less demon trying to kill someone, what is this. My durability stats have only just reached 5 each!
“I’m more fragile than you think!”
《…And such a fellow had the nerve to confront me.》
“If you bring that up, the one at a disadvantage won’t be me, but you.”
Albedo didn’t offer any rebuttal. Well, the way it stared at me was certainly insolent.
“Anyway, help me.”
《Alright, if you wish it so, I must follow.》
The lizard that had crawled onto the bed went up to my shoulder.
After confirming that it had settled properly, I headed straight for the clearing where I had experimented with my skill before.
It was before classes started, a morning that wasn’t too early, so I only saw people occasionally.
When I arrived at the clearing, I immediately put Albedo down on the ground.
《Just like back then, try to bind me again with your power.》
“I’m not going to vomit blood again, am I?”
《Don’t be scared for no reason.》
Right, because I’m the one who’s going to be vomiting blood.
Grumbling, I expressed my intention to use my skill, and a pure white parchment and quill pen appeared before my eyes.
“Albedo, by any chance, can you not see this?”
《What am I supposed to be seeing?》
Albedo tilted its head and asked.
So it’s invisible to a demon’s eyes.
If even the (former) Demon King can’t see it, it really was a fellow with a track record of destroying the world twice.
But… why on earth did the system give me this power? What does it want?
If the purpose was just to prepare for the terrible future to come, it wouldn't have given me a cheat-like power like this.
The question wasn't resolved, but in the end, I had no choice but to move as the system wanted. If it threatened me with a reset, I had to follow anyway.
“I’ll bind you like before.”
「Baal cannot move a single step.」
As I wrote the words, charrrrrk, small chains tailored to the size of the lizard poured out and bound Albedo’s body.
At the same time, the strength drained from my whole body and I collapsed with a thud. It’s less than last time, but still very much… shitty.
《It’s bearable, right?》
“It feels like I’m being squeezed to my absolute limit.”
After barely catching my breath, I canceled the skill.
If I endured any longer, I felt like I wouldn't be able to stand the pressure and a disaster where I would spew blood from my whole body would occur.
《It’s amazing. Even if you know my name, it would be difficult to have this much binding power.》
“I do know a fair bit about you.”
《How much?》
“Well, a lot more than you expect…?”
I think I tried a few thousand times to solo that raid boss.
And yet, in the end, soloing was impossible. Thinking back on it, that was the one thing I regretted. If only the 10th anniversary character had been released, who knows how the tables would have turned!!
《I know that the more one knows about their opponent, the stronger the binding magic becomes. However, you cannot dare to bind me with ordinary binding magic.》
Right, because you were immune to binds. And on top of that, you used an instant-kill AoE every minute, putting characters without invincibility skills in their graves.
《However, it is a power that uses mana. If you use a method to handle mana delicately, the burden on your body will also be reduced.》
“Alright.”
Though I’m not convinced, I have no choice but to follow Albedo’s words. I’m looking forward to the vibe that comes from experience, Mr. Demon.
It was about time for class, so I was about to get up when Albedo asked me.
《Who is the being that gave you that power?》
“…I wonder. I’m curious too.”
I just casually call it the ‘system’, but I don’t know who the being that gave me this power is.
《Is it Lucius?》
“Do you think that incompetent god is capable of it?”
Albedo was silent at my question.
If my nanny heard me, she would be horrified, but it’s not wrong.
God hadn’t shown himself in this world for a very long time, nor had he had any influence.
The last miracle God performed in this world was giving the holy sword to the hero.
My devout nanny was the unusual one, for most people, the basic mindset was like modern Christianity, ‘God exists’. Therefore, like medieval Earth, religion could not be the absolute standard.
“It’s not Lucius. Then who could it be?”
Is it a power that came with me just because I’m a gamer? Well, I can only hope that it will be revealed someday. If you keep playing the game, questions like this are bound to be solved someday.
“Let’s just go to class.”
Today’s class was ‘Understanding of Estate Management’.
* * *
“Theo.”
As I entered the class, Zephyros raised his hand and spoke to me.
I didn’t see him in the last class, so it seems he’s taking this one too. Still, it was strange that the first feeling I had was one of welcome, just because we ate together once.
“Let’s sit together.”
“Well, okay for now.”
As I sat down next to him, Zephyros noticed the lizard on my shoulder and asked.
“What’s with the lizard?”
“I found it yesterday and decided to raise it.”
“It has an unusual color. It would sell for a high price.”
Zephyros’s words were quite tempting.
If I want to terminate the contract later, should I sell it somewhere?
At that moment, I felt Albedo slap me with its tail, thwack.
“I’m not selling it. I decided to raise it.”
“Well, selling something you decided to raise is something only a beast would do.”
Tsk, the way Zephyros clicked his tongue as if annoyed was quite out of place.
It shouldn’t have been something to get that annoyed about.
However, Zephyros continued as if nothing had happened.
“I saw a book about lizard breeding in the library, should I find it for you?”
“I think I’m fine.”
It only looks like a lizard on the outside, in reality, it’s an ancient demon of unknown age.
“Then want to have lunch together today?”
“Ah, the steak you had yesterday looked delicious.”
If I graduate from the Academy safely later, I don’t know about other things, but I think I’ll miss the food a lot.
…Should I aim for a professor position like my father after graduation? It doesn’t seem bad if I can eat Academy food for the rest of my life.
As I was feeling gleeful, a teaching assistant with gaunt eyes opened the door and entered.
“I will be distributing the printouts.”
Academy for life is cancelled. Even if I eat delicious food, it’s not right to harm my health.
After the TA distributed the printouts to all the students and left, the professor soon entered and the class began.
The method of managing an estate was not much different from administration.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t difficult.
After the class ended, I flopped onto the desk and shed a few tears.
“It’s difficult….”
Transferring in April really has an impact. The classes I missed were the four preceding ones, but since they were four hours long, it meant I had missed sixteen hours worth of lectures.
“Damn it….”
I’ll have to borrow some books from the library to catch up.
In the game, you just made them study and their stats would go up randomly, but as expected, games and reality are different.
“Want to go to the library together?”
“Sure.”
Zephyros agreed quite readily.
“…Going to the library together doesn’t make us friends.”
At my wary words, Zephyros chuckled and replied.
“I know.”
He doesn't seem like a bad guy.
* * *
I borrowed a book on estate management recommended by Zephyros from the library, and also borrowed a book on lizard breeding.
There’s no harm in knowing about lizards, I guess.
I lightly ignored Albedo, who was being treated like a lizard, hitting my shoulder with its tail, tak tak, feeling offended.
I just borrowed books from the library and headed straight for the dining hall.
“It’s delicious, as expected.”
Becoming a faculty member is a bit much, let’s just hire a chef who works at the Academy.
As I mumbled on the meat, I talked with Zephyros about the class.
“Advanced Magic and Understanding? Isn’t that a 3rd-year class?”
“It’s my father’s lecture, so I’m forced to take it.”
“You could just not take it.”
“Well, my father put me in it, so I can’t just cancel without even trying. I’m just giving it a shot.”
It would be good if I meet his expectations, and even if I don’t, I believe my father won’t be disappointed.
“…You have a good relationship. Is that usual for father and son?”
For some reason, I felt the savory taste of bean powder from the meat in my mouth.
“My father just worries a lot. Well, since I was sick for a long time.”
Well, that was about all I could say.
If asked about my relationship with my father in my past life, I could only answer that it was dry.
If asked about my relationship with my father now… I don’t know. To say it’s dry, it’s touching, and to say it’s just good, it’s still awkward. There are also things that weigh on my mind personally.
“I wonder if things would have been different if I had been sick too.”
It was a small mumble, but it stuck in my ear clearly.
I don’t know the situation of the Duchy of Nevera.
Compared to Part 1, where the villain’s entire narrative was revealed in the mid-to-late stages, and Part 2, which unraveled the narrative from the beginning, the Duchy of Nevera, which was the focus of Part 3, had many things still shrouded in a veil even towards the end.
One thing was certain, Zephyros was not just an arrogant young master.
“Our classes overlap quite a bit.”
At Zephyros’s mumbling words, I said playfully.
“I only have one class with Cian, so he was quite gloomy.”
He was really like a puppy who had its snack taken away.
At my explanation, Zephyros chuckled as if he knew what I meant.