This happened a while ago.
When I was busy exploiting bugs and obtaining this and that, I needed to get something in the imperial capital, so I went there once.
At that time, I was exploring a ruin to get what I needed, and I discovered that the ruin was related to the madness of Termaio Yggdrasil, who was called the Mad Emperor in the game.
I could have just ignored it, but among the events related to the Mad Emperor, there were many forced events that were unnecessarily bothersome despite the stingy rewards. I wanted to quickly enter the Academy, teach the kids, push through the main story, and take the fast route to the true ending.
If I had completed the event to cure Termaio’s madness in advance, I wouldn’t have needed to do the related forced events.
So after conquering the ruin, I cured Termaio’s madness according to the information obtained from the ruin, but a great demon appeared to stop it.
In the end, I fought the great demon together with the mages of the Ivory Tower, who were Termaio’s subordinates, and after having my skills acknowledged, I became an official mage of the Ivory Tower.
… That’s the gist of the unremarkable story.
I told Lena only the parts that were okay to share.
After listening with her mouth agape, Lena’s eyes sparkled when my story ended.
“As, as expected! Te-teacher is amazing!”
Even clapping and making a fuss, Lena suddenly tilted her head.
“Bu-but why are you tra-traveling like this?”
“Hm?”
“Te-teacher… you re-receive treatment as a no-noble, right?”
As Oskal said, the position of an official advanced mage of the Ivory Tower is equivalent to a viscount’s position.
In addition, the empire granted me the title of count in recognition of my merit in saving the crown prince.
But what meaning does that have?
“What are you talking about? Being with you is more important than such things, that’s why.”
If I live in a country where I have noble status, I’ll only get caught up in useless matters.
Rather than wasting time on that, it’s better to focus on teaching the kids and obtaining the Sage qualification.
“Wo-woah!!”
With an expression that was hard to tell if she was flustered, surprised, or happy, Lena didn’t know what to do.
As I was patting her head, Oskal beside me lightly applauded.
“Your love for your disciple is amazing.”
“Of course I have to love her, don’t I? Hahaha.”
She’s already living without confidence as it is.
I’ll have to give her affection like water to greatly boost that confidence.
I watched Lena melt and smile helplessly the more I patted her.
So grow up well.
***
When night fell, Lee Hyun skillfully prepared the bedding.
Normally, it would be right for her, as the disciple, to prepare the teacher’s bedding, but Lee Hyun told her to chant spells one more time if she had time for that, so she kept practicing magic.
However, she couldn’t focus.
‘Do-does he really like being with me that much?’
She couldn’t find a single lie on Lee Hyun’s face when she saw it in the wagon. That much must mean he was sincere.
– Thump.
Her heart beat strongly.
Her lips kept loosening, and her face felt hot.
Lena quietly gazed at Lee Hyun.
He was seen preparing the bedding and sipping alcohol with Oskal.
She couldn’t take her eyes off his face illuminated by the flickering campfire.
“Ah! Big sis! She’s looking at Uncle Lee Hyun!”
“Oohlala! Big sis~ likes~ Uncle~”
“Ee-eek? Th-that’s not, not it…”
“Huh? Then does big sis hate Uncle Lee Hyun?”
Hate him?
How could that be?
He took a helpless and incompetent woman like herself as his disciple and dedicated himself to teaching her many things.
How could she hate someone like that?
If anything, she likes him.
“…Mm.”
Her chest throbbed again.
As Lena put her hand on her chest, the two girls tilted their heads at her reaction.
“Big sis’s chest is small, so why are you grabbing it?”
“It’s not big like our mom’s, right?”
“Um, well. It-it’s my growth phase. It, it will get bigger.”
Flustered, Lena hurriedly spoke. In the meantime, Lee Hyun, who seemed to have finished his conversation with Oskal, began to approach.
Again, her chest throbbed.
“This kid. I told you to train, but you’re playing around?”
Emitting the smell of alcohol and wearing a softer smile than usual, Lee Hyun ruffled Lena’s hair wildly.
It was a rough touch, but even Lena could tell it contained affection.
“You girls too. Don’t disturb big sis’s training and come over here. Uncle will give you something delicious.”
“Wooow~!”
“It’s cookies~!”
The children who received cookies from Lee Hyun cheered and ran to Oskal.
As they moved away, Lee Hyun squatted before Lena and grinned.
“Is training going well?”
“Ye-yes!”
In fact, she couldn’t do any.
Because she was recalling what Lee Hyun had said earlier.
But she didn’t want him to look disappointed, so Lena quietly deceived herself.
“Yeah. I believe in you.”
“Aww…”
“I think you’ll be able to become an advanced mage soon.”
“…Will, will I really be able to do it?”
An advanced mage.
It refers to a mage who has mastered advanced magic to a certain level or higher.
She hasn’t even begun intermediate magic yet, so an advanced mage…
It feels so far away.
“Don’t worry. I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Th-then until I be-become an ad-advanced mage… will te-teacher stay by my side?”
“Yeah.”
“He-hehe. Then, if I learn slowly…”
Then will Teacher keep staying with me?
Maybe for life?
“Who knows. But I don’t really like kids who don’t put in effort. Especially those with talent but are lazy…”
“Eek! I-I didn’t th-think that!”
“Think what?”
“Aww…”
‘How should I say it? ‘
The thought of pretending to focus and only daydreaming while half-heartedly training magic to be with Teacher for life.
Of course, Lee Hyun had already noticed, but the frightened Lena alone hurriedly denied it.
“No! No!”
“Yeah. Of course not. I don’t think Lena, the disciple I trust, would slack off.”
“Eh-ehehe. Ri-right?”
Lena hurriedly laughed and kept nodding her head.
Lee Hyun patted her as she thought she should work hard in the future and stood up from his spot.
“It’s late. It would be better to go to sleep soon if we want to ride the wagon tomorrow too. Sleep well.”
“Ye-yes…”
Thus, the first night of the journey was passing.
The next day, nothing unusual happened. And the day after that was the same.
They were hired as escorts and hitching a ride on the wagon, and it was such a peaceful wagon journey that one might wonder if it was okay for nothing to happen like this.
After running like that, they arrived at a huge city.
“Is that… Gre-Greenhild?”
“Yeah.”
“Wo-wow…”
She wanted to see the big city she had only heard about in the village…
As Lena opened her eyes wide and looked at Greenhild’s walls in wonder, Oskal spoke regretfully.
“It was a fun trip. I’m starting to feel sad now that we have to part.”
Lee Hyun was a good travel companion.
Not only was the conversation never-ending, making the whole trip not boring, but he also used amazing magic to entertain Oskal’s daughters.
Perhaps it was thanks to Lee Hyun that no unnecessary incidents occurred, Oskal thought as he held out his hand to him.
“I hope we can meet again next time.”
“Haha. If there’s delicious bread, I’ll come visit. Lena. Let’s go.”
It’s time to get off the wagon now. After finishing saying goodbye to Oskal’s daughters, who were sad to part, Lena jumped off the wagon like Lee Hyun.
After a brief farewell, Lena looked at Lee Hyun as the wagon moved away.
“Ca-can’t we ride the wa-wagon and en-enter the ci-city?”
“Oskal’s wagon is a cargo wagon. To enter Greenhild, you need to be searched, and if we stay on that wagon, it will take a long time.”
As if to prove that, Lee Hyun pointed towards Greenhild. The entrance for cargo wagons and the entrance for just people are different.
Among the two entrances, the line for the entrance for just people was quickly getting shorter.
“Ah, aha. I see…”
“Now. Shall we go then?”
Lee Hyun took Lena and headed towards the entrance.
It was when they were standing in line there, waiting for their turn.
“Hm? Isn’t that you, Lee Hyun?”
It was a leisurely voice.
The surprised Lena looked that way and saw an old woman in a robe grinning at him.
The appearance of an unfamiliar person. The very shy Lena slowly moved behind Lee Hyun.
“Te-teacher.”
“Huh? Bella?”
Lena was startled by the sight of Lee Hyun casually speaking informally to someone who looked twice his age.
Although he had noble status, Lee Hyun used to speak respectfully, even to the villagers.
For that Lee Hyun to casually speak informally…
As the surprised Lena looked, Lee Hyun pulled her and pushed her forward.
“Say hello. This is Bella, the director of the Red Hall of the Ivory Tower.”
“Director of the Red Hall…?”
As she kept tilting her head, not knowing much about the Ivory Tower, Lee Hyun grinned and pointed at Bella.
“She’s the old woman known as the Great Witch.”
“Hohoho… More importantly. Lee Hyun.”
“Hm?”
“Can you give this child to me?”
Towards her coveting Lena with shining eyes, Lee Hyun snorted.
“This kid is mine.”
He hugged Lena from behind, and at that moment, Lena felt her heart throb again.