“…Nice to meet you for the first time. I’m Sowol. I’m Master Hyun’s first disciple.”
“Le-Lena… Wa-wasn’t I the first…?”
Sowol and Lena compared their timelines with each other. And then, Sowol gave a confident smile.
“As I thought!! I’m the first!! Miss Lena is the second. The first is me! Sowol.”
When Sowol spoke with an unbelievably confident tone, Lena looked at me with a face that seemed like she was about to cry.
But since Sowol’s words weren’t wrong, I just nodded.
“Yess! I’m the Teacher’s youngest disciple! Alicia Raytraver!!”
The two stared at Alicia, who raised her hand with a bright face, but their expressions weren’t that bright.
Perhaps because of their reaction?
Alicia, who was sitting next to me, whispered to me.
“Teacher. Teacher. It seems like both of them are very angry.”
“…You said your name is Alicia, right? Aren’t you clinging too much to Master?”
Sowol spoke while openly revealing her discomfort.
But there was no killing intent mixed in.
From what I heard, Sowol gained enough skills to lead the church to victory by participating in numerous battlefields. For someone like her, handling killing intent would be nothing.
Is it because she knows it’s not a good thing to pressure someone weaker than herself with killing intent?
As expected, I raised one disciple well. Her mental training is well done.
“Impressive.”
“…No-not really?!”
“Your personality is still prickly, I see. Yes. It’s nice to see you after a long time.”
“…Me too. No, rather than that. Master. Where have you been, and what have you been doing until now to finally show up?”
“I sent you letters, didn’t I?”
“…Uh. About that.”
Sowol told me about what had happened until now.
She said that due to the numerous fake letters she received, she couldn’t properly confirm the letters I sent.
Then it can’t be helped.
“I was getting the Sage qualification.”
“Sigh… It would have been nice if you visited at least once.”
“I guess I was busy with this and that. Anyway, I’m glad you grew up well without any problems. By the way, I heard you fought a lot with the evil cults… Did you look for the Asura Cult?”
“…No. The Asura Cult was not found.”
Of course.
Until the Religious War event, they moved so secretively that no matter what the church did, they couldn’t be found.
But the fact that she caught many evil cults means that she broke the power of the Asura Cult, which will later unite the evil cults and start a large-scale war, so it’s the same as saying future events have become easier.
“Good work.”
I raised my hand and patted Sowol’s head.
A slight smile appeared on Sowol’s lips, and she looked at me as if she had something to say.
Whether in the past or now, it’s the same that she gets embarrassed when patted but doesn’t refuse.
“I-I also! I… wo-worked hard too!”
“Ah. Right. Lena. I heard your story too. You became the Colorless Chamber Master? That’s amazing.”
“Eh-ehehe. Th-thank you.”
“I heard it was also because of your insistence that the Ivory Tower started fighting the evil cults. Is that true?”
“…Yes.”
“Haha. You’ve grown a lot. It seems like just yesterday when you couldn’t speak well to others. To be able to lead a citadel and assert your opinions. More than anything, I’m happy about that.”
“…Uwaah… Te-teacher…”
“As expected of my proud disciple.”
“Hng… Teacherrr…”
I patted Lena’s head.
She has grown much taller than when she was under me in the past, but she’s still like a child.
Seeing how happy she is with just my touch.
“Wait a minute. Master. Are you saying I’m not someone to be proud of?”
“You were always someone to be proud of.”
“…Huhuhuhu.”
Lena sobbed while Sowol confidently smiled with her arms crossed.
I looked at my two disciples and lightly clapped.
“Alright. Anyway, it was nice to see you after a long time. I have something to do, so I should get going soon. What will you two do?”
“No! We finally saw each other after so long and you’re just leaving?!”
“Then what will you do now?”
“…Aren’t there many things to do?”
“Many things like what?”
“….I don’t know!!”
Sowol, whose face turned red, shouted and swiftly turned her head.
What in the world was she thinking?
Her red face doesn’t seem like just any thought.
“Te-teacher. Uhm. I… wi-will be joining your class sta-starting tomorrow.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
Lena stutteringly began to explain.
The academy and the Ivory Tower have frequently exchanged students for a long time.
In that process, they would send exchange students, and this time, the exchange student the Ivory Tower sent was Lena.
“A chamber master can become an exchange student?”
“Ye-yes!”
“Really?”
“…The-there’s no precedent, bu-but. I-I said I wa-wanted to…”
“Wow~. You really grew up. I didn’t know you would come to the academy by asserting yourself like that.”
“I did it too?! I requested the church and will be transferring to the academy!”
“Haha. Won’t you be busy with church work?”
“It’s okay because the evil cults’ power has greatly decreased! Or do you not like that I came, Master?!”
“How could that be? You’re both my proud disciples. It’s not bad for me either if the time I can spend with you increases.”
Plus, if you two are here, it will be easier to see the true ending.
I smiled and nodded at the two who were rejoicing.
“Alicia.”
“Yes! Teacher!”
“Is there room in the dormitory now?”
“Yep! There are two spots left in the room Lipa and I use!”
“That’s good. As you know, the academy has dormitory life as the default. In the 1st year, 4 people share 1 room. Whether you transferred or became an exchange student, if you’re coming to the class I’m in charge of, you should follow the basics. Is that okay?”
No matter how much they were my disciples, Sowol is the church’s Saint, and Lena is a chamber master of the Ivory Tower.
Just considering their social positions, they are in a position where they can look down on any noble.
Telling such people to live in a dormitory could be considered rude.
But that doesn’t mean they should think I’ll make an exception for them.
“Master. I have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Where do you stay, Master?”
“Me? I also stay in the dormitory.”
“Then I’ll go to the dormitory.”
“M-me too!”
Fortunately, the two agreed to enter the dormitory.
This is good.
I worried about what to do if they threw a tantrum, saying they would stay elsewhere.
“Alicia. Guide the two to the dormitory. And briefly teach them how to live at the academy, too.”
“Okay! Got it! Leave it to me! Teacher!”
Alicia brightly smiled and raised her hand.
As expected, she’s such a reliable kid.
When I patted her head as she looked at me sparklingly, Alicia hugged my arm tightly with her unique, bright smile.
“Ah, ah, Aliciaaa?! It seems like you’re clinging to Master too ofteeen?!”
“Th-tha-that’s ri-right!!”
“Ah! Ehehe~. But Teacher is Teacher~.”
What does that mean?
But when they heard Alicia’s words, the two nodded their heads with a grim expression.
Do you two understand what she said? I hope you tell me too.
“Then I have an instructor meeting, so I should get going now. Alicia. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Okay! Leave it to me! Teacher!”
***
The room Alicia guided them to was quite spacious.
It was a room with individual rooms for four people to use and one large living room.
Lipa, reading a book alone in the living room, stiffened as she was about to welcome Alicia.
“Uh… No way. Colorless Chamber Master?!”
“Hii-hii? Y-you kn-know me?”
“Of course I know you!! What mage wouldn’t know Lady Lena?! The genius among geniuses who mastered all top-level magic! It would be stranger not to know about the mage loved by mana!!”
Lena shrank back at Lipa’s reaction, who approached with even her eyes sparkling.
Although she grew quite a bit, it still wasn’t easy for her to face strangers.
Sowol, who glanced at her, asked Alicia.
“By the way, where is my room?”
“Gasp! S-Saint of the Sword too?!”
“Oh my. Do you know me?”
“Of course! I’m also a believer of the church! Although I received the grace of mana, I live by receiving the blessing of light!”
“Huhu. May the light be with you.”
“But why have you two come here…?”
“They will be living here from now on!”
“Whaaaat?!”
Leaving the surprised Lipa, Alicia showed Lena and Sowol their rooms.
“At the academy, you have to live wearing a uniform! The uniforms for you two and the training combat outfits will arrive soon…”
“Miss Alicia? You can speak comfortably. Although I’m the Saint, I’m also Master Hyun’s disciple. You’re also Master’s disciple, right? If we go by order, I’m the first. So you can comfortably call me big sis.”
“M-me too… Al-although it’s unfortunate I’m se-second.”
“Okay! Got it! Big sis!”
Alicia, who tilted her head for a moment, smiled brightly.
As if satisfied that her liveliness was to her liking, Sowol flicked her finger.
“And I hope you restrain your skinship towards Master a bit.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Why… Isn’t it obvious?”
“What is?”
“That’s…”
“Te-teacher didn’t mi-mind things li-like skinship…”
“Yes! Teacher doesn’t really care about that stuff!”
“But still!”
Sowol shouted as if it was unfair.
At her reaction, Alicia and Lena tilted their heads.
“Ah~! Big Sis wants to do it, too, right! You can just tell Teacher you want a hug, can’t you?”
Bringing her finger to her lips, Alicia tilted her head as if she really didn’t know, and Sowol bit her lips tightly.
“It-it’s embarrassing!”
“Ahahaha~! Big sis is shy~!”
“Ugh. Ah, maybe I should try to get closer from now on…”
“Since we’re on the topic, should we go now?! Huh?!”
The always bright Alicia grabbed Sowol and Lena’s hands.
When Sowol and Lena, led by her, went outside, they saw Lee Hyun entering the dormitory with documents.
“Teacherrr~!”
Alicia ran over, jumped, and hugged him.
Lee Hyun, who lightly caught her, looked puzzled at the two hesitating behind.
“What’s wrong?”
“…Uh, ah. Uhm.”
Lena, who was shrinking back, carefully approached and hugged him.
Lee Hyun gently hugged Lena and patted her back, and Lena smiled sheepishly and left his arms.
“…If I don’t do it, Master will be upset!!”
Sowol, who shouted once, also hugged Lee Hyun.
He also calmly smiled and hugged her.
“…Huh?”
Alicia tilted her head, smiling while watching Hyun nonchalantly hug the two.
‘It’s strange…?’
She put her hand on her chest.
‘My chest… hurts seeing Big Sis hugging Teacher…’