Although Alicia’s condition was a bit strange, we ate and chatted at the cafe.
“Then we’ll get going now.”
“Huh? Can’t you stay a bit longer?”
“I don’t want to disrupt your studying.”
After Lena and I arrived, Alicia and Riina didn’t study.
As an instructor, I shouldn’t keep disturbing the students who came out to study. It was time to head back, so I stood up from my seat.
“Lena, let’s go.”
“Y-yes!”
Lena, who got up from her seat following me, stood next to me.
Alicia, who was staring intently at that, smiled.
But it wasn’t the smile I knew.
It was a forced smile that made me feel uncomfortable.
“Alicia?”
“Yeah?”
“Study well. I’ll check on you later in the evening.”
“…Got it!”
Her expression changed quickly.
Alicia waved with her characteristic lively smile, and I lightly greeted her and left the cafe with Lena.
“What should we do now?”
“I… I want to watch a p-play…”
“Unfortunately, there are no plays today.”
“Aww…”
“Let’s watch a play next time.”
“Uh… Then d-does that mean we’ll come out together a-again…?”
“Yeah. Next time, let’s bring Sowol and Alicia too. Since they’re the class president and vice president, it’s best to strengthen the bond between you three.”
“Oh…”
“Why?”
“N-nothing…”
Lena, who seemed slightly dejected, held my arm more tightly.
As if she had something to say, she moved her lips but ultimately couldn’t speak and just lowered her head.
Then she held my arm as if hugging it and made a bright expression.
“I… I want to go to the b-bookstore, can you go with me?”
“Of course.”
When Lena and I returned from our outing, it was near sunset.
I escorted the tired Lena to her room and returned to mine.
On the desk in the roughly 10-pyeong room were documents that seemed to have been sent by the church. (TN: 33.1 squared meters)
Upon opening them, there was a list of people suspected to be Asura cultists inside the academy.
“Hmm…”
Excluding the characters related to the story, I could narrow it down to about five people.
After memorizing their names, I opened the drawer and took out a map.
[Underground Waterway Map]
It was a map of the city’s underground waterways, which would be the final battleground of Chapter 1.
In the story, a problem occurs in the underground waterways, and the mayor sends people to maintain it, but they go missing.
Puzzled by this, the mayor sends soldiers, but even they don’t return. In the end, the mayor requests the academy to handle this matter.
And Class A, hungry for real combat experience, takes on this request to challenge themselves and enters the underground waterways. As they solve the problems inside, Chapter 1 concludes.
Yesterday, I asked Alicia how she was doing these days, partly to check her current condition, and she told me in detail.
Listening to that, I could roughly figure out how far Alicia had progressed in the story.
There wasn’t much left until the end of Chapter 1.
Considering that, it would be better for me to prepare in my own way.
I carefully looked at the map of the underground waterways.
The underground waterways are divided into three paths. Since it’s a structure where you can’t enter the final room unless you activate the devices in all three places, it would be better to split the team into three.
If Sowol and Lena each lead one side, we can strategize stably.
And… I’ll have to think about the Asura Cult’s intervention, too.
In the original story, the Asura Cult had no reason to intrude, but remnants of it have infiltrated the academy.
Their goal is to kill or injure the high-ranking members of Class A to create chaos.
Then, it’s natural for them to intervene in the underground waterway.
They’ll know that Sowol, Lena, and I are here, so they’ll also do their best.
I didn’t feel particularly afraid.
These bastards can’t stop me even if they intervene.
-Knock knock.
“Teacher! Can I come in?!”
Alicia, wearing short shorts and a tight crop top-like shirt, flung the door open.
This kid never knows how to knock and wait.
As she smiled and tried to enter, I shook my head.
“You kid. A grown woman shouldn’t just barge into a man’s room alone.”
“Ahaha~! It’s okay because I only do this to you, Teacher!”
“Still.”
She’s good with words.
But seeing her not entering the room as I said and staying outside, I feel relieved.
I put on my outer clothes and went outside.
“Then shall we see how much you studied today? What did you study?”
“I studied about understanding and sensing mana. It’s difficult~.”
“Well. You’re not a mage. Still, it’s good to know the basics.”
Taking classes related to mana increases magic defense.
For a martial artist who uses the body as a weapon, this type of class helps increase her basic combat power.
“What part don’t you understand?”
“This!”
I headed to the seat in front of the instructors’ building with Alicia, who opened the book to show me.
Thanks to the lanterns made with magic tools, it’s not dark.
I saw a few instructors smiling at Alicia and me.
They seemed to like seeing Alicia studying hard.
It makes me feel proud for no reason.
“Let’s see. Drawing the mana of nature is like grasping the flow of mana. Following it…”
After reading the textbook’s contents, I explained them in more detail.
Alicia tilted her head a few times while listening, but when I explained it in more detail again, her eyes sparkled.
“Ah! I got it!”
“Really? Then can you explain it to me?”
Alicia smiled brightly and explained the content she understood.
Although she stuttered a bit, her explanation wasn’t much different from the core of the content.
This much can be considered properly understood.
“How was it?”
“Excellent.”
I stroked Alicia’s head as she looked proud.
She must have liked my touch because a smile bloomed on her face.
“Ah! Since I did well, you’ll take me out too, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Teacher, you only took out Sister Sowol and Sister Lena, right?”
Her face, which was smiling until just now, quickly turned sulky.
Alicia, who lay on the table with puffed cheeks, glanced up at me.
“Ahh~ I want to go out and play with you too, Teacher~.”
“Haha. Okay. Okay. Let’s go out together next time if I have time.”
“Really?! When next time?!”
“Well. I don’t have time this week… And next week there’s an instructors’ meeting…”
“Ugh! Then make it so we can go out on the date I want!”
“Haha. Okay, okay.”
It won’t be difficult to play with her for a day since she’ll have a hard time in the future.
“Really?! Promise!”
Alicia held out her pinky finger.
A pinky promise. Even though she’s an adult, a kid is still a kid. But I can’t refuse.
I linked my finger with hers.
“Promise! Promise! If you lie, grant me a wish~.”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s a promise.”
“Hehehe~… Achoo!”
This kid. She came out wearing thin clothes, so I knew this would happen.
I took off my outer clothes and put them on her shoulders.
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Oh, no… I’m fine…”
“If you get sick, it’ll be more troublesome for me.”
For Alicia to properly carry out the final battle of Chapter 1, she needs to become stronger.
But if she catches a cold and can’t concentrate or learn what she needs to, there’s a possibility she won’t even be able to finish Chapter 1.
In this world without save or load, one failure is literally a shortcut to downfall.
So I have to do my best too.
“Even if it smells, bear with it a bit.”
“Uh, uhh. It’s nice and warm~!”
“That’s a relief. Then what’s the next thing you don’t know?”
“Yeah! This!”
Alicia enthusiastically asked about the parts she didn’t understand, and I taught her as easily as possible so she could comprehend.
After studying for about two more hours, Alicia was blinking sleepily.
“Shall we stop here for today?”
“I can do more…”
“I can clearly see you’re sleepy. Come on. Go in and sleep.”
“Yaaawn. Okay. Teacher. Good niiight…”
Alicia got up from her seat, took her books, and headed to her room, staggering.
As I watched her go, I snapped my fingers.
This kid. She took my clothes.
***
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Alicia headed to her room.
When she opened the closed door, Sowol, sitting in the living room, smiled and tried to get up but froze.
“Ah, A-Alicia?!”
“Oh. Sister Sowol~ You’re not asleep?”
When Alicia spoke in a drowsy voice, Lena’s door opened.
She was coming out while drinking a beverage, but when she saw Alicia, she sputtered her drink.
“Phew! A-Alicia?!”
Alicia tilted her head at the gazes of the two beauties.
And soon she realized.
Their gazes were fixed on the clothes she was wearing.
Clothes that had Hyun’s scent all over them.
As if she was being embraced by him, Alicia slightly brought the sleeve to her nose.
It’s a nice scent.
One that makes her feel elated and warms her body.
“Why are you wearing Master’s clothes?!”
“W-why on earth…?”
“Hehe. Teacher put them on me in case I was cold~.”
“…I see! Since they’re Master’s clothes, I’ll take them to him, so please take them off.”
“Oh. No. I… I-It seems Alicia is sleepy, so…”
“I’m going to wear them to sleep tonight~”
She wanted to stay with the scent that made her feel warm all night.
Alicia shook her head at the two who seemed urgent, went into her room, and lay on the bed.
Is it because of Lee Hyun’s lingering scent?
It seems she’ll have a good dream tonight.
“Ehehe… Good night. Teacher…”