10. Demon in a Bottle (5)
10. Demon in a Bottle (5)
Maya wished she had misheard.
The scene unfolding before her eyes.
The sounds reaching her ears.
Everything stood in defiance of her faith.
Wonderstein.
The teacher she revered, the man who had shown such reverence even before the Hellscape Painting—here he was, summoning a grown girl to his room and whispering for her to undress.
Troupe Leader.
I misheard, didn't I?
Right?
Maya clenched her fists, her eyes fixed on Reina.
She had heard the Troupe Leader's words too.
She would react somehow.
That reaction would prove Maya had been mistaken.
Regrettably, Reina's next action shattered Maya's hopes.
Her face flushed a deep scarlet, she gave a small nod.
"I-I'll take them off."
One by one, she began untying the knots and unbuttoning the buttons on her clothes.
Despair flooded Maya's eyes as she watched.
Reina shrugged off her coat.
Her top, her bottoms—one after another, they slid down her curved body.
The Troupe Leader observed her back, a smile playing on his lips.
He was savoring the sight of his command being obeyed so meekly.
Maya felt as though she were plummeting into the infinite, lightless depths of the Abyss.
This is the Troupe Leader?
This is...
Reina's shoulders, waist, and legs bared their pale skin in sequence.
All that remained were a single undergarment above and one below.
He rose from the bed and closed the distance to her back.
Unable to endure it, Maya turned away.
She lacked the nerve to watch any longer.
I don't want to be here anymore.
On trembling legs, she took a careful step.
Behind her came the rustle of fabric.
"Here... it is."
"Hand it over."
A black fire scorched Maya's heart.
She had finally removed even her undergarments.
Maya hurried into the bathroom.
In the dark space, she leaned against the wall and forced herself to breathe.
She wanted to deny everything she had seen.
She wanted to believe it had all been an illusion.
Should I look again?
Maybe it's some misunderstanding.
Right. The Troupe Leader has been healing people with his medical skills all along.
Perhaps Reina has some kind of illness.
Yes. Surely...
Just then, two voices slipped through the gap in the door.
"Can you spread it a bit, Reina? My hand won't go in easily."
"Okay. P-please be gentle when you put it in. It's a little small..."
A startled gasp caught in Maya's throat.
Their exchange was far more explicit than anything she had imagined.
"It certainly looks that way. Hm? But this is pink. Ha, doesn't that clash a bit with your usual image?"
"Ah-hah, i-it tickles. Th-there's a reason for it..."
Stop!
Squeezing her eyes shut, she threw open the bathroom window and kicked off into the air with her telekinesis.
Every word the two exchanged was searing her brain cells white.
Her body lurched erratically through the sky.
Wonderstein studied the top Reina had handed him.
The pink, frilled garment definitely did not suit her image as the ice princess character.
"I made it a few years ago, that's why."
"A few years ago?"
"Let me get it all the way on first, then I'll explain."
"Very well."
With that, Wonderstein struggled to guide her opposite arm into the tight sleeve. The undersized garment gave them both a difficult time, forcing them to wrestle with it. A frill meant for her waist tickled her armpit, and she burst out laughing again.
Maya perched on the villa's rooftop.
It was the farthest point she could get from Wonderstein's room.
The sound of Umon's snoring rumbled up from the floor below.
Moonlight washed over her pale face.
Her expression remained perfectly blank.
But no one could guess the storm of emotion churning beneath.
She stared into the empty air for a long time.
What are they doing now?
She hated thinking about it, but the scene replayed in her mind.
Wonderstein caressing Reina's naked body, indulging his pleasure.
Reina responding with delight.
The roof tiles around her quivered.
Her magic power was lashing out in uncontrolled telekinesis.
She felt no urge to restrain it.
It isn't surprising, is it?
You knew.
You knew he was that kind of person.
A man who turns dissolute the moment he's tangled up with a woman.
Her pale hands gripped her clothes so tightly they turned blue.
But why does he treat her so casually?
With me, he uses formal speech.
I'm the one who professes to be your disciple...
You rejected that.
Is it because he taught her acrobatics?
Is that why he drops the formalities with her?
Why does he keep his distance from me?
Am I not your student?
Is she your real student?
Are you the kind of person who sleeps with your students?
You're so gentle with a girl you barely know, someone you just met...
Maya continued to stare blankly into the void.
For hours.
Wonderstein.
He filled her mind completely.
It was ironic—she claimed to be his student but knew almost nothing about her teacher.
His name, his age, a handful of his abilities.
Part of it was her own fundamentally indifferent nature, and part of it was that he rarely disclosed anything about his past.
The chime of a grandfather clock echoed.
She remained on the rooftop through the night, until dawn broke.
Barely reining in her wild telekinesis, she levitated herself into the air.
She made her way back to her own room, taking care to avoid the direction of the Troupe Leader's quarters.
She was curious, of course.
What state was the Troupe Leader in right now?
But if she were to glimpse two naked bodies tangled together on a bed.
If she were to hear the sounds of two people sharing love's murmurs.
If she were confronted with such a scene, the canvas of her mind might tear apart from the shock.
Her control over her magic was already crumbling—she feared how that might affect her spells.
What distinguished her from other Mystic Mages was her immunity to emotional influence in spellcasting. Like the engineers of IMT, she employed precisely calculated quantities and formulas to produce magic of consistent output.
But that very strength was now threatening to collapse as she stumbled clumsily into the realm of the Mystic.
If she made the slightest misstep, her magic could suffer permanent damage.
Back in her room, she shook her head.
I have to erase this.
These emotions.
I have to empty it.
The canvas of my mind.
Her resolve hardened, she went down to breakfast.
Wonderstein and Reina were there as well.
The two exchanged awkward glances and stiff, formal words.
Maya scoffed inwardly.
The act had fooled her completely until now.
When she'd lost the chance to tour the factory, she'd simply chalked it up to bad luck.
But now she understood.
The two of them had been secretly meeting and coordinating their stories since then.
It was despicable.
Both of them.
But she suppressed her feelings.
She had already decided to erase him from inside her.
She resolved not to care.
While the party returned to the school to finalize the Draft, Maya visited the café she'd been to before.
The elderly owner welcomed her.
"Welcome back, young lady."
She sat down and opened her notebook on the table.
Still, the diagrams refused to register in her sight.
The events of the previous night kept flickering before her eyes.
She shook her head.
"Ma'am, give me something stronger than what I drank last time."
At that, the owner covered her mouth with her hand.
"Good heavens. Can our little miss handle anything stronger than that?"
"I'm having a hard time."
"...I understand."
The old woman went straight to work, brewing the same drink she'd made a few days ago.
The ingredient amounts were unchanged.
Except she doubled the vodka.
With a tiny teaspoon no bigger than an ear pick, she poured in two spoonfuls.
This brought the drink's alcohol content to a full 1%.
"How is it?"
"It's definitely strong."
The old woman chuckled to herself, watching Maya call a drink with less alcohol than a quarter of a beer strong.
What an adorable young lady.
The slight tipsiness she felt was enough to erase the previous night's events from her mind.
She studied the puzzle a while longer, then returned to the wagon.
The Deputy Leader and the others had returned after two weeks.
During the wagon ride, Maya had promised herself she wouldn't care, yet her gaze kept drifting toward the Troupe Leader.
She watched his hand resting on the Deputy Leader's shoulder.
Did he massage Reina's chest with that hand? Did he grope her skin?
And did he... put his hand in?
Does the Deputy Leader even know what happened during the two weeks she was away?
"You missed me, didn't you?"
Wonderstein laughed and nodded at Ella's question.
"Of course. But there were some benefits. Miss Reina possesses an ability that you lack, Miss Ella."
Don't be fooled, Deputy Leader.
He doesn't mean that the way you think.
She repeated the words to herself.
Once back at the villa, she collapsed into her bed and passed out immediately.
The strain of the previous day had caught up with her.
The next day, and the day after that, she went out to the square.
Her plan was to bury one problem by immersing herself in logical ones.
She mostly visited the café that had taken care of her.
The owner greeted her warmly each time.
She'd started speaking to Maya informally and even gave her free pastries.
"This is a new product coming out tomorrow. Give it a try, dear."
Maya looked at the pastry the old woman offered and said,
"I've tried it."
"Oh? Where? Ah, don't tell me you heard what I said back then and went on the factory tour?"
"Yes."
Maya averted her eyes slightly, finding the attention burdensome.
The old woman didn't miss it.
Her years of experience told her exactly what that gesture meant.
"Who did you go with? Oh, right. You said you're traveling. Is there a boy you like in the group?"
A boy I like...
Maya shook her head emphatically.
Not interested.
A man like that.
Nothing but a playboy who muddles my head.
"No."
That was when it happened.
Wonderstein and Ella walked into the café arm in arm.
"Maya!"
"Troupe Leader. Deputy Leader."
The two of them sat down across from her.
The old woman brought the menu, and they ordered their food.
Maya concentrated on the diagrams in her notebook.
If she didn't force herself to focus, she felt sure her gaze would be stolen elsewhere.
Despite her efforts, her concentration kept scattering toward the man seated opposite her.
That was why she instantly noticed when Wonderstein looked at what she was working on and opened his mouth to speak.
"Ah, that's—"
"I'll handle it myself. Don't interfere."
At her icy retort, he backed off with an awkward smile.
She still respected him as her teacher, but with her heart in turmoil, she refused to give him any opening to meddle.
Before long, the food arrived.
The owner studied Maya's expression, glanced fleetingly at Wonderstein's face, then gave a slight shake of her head.
There's an age gap, but...
A handsome man like him seems decent enough.
But he doesn't appear to be interested in our little miss here.
Maya pulled one of the small pancakes on the table toward herself.
It was what she'd ordered.
"Thank you for the meal."
She said the words and reached for her knife.
Or rather, she tried to.
Her motion stopped as she glanced at the pair across from her.
Ella had her arms crossed, staring fixedly at Wonderstein while her food sat untouched before her.
He wore a mildly embarrassed smile.
Ignoring her inner voice telling her not to get involved, Maya spoke.
"What's wrong?"
Ella glanced at her, then flashed a mischievous grin.
"I have someone to feed me today."
"What... are you talking about?"
Instead of answering, Ella opened her mouth.
"Ah."
For a moment, Maya couldn't comprehend her intent.
The gesture and the words she'd spoken pointed to a clear meaning.
But the place where it was happening, the person doing it, the target demanding it—all of it was so wildly irrational that she couldn't accept it.
Yet once again, her common sense was denied today.