Essential Education - 2
"...What is this?"
Nahen stood in the front yard. There was only one reason he would be there: Seere's lesson. Yesterday's class had been canceled due to Rea's special instruction, but today he had come prepared to teach. Yet...
Where is she?
From the very first day they met, Seere had always been waiting with Kain. Today, however, Nahen waited for quite some time, and Seere was nowhere to be seen.
Just then, a passing servant caught his eye. Nahen called out to him.
"Eldin."
"Y-yes!?"
"No need to be so startled. I simply had a question."
"Ah, it's just... you called so suddenly... hehe..."
Eldin was an incubus who had joined the staff after Seere's ascension. Unlike those who had served since the days of Seir, he had already accumulated over eight years of experience. With the castle's relocation to the 69th floor, the number of servants had grown, and Eldin himself had risen to a fairly high position.
"If you keep getting flustered like that, your subordinates may start to disregard you."
"Hahaha..."
"Do you know where Seere is? She still hasn't come out."
"Oh, I believe Her Majesty has already finished her training."
"Hm?"
That should have meant she would have appeared long ago. Yet Seere had not shown herself despite Nahen's extended wait. When he mentioned this, Eldin tilted his head in confusion as well.
"That is strange. Allow me to inquire and return shortly."
"Very well. I appreciate it."
Eldin hurried off. When he returned a short while later, his expression was peculiar. Nahen asked what had happened, and Eldin replied,
"It seems... Her Majesty has begun training again."
"...What?"
"She appears dissatisfied with something..."
"......"
Nahen felt a flicker of bewilderment, yet he understood. Seere was at an age where she, like other girls, would naturally begin to take interest in her appearance and pay it more attention. That much made sense. What truly surprised him was something else.
This suddenly?
Interest in one's looks usually developed gradually. A child who knew nothing of makeup did not wake up one morning and apply a full face of it. Seere had never shown much concern for such things before. Until yesterday, she had simply worn whatever Rea and Secily dressed her in.
"...Hm."
While the change was welcome, Nahen could not shake the sense that it had come too abruptly. He offered Eldin a brief word of thanks for his trouble, then settled quietly in the yard with a book to pass the time.
Then, with a soft pop, something appeared. It was Leviathan, the white whale Nahen commanded. The creature had manifested in a tiny, adorable form so it could perch atop the table where Nahen had placed his book.
"What is it?"
"Puu!"
"Hm?"
Leviathan gestured with its head, pointing behind Nahen. Nahen closed his book and turned to look.
The sight left him momentarily speechless.
When a person beheld a masterpiece of the century, the emotions that arose were awe, rapture, and reverence. Nahen felt precisely that now.
It was a painting. A living masterpiece stood before him.
"No... Seere."
"I-I'm sorry, Teacher. I kept you waiting, didn't I...?"
It was Seere. She had clearly devoted herself to her appearance and emerged in full, radiant finery. She wore a dress in her favorite colors of white and black, accented by a silver tiara and necklace. The bracelet Nahen had given her clashed slightly with the ensemble, yet that only made it more endearing to him.
If a painter who appeared once in several centuries were to depict a teenage girl, this was surely the result. It was no wonder the game Evil Queen Maker had showered Seere with endless praise—beautiful, lovely, like a painting come to life.
When Seere took her seat before him, Nahen found himself smiling with paternal warmth. The disciple he had raised from such a small age had grown into a healthy, lovely young woman. The realization struck him deeply.
"You look truly beautiful today. Did you dress up to show me?"
"Y-yes..."
Nahen was so pleased that he nearly forgot Seere's tardiness. Perhaps it was because she was a character he had raised countless times within the game. With a smile that refused to fade, he spoke.
"When did you grow up so much? It makes me happy to see you healthy and beautiful."
"Do... do I look pretty?"
"Of course. Right now, you may well be the most beautiful girl in the Demon Realm."
"Hee, hehe..."
Seere could not stop her silly, delighted laughter. Watching her, Nahen wished for nothing more than that she would continue to grow healthy and lovely. Regardless of whether he witnessed the ending, he wanted this child to flourish. For that, education remained essential, and laziness could not be tolerated.
Nahen set the praise aside and prepared to begin the lesson.
"Well then, Seere, what we will learn today—"
"Teacher."
"Yes?"
"What is your ideal type?"
"Hm? My ideal type?"
"Yes. Personality, appearance... that sort of thing."
Why ask such a question so suddenly? Nahen pondered briefly before answering.
"Kind."
"Yes."
"She does not need to be excessively good-natured, but moderately so would be nice. It would be even better if we shared hobbies."
"Y-yes."
"And... I would prefer someone domestic. I dislike those who neglect their family."
"Ah..."
"As for looks, beauty is nice, but it is not strictly necessary. What matters more is that our hearts align."
"Hee..."
Nahen was willing to answer most of Seere's questions. Asking about his ideal type had been unexpected, yet...
"...Hm?"
A suspicion crossed his mind. He regarded Seere with a hint of wariness.
"Seere."
"Yes?"
"If you are thinking of introducing me to someone, there is no need."
"......"
Nahen flinched. For an instant, Seere's expression had hardened completely before smoothing over as though nothing had happened.
"Why would I do that to you, Teacher?"
"...Right. There would be no need. I only wondered."
He had wanted to ask why she had inquired about his ideal type in the first place, but recalling the sudden shift in her expression, he decided it was better to let the matter pass. Quietly moving the conversation along, Nahen proceeded with the lesson.
After a long session, as they neared its conclusion, Seere posed another question.
"Teacher... have you ever had a lover?"
"Hm? Why do you ask?"
"Oh, I was simply curious. I wondered what kind of love you might have experienced."
"Love, is it..."
Nahen thought he understood why Seere asked. She was at an age where she would naturally begin to take interest in the opposite sex, and so she sought his perspective on the matter. But Nahen...
...All I had was a brief relationship back in my first year of university.
He had little to share. That relationship had not truly been love so much as the simple desire to have a girlfriend. Before that, he had lacked the leisure for such things.
"I am not sure."
"Pardon?"
"I do not really know either. It seems I have never truly felt what love is. You might be better off asking someone else."
"......"
Seere looked faintly surprised. Nahen noticed her expression and offered an awkward smile.
"Even your teacher has things he does not know."
"...Ah. I never thought of it that way. Of course there are things you would not know. No one in this world is perfect."
It was a remarkably mature remark. Nahen nodded, impressed. Once again, he felt how splendidly she had grown.
Meanwhile, Seere's words belied a different thought entirely.
Teacher does not know love. That means he has never experienced it. So the teacher I thought knew and had experienced everything is actually...
...Surprisingly inexperienced?
Inexperienced. Inexperienced. Inexperienced. Inexperienced. Inexperienced. Inexperienced.
The two simple words circled endlessly in Seere's mind. Just as her gaze began to turn dangerous, Nahen spoke.
"Well then, that concludes the lesson. Go change and begin your personal training."
"Ah..."
At the sound of his voice, Seere felt herself calm slightly. She looked at him for a moment, then nodded and rose from her seat.
"...Teacher."
"Yes?"
"Do you think someone will ever appear to stand by your side?"
"I cannot say for certain. They might, or they might not."
Nahen paused, then added,
"But right now... I do not feel particularly inclined toward such a thing."
"...Is that so?"
"It is."
Nahen spoke from certainty. He intended to leave this place eventually. Forming a romantic attachment here would only lead to separation and unnecessary pain for both parties. Besides, he felt no interest. He had encountered many women beautiful enough to be called such, yet never once had desire stirred within him. Nahen had never possessed a heart of stone to begin with, but perhaps this was the influence of possessing an Archdemon, a being of an entirely different caliber.
"...Thank you for answering. I will just change my clothes and head to training."
"Good. Train hard."
"Yes, Teacher."
Nahen no longer watched over Seere's training. When she was younger, he had observed her to ensure she did not give up out of reluctance, and later to protect her from injury. Now, however, Seere was no longer a child who would quit or hurt herself during training. He could trust her. That was also why he no longer bothered checking the Training Journal.
"I will head inside first."
"Yes."
#
After Nahen departed, Seere remained alone in the yard for a time. Her hand brushed lightly over the table where his touch still lingered, and she murmured quietly to herself.
"...You still intend to leave, completely."
When she had asked whether someone would ever appear to stand by his side—whether he would ever find a lover—Nahen's response had been deeply skeptical, as though he wished to leave nothing behind in this place. Seere sensed it instinctively: ordinary circumstances would never sway that resolve.
Yet she had conceived of a plan. It was something this child, who adored her teacher so deeply, had devised in order to keep him close. Thanks to the lesson she had received from Rea yesterday, she had thought of something she never would have considered before.
She would not act on it immediately. This was a plan for when she had grown far stronger and far more time had passed. For now, she would begin gathering what she needed.
"Teacher..."
To carry it out, she would start collecting from this moment onward. Seere spread her mana wide, drawing in external mana at the same time. Several strands of her white hair took on a crimson hue.
"I'm sorry. I'm a fool, so this is the only thing I could think of."
A faintly sinister smile curved Seere's lips.