The Demon of the Blank Page

The questions I had about Calian were resolved almost immediately.

"By the way, do you know why Rachel was absent? I'm a little worried she might be sick."

That was the real reason.

I was in the same club as Rachel, so he figured I might know something. Given my personality, he knew that if he acted rude, I'd never tell him, so he was showing a bit of goodwill.

God fucking damn it.

To think he'd put me in such an awkward position over something so trivial. Just wait, Calian.

While quietly nurturing my hatred for the imperial prince, I gave an appropriate reply.

"I don't know."

"I see. Thank you for the answer."

The prince returned to his seat. I wasn't sure if it was my imagination, but his attitude toward me seemed to have softened, separate from the Rachel issue.

Didn't he say he likes competent people?

It was just a single line briefly mentioned in the original story, but it suddenly came back to me. And from the prince's perspective, he had every reason to feel grateful to me.

The imperial family had taken a massive hit to its image during this recent rebellion. But what if I hadn't stepped forward?

What if capturing Valterion had been delayed even further and the rebellion had dragged on?

The damage to their reputation would have sunk even deeper into the abyss.

Though I captured him and still ended up in the abyss myself.

In my dejected state, I grabbed Linnea's cheek and gave it a firm pinch.

"Does it hurt, Master?"

"I just felt like pulling it."

I rested my chin in my hand and played with Linnea's soft cheek. Isana kept shooting me glances, so I pulled hers too, but it wasn't nearly as satisfying.

The original was still the best.

"Husband, aren't you going to pay attention in class?"

"I stopped listening a while ago."

The class material didn't really offer me much help anyway. The only one that was even slightly useful was Seah's class.

The rest were all about the same. Even with Seah's lectures, she provided separate private tutoring of much higher quality, so I didn't focus too hard.

"Will you be alright with the written exams?"

"It's all stuff I already know."

I had pre-studied every single textbook. It took me about four days.

To completely master the textbooks for every subject.

"F-four days...?"

"It took longer because I was doing other things at the same time."

"How in the world did you finish all of that in just four days?"

"Is that supposed to be hard?"

You could figure it out just by flipping through the pages.

"This is so unfair..."

Isana puffed out her cheeks in a pout.

"It's not unfair. I'm not a student anymore, after all."

"So you're calling me an unreasonable competitor."

"Exactly. Competing against someone like you, husband, is completely absurd. Not that it matters anymore."

Isana grinned and reached out to touch my cheek. Linnea, who had been glaring at us, grabbed my other cheek.

It was pure chaos on both sides. I finished the class while enduring those bizarre stares from everyone around us.

As usual, I headed toward Seah's research lab. A special (or not-so-special) guest was waiting.

"Master, what on earth are you wearing?"

"You're here? Haaam..."

Erde was rubbing her eyes and letting out huge yawns. She was dressed in chick-patterned pajamas. I couldn't help wondering what she was thinking, wearing something like that at her age.

"Professor, what time did you go to bed last night?"

I turned my gaze to Seah, who was sipping coffee.

"Seven?"

"I was under the impression that class started at seven-thirty."

"Truth is, I didn't sleep at all."

Seah spoke with a haggard face, dark circles hanging heavily under her eyes.

"If you're that exhausted, you should get some rest."

"It's fine. It's not like this is the first or second time I've pulled an all-nighter."

Seah spoke as if it were nothing and alternated her gaze between me and Isana.

"Isana, are you listening well in class?"

Isana flinched. Along with Linnea, she was a special case, which was why she could attend classes despite being a slave.

Though she didn't take the exams.

"Yes. I'm paying close attention."

The testimony from the young man (who was actually a woman) whose cheeks had been pinched has been duly received.

"Then that's fine. Haaam..."

"Professor, you should sleep today."

"Maybe I will?"

"I'm okay with it."

"Thanks. I'll rest for a bit."

Seah threw herself onto the bed. And immediately passed out.

After confirming she was breathing softly in deep sleep, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠turned off the lights and stepped outside. Once ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I did, I saw Erde, who had changed back into her usual clothes.

"Did you speak with the dean?"

"Yep! She said it's fine. When someone's offering to help, who would turn that down!"

Erde, full of energy, flashed a V-sign.

Why does this make me so uneasy?

Did she actually get proper permission?

"What exactly do you take me for, Ethan?"

A crazy master.

"What? Crazy? To your heavenly master, no less!"

Ah. I'd said that out loud. I smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of my head.

"Master, did you know that 'crazy' has another meaning?"

"What is it?"

"It can mean 'mad dog.' It also means homosexual."

That was complete nonsense. There was such a term as 'mad dog,' but it was just a dialect expression. The pronunciation was simply close enough to sound like 'gay.'

"That sounds even weirder!"

A finger flick came flying at me. I widened my eyes and tracked the trajectory.

Slow.

"That was my afterimage, Master."

"Sigh."

Erde lowered her hand in surrender.

"Anyway, I got the permission without any issues. They wanted me to take a temporary professor position in the knight department as a condition, but I refused."

"A professor position?"

They ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wanted Erde to work as a professor? Erde?

"Why are you looking at me like that? It's just that preparing would be a hassle, Ethan."

"Master, the knight department doesn't only teach swordsmanship."

"I know that. Still, with all the knights I've observed over the years, handling a temporary professor role is as easy as eating cake."

"Master, you can't eat sweets."

"That's true. So I decided not to do it. They mentioned they were short on staff and seemed troubled, but when I brought this up they looked absolutely horrified."

I imagined the dean looking horrified.

"I understand, so please don't do it! I don't have the confidence to handle you!"

Something like that. For no particular reason, a smile crept across my face.

Must be because our internal affinity had grown stronger.

"You made the right choice. I genuinely cannot imagine you as a professor, Master."

Erde's teaching style was impossible for ordinary people to follow. The default mindset installed in her was basically 'Why can't you do this?'

Anyone who could enroll in Rosewood Academy wouldn't be ordinary, but by my standards, they were all mediocre.

"Yeah. The only person who can keep up with my lessons is you. It's only natural."

Erde puffed out her chest proudly for a moment before suddenly blurting out.

"Ah. Ethan, but you're studying properly, right?"

"You mean your teachings, Master?"

"No. The academy classes. With your personality, I figured you probably weren't taking them seriously. If you think something's useless, you won't even look at it."

"I'm doing well. Don't worry."

"Whew. You better be."

"I didn't expect you to care about something like that, Master. I thought you'd scold me for neglecting the lessons."

"I'm not that terrible of a person. And..."

Erde trailed off.

"...Since I gave up the chance to be alone with you and wrote that recommendation letter... I have to make sure you work hard."

Erde stammered shyly and buried her face downward.

"Don't worry. I'm doing well."

It's not like a question not in the textbook would suddenly appear, right?

Time flew by in the blink of an eye. If there was anything fortunate about it, it was that no major incidents occurred.

I spent peaceful days. I trained swordsmanship with Erde and learned more advanced magic from Seah.

Thanks to the nature of my sword style, it synergized perfectly with magic, causing my abilities to improve at an exponential rate. The difference between me from a day earlier and me from a day later was like night and day.

In exchange, my relationships with those around me didn't change much. If there was any variable at all, it was Katrina, but even she didn't issue any particular orders.

Ah. There were a couple if I really thought about it. Calian had approached me privately a few times, and Rachel had become even quieter.

That was it. None of the changes were particularly relevant to my life.

And so, after a month had passed, the White Night Festival was right around the corner. The academy was in complete chaos with both festival preparations and exam preparations.

Seniors and students from other departments whose faces I'd never even seen before were now everywhere. Various exchange events were held where everyone shared their strengths.

Among them, I had become the highest-priority target for caution. It had become customary for anyone exchanging with the first-year magic department to seek me out first.

It felt good at first, but eventually it grew irritating. It wasn't a free tasting booth, yet they all just took a look at my face before leaving.

I've remembered every last one of you.

We'll see what happens during the exchange battles.

However, that wasn't what I truly needed to focus on. Once the White Night Festival began, outsiders would be entering the academy.

The entire academy would become disorderly. That was why the written exams were being held right before the festival.

And right now, I was stuck.

Ah.

The demon of the blank page, Ethan.

Successfully landed at the academy.