Limited-Time Master
Airi’s room was a mess. Everyone who had separated me from my master, Camellia who kept pretending to worry about him, and that bratty little goddess who had placed a seal on my mana in exchange for turning back time. With my magic skills from my previous life, I could have easily subdued someone like Glacia. If only it weren’t for that damned little goddess.
“You want to turn back time for the one you love? Wow, in all my time as a goddess I’ve never seen a lunatic like you. You really don’t give me a moment’s peace, do you?”
“So, are you going to do it or not?”
“No. Just turning back time already means I have a mountain of work to deal with… and now you want me to drag in a soul from another world on top of that? And leave behind all your knowledge of this world in some other form? You really are a rare breed of lunatic. Do you even know what the word ‘conscience’ means?”
“You just don’t want to do it, do you…?”
“Well, it’s not like I don’t understand wanting to turn back time… I could do it, but I hate it when people regress and cause chaos. So, in game terms from your world, I’m going to have to ‘nerf’ you.”
That wretched little goddess had claimed that everything came with a price, severed all my contracts with the spirit kings, and even placed a seal on my maximum mana capacity. I had half a mind to charge in and beat her senseless, but I knew I would lose, so I gave up. Still, I should have tried even if it meant defeat. Leaving that ice queen and my master together had been the biggest mistake of my life.
My master seemed to be holding back because of my age, but my birthday was only a month away. Then I would finally be a legal adult, old enough to throw myself into his arms. Camellia and that bitch Glacia might be laughing now, but I would be the one laughing last. Of course, I was generous enough to offer them the position of concubine if they wanted it.
But that little goddess’s words still bothered me.
“Even if you turn back time with regrets, all you’ll have left are more regrets. No matter how much you try to avoid pain… it always comes back in some form. Still, if you’re fine with that, I’ll turn back time for you.”
Those words about pain always returning had been strangely ominous. At the time I had ignored them—saving my master was the priority. But now they had become shackles around my ankles. Just like when my master nearly died a few days ago. I had to make sure that damned little goddess didn’t pull any more tricks.
While I was wondering how to beat that bratty goddess, I heard a knock.
“Who is it?”
No answer. The only person who would stay silent like that was Glacia. She had always acted high and mighty, pretending she was different from everyone else. It was really annoying. Still, knowing she loved my master made me feel a little sorry for her. If it were Glacia, I could at least allow her to be a concubine. That didn’t mean I liked her attitude, though.
“…Come in.”
If Glacia was going to be rude to me, there was no need for me to be polite either. I kept my gaze at the height where Glacia’s face should have been, but saw nothing. Confused, I lowered my eyes and found a cute boy standing there.
For a moment I was bewildered, but then I remembered who he was. He was the boy from the painting my master had shown me. The painting depicted many people from his younger days, including my mother and father.
“Wow, Master, this person in the painting… that’s our mother and father, right?”
“Yeah. This is from when your master was out there beating up demons. After we wiped them all out, we drew this together with your uncles and aunts as a keepsake.”
“Wow, then where are you, Master?”
“Right there, between your mom and the woman wearing the mask.”
“…You’re lying, right? Your eyes are so lively and you’re smiling. Plus, you don’t even have that ‘everything is a hassle’ expression.”
“Hahaha… My disciple is begging to die today, I see.”
The memory of being thoroughly beaten under the pretext of “practical training” made my eyes well up with tears.
Anyway, the boy standing before me now was…
“Master…?”
“You recognized me quite easily.”
“No, what on earth happened…?”
“It was necessary for the treatment. Explaining it would be complicated, but… I’ll be back to normal tomorrow, so don’t worry, you little brat.”
I couldn’t resist my desire. The boyhood version of my master had lively eyes, beautiful hair, and no wrinkles on his forehead. My master had always been quite handsome, but in his youth he possessed the kind of looks that would make any girl his age fall for him instantly.
Just yesterday I had been a minor and he an adult. But today we were both minors. While an adult embracing a minor was against the law, two minors embracing each other should be legal, right? So holding my younger master right now was perfectly legal and didn’t violate any moral standards.
“Only until tomorrow? That’s a shame.”
Of course, my master’s adult form was handsome too. Even with that perpetually annoyed expression, his natural looks hadn’t gone anywhere, so whenever we walked together, plenty of women would stare at him. But like how rare delicacies existed, this form was violently captivating to my heart.
“Put me down, Airi. It’s hot.”
“How can it be hot in the freezing north? What a boring joke.”
“No, we’re indoors and the fireplace is blazing…”
“It’s cold, isn’t it? I spent several days rolling around in the snow because of you, so I’m still freezing. If I hold you like this, I’ll feel a little warmer.”
When I smiled and pressed the issue, my master finally sighed and nodded. I didn’t want to miss out on this limited-time version of him. Feeling the warmth of his younger body, I sat down on the bed.
“So, why did you come looking for your adorable disciple, Master?”
The topic was obviously about returning to Bechem, the city where we used to live. Then we could go back to our peaceful daily life. Camellia would naturally follow, and Glacia might too, but… that place was the city where my master and I had lived. What could they possibly do in a place that wasn’t even their base?
But my master gave an unexpected answer.
“Airi… if I said I was going to the Imperial Capital, would you follow me?”
“Master, why the Imperial Capital all of a sudden…?”
I hated the capital because that damned mage lived there. The arrogant mage who kept calling my master an idiot and a bad person. The same woman who had shown up at his funeral, stared at the coffin without shedding a single tear, then left without a word. Later she claimed she had things to take care of and disappeared, only to go missing. If we went to the capital, it was obvious she would make my master’s life miserable.
“I’m planning to return to my position as an imperial mage.”
“An imperial mage?”
It was a job that guaranteed wealth and honor, but it was equally dangerous, dirty, and difficult. I had heard my master had been injured many times during his time there as a child.
“Yeah. Due to various circumstances, I’m planning to return. What do you think?”
“…I don’t like it. Let’s just go back to Bechem where we used to live together.”
“Airi…”
I didn’t want to let my master get involved in dangerous work. Even if Bechem was a bit dirty and old, it was safer. This wasn’t just my selfishness. I simply wanted him to stay somewhere safer.
“If that’s really what you want, then go to Brother Zik.”
“…Yes.”
The moment he told me to go to my father, the memory of the day my master died flashed through my mind. That day still tore my heart apart whenever I recalled it. The day filled with guilt and regret that still tightened around my chest.
“Why would you say something like that… Please don’t…”
“I have to return no matter what.”
“Why, Master…?”
“Because if I don’t return, there will be a great danger that I can’t ignore.”
My master had always been like that. He would say the world was rotten and full of untrustworthy trash, yet he always devoted himself to it. He claimed you could never trust others and that you should put yourself first, yet he was always willing to throw himself away for someone else.
“Then I’ll follow you.”
“No, why did you suddenly change your mind?”
My master wasn’t the type to bend his will just because I tried to stop him. So I had no choice but to follow and protect him myself.
“Well… your housekeeping skills are terrible, Master. Someone has to go with you.”
“Ha… You really think I’m a mage with zero housekeeping ability.”
Unfortunately… my master was the worst at cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Saying I was following because of his terrible housekeeping wasn’t a lie either.