Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Bad Idea
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'......This is a statement that's pretty open to misunderstanding.'
Even I, who had lived my whole life as a gamer and knew next to nothing about romance or reading the mood,
Seemed more hopeless than me when it came to Ciel.
To want to be together forever?
That's practically something you say when proposing marriage.
You'd expect it to make your heart flutter coming from a beauty like Ciel, but all I could do was let out a hollow laugh.
Of course, Ciel hadn't meant it that way at all.
It was a pure statement with zero romantic feelings mixed in.
What she meant was simply, 'I want to get my dopamine fix from you forever.'
But if anyone around us overheard, it could lead to some horrible misunderstandings.
There were already weird rumors floating around campus after that incident with the old fisherwoman and feeding her,
And if Ciel got added to the mix... that would really be no good.
That's why I decided I needed to correct her speech habits.
"Ciel. Thanks, but you can't just say stuff like that to anyone."
"But Jeron isn't just anyone—?"
"No. I mean, not like that—you only say things like that to someone you really like."
"Yeah~. Being with Jeron always lets me see new and fun things, so I really like it~."
"......"
But the more I tried to correct her, the more it felt like things were veering off in a weird direction.
In the end, I gave up on fixing the root of it and just patched it over roughly.
"...Anyway, let's agree not to say stuff like that when other people are around."
"Hmm? I don't really get why, but—? If Jeron wants that, I'll do it~."
Ciel nodded and changed the subject.
"Jeron~. But you know, I kinda wanna learn black magic~."
"Black magic?"
"Yeah~. I didn't think much of it before, but seeing you do it looked fun~. If it's something Jeron does as a hobby, it must be fun~."
"So, you mean you want to learn [Shadow Barrier]?"
"I wanna learn that too, but~ that's still kinda hard, so easy stuff first, and a bunch of different things~?"
Ciel was saying her interest went beyond my [Shadow Barrier]—she was hooked on black magic itself.
I was a little surprised.
Ciel properly learning black magic?
This was a completely new development that never happened in [Stella Academia].
But it didn't feel like a bad one.
'Actually, this could be good?'
Ciel had overwhelming talent, but she'd only ever used it on regular magic.
If she picked up black magic as a new weapon, it'd be like giving wings to a crimson horse.
The story diverging from the original was a bit concerning,
But ever since I came to this world, everything had already started changing anyway.
And crucially, she wasn't the type to stop learning just because I told her not to.
"So yeah, Jeron~."
Ciel looked up at me with eyes full of expectation.
"Teach me black magic~."
The problem was this.
She wanted to learn black magic from me, of all people.
...Tricky.
Teaching her black magic when I could only use it with finger snaps was impossible.
Of course, I did have data and knowledge from playing as the black magic department protagonist before.
That knowledge was extremely valuable.
It was the kind of stuff that could even help a black magic genius like Lily a ton.
But it was still limited and fragmented.
Nowhere near enough to systematically teach someone.
Plus, the act of teaching someone was way too diligent.
The system was surely watching right now, waiting for a chance to trip me up.
"Hmm... well. I just taught myself, so I'm not really at the level to teach anyone. Wouldn't it be better to learn from a black magic professor?"
I tried to brush it off like that.
But.
"Yeah~, I don't want anyone else~. I want you to teach me, Jeron~."
Ciel shook her head back and forth.
"If there's anything you want, Jeron, I'll grant you one wish, anything~. So help me learn black magic~. Okay~?"
'...Huh, anything?'
I fell into thought for a moment.
Do you know what this little kid throwing a tantrum in front of me really was?
One of the Four Emperors. The Magic Tower's genius, Ciel Ifrit.
If I could secure a wish from her... it'd definitely be useful.
"...Alright. Let me think about it first."
I dodged a direct answer and changed the subject instead.
"More importantly, did you see the new cookies at the canteen? They looked super tasty. Wanna go eat some?"
"Ooh—let's go~!"
Fortunately, her interests shifted easily to sweets.
To keep her from bringing up black magic again, I had to play with her that whole day until she was satisfied.
***
That wrapped up the practical duel placement period completely, and the weekend arrived.
'Phew, now I can finally live.'
I was sprawled out on the Occult Research Club room sofa like a slime.
This time, it wasn't my sloth persona.
I was genuinely tired.
Monday through Thursday were whatever, but Friday was brutal.
Dueling the Saintess, entertaining Ciel...
I definitely couldn't handle anything tough this weekend like going after that old guy last time.
So, I came to the club room to rest and incidentally build favor with Lily.
The duel period was over, so sloth wasn't building up like last time, though.
As I was rolling around like that, Lily cautiously approached me.
"U-Um... Jeron junior. I watched your duel yesterday, and it was amazing."
"Ah, you saw that."
"Y-Yes.... Your defensive spell seemed like a variation of that one I saw before. It was really impressive."
Like with Ciel, she hadn't figured out exactly how I'd powered up the magic, but she was amazed by the black magic [Eclipse] itself.
"You said black magic was just a 'hobby' for you, right, Jeron junior...? So you don't know much theory and just go by feel...?"
"Yeah, pretty much?"
She fidgeted with her hands hesitantly for a moment, then mustered her courage and continued.
"Th-Then, how about properly learning black magic sometime...? I could teach you.... Hehe...."
Lily awkwardly smiled as she made her offer.
'Hmm? What's this?'
When I showed a bit of surprise at that, Lily got scared preemptively and started trembling.
"I-I'm not forcing you or anything! You're already super impressive as is...."
She poured out words like a machine gun and bowed her head.
"If you added systematic methodology on top of that, you'd be even more amazing...! Uuugh, I overstepped again... I'm sorry, your black magic skills are way better than mine...."
Of course, I was thinking something else entirely.
'This is a quest from the game too.'
It didn't pop up as a quest window like last time, but it was one that existed originally.
[Learn Black Magic from Lily] quest.
But this one only triggers at pretty high favor, right? And it's already here?
Why'd the favor farming go so well?!
Anyway.
Accepting it would raise her favor more, but...
I couldn't really use black magic knowledge even if I learned it,
And learning anything at all was diligent behavior, so this quest was gonna be tough either way.
Just as I was about to politely decline,
'Wait a sec. Lily wants to teach me black magic. And Ciel wants to learn black magic from me.'
So, what if I did this?
A brilliant idea flashed through my mind like lightning.
"Sure, senior. I'll learn black magic from you."
"Ehh? R-Really...?!"
I accepted Lily's offer.
She jumped in surprise and snapped her head up.
"Like you said, senior, I don't know theory or methods well—I'm in a situation where I can only use magic that comes instinctively."
I acted as much as possible like an untamed genius overflowing with talent but lacking basics.
At the same time, I laid the groundwork to justify my situation where I could only use black magic bought from the sloth shop.
"Ah.... Right, right! There are cases like that among geniuses sometimes."
Fortunately, it seemed to land well—Lily nodded.
"But, could I learn in my own way?"
"Y-Yes! Of course! Any method is fine!"
"Then, could you write down the black magic theory and stuff you want to teach me on a note?"
"...A note?"
"Yeah. I'll study it, and if I have questions, I'll write them on a note and give it back to you."
A class where we communicate solely through notes, no talking.
Lily looked puzzled at this completely novel teaching method.
Then suddenly, her cheeks flushed a bit, and she muttered something to herself.
"Ahh, d-does that mean... you know I get nervous talking to people for long, so you're being considerate...?"
"Yeah?"
I couldn't hear her quiet voice well and asked again, and Lily shook her head in a panic.
"...N-No! Sounds good. Let's do that."
'Perfect.'
I smirked inwardly with malice.
My plan was as follows.
1. Receive a note from Lily full of excellent black magic lessons.
2. Pass that note to Ciel.
3. When Ciel, with her genius insights, comes up with questions, pass them back to Lily pretending they're mine.
And repeat!
'Free infinite power from two geniuses...!'
I put in zero effort or study.
I just act as the cuckoo bird passing notes between Ciel and Lily.
But Lily will mistake me for an amazing genius and her favor will skyrocket.
Ciel will mistake me for a kind teacher and get roped into granting that wish.
'Even I think this is a really bad idea.'
An evil scam plan that makes you understand why sloth is a sin.
...Gotta do it, right?