Reunions Doubled (1)
A week had passed since that fatal blunder in the relay sparring matches. The special class, which was only selecting a handful of students, hadn't started yet, so these days, my routine was much the same every day. And today, if it was special in any way, it was also a day of particular misfortune.
"Haa, what kind of mess is this in this weather..."
Right now, I was tending to the herb garden. Why was a mere student like me, neither the herbology professor nor a worker, doing this? The reason was simple.
Tsk, I shouldn't have messed around.
Herbology was one of the most popular general electives. It had practical value in everyday life, the class itself was fun, and the professor had a great personality—practically a holy trinity of lectures. That made it one of the hardest classes to get into.
And I had made a slight, trivial mistake in that very class.
Occupational hazard, occupational hazard.
Mixing herbs wasn't particularly difficult for me. In my past life, I'd personally crafted all sorts of poisons from various ingredients. The downside was that I'd never made anything but poison.
Anyway, herbs might share the character for "medicine," but mishandle them a little, and they turned into poison countless times over. Maybe that's why I got eager to show off my skills after so long. The professor was such a kind soul, I figured he'd just chuckle it off, so during lab time, I pretended it was a mistake and whipped up a poison.
"Got thoroughly chewed out."
But disappointingly, the professor wasn't that merciful. After a stern talking-to, I was punished by tending his herb garden over the weekend. Honestly, making poison on school grounds and getting off this lightly was a blessing.
With those thoughts, I was watering the herbs and managing sunlight exposure in the professor's garden at the threshold of the school's back mountain.
"Deneb?"
Then someone called my name. I was a bit startled before even checking who it was. A student coming up to the back mountain on such a sunny day? No one would come here for a stroll, so unless they were getting punished like me, there had to be something shady going on.
"Yu... Yuz?"
"What are you doing here? Given up magic and fighting to become a farmer for life?"
"No, just serving my punishment... Tending the garden over the weekend doesn't mean I'm switching careers forever."
Yuz Denebergen—her other name was Yustina. I'd almost slipped on her name, but it seemed she hadn't noticed.
If she caught me, well... come to think of it...
Truth be told, I'd been vaguely anxious for the past week. And for good reason—Yustina had seen my walk. Not just any walk, but the assassin-exclusive foot technique, Shadow Phantom Step.
I thought it was checkmate.
I'd already revealed plenty to Yustina. Clearing the Trial of Terror in record time was like announcing I had assassin-level senses. And solving one of Denebergen Academy's Seven Mysteries revealed I knew ancient script. Even in the sparring, I'd desperately tried to change my style, but in the end, I slipped and used Shadow Phantom Step.
At that point, there was no hiding it. I'd even prepared a scenario: if Yustina confronted me directly, I'd admit it and beg her not to lock me up.
But oddly, after the relay sparring ended, Yustina hadn't called me aside or sought me out specially.
Did she not notice?
The thought crossed my mind, but I wasn't sure. If I was just being paranoid, it'd be a relief. A week had passed with her quietly attending classes and not prying, making me doubt if she really just wanted a student experience. If so, wasn't that a bit pathetic?
...Yeah, I can't say that out loud.
Lost in silly thoughts with a smile, Yustina crossed her arms and furrowed her brow. Her glare pricked my conscience, so I naturally bluffed.
"By the way, didn't you say you'd call me sometime to meet up?"
"Indeed. Somehow a week has slipped by."
"You must've been busy."
"Sigh, a bit, yes. Things didn't go smoothly."
For some reason, I suspected her "busy" involved the imperial knight professor assigned to the special class. Her expression had soured back then. Maybe she'd tried using her chairman influence to replace him and failed.
Wait, then why is Yustina up on the back mountain?
I was here on the herbology professor's orders, but Yustina didn't seem to have any obvious reason.
"So, Yuz, what brings you here?"
"This Yustina is here for something similar to you, nira."
"Punishment? What for?"
"P-Punishment...? Not quite punishment... More like a r-request..."
Yuz pursed her lips, refusing to speak, but soon realized I was spilling while she clammed up. She muttered reluctantly, looking both funny and cute.
"The... magical beast studies class..."
"Oh, magical beast studies. Yeah, I know. I'm taking it too."
"Of course you are. This Yustina and you have identical schedules. You're not copying me, are you?"
"..."
You're the one copying, you shameless...
"Anyway. The magical beast studies professor dared punish this Yustina. Dared, against this body! So what if I dozed off a bit in class!"
"Well, from the professor's side, it might've been annoying..."
"Unforgivable, nira! Fire him, absolutely fire him! No, maybe not firing, but a three-month pay cut!"
Did this girl even remember she was role-playing as the chairman's daughter? Getting scolded by a professor she'd hired while cosplaying as a student... Every word screamed tyrannical boss, lone-wolf chairman.
I chuckled at her huffing and offered comfort.
"Begging your mom to fire staff over a scolding would just get you in more trouble. Should've stayed awake and paid attention."
"It's the professors' fault for not teaching well. Have you ever seen this Yustina doze in Perkin's combat class?"
"Hmm, that's combat, so of course... Wait, no. So what punishment brought you all the way here?"
Yustina nodded vigorously, as if she'd been waiting for that, snorting.
"Retrieving hunting traps!"
Retrieving hunting traps—and assigning that to a student? I tilted my head, confused. Understandably so, since magical beasts occasionally appeared on this back mountain. They didn't come down to the garden at the entrance where I was, but Luisa had mentioned rumors of them deeper in.
Even if it's daytime, sending a student alone into a mountain with magical beasts?
Of course, Yustina was a dragon—no real worry there. Dozens of beasts charging at once? She'd wipe them out effortlessly with magic, unscathed. But the professor didn't know she was a dragon, so it was basically assigning a female student a dangerous task for dozing in class.
I couldn't comprehend it, but Yustina wagged a finger as if to correct me.
"I know what you're fretting over."
"Huh?"
"Heh heh, newbies often misunderstand. Rumors of magical beasts on the back mountain sound ferocious, right?"
"Magical beasts are ferocious. Fire-breathing boars, tree-sized snakes... Nothing harmless."
"Are you... no, are you underestimating this Yustina's—no, this Yustina's mother?"
Brushing past the slip, I finally got it. Tales from old said high magical beasts gathered near dragon lairs, serving or protected by them—a nice setup for the beasts.
Here, Denebergen Academy was Yustina's lair, and the dragon they served was Yustina herself.
"All the beasts on this mountain are under this Yustina's... mother's control. You learned about mental magic in class, right? That's applied to every beast and magical creature here, nira."
"Like, they absolutely won't kill humans?"
"Exactly. They catch some for student combat training, turning the mountain into a beast colony."
"Hmm, sounds risky just hearing it..."
Unconvinced to the end, Yustina glared, annoyed.
"I told you it's fine, nira?! Trust this Yustina—no, this Yustina's mother! Every beast here has a basic suggestion: never harm human lives."
"If you say so. Wait here a sec."
"Huh? Why wait?"
I firmly packed the moist soil so the last herb roots could absorb enough water, then stood, brushing off my waist.
"Ow, my legs ache from squatting."
"Build some stamina. Pathetic for a guy."
"Ahaha..."
I left the gardening tools and trudged toward Yustina on the path. Her eyes widened watching me.
"Wh-what?! Why approach this Yustina with those dirt-covered hands and feet?!"
"Retrieving hunting traps, right? Not easy finding them all over the forest."
"W-well, true, but... with magic..."
"No need to push away someone offering help."
"Hmph, don't think this Yustina's grateful or anything."
Still the same after 500 years and a week. Calling a 17-year-old me her "kid" felt off now, but her unchanging nature was true. I naturally went to pat her head, realized my hands were dirty, and brushed them off.
"...Wash with water."
"Oh, magic?"
"Basic general water magic. Learn it."
Yustina pouted but shot a tiny water stream from her fingertip, cleaning the dirt off my hands. Turning away to hide her expression, she muttered in a whispery—but not small—voice.
"Well, climbing a mountain with someone... brings back old memories."
"..."
I couldn't control my face hearing that. It reminded me of 500 years ago, foraging fruits and herbs with Yustina for dinner. Liwin was too young for hunting—that was mostly Elfin—so fruit-picking was with Yustina. Joking trivially in the grass, chattering hours on end about trifles.
Her one line revived those memories.
...Damn it.
Only then did I realize my choices and actions were utterly sloppy. Hiding from Yustina, who'd waited 500 years? Absurd.
A bittersweet smile on my lips, I headed deeper into the mountain.
"A-hem! Hurry up and follow. I have things to say anyway. Perfect chance. We'll talk on the way."
"Sure, looking forward to it."
And I thought: maybe not now, but by the time we descend this mountain... things might change a lot.
Meanwhile, deep in the mountain where Yustina and Deneb headed.
About 12 hours before their visit, another visitor had come. As Deneb monologued, sneaking into the school back mountain on a sunny weekend screamed shady. Especially at dark night.
"Kyakyakya, Oppa, this thing really works, right?"
"Absolutely! Trust magitech. Magitech is god. Kekekeket!"
The massive coiled serpent sleeping was a magical beast. No ordinary human would dare approach. Yet a creepy pair—man and woman—neared the house-sized serpent, fitting a bizarre collar.
Stealthy steps, long arms extended...
Click!
The collar, long enough for the thick neck, was secured. The plan succeeded, but the sleeping serpent showed no change.
Still, the giggling pair looked satisfied, as if all was smooth.
"Oppa, but can this really overlay dragon magic?"
"Kekekeket, old-era dragons can't match magitech—how many times must I say? Gryeta?"
"True, Oppa Hans. Magitech is god!"
"Yes, magitech is god! Magitech is truth!"
"Kyakyakyakya!"
"Kekekekeket!"
The siblings, with eerily pale skin, danced grotesquely into the forest and vanished.