Does a Romance Fantasy Transmigrator Dream of a Harem? #1

I had a dream.

No, to be precise, it wasn't a dream.

Just a fragment of a memory.

A massive fruit hung suspended in that space.

As I reached out to grab it,

it began to drift away on its own.

No.

Don't go!

"Mommy!!"

I bolted upright, shouting.

Then, a giggling laugh drifted from somewhere nearby.

"Ahahaha...! You really are an amusing child, aren't you? 'Mommy'? I'm sorry, but I'm not your mother."

I turned my head.

There, the "fruit" was waiting.

I reached out my hand toward it—

No, wait. Get a grip!

I didn't grab it.

Fortunately.

As my head cleared, I began to grasp the situation.

Let's break this down.

Q. What happened?

A. If my hazy memory serves me right, I was trapped in a strange world inside a dream.

And though I barely managed to escape, I almost died from my injuries. At least, that's what it felt like.

Q. Who does that spectacular chest belong to?

A. Cordelia, the academy's magic professor.

Q. Wait, who saved me?

A. Probably that spectacular chest. Which makes her my savior.

Q. Savior. Right. And what did I just say to my savior?

A. Mommy.

"...Excuse me. You're Professor Cordelia, correct?"

I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

Ugh.

Why did I have to say that of all things?!

Fortunately, Cordelia welcomed my greeting warmly.

"You remember me? I'm glad. I remembered you too. Edwin Faldemont. The prince of Lamedia, right?"

"Yes, I am the cousin of the current king."

"Indeed. Your throat was cut terribly deep. Was it an assassination attempt? You were on the verge of death when I found you."

An assassination attempt.

Right. A logical explanation.

If a royal is found bleeding out from their neck, there's no more reasonable assumption to make.

Who in their right mind would ever suspect he was dying because a wound sustained in a dream had manifested in reality?

I'd found a perfect excuse.

I might be able to use this later.

"Something like that..."

I gave a sheepish nod.

"Anyway, if I understand correctly, you saved my life, Professor?"

"You could say that."

"First of all, thank you. Is there any way I can repay you?"

"Repay me?"

At those words, her eyes gleamed.

Uh-oh. Did I misspeak?

I was grateful she saved my life, but I had absolutely zero desire to become her graduate student.

Setting aside my lack of talent, I couldn't afford to waste time before the major events of the original story kicked off.

"I should tell you in advance that I have no talent for magic. If you're looking for an apprentice, I don't think I can repay you in that way."

So, I shut that down preemptively.

Cordelia's eyes widened slightly,

before crinkling with amusement.

"Haha, I wondered what you were going to say...! You really are a funny boy. I already knew your magic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠aptitude ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was abysmal. I looked up your student record because I got curious about you."

She looked it up.

Relief and a chill ran through me at the same time.

Did she seriously earmark me as a potential graduate student just because of that brief question about dark magic?

The whole "kidnapped by a professor" thing wasn't just a meme!

What a terrifying woman.

"Then how should I repay you? Gold coins?"

"Hmm, that's a bit difficult. It doesn't look good for a professor to accept money from a student personally. What with bribery allegations and all."

I guess anti-bribery laws exist in this world too.

Cordelia licked her lips a few times before speaking.

"If you insist on repaying me... well. I'm quite interested in your body. How about you come visit me whenever you have free time?"

Interested in my body?

My ears perked up instantly.

What's this? Is this older woman demanding my body?

Oh, no.

I wanted to save my purity for Thalia.

But if I could hold those voluptuous breasts in my hands... Mmm, ah. That is the question.

What should I do?

This is a serious dilemma.

No. Repaying a debt of life is non-negotiable.

This is about paying back the person who saved my life.

If I can pay back my life with my body, then it is only right that I do so...

As if reading my expression,

Cordelia looked at me and burst into laughter.

"Ah, I know exactly what you're thinking! By 'personal visits,' I didn't mean that kind of thing. So wipe that lecherous look off your face."

"It's not?"

"Of course not. Believe it or not, I'm still a maiden. Your looks are quite my type, but it would be a bit of a waste to throw away my maidenhood on you."

Wait, this woman is a maiden?

With the vibe she gave off, I naturally assumed she was a widow who had buried at least two husbands.

Besides, considering her true identity in the original novel... she must have lived for a very long time.

This was an utterly unexpected setting.

A maiden MILF professor who exuded the mature charm of a widow!

"You're thinking of something rude again."

"It's a misunderstanding."

Whoa, that startled me.

She's not reading my mind, is she?

I cleared my throat to cover it up.

"Ahem. Anyway, when you say you're interested in my body...?"

"Literally. There is a unique energy mixed inside you... Simply put, I want to study you."

Oh, my god.

So "interested in my body" didn't mean a lover, but a guinea pig? A lab rat?

Cordelia's eyes sparkled.

"There's no need to be scared. I just want to investigate the potential of your physical form. It's not a bad deal for you either, is it? It will help you grow stronger."

Help me grow stronger.

I couldn't help but be intrigued by those words.

"What kind of help?"

"How to handle aura, for instance. Don't you want to get stronger? If you've survived an assassination attempt, you should be eager for it."

Did I want to get stronger?

Needless to say, of course I did.

But the method was incredibly suspicious.

Becoming a mage's research subject.

Besides, she wasn't even a swordsman, so how was she going to teach me how to handle aura?

"Are you saying you will teach swordsmanship to a swordsmanship student, Professor?"

Actually, it was possible.

In the original novel, Cordelia's swordsmanship was at the level of a Sword Master.

She shook her head.

"No? When did I say I'd teach you swordsmanship? I said I'd teach you how to handle aura."

"Isn't that the same thing? Every swordsmanship student learns how to handle aura."

Of course, there was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the concept of "all paths leading to the same destination."

In this world's lore, both aura and mana were drawn from the same fundamental source of power.

Conveniently, she brought up that exact point.

"Aura and mana share the same root. Aura draws out only the pure physical force from the energy within you, while magic uses your internal energy to manipulate the mana of nature. Do you understand?"

A common trope.

I nodded.

"Of course, I have no intention of teaching you basic aura manipulation or stabilization techniques. You'll learn plenty of that at the academy anyway."

She continued her explanation.

"But I can teach you anything outside of that. For example, how to disrupt an opponent's aura during combat? The kind of things... they don't teach you in school."

Whoa, that sounds shady as hell.

Then again, there was no way this woman, who was a villain in the original novel, would teach me conventional combat methods.

Still... it's not a bad offer.

Either way, I had to get stronger.

Normally, since I had the Pale Cameo, I wouldn't have agreed to such a suspicious proposal...

But what could I do when my romance fantasy transmigration story had suddenly drifted genres into a dungeon survival horror?

I had to learn whatever I could to survive.

Especially since I might have to fight monsters like the one last night again.

"...Alright. I'll cooperate with your research."

"Good. I'm glad you're quick to understand."

She smiled.

At that, my heart skipped a beat.

Ah, no. I have Thalia...

The gentle, all-accepting smile of an older woman is way too stimulating for a hot-blooded young man!

"You're making that strange face again."

"...My apologies. But may I ask you one thing?"

"A question?"

"Well, earlier when I asked about paying you in gold, you said it could raise suspicions of favoritism. But wouldn't you giving me private lessons also raise those same suspicions?"

Cordelia pursed her lips into an 'O' shape,

then tilted her head slightly.

"Hmm, I suppose that's true."

'I suppose that's true'?!

Did she not even think about it?

"...Are you sure you'll be alright?"

When I asked with concern,

she replied with another gentle smile.

"It's fine. It might cause some trouble, but... well, who cares?"

She shrugged.

"Mages don't really care about anything other than their own research anyway."

True.

In the original novel, all mages possessed that exact mindset.

Especially since this woman was no ordinary mage...

That aside, my body.

Hmm, do I really have to give her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my body?

My first kiss has to go to Thalia, so that's out. But if it's an intimate relationship where I get to squeeze those heavy breasts, I'm down for it anytime...

"You're thinking of something weird again."

"...Good grief, you aren't actually reading my mind, are you?"

We both laughed at the same time.

In the end, I accepted her offer.

And at that very moment,

a brilliant window popped up before my eyes.