Chapter 79
Chapter 79
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Meiko's Hidden Desire
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Di... disciple..."
"..."
"Disciple, can't you hear me?"
Meiko's groveling voice came from beside me.
"Di... disciple?"
"..."
"Ho... how long do I have to keep this up?"
At her persistently ringing voice, I turned my head.
Where I turned, there was Meiko, kneeling with both hands raised in the air.
Whether from her knees hurting or her arms aching, she gazed up at me with teary eyes and glistening pupils.
"Ca... can't I lower my arms now?"
"No. Keep them straight up."
"But disciple, even so, treating your master like this..."
"Isn't it too much?"
Meiko nodded vigorously.
"Considering the money you've spent, Master, it's not too much at all. Just keep holding them up."
"..."
At the mention of money, Meiko deflated again, grimacing as she raised her arms once more.
"I'm sorry..."
Looking dejected, she pouted sulkily, unable to tuck in her protruding lower lip as she lifted her hands again.
"I... I was trying to do well... Al... alchemy requires it... And to procure local materials there..."
She knew her mistake well enough not to openly complain.
A normal person might not have caught it and let it slide, but ears like mine—enhanced by a mage's improved physical abilities—couldn't miss it.
Her mumbling whispers were a far cry from her usual mature tone.
They were close to a child's whining.
"Now that the equipment's all set up, I thought I could make money there without relying on you, disciple. I had my reasons..."
Hearing that voice, I couldn't help thinking she really was a young mage despite her age.
I called out to Meiko, who was sneaking glances at my eyes and slowly trying to lower her hands.
"Master."
"Y-Yes? Wh-what is it?"
"You can spend a lot on research. Most of the support funds go to that anyway."
Her spending wasn't bad in principle.
She hadn't blown it on luxuries.
It was a proper mage-like use, one might say.
But.
"You went way overboard."
I wasn't ignorant of magic item prices.
Basic equipment could've been set up for under 30 gold.
Yet she'd used the 40 gold I'd given her plus 40 gold from the support budget—a total of 80 gold.
That's why I was blaming her: she'd set it up for 2.5 times market price.
"Even in the sticks like the Witch's Forest, installing alchemy gear for that much money?"
"But the witches there charge a lot for hauling equipment that far..."
"Don't they have alchemy setups already? You should've just rented."
That would've cost under 10 gold.
"But I can't focus if it's not my own stuff."
"That's exactly my point, Master."
"..."
"Your intentions were good, but with other options available, you blew nearly a full year's budget. That's why I came all the way back here."
"..."
Meiko couldn't argue.
"And we're already short on cash as it is. How am I supposed to cover it if you dump the budget there too?"
"...I'm sorry."
Meiko bowed her head, her face on the verge of tears.
I couldn't let sympathy weaken me.
"You need to feel the weight of the money you've squandered, Master."
"..."
I sat her down beside me and pondered ways to cover this serious deficit.
'Should I reach out to more nobles and lure them to the shop?'
Showing them a video once could fetch a hefty fee, enough to offset some losses.
Of course, to avoid using mana stones, I'd have to pour out my own mana until my bones ached.
'If it's to cover the deficit...'
My eyes drifted to the glasses Helen had gifted me.
"No way."
You lunatic.
Sell a gift to make money?
Are you sane?
Sure, one pair could easily net 50 gold.
But no.
It's rude.
I shook my head to dispel the demonic temptation.
'I just need to run more alchemy batches diligently and take on outside commissions.'
Money could be made somehow.
I'd have to tighten my belt a bit.
'Might have to scrape by on bread crumbs until next month.'
Meiko, who had been kneeling with hands raised, crept closer while eyeing me.
"Um, disciple."
"Yes, Master."
"I've thought of another way to atone for my sin."
"What is it?"
"That magic circle research you're doing. Let your master help directly. You've always avoided showing it to me in person."
"It wasn't me dodging; you refused, citing Goddess Church laws and whatnot."
"Th-that's because you kept groping my hand backs and forearms lewdly, saying it was 'for research'!"
"I never groped you lewdly."
"Y-you did! You said the feel of forearm flesh is similar to breasts..."
Ah.
That's what she meant.
"It was for data collection. And I didn't grope lewdly; those are perfectly fine spots."
"B-but! You groped my thighs too!"
"..."
Can't deny that.
Early research required a lot of female body data, so I'd gotten plenty of help from Master.
"And my belly... my belly button too..."
"It was just a brief touch for investigation."
"So that's why I never got to see the magic circle."
"..."
Tsk.
What now?
If Master sees inside the circle, she'll notice for sure.
That it's not just an illusion projector.
But I can't refuse.
'If I disable some of the auto-calculation features, I can show a toned-down version.'
Remove all sex-related keywords, and it should be fine.
Master wouldn't dig into non-functional elements anyway.
"Understood. Take a look then. But that doesn't erase the fact you wasted the money."
"I know. I'll work hard there to make up the shortfall."
"Got it. Hold on while I set it up—lower your arms."
"I'll help with the setup too."
No, that won't work.
A far superior mage like her would notice immediately if she touched the setup.
That it's not just projecting dirty illusions.
"It's fine. Your arms must be tired; rest a bit."
"...Disciple."
I flicked her forehead as she teared up, touched.
"Ow!"
"That doesn't mean you're forgiven, so don't get too clingy."
"Eek, my disciple's become so heartless."
"It's the money worries."
As I worked on the setup, she spoke up.
"Oh, right, disciple."
"Yes, Master?"
"Before I came into your shop earlier, I saw that lady—the noble one who left in a huff like you'd hit her with a hammer. Is she your girlfriend?"
"...Pardon?"
She saw Helen?
I looked at her.
Meiko's eyes bored into me.
Her gaze carried an oddly obsessive intensity.
"She's not my girlfriend."
"Re... really?"
"Yes. Just a customer."
"So there really are customers seeking that kind of illusion."
"How else could I send you money, Master?"
"My disciple's grown into such a fine man."
"I'm two years older than you."
"But I started learning magic five years before you."
She kept chatting as I set up.
"She looked like high nobility. Do you have feelings for her?"
"...Why do you ask?"
"A master's bound to care about her disciple's love life."
"...No."
"You hesitated a bit."
"Don't say useless things. I'm concentrating."
Feelings for Helen?
I don't know.
Until recently, we were just customer and shopkeeper.
Helen might think differently, though.
'She wouldn't just give such expensive glasses for nothing.'
It might look trashy, but I didn't think we had those special feelings yet.
If anything, we're still in that fun, casual phase.
Setup complete.
I'd minimized the 'sexual desire' keyword and reduced auto-calculation to the bare minimum.
It'd burden me more, but this was necessary to fool Master.
"Done."
"I'm... nervous."
"Don't tense up too much. I removed the weird stuff."
"Okay... Th-that's a relief."
Lips fumbling—clearly no immunity—she stepped to the circle's center.
"I'll go in with you."
"The caster entering the illusion too? Isn't that overdoing it?"
"You need to experience it fully for me to get proper feedback."
"I see. Alright then. Let's begin."
"Here goes."
I cast the spell.
The magic circle glowed.
[User: Meiko]
[Projecting the user's desires.]
The illusion began unfolding around Meiko.
"Oh ho, an illusion that projects desires."
Meiko seemed to see the message I did.
Seeing the user message—visible only to the caster—meant she was a cut above me as a mage.
'Am I still not quite at Meiko's level?'
"Yes, it shows the other person's deepest desires."
"I see."
"For you, Master, it'd probably show something with Bretilla Flowers."
Meiko fell silent.
The space conjured by the circle was a professor's office.
"Ooh... So intricate. Your illusion-crafting and imagination surpass mine."
Meiko, inspecting the office, turned to me with admiration in her voice.
"...Huh? Disciple?"
She sounded shocked upon looking at me.
Huh?
Meiko's height seemed to have shot up suddenly.
I'd been looking down at her, but once the illusion fully activated, my viewpoint shifted.
Her height grew, making me look up at her.
'No.'
It wasn't her height that grew.
Mine had shrunk.
All my former eye levels twisted slightly.
The clearest proof: now gazing slightly up at Meiko, who was originally late 160s cm.
Felt like mid-160s now? No—mid 150s maybe.
[Altering the caster's appearance according to the user's desires.]
"...Master? What's..."
I stared at Meiko, lost for words.
"Wa... wow..."
Because her face, looking at me, had turned a shade of red that seemed impossible to deepen.