Chapter 33
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Possessor (1)
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That evening, in the guest room.
"Stand up."
"Standing!!"
Yuria bolted upright from her seat like a spring-loaded jack-in-the-box. Tense as she was, cold sweat trickled down from her perfectly at-attention head.
"Sit."
"Sitting!!"
"Stand up."
"Standing!!"
"Don't sit—get down on your stomach."
"Don't sit, get do... Gah?!"
Yuria staggered like her brain had short-circuited. She looked just like a robot whose inputs and outputs had gotten hopelessly tangled.
"Hey, cut it out. The kid's knees are gonna give. You running a boot camp here?"
I snickered, sprawled obliquely across the sofa.
"Long time no see your disciple, and instead of catching up, you're drilling her like a demon. What the hell did you teach her up on that snowy mountain back in the day? She's reacting purely on reflex."
"Shut your trap. You stay quiet. This is mental conditioning."
Erendel shot me a glare before jerking her chin toward the quivering Yuria.
"Sit there."
"Th-thank you!"
Yuria perched rigidly on the edge of the sofa, barely letting her butt touch it. Who'd have thought the north's mad dog could turn into such a docile kitten? The original mad dog was in a league of her own.
"Does it hurt?"
Erendel asked curtly.
"No, ma'am! Not one bit! If anything, my mind feels sharper!"
"Liar."
Erendel tsked and pulled a small jar of ointment from her bosom, tossing it over.
"Rub it in. You'll bruise. It's ointment—slather it on thick."
"Master..."
Yuria caught it with wide, touched eyes.
"I'm sorry. I really had no idea. I just figured you were some crusty old palace battle-ax..."
"......"
Erendel's eyebrow twitched.
"N-not an old ax! I-I thought you were a stunning beauty...!"
"Enough. Don't bother fixing it. You're just digging deeper."
Erendel sighed and shoved the dented cake box across the table.
"Eat up. Got into a little... accident on the way, so it looks like it took a bombing run, but it'll taste fine. Strawberry cake—your favorite."
"You bought this... for me?"
Yuria's eyes went round.
"Yeah. Felt weird showing up empty-handed when you missed the entrance ceremony and all. Didn't expect you'd have the guts to smack me in the back of the head, though. Ungrateful punk."
Erendel bluffed shamelessly.
"Hey, ease up on the lies."
I cut in.
"That cake? You were pissed yesterday imitating your disciple and shoveled half of it down with a spoon. Leftover scraps, and you're playing saint."
"Shut it! Don't ruin the vibe!"
Erendel yelled, her face flushing red.
"I'm sorry... sniff, it's delicious. So good."
Yuria scooped up the mangled cake with her fork, her eyes turning misty. Clearly touched by her master's tough-love scolding. As she chewed, her gaze shifted to me.
"So, who's this guy, Master?"
"You don't recognize him?"
"Honestly... no clue. If he's buddy-buddy with you, he's gotta be somebody... "
She glanced sidelong at Erendel.
"I barely sense any mana compared to you, but that presence earlier was insane. Boyfriend, maybe...?"
"You nuts?"
"Have you lost your mind?"
Our voices exploded in unison.
"Take it back. Right now. Ptui! Rinse that mouth! Hey, saltwater! My ears are rotting off!"
Erendel recoiled with a shriek.
"Who'd date this lowlife scum! Hey, my standards aren't that low! Don't diss elven taste!"
"Says the one who bawled and hugged me when I got back."
"Hey!!"
Erendel freaked out and lunged to clap a hand over my mouth.
"Th-that was... shock! And I was happy to see you!"
Watching us bicker, Yuria cocked her head.
"Then what's he really? First person I've seen treat you like that."
"Your master's guardian."
"Guardian? Does Master need guarding? The world needs guarding from her."
"Pfft!"
Erendel choked on her tea, coughing hard.
"Yuria!"
"S-sorry! It just slipped—my honest thought...!"
"Can't argue with that."
I like her. Nails her master perfectly.
"This guy's just... a psycho. Five-hundred-year-old war junkie."
"War junkie?"
"Yeah, ring a bell from history books? Partied up with me in the great demon war and lopped off the demon king's head."
"......Huh?"
Yuria's fork halted midair. Then her eyes slowly traced my features. Black hair. Red eyes.
"Demon king... slayer? No freaking way..."
It was like I could hear the puzzle pieces clicking in her head.
"Ka...sian? Kasian Revnant?"
"Bingo."
I snapped my fingers and flashed a grin.
"That old dude on page one of the textbook. Living fossil—whaddya think?"
"In-sane..."
Yuria's jaw dropped.
"Why's a legend like you pounding wine here? Weren't you dead? No, book said you vanished after the war..."
"Complicated mess. Got dragooned back. Crawled outta the grave like a zombie. Came home to a shithole country, so I'm here for a deep clean. Kidnapped your master too."
I leaned deep into the sofa and stared her down.
"Caught your academy show yesterday. Quite the spectacle. North's mad dog, eh?"
"Th-that was...!"
Yuria panicked, shooting Erendel a look.
"Reasons! They picked the fight first...!"
"Good job."
"Huh...?"
"Very good. Perfect. Exactly the talent I'm after."
Praised, Yuria looked stunned. Probably braced for a chewing-out.
"Mages get no respect without power. Noble pits like this? Double. Cracking their skulls was prime negotiation."
"Right? Hero gets me!"
"Which brings me to..."
I swirled my wineglass and got to the point.
"Last semester for you, right? Post-grad plans?"
"Graduation?"
Yuria scratched her head.
"Dunno... Was thinking mercenary work up north, but beastfolk drama lately..."
She shrugged.
"Or hole up in some backwater magic tower, tinker quietly. If they'd have me."
"Have you."
I glanced at Erendel and smirked.
"No need going far."
"Huh?"
"Join the Imperial Central Magic Tower."
"Cen-Central Magic Tower?!"
Yuria flailed her hands in horror.
"No way—that's insane. What kinda place? Commoner like me? Resume gets torched on sight. Nepotism's brutal. No noble blood? Not even mop-boy."
"Cleaned out the nepotists."
"......Pardon?"
"Flipped the place days ago with your master. Tower's squeaky clean now. Vacancies everywhere."
I snapped my fingers.
"Money too. Squeezed out all the embezzled loot. Drained the rot—your master's back to basics there."
"......"
Yuria's eyes glittered like gold coins.
"Oh, and your master's the new head tower lord. Sick of naggy letters? Lab side-by-side, fry and grind research. This crone acts prickly, but she's itching to have you around."
"Hey, Kasian! Who's itching?!"
Erendel flushed and hollered, but she couldn't dodge Yuria's gaze. If anything, she looked expectant. A prof sizing up her next grad student.
"Whaddya say, next-gen tower lord shaping the empire's future. Interested?"
Yuria stared blankly at Erendel. Moments later, a sly smile crept across her lips.
"One condition."
"Condition?"
"Master begs personally... 'Please come'."
"What? You cheeky brat! Haggling with your master?!"
Erendel bristled, but Yuria didn't budge.
"Pass then. I'll chill in the north, hunting easy."
"Grrr..."
Erendel warred between pride and pupil, finally squeezing her eyes shut.
"Pl-please come...! That good enough, you little monster!?"
"Hahaha!"
Yuria clapped and burst out laughing.
"Yes! I'm in! Can't say no to Master begging like that!"
"Tower awaits—four hours sleep a day, work you ragged."
Perfect. Erendel's grad student... er, assistant secured.
Now snag a few more students. Auditorium half-wrecked by Erendel's spell today—no proper eval.
I grabbed the papers on the table.
[Imperial Academy 4th-Year Enrolled Students List]
Fancy noble houses crammed in. Every name stank of cash.
"Lemme see. Any keepers? Gotta be more pearls in this muck."
Scanned the roster. Mostly posers or pay-to-plays. Sigh incoming—then my eyes snagged.
"Huh...?"
[Dane von Pendragon]
Pendragon? That name...
"Yo, Erendel."
"What now? Gotta hash research plans with Yuria."
"Check this."
I shoved the list in her face.
"Pendragon? No shot..."
"Yup... kid's the hero's bloodline."
"Hero Kyle?"
"Yeah, that stick-up-the-ass justice freak. Skills off the charts, flexibility zero—drove me nuts."
The mugshot: icy, haughty platinum blonde staring blankly ahead.
"Grades... theory perfect score, practical... fail's doorstep?"
"What're those wild swings? Theory nerd?"
"Notes are gold."
I read the prof evals in the remarks.
[Poor class conduct. Always asleep.]
[Has talent, zero drive.]
[Too lazy to breathe. Probably sloth in past life.]
What savage burns... Skipped dues? Pissed off the faculty?
Hero Kyle: up at 4 a.m. drilling, sprint to world's end for justice. Lunatic.
His heir a sloth?
"Hiding it or legit lazy. Hero veins don't birth scrubs."
"If hiding?"
"Gets fun."
I called Yuria.
"Yo, newbie."
"Me?"
"Tight with this Dane chick? Fellow fourth-years."
"Oh, Lady Pendragon?"
Yuria tilted her head.
"Nah, not close. Super quiet, always wiped. Snoozes through class, ghosts to dorm after. 'Ghost Lady' nickname. Nobody chats her up."
"Ghost Lady, huh..."
Something's fishy... This one's hiding something big.