I Became Her Disciple...?
Even after the post-meal dessert fiasco wrapped up, she kept nagging me for ages.
"If you're a patient, act like one and take care of your body for once. Don't idolize everything your parents do. And if you ever try smoking mana cigarettes again, I'll sear your mouth shut."
Her lecture didn't stop even after we'd finished dessert.
Hate it? Not at all.
I actually enjoyed it.
Those words of worry were sweeter than dessert, so I kept my mouth shut and listened quietly until she was the one who waved the white flag first.
"...Haa. Fine, whatever. What am I even doing, nagging a girl I've only known for two days."
"Isn't it three days now? Still, thank you for worrying about me."
"I'm not worrying about you. I just... can't stand watching it. Don't get the wrong idea."
So dishonest.
But whatever—that prickly tsundere vibe was part of her charm.
In my past life, I wasn't into tsunderes, but now that I'd met one, it wasn't so bad.
Maybe because I knew the sweet girl hiding behind that sharp mask, or maybe I'd always liked this type deep down. Who knows.
"Yeah."
I answered with a smile, and she looked like she was about to lose her mind, starting to say something before clamping her mouth shut.
"...Sigh. I need to hold back. Anyway—are you really joining the Magic Division? Didn't you say you'd only take swordsmanship classes?"
Ah, that. Well, I wanted to stick to that too, if possible.
"Yeah. Cecilia—no, Saintess—told me to take absolute rest for a few days. Especially no using my arms..."
"Ah, so that's why. Makes sense. But... calling her 'Saintess' like that, you two must be pretty close now?"
What’s this now?
Is she jealous?
I hid my rising smirk with my hand and decided to test if it was jealousy or not.
"...I've met her three times in two days, so we got a bit friendly. Plus, she said it was fine to call her that."
At my words, her curiosity seemed satisfied, and she dropped the suspicious look.
"Ah, got it... Not sure if that's a blessing or a curse."
"Better to think positive. We'll probably see her a lot from now on—might as well build rapport early, right?"
The moment I said that, her face turned sharp as she laid into me.
"Hey. What kind of talk is that? Sounds like you're planning to get hurt all the time. What, end up carted off covered in blood next time?"
She got super prickly, shoving her face right up to mine like she was about to grab my collar.
...Up close, she really does look like a delinquent.
"No, no. Hopefully nothing like that. I just mean I'll probably visit every time I swing a sword. My body gets hurt just from manifesting aura."
I didn't even need to make excuses, but I did anyway, and the sharpness faded from her face.
A strange bitterness filled the void.
"...Then don't swing your sword."
As if recalling how I'd collapsed after beating her brother, she gazed at me with unwitting concern.
"Haha, but it's fun—how can I resist?"
She immediately shot me a pathetic look.
"Haa. I should stop talking. You're not even pretending to listen."
"I am listening?"
"I'm telling you to listen, got it?"
"Yeah."
I mumbled soulless replies until, swept up in Lucia's group, we arrived at the Magic Hall.
"So this is the Magic Hall... It has a weird smell."
The air was totally different from the Swordsmanship Hall.
No clanging steel, no ragged shouts or sweat—instead, low chanting spells, bursts or bubbling from experiments, and the hard-to-describe scent of reagents.
The layout was different too.
Unlike the wide-open training grounds of the Swordsmanship Hall, this place was packed with rooms like a research lab.
The corridors carried a faint unidentified aroma, and doors had nameplates or numbers.
Sometimes, flashes of light burst from door cracks—like someone botching a spell.
Taking it all in, I really felt like I'd entered the mages' domain, and my heart started racing without me realizing.
"Ooh..."
As I marveled and looked around, Lucia grabbed my hand and tugged.
"Gawking is fine, but don't stop. Fall behind and you'll get lost. Then the division students might use you as a test subject."
"F-for real?"
"Not that bad. But people who wander in by mistake do go missing for hours and turn up in weird places. So be careful."
I hadn't read details about the Magic Hall in the novel, so Lucia was my most reliable source right now.
...Who knew it had such a shady backstory.
Guess I'll have to come with Lucia from now on.
Didn't want my organs harvested or poisoned by weird potions.
Still, it was fascinating, so I kept staring, and Lucia looked at me like I was the fascinating one.
"What's so amazing?"
"Hmm... everything? The Swordsmanship Hall feels simple and rough, but this is like the mages' secret lair."
"Mages' secret lair my ass—it's a gloomy freak den. Oh, one's coming now. Hey! Dorothea!"
I looked where she yelled and saw someone staggering along, hugging books so precariously they might topple.
Not just books—bundles of paper, writing tools, and expensive-looking oddities piled in her arms.
Her steps were slow and wobbly, her gaze unfocused, and the brim of her conical hat was bent under the books.
"Ah, uwaa..."
Dorothea, right? I remembered.
One of the heroines. Dorothea Carnot.
The youngest of the magical powerhouse Carnot family, a first-year genius ranking high in the entire Magic Division...
And a pure 200% magic nerd who knew nothing outside of magic.
Zero life skills, not the nicest personality, and scared of people to boot.
When seducing the protagonist, she'd beg him to be her guinea pig for new spells—total lone wolf.
Physically? Tiny. In stature and spirit.
As I pondered, Lucia sighed at her.
...Hold on.
Doesn't she overlap a bit with my character?
Genius in one field, deficient everywhere else.
Everyone rushing to help her.
That's my character to monopolize.
Only one allowed.
Feeling an instinctual crisis, I saw Lucia sigh like she was about to help.
"Jeez, so weak but so greedy..."
I beat her to it, reaching Dorothea first and taking some of her load.
"Looks heavy. Let me help."
It was pretty hefty, but manageable.
She jolted in surprise and looked up at me.
Her wide, innocent eyes triggered even my protective instincts—she needs guarding.
Wow.
This could make me jealous.
So fragile without even trying?
"Ah, uh... th-thank... you..."
Her voice was mosquito-small, but still cute.
Hmm.
Good preemptive strike.
Otherwise, all attention would've shifted from me to her.
Lucia, caught off-guard by my move, waved her hand awkwardly in the air.
"...I was gonna help, but whatever... Didn't expect you to have a caring side. Thought you just got cared for."
What do you take me for? I can help others too.
If I judge it'll benefit me.
I kept my inner smirk hidden and replied.
"My hands were free. We strugglers should help each other, right?"
Of course it was heavy. My right arm trembled especially. But that's separate.
Securing the image was worth a little strain.
"Strugglers my ass. If talents like you are strugglers, what does that make us?"
"Not what I meant..."
"I know, kidding. You have a nice side, surprisingly."
Of course. I'm plenty nice.
As I entertained my own ridiculous thoughts, Lucia formally introduced her.
"This is Dorothea de Carnot. No need to explain the Carnot family, I trust."
"Yeah, I know that much. Nice to meet you. I'm Ilisha von Airvalt. Just Ilisha is fine."
"Ah, uh... y-yeah. I-Ilisha..."
"Speak casually? I do it 'cause it's comfy for me. You too, Dorothea."
"Yeah... b-but. Isn't it heavy? It's... pretty heavy..."
"A bit, but it's fine."
A bit? Nah, pretty heavy. But whatever.
Dorothea immediately looked apologetic.
No good.
That face would draw everyone else's attention.
I quickly reassured her.
"Really, it's okay. Nice to sightsee the Magic Hall thanks to you."
She looked up at me and said something out of left field.
"Um... w-want to... learn... magic...?"
What context was that from?
I thought.
She usually offers to teach magic when grateful, so maybe my help touched her?
"As payment?"
She nodded, mumbling how glad she was to meet someone reasonable.
"Then, mind if I take you up on that? Always wanted to learn."
"Y-yeah! Ask anything! My disciple!"
Disciple...
Just like that?
Well, Yeon called me master out of nowhere too.
Fair enough.
Lucia watched, looking pleased.
"Huh, you two hit it off better than expected?"
No, Lucia. I'm just playing along.
So thinking, I smiled even brighter at Dorothea.
Good.
Competitor neutralized.
Good girl image secured.
Now, let's learn some magic.