Everyday Life
Before beginning his morning lecture, Ferzen stopped by his classroom. He pulled out Isabel's corpse and circulated cool air throughout the interior.
In a world without convenient devices like magic stones, this was a considerable inconvenience. Of course, that was precisely why those born with mana held such high value. If he had possessed the qualities of a mage rather than an Aura Knight, he never would have starved to death. Nobles without any mana affinity had always craved mages to serve their conveniences.
Click.
“……”
As Ferzen quietly rested with the stuffy air of the classroom cooled, he opened his closed eyes with a puzzled expression when someone opened the door and entered. There were still twenty minutes left—plenty of time. He wondered who would step early into this garbage lecture hall filled with those all-in-one desk-chair contraptions.
“Ah……”
The faint voice that escaped in surprise upon sensing his presence was beautiful.
“H-Hello…… G-Good m-morning……”
Too mature to call a girl. Too fresh to call a woman. Like a flower just before full bloom, standing on that boundary line.
Laura de Charles Rosenberg.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and offered a somewhat languid greeting.
“Indeed.”
Ferzen lightly acknowledged her greeting and silently watched as Laura passed the lectern and headed to her seat. She truly seemed weak to the heat; even the short walk from the dormitory to this classroom had left her drenched in no small amount of sweat. Her unique body scent lingered in the wake of her footsteps, and her pale white skin faintly peeked through her clothes.
“Haa……”
Finally reaching her seat, Laura irritably shrugged off her outer garment and hung it on the chair. At 6 or 7 a.m., it might be different, but as 9 o'clock approached, the sunlight grew intense. She had to protect her skin whenever venturing outside, which meant suffering in the heat even for short distances.
He's not looking……?
Wiping the bead of sweat at her chin, Laura confirmed Ferzen's gaze was elsewhere, then cautiously gripped the hem of her skirt. With a flutter, she fanned the fabric. She knew it was imprudent, but as the cool air rushed under her skirt, vitality surged through her limp body.
How strange……
Gazing at Isabel standing beside Ferzen, Laura felt an indescribably complex emotion. Her current self, receiving the conveniences provided by her past life's self.
“Have you spread the word?”
“Y-Yes……?”
Suddenly addressed by Ferzen, Laura hurriedly released her hand and asked back. The hem of her skirt clung unpleasantly to the half-dried sweat on her thighs.
“The excuse for going up to Ruerg after the exam.”
“I-I have, for n-now……”
“What did you say?”
“T-To the Ruerg territory…… t-to g-gain e-experience as a…… m-mage…… I-I'll go u-up……”
“I see.”
Indeed, with Uriel there as well, forming a magic corps in Ruerg didn't seem like a bad idea.
“Very well.”
With that curt reply, Ferzen turned his gaze away. Laura, who had been staring at him blankly, soon ignored it and tidied the hair stuck to her collarbone. She felt sweat trickling down her armpit along her forearm. Cool air seeped into the side slit near her chest.
“Hnn……”
At that chilling sensation, Laura's body trembled slightly. Her unwillingly stimulated flesh stiffened her pink nipples erect. The sweat-soaked white sleeveless dress teasingly brushed her dainty nipples with each twitch. Like paint dropped on pristine white paper, a lewd pink spread from the center of her modest breasts.
Ah……
She knew she should cover it, but unwittingly, Laura leaned forward a bit. A body that had endured supreme pleasure under the torment of the Full Moon's Curse chasing the ticklish friction of fabric against her nipples—it was odd.
“Nnngh……”
A heated moan slipped through her tightly pursed lips.
Twitch!
Laura herself was startled, wondering if she could make such a lascivious sound, belatedly flushing with embarrassment. Had he heard? Anxiously, she stealthily lifted her head.
Fortunately, he was still looking elsewhere. At this distance, he probably hadn't heard anyway. Even if he had, he couldn't see her current state. Perhaps buoyed by that relief and certainty, Laura naturally took in his sturdy build and large hands.
She had felt it even on that night under the Full Moon's Curse when her reason barely clung on…… He was undoubtedly a full-grown man, not some green boy. Her current petite body would turn caresses from those large hands into outright ravishment, not foreplay.
“Ah……”
As that impure thought clouded her mind, their eyes met, and Laura hurriedly turned away. She subtly covered her chest with her arm. Was her youthful body making her mind childish too? It was utterly unseemly.
Soon after, students trickled in one by one, filling the empty seats. But one seat remained unfilled even as 9 o'clock neared.
“……”
At precisely 9 o'clock, Ferzen rose. Taking the attendance book, he checked off Lizzy Paul Liana Claudia—her name beside it.
Yes, she was late. Or rather, if she didn't return before the lecture ended, it would count as an unexcused absence.
Thud.
Setting down the attendance book, Ferzen rolled up his sleeves and gripped the chalk.
“Let us begin the lecture.”
* * * * *
As Ferzen entered his morning lecture, Euphemia began handling the tasks he had assigned her. She posted the final exam location and selected group members on the main building and dormitory bulletin boards. She drafted and submitted an official document requesting personnel from the imperial magic corps and knight order for security on exam day.
Finishing her work and returning to the faculty office, it was already 9:40 a.m. With Ferzen's lecture ending soon, Euphemia gathered her things to head home.
Of course, Uriel Wayne Daina Alfred—no, Uriel Wayne Daina Ruerg. She might get off in the afternoon and suggest lunch together…… But Euphemia didn't want that.
At least while she was fertile, Uriel would share Ferzen's bed often. Monopolizing this time couldn't be called greed.
Click.
Finishing her thoughts, she headed to the restroom. She washed her hands and tidied her disheveled hair.
“……”
Suddenly, she paused. Staring at her reflection, the act of such delicate grooming felt utterly foreign.
Her fingertips betrayed a faint desire to appear more womanly to him. When she had desperately led Ruerg, she hadn't cared about her looks at all. A pang of regret and lingering what-if followed…… Euphemia smiled bitterly.
Futile thoughts. Knowing that, she turned to leave.
Or tried to.
Clack.
She came face-to-face with Uriel entering.
“……”
“……”
An awkward silence hung between them. Euphemia first forced down her discomfort. For some reason, she wanted to appear composed and consistent before her.
Meanwhile, Uriel inwardly clicked her tongue at the sight of Euphemia ready to leave. Lunch with Ferzen seemed unlikely. But she wasn't displeased. What she had asked of him was to prioritize Euphemia without discrimination. Having made her eat breakfast alone, she might quietly yield to later demands on that pretext. That thought improved her mood, and Uriel stepped aside with a smile.
“See you later.”
She said leisurely to Euphemia as she passed.
Euphemia halted. Staring at Uriel, she replied curtly,
“Yes.”
Then returned to Ferzen's faculty office.
Thud.
The door closed with a faint sound. Approaching the symmetrically placed sofas, Euphemia sat demurely and clenched her slender hands tightly.
Was there such a difference between feigning composure and not? In that brief encounter, the atmosphere made her feel outmatched, stirring an inexplicable surge of resentment.
She had anticipated him taking a concubine. Even when he actually did, she hadn't minded much. Yet the changed routine brought unimaginable discomfort.
Uriel had made clumsy provocations, but nothing like real rivalry. Still, Euphemia bristled with a sense of inferiority. The Alfred family dwarfed remote Ruerg. Even personally, their achievements differed. As women, Uriel held the advantage in allure. Had she been born with mana, she would have been the belle of high society.
“……”
Perhaps her ready acceptance when he mentioned a concubine wasn't a mask of magnanimity. With nothing to her name, she just didn't want to seem troublesome and be hated. Yes, not perhaps—probably true.
Her thoughts reached that point, and Euphemia bit her lip slightly. Pitiful, how her fragile self-esteem required that "probably" before "true."
This emotion…… was undoubtedly possessiveness. The most timid possessiveness in the world.
Click.
“Ah……”
Time had already reached 10:10 a.m. Ferzen entered after finishing his lecture.
“You worked hard……”
Euphemia rose, gathering her emotions to greet him.
“Has something unpleasant happened?”
But as always, Ferzen pierced straight through her inner turmoil. Finding that both fascinating and frustrating—why wouldn't he see even deeper?—Euphemia resented him a little.
She lacked the courage to resent him much.
Just a very little……