C239: Bloody reunion (1)
Chapter sponsored by Gerald. Thank you for your support.
'Student?'
At the blonde girl's words, Selina doubted her ears for a moment.
'Is she talking about Mr. Rudger?'
While Selina was confused, Rudger whispered quietly so that Selina only could hear him.
"Teacher Selina."
"Yes."
"No matter what happens from now on, save your words."
"What?"
"This is advice and warning. You should never interrupt the conversation and stay still."
Rudger has never spoken with such a serious face and Selina nodded slightly nervous.
Rudger turned again and headed for the blonde girl.
"Long time no see, teacher."
Selina was shocked inside that it wasn't just nonsense from a crazy girl. But remembering what Rudger said, she remained calm.
"Long time no see? Hmm. How long has it been? I don't think you've changed much since I fell asleep."
"It's been almost seven years if you look at the years alone."
"Seven years? That's how long I was asleep."
Rudger calmly answered what his teacher, Grander, asked.
She was so unpredictable that he should not offend her at all.
"More than that, disciple."
"Yes, sir."
"You used my blood."
"……."
Rudger closed his eyes tightly and slowly opened them. In the end, what was to come came.
"My student has become very bold."
"Teacher."
"You even thought about touching this noble jade body cheekily. Besides, your skills have improved a lot. Although I fell asleep I didn't realize you drew my blood."
Grander shook her head.
"I must be proud of my student's outstanding achievement, but this teacher is strangely sad. Do you know why?"
"……."
"Answer."
"…I don't know."
When Rudger made an excuse a grin appeared on Grander's face.
"My disciple took the blood of his heavenly teacher at will, and he even used it."
"……."
"Well, I understand. My blood is the best magic reagent in the world. Everyone has no choice but to covet it."
Grander slowly approached Rudger.
Watching the scene, Selina was under the illusion that a huge tidal wave was coming.
"I heard the news on the way here. You published a new magic theory. Everyone was talking about it, so out of curiosity I saw it and I knew it was you."
"Is that why you're angry?"
"Hahaha. There's no way I'll get angry over just that."
To Grander it didn't matter that after she fell asleep her student secretly took her blood and ran away or that he made a reputation for himself based on the magical knowledge she taught him.
Compared to the years she has lived and the magical knowledge she has, that was insignificant.
If there was anything ambiguous and a little annoying to call anger, it was this.
"You used my blood."
"Yes."
"Where did you use it?"
"……."
Rudger was silent at her words because he used Grander's blood as a last resort to strengthen the mechanical golem when he fought Quasimodo. It was because if he didn't use it, he would be at a disadvantage.
However, Selina was here so it was hard for him to tell the truth.
Esmeralda disappeared but it was not that Selina didn't know anything. Although she cannot remember it properly, it is undeniable that she is also involved in the situation.
"Hmm?"
Grander's eyes turned to Selina, perhaps because she felt Rudger's difficulties. Her red eyes bent as if she had just seen her, who had been with Rudger for a while.
Selina was not offended but when Grande's eyes touched her, she could not move like a frog in front of a snake.
"It's fascinating."
Grande took a close look at Selina.
"The body and soul are separated. And yet it's so natural. It can be called extreme craftsmanship."
"What?"
Selina unknowingly asked back at Grander's incomprehensible words.
"You don't know?"
"What do you mean……?"
"Well, I don't mean to explain it kindly, but since I've seen something strange for the first time in a long time, I'll show you mercy."
It was the moment when Grander was going to say something. Rudger moved quickly and touched Selina's neck and her eyes closed gently as he caught her falling body.
"What are you doing my student?"
"She can't know more than that teacher."
"Ho. I thought she knew everything, but were you keeping it a secret? That's amazing. I thought she was the kid you took with you."
"She's a co-worker."
"Co-worker?"
Grander put her index finger on the tip of her chin at the word and soon exclaimed, "Ah!"
"Yes. Now you are using the alias Rudger Chelici. What did they say? Did they say that he is a teacher at Theon Academy and the most famous person recently?"
"I'm flattered."
"It's not a compliment. You silly asshole. Yeah, well, I can see that she's a clueless person. That's still amazing. A spirit mimicking a human being."
Grander saw through Selina's strangeness at once, even though she only looked with her eyes.
"Artificial spirits. Even though they are not the real masters of the body, they seem more real than the real ones. Besides, is this energy pure darkness? She even signed a contract with a Spirit of Darkness."
"It's the first time I've seen teacher so amazed."
"Of course, it's amazing. The soul of a man-made spirit with a human body, much less a contract with a spirit of darkness."
Grander said so, but her reaction showed that was not very pleased.
"But that's all. It's ambiguous for me to take him and raise him. What's already done is hard to change."
"Is that so?"
"In addition, it's the first time you've shown me something amazing. There's no one I've seen in my life for a long time that's more unusual than you."
Grander continued, of course.
"That's that and this is this. Let's continue the conversation that we couldn't have a little earlier. Why did I say I was angry?"
"In the end it's about that?"
"How dare you try to escape like a loach? Your smugness has increased since I haven't seen you but even so you're still under the palm of your heavenly teacher."
"……So why are you angry?"
"Actually, it's more like annoyance than anger. If you used my blood, there must have been a reason for that, right?"
"Yes."
Rudger gave a brief description of what happened when he fought Quasimodo.
"An evil fire spirit born due to negative emotions. It's a shame I didn't see him in person."
"It was pretty strong."
"Of course. Negative emotions are that powerful. You can't deny that he's stronger than a high level spirit but that alone is not enough."
At his master's ruthless words, Rudger trembled inwardly.
"Are you saying that you used my blood against such a thing?"
This is what Grander was annoyed about.
Stealing her blood and borrowing some of her findings didn't matter to her at all. The important thing was where and how he used her precious blood.
Rudger's use of her blood felt like an insult from Grander's point of view.
"To use my precious blood on such a poor fellow. Did this teacher raise you so weak?"
"That can't be true. How can I disagree with my teacher's teaching?"
"Then what is it? Is there any other reason why you used my blood when a drop is worth more than a gold coin?"
"……It just happened because this disciple was anxious."
Rudger did not feel wronged despite Grander's words since his teacher was qualified to say such a thing.
Her mana reached the eight rank which he has not reached and she was a monster that lived for more than a thousand years.
Who would dare to disregard a pure blood vampire?
"If you say so, the price to pay for the blood will be calculated easier."
"What can I do?"
Grander grinned at Rudger's reply.
"Don't be too afraid. This teacher is not as bad as you think."
"……."
"Why are you not talking?"
"How can I complain when my teacher says so? I'm just speechless because I'm so touched."
"The way you turn it around has become very artistic. While I was asleep, you completely forgot the rod of love. This teacher is sad."
"I said it was a rod of love, but you used it because you were annoyed with me."
Grande's smile deepened as if she had been waiting for his words.
"How can you disparage this teacher's affection in that way? I tried to forgive you for your rudeness, but I changed my mind. I guess I have no choice but to remind you of my love again."
"I knew you didn't mean to forgive me from the beginning."
"Oh, that's arrogant."
Grander's voice was no different from that of a girl who wanted to play pranks.
What a typical girl can do is throw a small pebble into a puddle of water or trample an ant's nest with her feet.
But for frogs, the pebbles are more dangerous than meteorites, and for ants, the world is falling apart.
Grander's pranks are similar to that.
What would a vampire that lived for more than a thousand years do was too much for humans to handle.
"It looks like you've been through a lot while I was asleep and you wandered around the world."
"Yes."
"Then there must be something new that you learned and something that you honed. I'm in a mood. I'll check my disciple's achievements with my own eyes."
Rudger sighed and let down his shoulders slightly but it can't be helped.
[Aether Nocturnus]
Rudger wrapped himself in a black shadow and Grande burst out laughing as if she was having fun at the sight.
"Water magic in the form of clothing? Haha! Just like you, a dark and silent wizard!"
At her words, Aether Nocturnus trembled as if he was angry, but Rudger calmed him down.
"First of all, this place has a lot of eyes and the location is not good. Let's move to a better place."
Rudger said so and disappeared like a shadow.
Grander watched as Rudger appeared at the center of an empty alleyway.
Rudger, who jumped over space, slowly looked back.
"You're fast."
Grander was still in her spot but she quickly caught up with Rudger.
"That's no fun. I am not surprised."
"Because I knew master would follow me."
"Your magic that goes beyond space it's not bad. While I was asleep, you learned some pretty interesting miscellaneous skills."
Despite the unprecedented display of space magic, Grander called it a miscellaneous technique but Rudger was not hurt or pained by the words.
"Even so, this place is too narrow and dirty. I think it smells."
"I cleaned the streets."
"It means that the city itself doesn't suit me very well. So set the place further away."
Grander said so and flicked her finger.
At that moment, her shadow wriggled and moved from under her feet and stretched to Rudger's feet.
Rudger watched the scene quietly and soon the shadow soon turned into a vortex and sucked in Rudger along with Grander.
The two soon appeared in a large forest far away from Leathervelk.
"Is this a forest outside the city?"
Rudger saw the terrain and realized how far he had come.
As soon as Grander saw Rudger's space movement magic, she copied it. However unlike Rudger who could only move himself, Grander could move others.
Unlike Rudger, whose maximum distance is limited, they have moved more than tens of kilometers.
'I can't believe you copied this in a moment.'
Although Grander only copied it, what she showed was in a completely different class.
Rudger slowly raised his head. His eyes, swallowed by the dark shadow, were directed at Grander floating in the sky.
"It doesn't matter if you run a little wild here."
Grander was still floating in the sky with a red parasol spread out.
"Show me everything you've learned and honed so far."
Her eyes gleamed appallingly.
"If you don't want to die."