Table of Contents
Scene #1 – So You’re Writing a Thesis
Scene #2 – The Department Heads
Scene #3 – Do You Even Think?
Scene #4 – “Constellation of Eternity ∞”
Scene #5 – Erosion Progress: 2 / 3
Scene #6 – I Guess This Is Training Too!
Scene #7 – Save Kaiser
Scene #1 – So You’re Writing a Thesis?◀
"I'm back, Professor~"
Adele had returned from the imperial capital. Both hands full of curse-related reagents and materials.
"Agh, that was exhausting."
"Allow me to carry that."
"Oh my? Thank you, sister~"
As Adele unpacked, I carefully examined the reagents. Checking for any dangerous materials.
There didn’t appear to be anything risky. Even the receipt didn’t show anything odd, not even one item that could be used to kill someone.
Everything was purely for research.
『Curse of Erasure』, huh... That’s quite the unique thesis topic.
Curse No. 66, 『Curse of Erasure』, wasn’t one you saw used often.
It didn’t apply to living organisms.
Normally it was used by assassins carrying out special missions—a curse for erasing one's corpse and all traces of existence after death.
For example, the Kreutz assassins who came to kill Forte during the “Rebellion and Collapse” incident vanished using that very curse.
That’s when Adele pulled a snack bag out of her pack.
"Professor. Want to eat this together?"
"What is it?"
"Imperial Cookies. Sister, you come too!"
Imperial Cookies. Heart-shaped fortune cookies enjoyed by gambling-loving imperial citizens. Inside each is a fortune for the week, along with a minuscule trace (0.0000125%) of the Stigma of 「Fortune□」.
"Who’s breaking theirs first?"
"Shouldn’t it be the eldest?"
Both of them slowly turned to look at me.
I thought maybe it should be ladies first, but then again, what did that even matter?
So I went first.
Crunch!
I bit through the heart-shaped cookie. A slip of paper fell out from within.
I slowly lowered the paper in my hand.
"What did yours say?"
"...Let’s check yours first."
"Why?"
"...Just. Who’s next in line?"
"Me. But you should go first—ladies first, right?"
"Huh? Me? But she's a lady too!"
"You mean me?"
Ran looked blankly at Adele, then answered.
"I’m not."
"???"
"?"
"......Uhhm... so then... you have... something... down there...??"
"What are you referring to?"
"Uh, you know, in this day and age...? There are people like that...? It’s not weird or shameful to be different, it’s something to be proud of...??"
A moment of absolute conversational chaos passed.
Anyway, it was Adele’s turn.
Crunch!
「 ⚄ : The thing you're starting now will go better than everyone else’s 」
A five. A pretty good result.
“Oooh! I hit the jackpot~!”
“Nice.”
“Congratulations.”
“If things I’m starting now go better than others’, that really fits me. Maybe my thesis will go super well?”
“We’ll see.”
Next was Ran.
Nibble...!
「 ⚅ : Whatever you do, you’ll come in first place 」
A six. The highest number.
"Uwooo? What the heck, sister? That's amazing. Even luckier than mine!"
"Is that so."
"You say that like it’s nothing! Imperial Cookies rarely give 1s or 6s, y’know. The odds are under 5%!"
Ran blinked.
"I see. I'm lucky, then."
"Jealous~"
Then both of them turned to me again.
To see the fortune I had hidden.
「 □ : 」
That’s what it said.
“Eh? There’s nothing here? Misprint?”
"Let’s hope so."
"It may not be a misprint."
"Then what is it?"
"It might be a zero. Meaning you’re going to have an absurdly unlucky week."
...Thanks a lot.
But honestly, what did a slip of paper matter?
In this world, bad omens go in one ear and out the other. Only good ones are worth caring about.
I tossed it aside and glanced at Ran’s slip. Ran commented,
"Seems my thesis will go well. Probably first place."
There was absolutely no sense of expectation in her voice.
Maybe it was just her tone.
But—
Adele was looking at Ran.
And in the next moment, all three of us were exchanging glances. Ran followed my gaze to Adele. Adele turned to me. Then smiled sweetly and went back to unpacking. Humming a little tune.
But I didn’t miss the quiet mutter that slipped out with a small sigh:
“...So you’re writing a thesis, huh?”
So I decided to keep Ran close to my side a little longer.
Scene #2 – The Department Heads◀
That afternoon, I met with a lot of people.
First, I met Shaman Kreutz to ask him not to kill the Witch of the Graveyard.
Even as he thought, 【Why the hell would I want to kill her?】 he replied with a petty expression, “Nope? Gonna kill her??” while jiggling his chin.
It seemed he was sulking because I nearly got myself killed while not under his protection. Shaman really wanted to shove me into the overprotection zone.
So I came prepared.
“This... this smell...?”
“Assassin Donuts. 4 a.m. limited edition.”
“...!!”
A hyper-rare donut sold to only three people, first-come-first-serve, at 4 a.m.
“Incredible... hrm... Then, in recognition of your effort...”
Before the heavenly combo of chocolate and peanut butter—the blissful balance of sweet and salty!!
Shaman crumbled...
But he added one last thing.
"Your level of [Illusion Arts] is nearly Constellation-level."
“......”
"Do you know how few people in history have reached that realm by age thirty?"
It was basically a warning not to die somewhere. I nodded and left.
Next, I visited Ezekiel.
At dawn, the royal family dispatched 150 people to search for the remains of a missing national treasure. The area around Starmount was in chaos (Eve’s cave was triple-sealed). I had no use for the wreckage, anyway.
So I came to sell it to someone who could use it.
“...What is this?”
“The remains of the divine relic 「Toy of God□」.”
The moment he understood, Magic Department Head Ezekiel’s face hardened.
Now he had a choice.
Order me to return it to the royal family—or buy it from me.
If he chose the former, I’d hand it over quietly.
But Ezekiel was a collateral royal who’d left the family out of disgust.
“How much?”
“Thirty million Hika.”
“Ten million.”
Sparks flew between our eyes.
“...I’ll use it as a dog bowl at home.”
“Twelve million.”
“...I needed a new pot lid anyway.”
“Fourteen million. Final offer.”
“...Pricey for a ramen rest.”
Ezekiel’s lips twisted.
"Enough! That’s final. Professor Dante, even for you, there are limits. Don’t you understand this is already a generous offer? Only I can handle fencing goods of this caliber. Don’t dare try to haggle."
So that’s how you want to play it...
By the way, my original price—thirty million—was accurate market value.
“...Understood. I’ll return.”
Three minutes later, I returned with Head Professor Cain.
Holding my hand, tottering along—Cain, the adorable mascot professor!
Squeak, squeak.
Wearing squeaky shoes I intentionally put on him.
At the sight of Cain, Ezekiel’s face immediately turned terrifyingly stiff.
Then he frowned at me.
【Ezekiel: ‘This damn brat dares to—’】
Was he angry?
【Ezekiel: ‘......♡’】
Nope!
“Head Professor Cain.”
“Yes...”
“Say hello to Uncle Ezekiel.”
Cain stared up at the scowling middle-aged man for a while, then looked up at me with a frightened expression.
His little hand tightened around my finger.
“It’s okay, Head Professor. Uncle Ezekiel just has a scary face. He’s not mad.”
“......”
“Now, repeat after me. Hello, Uncle Ezekiel.”
“...U, Uncle Ez... Ezekiel... H-hi...”
Cain dipped his head timidly, eyes darting with anxiety.
Ezekiel remained stiff-faced.
“...Let’s take a picture. V-sign.”
Three minutes later, I was taking a picture of Ezekiel and Cain with a Crystal Orb.
Click!
Also, I successfully received the thirty million Hika.
But right before I left, when we were alone, Ezekiel growled,
“Dante Hiakapo, you damn golden rat bastard... One day I’m going to—”
Then he saw Cain peeking out from behind my legs.
He forced an awkward smile.
“...Pee-kaboo...”
Cain, still scared, glanced at me and reached out his arms.
Only to me.
Ezekiel stared blankly at the scene.
“......”
It looked like it would take a lot more time for Cain to warm up to him.
This noble, middle-aged, pretty-boy royal had probably never faced anything like this in his life.
He’s the kind of monster archmage who wouldn’t flinch at a dragon—but now he was seriously troubled.
【Ezekiel: ‘How... How do I get him to let me hug him too...?’】
On the way back, I taught Cain not to let him hug him. Ever.
Scene #3 – Do You Even Think? ◀
Out of the thirty million Hika I earned, I invested twenty-five million.
Into the head priest of Hiaka’s 「Circle of Life♥」.
Originally, I had been in contact with a cardinal from the Virgin Church.
But after thinking it over, I changed my mind.
The Virgin Church is the top-tier specialist in curse dispelling, yes—but it was best not to involve them. There was a chance they’d detect the [Taboo], and it could cause issues due to the demonic energy.
In contrast, the 「Circle of Life♥」, which symbolizes fertility, love, and growth, was also excellent at dispelling curses.
So, back to Starmount.
I cast [Perception Interference] on Eve’s face.
Then, together with Ran, I pinned down Eve’s limbs.
“We will now begin the curse dispelling.”
The head priest of the Circle of Life♥ approached, holding a ritual tool. Eve, who hated physical proximity, kept wriggling and looking back at me.
“It’s okay.”
“......?”
“It’s okay. This is to get rid of your curse. There’s no need to be scared. It’s a good thing.”
“......?”
I stroked my chin with my pinky.
That was our gesture for “It’s okay.”
Even so, the closer the ritual tool came, the more Eve struggled.
At this point, Ran had strapped on the Excalibur Headband and was holding both of Eve’s legs down. I clutched her forearms to keep her from bolting.
That’s when Eve looked up at me—and tapped her temple with her finger.
Do you even think?
...Was what it seemed to mean, but was that right?
Regardless of what she meant, the curse had to be lifted.
And since curse dispelling involved mental pain, like being pricked by a needle, Eve flailed a little more, but reluctantly endured it.
“The curse has been removed. Phew... that was an incredibly powerful one.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
In any case—『Curse of Forgetting』: successfully lifted!
● Eve
Even the name tag had its letters restored.
“......”
Meanwhile, Eve had ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) no idea what had just happened to her. To her, it must’ve felt like she was randomly pinned down and subjected to some bizarre ritual. She wore a sulky expression.
Maybe she felt betrayed.
She hadn’t even been this upset when I stabbed her with a sword. Strangely enough, this bothered her more.
Was there really a difference?
Either way. I had a feeling it would turn out like this.
So I’d prepared a new bell as a gift.
Jingle...
Thankfully, her mood lightened.
“......♬♡”
*
“I can definitely remember now.”
“From now on, everyone will remember Eve. That’s something we need to keep in mind.”
On the way down the mountain, I asked Ran a question.
"Hey. That gesture—tapping the temple. Eve kept doing it earlier. What does it mean? Does it mean ‘Do you even think?’"
“Hmm. It can be interpreted that way. But if the expression has a question mark with it, and it’s used on its own, it usually just means ‘Why?’”
Ah.
So she was just asking “Why?”
That... actually made it even funnier.
***
By the way, lifting Eve’s 『Curse of Forgetting』 at that moment turned out to be a divine move.
Because the next evening, I got an urgent message from Bugi Bugi.
—Professor! The thing you mentioned before—it’s been confirmed!
—In the southeastern region of Lewiyan, an unidentified 50-meter-class monster is slowly falling from the stratosphere!
The One-Horned Demon ‘Bomiteka’ was approaching.
And with it, a serious bug.
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< ⧉ Global [Erosion] is progressing. >
< Progress: 2 / 3 >
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