Chapter 424 – 424: Tikiya’S School Days
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Using telekinesis for a pleasant sky flight, Tikiya and I headed towards the magic city.
Before leaving, I asked Ninya and Noah if they wanted to come along, but they said they were focusing on their training today, so in the end, only Tikiya and I set off.
While flying, I didn’t forget to hug Tikiya tightly, stroking her and showering her with praise.
“You were incredibly fast before the Guild Master arrived,”
“Hehe, of course! I’m a genius, after all!”
“Yes, Tikiya, you’re a genius. And you’re also adorable, aren’t you?”
“Seriously, Rent, you’re so good at saying embarrassing things.”
“Do you not like it?”
“I love it! Muah muah muah♡”
I feel great after receiving Tikiya’s soft triple kisses.
Since we were on our way, I decided to ask Tikiya about something I was curious about.
“Come to think of it, Tikiya, you called the headmaster of the magic academy a lazybones. Did something happen between you two in the past?”
“With the headmaster? No, nothing really happened. If anything, it was the guys and girls in my class.”
“Then why do you call him a lazybones?”
“Because I think his actions as headmaster are incredibly slow.”
“For example?”
“……It’s not really something to be proud of.”
Tikiya sighed and then said,
“I’ve told Rent a few times, right? That there were a lot of guys and girls who picked fights with me.”
“Yes.”
“One of the biggest reasons they picked fights with me was because I’m a genius. I was so much better at magic than them, so they were jealous and envious. And I was young, too.
But you know what? It’s not just that I’m a genius, they didn’t study at all themselves. Study. If they had studied hard and felt frustrated by the difference in talent, I wouldn’t be so angry.
But usually, in class, they’d be flirting or goofing off, and then they’d come and pick fights with me, who was actually listening to the lesson and studying hard. How could I not be angry?”
“That’s understandable.”
“The place I went to was a magic academy, right? An educational institution, right? So they should have been paying attention to the kids who weren’t studying or putting more effort into education, right? But the professors at the magic academy didn’t care at all.
They just stood in front of the class, spouting magic theories and that was it. Well, it was helpful to me, but still… I somehow managed to get to the third grade…
Tikiya chuckled and said,
“When 70% of my classmates nearly failed the graduation exam, I thought, ‘I knew it.’ It was so funny when the headmaster was freaking out, saying, ‘What is this mess?’
He’s a lazybones who doesn’t care about the academy and just locks himself in his office. Well, they were able to graduate somehow with an additional exam later.”
“Wow…”
That’s really serious.
And now I understand why Tikiya calls the headmaster of the magic academy a lazybones.
If an entire grade is left in that state, it’s definitely a big problem for the person in charge of the academy.
“Ah, Tikiya, after we visit the magic academy, let’s stop by your father’s place. We still haven’t given him the Crimson Minotaur meat dish and the female Orc Champion steak, have we?”
“Let’s do that. Hmm, but…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, if my master eats that dish, I don’t think he’ll come back from the brothel for a while… It makes your body hot and you get so… full of energy, right?”
I also think there’s a very high chance of that happening.
“Tikiya, do you not want your father to go to the brothel?”
“No, it’s kind of his daily routine, so I don’t care anymore… I’m just worried he’ll try to go without eating.”
Even though she speaks harshly, I found it endearing that Tikiya was worried about Chamber.
“Haha, then Tikiya, you’ll have to warn him firmly before he eats.”
“I wonder if that old geezer will listen…”
Soon after, we arrived at the magic city.
After landing on the ground, I did my usual thing and gave Tikiya a piggyback ride as we walked.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t given Rent a tour of the magic academy yet, have I?”
“No. Because Tikiya… wanted to be with me, so we went straight to the nightlife district.”
“Ugh, ugh…”
“After we’re done, should we go again after meeting Chamber?”
Tikiya hugged my head tightly and said,
“…I want to go.”
“Yes!”
Following Tikiya’s lead, I arrived at the magic academy.
The magic academy had a medieval noble building feel, with buildings connected by pointy roofs.
“Oh, it’s amazing.”
“I’ve been looking at it for three years, so I’m not really impressed. Let’s just go inside quickly.”
As she said that, Tikiya floated up for a moment with levitation magic and then landed on the ground.
“Aren’t you going to ride on my back?”
“I’ll bump into the door on the way.”
“Ah, I see.”
“This way.”
I walked through the magic academy’s hallway, following Tikiya.
I saw young students walking around wearing the same design of clothes that Tikiya wore at the hotel in the magic city’s nightlife district.
And there were also people wearing robes and pointy hats, as if they were advertising, “I’m a magician!”
After walking for about 15 minutes,
“Here we are.”
We arrived at the headmaster’s office of the magic academy.
I knocked on the door first.
Knock knock.
“Who is it?”
An old man’s voice came from beyond the door.
“We’re from Fuldun.”
“From Fuldun…? Already? Hmm, come in.”
With permission granted, Tikiya and I entered the headmaster’s office.
“Ho…”
As soon as we entered, the old man, who was probably the headmaster of the magic academy, widened his eyes slightly when he saw Tikiya.
“It seems you are indeed from Fuldun. It’s been a while, student Tikiya.”
“I’ve graduated, so I’m not a student anymore.”
“Tikiya…”
Couldn’t she at least be a little polite to the headmaster of her alma mater?
But I understood that Tikiya couldn’t have good feelings towards the headmaster, who hadn’t been any help during her turbulent school days.
“Hahaha, yes. You’re not a student of our academy anymore, but an adventurer. But you are still a proud graduate of our academy. By the way… your outfit has become very cute.”
“Hmph!”
Hmm, if I keep quiet like this, Tikiya’s mood will get worse.
Let’s get our business done first.
I walked forward and took out the scroll I received from the Guild Master and placed it on the desk.
“Here is the scroll you requested.”
“Ah, thank you.”
The headmaster took the scroll, unfolded it, and nodded as he checked the contents.
“I received it well. Guild Master Dante said he would send the most trustworthy adventurer. It’s amazing how fast you are.”
“Thank you.”
Then Tikiya spoke to the headmaster.
“Hey, headmaster. But why did you call me here?”
Her voice sounded even more annoyed than before.
Maybe it’s because coming to the magic academy reminded her of her turbulent school days?
“If it was just a delivery request, you wouldn’t have called me here.”
“Hahaha, can’t you understand that I just wanted to see my cute graduate?”
“I can’t.”
“Hmm, even though your appearance has become cute, your rough personality is still the same.”
*Click*
Tikiya crossed her arms and said,
“It’s because some people didn’t do their jobs properly and neglected the academy. The atmosphere became a mess, and my personality became very nasty.”
“…I have nothing to say about that. As headmaster, I was so focused on my research that I didn’t pay attention to how the academy was running. Tikiya, things have improved a lot since you graduated.
The frequency of bullying in the academy has drastically decreased, and students who don’t focus on their studies are being disciplined.”
“Oh, is that so.”
“It’s probably not relevant to you since you’ve already graduated. But… as headmaster, I want to apologize to you. I’m sorry, Tikiya.”
Tikiya stared at the headmaster with narrowed eyes and said,
“…Well, I’ll accept the apology. But what’s the real reason you called me here?”
“I really wanted to apologize…”
“Ah, okay, you wanted to apologize. But there must be another reason. For example… are you asking me to come back to the magic academy?”
“Huh?”
Tikiya back at the magic academy?
“Hahaha, of course, I have that in mind. To be precise, Tikiya, I want you to be my assistant and help me with my research.”
Tikiya scoffed and said,
“Hmph, I knew it.”
“…Excuse me. What does that mean? Tikiya becoming the headmaster’s assistant?”
What she just said is very important to me as well.
“Hmm, you are Tikiya’s…”
“Lover.”
“Ho. Then you have every right to hear the reason. You may not know, but Tikiya was a very outstanding student. She was always at the top of her class for three years straight, even at a young age. Actually, I was going to hire Tikiya as my assistant right after she graduated, but… she caused a big incident on graduation day, so I couldn’t do that.”
“An incident?”
“As the valedictorian, she, ahem, it’s embarrassing to say, but she laughed at, mocked, and ridiculed those who failed the graduation exam and had to take an additional exam in front of many students. She started a fight with those who took the additional exam.
Of course… Tikiya won against all of them.”
“Wow.”
When I looked at Tikiya in surprise, she puffed out her chest and made a confident expression.
“Ahem! I felt so good back then!”
“Because of that, and because of the gazes of the other students and professors, I couldn’t hire Tikiya as my assistant.”
“Even if you tried, I had no intention of going.”
“But I’ve been keeping an eye on you even after you graduated. I’m busy with my research, so I don’t know the details, but I knew you had left for Fuldun.”
“…If you didn’t call me while I was in the magic city, it means you thought you didn’t need me, so why are you suddenly calling me now?”
“It’s because of this.”
The headmaster pointed to the scroll I had brought.
“Actually, this is the blueprint for a magic tool that has the potential to make the world more convenient. Fuldun has already created and distributed magic tools in their early stages to various countries.
I thought it was very innovative, so I requested the blueprint from Fuldun to make improvements.
Tikiya, I want you to be my assistant and help me improve this magic tool. This magic tool has great potential. If you help develop this magic tool, it would be a great honor as a magician…”
“I’m done.”
Tikiya rejected the headmaster’s words with a single stroke.
“…Why?”
“Do you think I’m crazy enough to come back to this damn academy that only has shitty memories? And I’m a magician, so I have a thirst for magic and curiosity, but that’s only for the personal magic I’m interested in.
I don’t care about the development of the world or anything like that. And living happily with Rent in Fuldun is thousands of times better than the honor of being a magician.”
“If you become my assistant, you’ll get funding for the magic research you want…”
“I earn more as an adventurer in Fuldun.”
“The dungeons are dangerous to your life…”
“Our Rent is super strong, so he’ll protect me properly. He’s an S-rank adventurer, after all.”
“…What? S-rank? Then are you… the Dungeon Crasher?”
“Yes.”
“…You have a very amazing man as your lover. Well, it’s no wonder the Guild Master of Fuldun trusts you.”
The headmaster closed his eyes for a moment and thought, then sighed.
“Haa… I can’t help it. Tikiya, if you refuse like that, I won’t make any more offers. If I force you too much, the hero of Fuldun who stopped the disaster will get angry at me.”
I wouldn’t get angry if it was just a little forceful.
But if they tried to forcibly separate me and Tikiya…
I’d be very angry.
At least angry enough to leave a fist mark on the headmaster’s face.
“That’s all we have to talk about, so you can go now.”
“Hmph.”
Tikiya still seems to be in a bad mood.
She must have really disliked the assistant offer.
When we go back, we’ll stop by Chamber’s house to deliver the food, and then head straight to the nightlife district…
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard from outside.
