Chapter 21: Luke Escapes and Adjusts the Portal

Luke hurriedly adjusted the portal as he escaped.

“Ugh…”

A groan escaped his lips.

Although teleportation might seem like an easy spell due to how casually Luke manipulated dimensions, the spatial magic he used required meticulous work.

Rather than setting coordinates, he had to “fold” the dimensions stitch by stitch to create a passage.

It was no easy feat to locate someone who intentionally secluded themselves.

Swoosh—

Of course, just because it was laborious didn’t mean Luke couldn’t perform teleportation.

If he couldn’t manage such basic magic, he’d have to forfeit his Academy valedictorian title.

“Why on earth is it in a place like this?”

He looked up. Towering trees so high their tops were invisible surrounded him.

It made sense why someone would choose such a dim place where sunlight barely penetrated.

“Alright… let’s see.”

Luke unfolded a map—not one for general locations, since he could assess geography using spatial magic.

Instead, the map was for disabling the barrier.

“Whew…”

After an unexpected mountain climb, he directed mana into the marked points on the map and reversed the spell’s formula.

Repeating this process five times—

Click.

The barrier dissolved.

Woong—

As the space rippled, a cabin emerged before him.

The first thing that caught his eye was a shabby signboard:

[Dien’s Alchemy Shop]

After hiding so carefully, a shop? Really?

Grumbling inwardly, Luke knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Senior, I’m here.”

No response came from within.

Predicting why, he turned the doorknob.

Creak—

As expected, it wasn’t locked.

Given the elaborate barrier designed by none other than Lanian, it didn’t need to be.

Without the map Lanian had provided, Luke wouldn’t have been able to disable it alone.

The interior was dim.

Snap.

With a snap of his fingers, the cabin lit up.

Sparse furniture came into view—a table neatly arranged with flasks, a large, drab-colored sofa, and an empty kitchen.

The scene was so tidy it bordered on barren.

“Hmnya…”

And there, atop the sofa, was a pink fluffball, fast asleep.

Of course.

“Wake up, Senior.”

Luke shook the fluffball, rousing it.

“Mmm… oh, you’re here?”

The pink fluffball stirred, rubbing its eyes lazily.

“Senior Dien, this is no time for naps. We need to head back urgently.”

Dien Pirandello.

Lanian’s peer and, in Luke’s eyes, the greatest alchemist—and the person who held the key to solving a curse.

“Hmm… you got here faster than I expected.”

Stretching languidly, Dien revealed short limbs from the pink fluffball.

A face that screamed disinterest in the world. A sleep cap perched on their head. Fluffy, floor-length hair.

Yes. The pink fluffball was Dien’s hair.

“Why are you using your hair as a blanket?”

“It’s super comfy. You should try it.”

“I’ll pass. Growing it that long must be a hassle, and it looks like a dust magnet.”

“Nah. If you keep things clean, that won’t happen. Look.”

Dien grabbed a handful of hair, showing it off.

Indeed, it was spotless and fluffy, without a speck of dust.

“More like you’re too lazy to make a mess, not that you cleaned it.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

“When was the last time you ate?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course, I eat—”

“You’re a reclusive, unemployed hermit disowned by your family.”

Dien froze, trembling as if struck by facts.

“When was your last meal?”

“…Can’t recall?”

“Skipped meals again, huh? Too lazy to bother, I suppose.”

“What’s the point of food when sleeping is better?”

“And that’s why you’re so short.”

Dien’s height barely reached Luke’s chest, even on tiptoes.

“Not that it matters since I’m fully grown… hey, why are you nagging right after you arrive?”

“Because you arranged a meeting and then dozed off. It’s broad daylight! At least open the curtains.”

Luke strode to the window, yanking back the heavy blackout curtains.

“KYAAAAAH!”

Dien recoiled dramatically like a vampire facing sunlight.

“Stop exaggerating and get up. I need to get back soon.”

“Why’d you even come so early? Showing up an hour late is basic etiquette…”

Thunk.

Unable to hold back, Luke smacked Dien’s head.

If not for Elin, Luke wouldn’t have sought out this slacker in the first place.

“Do you think it’s okay to hit a senior like that?”

“You’re not really my senior anymore; you graduated from the Academy.”

Luke only called Dien “senior” out of habit, but they were essentially strangers now.

“Once a senior, always a senior. That’s how it works.”

“Do you know the Academy is still looking for you? If I drag you back to the graduate school, the alchemy professors would be thrilled.”

“Alright, alright, you’re here for the thing I promised, right?”

Realizing Luke wasn’t joking, Dien reluctantly stood up.

With a childlike waddle, she shuffled to the table.

“Yawn… So, your student got cursed?”

“Lanian said so, and her word is reliable.”

“Fair enough… Honestly, I’m surprised. Didn’t think you’d become a tutor.”

“My job isn’t the issue here.”

“Alright, don’t rush me.”

After Luke’s veiled threat about graduate school, Dien obediently grabbed some flasks from the cupboard.

“A curse that consumes mana… was it?”

“Yes, that’s what Lanian diagnosed.”

“Hmm… thought something like that might appear eventually.”

Dien brewed a bubbling potion, swirling it carefully.

“They collapse and cough blood when casting spells, right?”

“Exactly.”

“…And they run a high fever, similar to overworking the mana heart, even when their mana reserve is full?”

“Yes.”

Dien poured the completed potion into vials, repeating the process several times.

“This will suppress it temporarily.”

Sigh.

She exhaled, clearly drained.

“But do you have any idea how much work this takes?”

“You think everything is a chore.”

“That’s true, but this one’s especially annoying. The ingredients, the time, the steps…”

Muttering complaints, Dien busied her small hands. It did look like an intricate process.

“But you’re the only one on the continent who can do this.”

Despite looking like a lazy recluse (which she was), Dien was brilliant enough to warrant obsession from the Academy’s alchemy professors.

“Guess that’s why you came to me. Ugh…”

“I’ll cover all the costs.”

“It’s not about the money… Ugh, I should’ve ignored that letter and stayed asleep.”

Luke caught on to Dien’s hint.

“What do you want, then?”

“Hmm. Right. Give and take, you know?”

Dien cleared her throat, clearly expecting something.

“You’re using spatial magic, right?”

“No.”

“I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“You want to use the third dimension I open to nap, don’t you?”

“!!”

It was the exact reaction of someone caught red-handed.

“How did you know?”

“Obvious.”

Luke had heard it before—when he first met Dien.

—“You’re the one who can provide me with a perfect nap space?”

Back then, as Luke was cramming for exams, Dien had barged in demanding a quiet, secluded nap spot.

“Why not? Floating in a silent void sounds perfect.”

Even now, Dien seemed as eccentric as ever.

“It’s dangerous. You could get lost mid-sleep and become a dimensional wanderer.”

“Dying while sleeping isn’t so bad.”

Luke massaged his temples in frustration.

“…How about an expanded inventory space? You can sleep there.”

“Really? Nobody will bother me?”

“As long as I don’t enter, yes.”

“Deal!”

Dien lit up like a child, her pink eyes sparkling.

With renewed energy, she quickly finished crafting a month’s worth of potions.

“Let’s go! You’re in a hurry, right?”

Dien, now carrying a bag as big as her, eagerly hopped into the expanded inventory.

“Wake me when we arrive!”

“…Understood.”

Although it felt odd to carry his senior in a spatial pocket, Luke finally secured the potions to cure Elin.

“Hang on a bit longer, Lady Elin.”