Chapter 37: Nostalgic Memories and Embarrassing Secrets

Why did I become Elin’s tutor?

To explain that, we’d have to go back four years—to the moment I was first possessed.

At the time, I was completely disoriented by the fact that I had fallen into an unfamiliar world.

Contacting my family wasn’t even on my mind when I had just failed my academy entrance exam.

I only realized my family existed after receiving a letter during vacation, telling me to return home.

Back then, I thought I should get used to this world first before reaching out to them.

Of course, that thought still holds true.

“I apologize. I was too busy to contact you.”

Instead of a lengthy explanation, I bowed at a perfect right angle.

“You must have been busy indeed, considering our family kept receiving inquiries about spatial magic, which we barely know anything about.”

“It’s been years since you graduated from the academy. I didn’t expect to see the headmaster again.”

“That old man even came here?”

No wonder he hadn’t been in touch lately.

Since Luke had ignored him, the headmaster must have gone straight to the Bucklin family.

“He wanted to research Unique Magic with you. However…”

Gnash.

Victor clenched his teeth.

“So I have to hear about my own brother from the headmaster?”

“…I have nothing to say.”

“Sigh…”

Victor let out a deep breath, barely containing his frustration.

“I don’t like having to hear about my brother from other mages… but I must admit, you seem to have created quite the impressive Unique Magic.”

Tock, tock.

Victor tapped his fingers on the desk.

“But why didn’t you join the Magic Tower or a graduate school?”

This was a continuation of his earlier question—why someone with such talent had chosen to become a tutor.

Naturally, I couldn’t tell him the truth.

“I saw potential in the youngest daughter of House Bertine.”

I repeated the same excuse I used for others.

“For such a flimsy reason…”

Victor frowned.

“It’s not a flimsy reason.”

“I did hear about it from Nia. She said you passed down your Unique Magic to her.”

“Then you must also know what kind of magic she cast.”

“I do. And since it came from Nia, I’m inclined to believe it…”

Despite his words, Victor narrowed his eyes.

“You compressed space.”

“That’s correct.”

“That shouldn’t even be possible.”

“It isn’t. It’s an ability so absurd that I had no choice but to take up an ill-fitting job as a tutor.”

“Hah.”

Victor nodded, seemingly convinced.

“If it weren’t for a reason like that, I would’ve thrown you straight into the army.”

“…Excuse me?”

Luke’s face twisted at the mere thought.

“What’s with the sudden talk of the military?”

“Sudden? Is joining the army as a magic officer from the Bucklin family such a big deal?”

That left me without a retort.

Among the three great magical families, Bucklin was the only one focused on combat magic.

They also produced the highest number of magic officers.

“I’ll make this clear—I have absolutely no intention of enlisting.”

There was no way I was going back to the military after already having served.

“You dislike it to an unusual degree. Are you planning a rebellion or something?”

“…Excuse me? What kind of nonsense is that?”

A curse slipped out before I could stop myself.

“Did you just call what I said nonsense? You’ve grown quite bold.”

“That was just too ridiculous.”

“Just ignore it. I simply meant that if you were plotting treason, I’d have to personally execute you.”

Victor waved his hand dismissively, though his words were anything but casual.

“…By the way, where are Mother and Father right now?”

Luke swiftly changed the subject to escape the military talk.

He was also genuinely curious—why was Victor sitting here instead of their father?

“They’re in the north.”

“The frontlines?”

Victor nodded.

“You should consider yourself lucky. If they were here, they’d strangle you on sight.”

A chill ran down my spine.

It might be best to delay meeting my parents for a little longer.

“You’d better not even think about running away again. Next time, they might actually rip your head off.”

That was probably not a metaphor.

Memories of past punishments flashed through my mind, making my throat tighten.

“…I’ll contact them today.”

Adjusting my plans, I continued.

“But is the situation in the north really that bad?”

I had heard that the number of cursed creatures appearing near the northern border had skyrocketed.

That was why the Duke of Berteine had been summoned to deal with the crisis.

“They say mutated northern creatures have started moving south.”

“…Mutated?”

“They seem to be different from normal cursed beings.”

Victor added that gathering research samples was taking longer than expected.

“There’s been a sharp increase in creatures that consume mana.”

“…!”

Elin’s curse instantly came to mind.

“Could you tell me more about that?”

“Hm?”

Victor raised an eyebrow at my sudden shift in demeanor.

But he gave a brief explanation nonetheless.

“Recently, many mages in the north have been collapsing before they can even cast spells. After investigating, they found that northern creatures are absorbing the mana in the air.”

That confirmed it.

The northern creatures were using the exact same ability as Elin’s curse.

“…Then aren’t our parents in danger too?”

The Count and Countess of Bucklin were both mages.

Would they be safe?

“If they can’t find a solution, the future of battle mages is doomed.”

Victor’s words were true.

If the most renowned combat magic family in the empire couldn’t resolve the issue, then no one could.

“So stop worrying about useless things and just make sure to stay in touch.”

With that, Victor exited the office.

“…It’s been a while. Let’s have a meal together. I’d also like to meet the Berteine lady you’ve taken under your wing.”

“Understood.”

Luke, deep in thought, quietly followed behind Victor.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the mansion…

“Shall I bring you both some tea?”

Nia gestured for a maid to serve Elin and Bena a special Bucklin tea.

“This tea has a wonderful aroma. Please try some.”

“Thank you.”

“T-Thank you…”

Elin and Bena took a sip at the same time.

“Wow…! This is delicious!”

A satisfied smile spread across Nia’s face.

As the Bucklin family’s rising star, Nia Bucklin had been undergoing rigorous training.

Moments like this—sharing tea with girls her own age—were rare and precious to her.

“Do you like the taste, Lady Berteine?”

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

Elin took another sip, clearly enjoying it.

“Hehe, I’m glad. This is my brother’s favorite tea.”

“…His favorite?”

“Yes. He used to drink only this. I didn’t understand it back then… but somehow, it became my favorite tea too.”

Memories from childhood surfaced.

Back then, she had copied her brother without understanding the appeal.

Now, she couldn’t live without it.

As she touched her teacup, lost in nostalgia…

“But Teacher doesn’t seem to like tea that much.”

Elin tilted her head, her cowlick forming a question mark.

“Hm?”

Nia blinked, then let out a soft chuckle.

She still doesn’t know much about my brother, huh?

That thought amused her.

However…

“The professor likes coffee the most.”

The tuft of hair on her head stood tall with conviction.

“I haven’t really seen him drink it that much, but when he was forced to go without coffee last time, his hands were shaking…”

“…My brother?”

The Luke that Nia remembered didn’t seem to like coffee that much.

“Haha, maybe he had a change of heart while attending the academy.”

Four years was plenty of time for a person to change.

She left it at that, convinced that there was no way she knew Luke better than Elin did.

It had to be that way.

“Lady Elin.”

Elin had already emptied her teacup when Nia smiled at her.

“May I borrow your ear for a moment?”

“…?”

Elin tilted her head in curiosity and leaned in.

A fleeting thought crossed Nia’s mind—she wanted to take a small bite out of Elin’s tiny ear.

Suppressing the urge, she whispered, “Do you remember what I told you last time?”

Elin nodded eagerly, as if she had been waiting for those words.

“The professor’s childhood photos?”

To an outsider, it might have seemed like a secretive political meeting between noble ladies—something not meant for the ears of mere servants.

“Shall I show you?”

“…Yes.”

But in truth, it was nothing more than an embarrassing conversation that they didn’t want others to overhear.

“Pfft.”

Nia burst into laughter at Elin’s serious response.

“Ack… Sorry. You’re just too cute.”

She had thought the same thing when she first met Elin.

Despite being only a year apart, Elin’s small frame made it hard to believe.

Her soft, fair skin.

Her cheeks, which looked especially plump and squishy today.

After years of strict training, Nia had learned to wear the mask of a dignified noble lady.

But deep down, she was just a girl who adored cute things.

Why else would she still sleep with the giant teddy bear Luke had given her for her seventh birthday?

The real reason she even had Luke’s childhood photos…

Was simply to get closer to the adorable Elin.

“Wait just a moment. It should be around here…”

Nia quickly retrieved an album from the bookshelf.

Gulp.

Elin swallowed nervously.

“This album has the professor’s childhood photos?”

“You can look forward to it.”

At Nia’s words, Elin pressed herself against her side in excitement.

“Ahem, can I take a look too?”

Before they knew it, Bena had crept closer.

No self-respecting mage could resist the temptation of seeing the childhood of the academy’s top magician.

“Of course. But you must keep it a secret, alright?”

Nia winked and pressed a finger to her lips.

Nod.

With the intensity of a bomb squad diffusing a device, Elin and Bena nodded solemnly.

Slowly, Nia opened the album.

“Alright, here… This is a picture of my brother when he was thirteen.”

The backdrop was the Bucklin estate.

A young boy and girl sat side by side, smiling, with a giant teddy bear between them.

“This was when my brother gave me that bear as a present.”

“…For your birthday?”

“Wow…”

Bena gazed at Nia with admiration.

“Oh…”

Elin let out a dazed exclamation.

“So the professor was cute when he was thirteen too.”

Of course, it wasn’t the size of the teddy bear that surprised her.

From the moment Elin laid eyes on the photo, she only saw young Luke.

The Luke she knew was always strong and reliable.

But the boy in the picture?

Far from looking dependable.

Instead, the word “cute” came to mind.

And yet, traces of the professor she knew remained in his features, making it impossible for her to look away.

“This next one is from when we visited the Magic Museum.”

Flip, flip.

As Nia turned the pages, she explained each photo.

“Oh, and this was a souvenir my brother got me…”

From a young age, Luke and Nia had been regarded as prodigies.

Since they often studied together, it was only natural that they appeared in each other’s photos frequently.

“Hehe, those were fun times.”

Nia gazed at a photo where her younger self clung to Luke with fondness.

She had been such a Luke-obsessed child.

And yet, during the exchange event, Luke had spoken to her formally.

No wonder she had charged at him in protest.

“Oh, this one… My brother doesn’t even know about this photo.”

One picture was inserted upside down in the album.

“I secretly took this while he was sleeping…”

It was a picture of Luke sound asleep.

Nia’s face lit up as she recounted the lengths she had gone to in order to capture that moment—an operation that had begun all the way back during their joint training.

“So? What happened next?”

“I—I want to know too…!”

The closer they got to the climax of the story, the more the girls huddled together.

“Hehe, are you curious?”

Nia was having the time of her life.

For now, she wasn’t the prestigious young lady of Bucklin.

She was just an impish girl sharing the thrilling details of her secret mission to sneak into her cousin’s bedroom.

Excitedly, she chattered on about her childhood exploits, completely oblivious to the approaching presence.

“Hm, so that’s how you did it.”

“Hngyaaah—!”

At some point, Luke had joined them, peering over their shoulders at the album.

“O-o-o-oppa…?”

Nia let out a strange noise and hastily shut the album.

And behind Luke…

Victor and Anne were also watching.

“…How much did you hear?”

“From the part about sneaking under the blankets while I was asleep?”

“A-ahhh…!”

A secret she had kept for years…!

Nia silently writhed in despair.

Of course, Luke wasn’t particularly affected by the revelation.

The Luke from back then and the Luke now were practically different people.

Besides, these days, he fell asleep next to Elin every night.

That sentence might cause a huge misunderstanding, but—

Luke had long since grown accustomed to sharing a bed with a young girl.

“Enough reminiscing. Let’s eat.”

“…!”

At Victor’s words, Nia hurriedly shoved the album back into its place and dashed out the door.

“I’ll lead the way to the dining room!”

She was doing her best to pretend like nothing had happened.

But the way her face turned bright red in shame was impossible to hide.