Chapter 38

### Chapter 38: Lucy's Route

“Liliana?”

Liliana was enveloped in smoke and fell silent. Fortunately, the smoke soon dissipated.

“What, where did she go?”

Did she turn invisible?

Whish, whish

Even when I waved my hand where Liliana had been, nothing obstructed it.

– Here, here!

Liliana's voice came from below.

A silver chain necklace with a red gem embedded in it had fallen to the ground.

“Was it you?”

– Yeah-! It's me, it's me!

“Oh. That's cool.”

It's not just the transformation into a necklace that's amazing; the design is so sleek that it would be fine to wear it out.

“But you're a succubus, don't you have abilities like invisibility or ethereal form?”

– I do, but a stronger magician could immediately detect it, right? This is more like a racial trait, so it's less likely to be detected.

Hmm. I definitely can't do that.

I couldn't sense any movement of mana.

– Then it's fine, right?

“It's fine, I guess.”

It should be fine. It might be better to be seen by me than to be alone and get into trouble.

“Alright. Let's go together from tomorrow.”

– Okay!

Puff!

Liliana returned to her original form after achieving her goal.

“Ugh, everything's good, but I'm a bit tired from doing it for the first time in a while.”

Seeing Liliana yawn and stretch, I suddenly became curious.

“I have a question. Can I ask?”

“Huh? What, are you curious about my chest size too? I got that question over a hundred times during the broadcast earlier. I did tell them...”

“No, it's fine if you don't know. And don't tell that kind of thing in the future.”

This succubus, does she have common sense or not? I should tell her clearly.

“Then what is it? Ask away.”

“Why did you bring up the chest topic? I'm really just curious. You're a succubus, don't you eat semen?”

“Contractor Yohyun. Are you crazy?”

“Sorry. It was just curiosity.”

The timing was bad. Did I fall for her trick of making me look bad by bringing up the chest topic?

“Well, actually, most other succubi enjoy it. My friends all say it tastes good, but I don't feel much of a desire for it. I've never even tasted it. Why would I eat something dirty that comes from where I pee?”

“Uh...”

It's a valid point. It's a valid point, but you shouldn't say it with a heart and a tail. It's a suspension of disbelief.

“Anyway, I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. Good luck!”

Tap, tap, tap

Liliana went to the bathroom to take a shower.

“I don't know if I'm living with a succubus or a nun.”

Honestly, I had some expectations when I summoned a succubus, but I'm not sure if I should be disappointed or not.

“I should go to sleep too.”

I had already showered at the training facility, so I lay down on the living room sofa.

Thinking about it, I should order a bed.

But now that I have a source of income, it's reassuring.

Think of the succubus as a money-copying machine.

*

– Wow, this is the Academy? It's so big!

I was taking Liliana to the first-year classroom building of the Academy.

Liliana was amazed at the Academy, and I felt a bit proud for no reason.

“You don't need to be that surprised. This is the smallest school in the world.”

– What? Really? The human world has developed so much?

“Just kidding.”

– ...? Really, that's ridiculous. Hey, fuck, how old are you?

I tried to tease her on the way, but she immediately responded with a curse.

If I said, “So, how old are you? Auntie,” it would be more fun, but I exercised superhuman patience and held back.

“Sorry. We'll be in a crowded place soon, so I won't be able to answer.”

– Yohyun. If you come out like this, I can't help but be uncooperative. Got it?

“Got it. Got it. Look around the Victoria Academy well. If I drop some information in the broadcast, it becomes detail. When it all adds up, it becomes a perfect crime.”

For example, if I say, “The school is busy with exams soon~,” it will increase the credibility of Liliana being a student at the Academy.

It would be even better if I said, “Our school's central fountain is beautiful~,” or “The flowers on the path I walked today were so pretty~.”

– How can a kid only think about cheating? Tsk, tsk.

“...”

I couldn't deny it, so I quietly entered the classroom.

Today's class is Mana Research.

It's the class where an accident happened due to Professor Im Sol last time. An old professor named Kim Young-han is in charge.

When I arrived, the students were already seated.

I glanced around; Lucy and Lumi were in the corner, and Kim Young-han was sitting with other friends.

No one to sit with.

I didn't realize my social circle was so narrow.

I sat in an empty seat, a bit away from others.

– Why are you sitting alone? Are you a loner?

“...”

I took out a notebook and wrote in the corner, “Shut up, crazy succubus.”

– Hehe. What can you do with a split face? You can't write.

“Sigh...”

I shouldn't have brought her. I'm already regretting it.

“Hello, I am Professor Kim Young-han, in charge of the Mana Research class.”

The old professor, dressed in a white suit, started the class from the podium.

“Today, we will discuss magic circles.”

The presentation the professor prepared appeared as a hologram.

“A magic circle is, fundamentally, a tool needed to use magic. [Mana must be transformed into the shape of a magic circle and released to become magic.] I don't need to explain these basic elements to you, right?”

Click, click

The presentations, which someone must have worked hard on, flipped through.

The design is trendy, like the result of a teaching assistant's hard work. If it's going to be like this, they shouldn't have made it.

“The process of transforming mana into a magic circle and releasing it. It's the basic but most difficult part of magic. Simple magic doesn't show the magic circle, and the higher the magic, the more visible the magic circle is. It's too complex to create without visualizing it.”

Everyone is listening attentively, but I already know this.

So, I was passing the time chatting with the succubus around my neck.

– Why is that male so skinny? He doesn't look poor from his clothes.

– Huh? Why are you doing such an inefficient thing? Do you think a war will break out and your capital will disappear?

There are games in hell, so why doesn't she know about this?

Is it because the values of those living in hell are different? I don't know.

“...Fortunately, there is the easiest and most standardized method for drawing magic circles. It's a method that has been consistently researched by the previous generation of magicians.”

Finally, the boring introduction is over, and the professor started demonstrating.

The mana materialized from the professor's fingertips turned into thin threads and formed a magic circle.

“Drawing the mana like threads and creating the magic circle line by line. This is the most standard method. As your level improves, you can draw two lines at once, but I recommend increasing the speed of drawing one line at a time. It's more efficient.”

– But, the content of the human world's school classes isn't bad, is it?

– Ah, but I've been feeling a hostile aura from that corner. What's your relationship with that big-breasted girl?

...If I say a big-breasted girl is sending me hostile aura, there's only one person it could be.

– She doesn't seem to be a friend, right? I can feel the hostility.

– Ah. That effect is really good. A lot of murders have happened because of it.

If I knew this, I would have warned her. If it got worse and Lucy and I had an irreparable fight, what would I do? You crazy succubus.

Hold it. I can't mess with my source of income. Think of her as a golden goose.

– It's a bit annoying, but I'll do it specially.

Sigh. She's not a kid, and she's 50, but why is she so childish?

Anyway, feeling hostility from Lucy, I don't know if I should like it or not.

I glanced at her, but I was afraid our eyes would meet, so I just looked forward.

“...This is how you draw a magic circle. The faster the magician, the faster this process. For reference, Professor Im Sol, who teaches at Victoria Academy, is one of the best in the world. I heard he can draw two lines at once at an incredible speed, but don't try to follow him; it could overload your brain.”

– But, aren't you listening to the class? Well, you look like someone who can't study.

Hmm, but I have a question.

Is it really necessary to draw mana like threads? Can't you stamp it out all at once?

– Well, the details may differ, but in the big picture, that method is correct.

– What the hell are you talking about?

– Ah, oh, um... Can you do that, you idiot? You don't know anything, you're so bad at studying.

“...”

Liliana doesn't know my talent.

She doesn't know that no one can surpass me in mana manipulation.

‘Can't I just try?’

Since Professor Kim Young-han also said to try drawing a magic circle slowly, I should give it a try.

I slowly drew up my mana.

I grasped the mana flowing through every part of my body and shaped it above my hand.

The process of drawing mana like threads to create a magic circle is the basic of magic.

But I'm trying to create a magic circle from the start.

– No, Contractor Yohyun. Don't do strange things. If it were possible, other magicians would do it too. Living beings don't have that kind of mana control ability.

Liliana's chatter and interference are useless.

The mana condensed in my hand according to my will.

Before releasing it outside my body, I need to gather as much as possible. That way, I can create the shape of the magic circle in one go.

– Ah, it's so frustrating. That's why kids who can't learn... huh?

‘It's all gathered.’

I felt an intuition that I had gathered enough mana to form a magic circle.

The mana burst out of my hand all at once and found its place in the air.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Like a broken puzzle rewinding, my mana found its place in the magic circle.

In a moment, the magic circle was completed and transformed into a fireball.

Whoosh-

– What... the... fuck?

I gave Liliana a punch while she was muttering to herself in shock.

After taking such a curse, I can at least say one thing.

*

Tuesday afternoon, in the [Let's Play Club] room, Lucy, Lumi, and Felix were having a conversation.

“Wow! Lumi! More and more new members are applying to our club!”

“That's good. I was worried because no one was joining...”

“This is all because that Yohyun is gone! It feels so good!”

“Good for you, Lucy. Congratulations.”

“Thanks, Felix!”

Lucy was smiling as she looked at the new member applications on her smartwatch.

She created the club to meet more people, but she was a bit worried when no new members joined. Then, new members started pouring in.

It felt like a dam that had been blocked for a long time had burst, and naturally, her thoughts turned to Yohyun.

“It really was because of Yohyun. What rumor spread that no one applied?”

“Hmm, I don't know... Actually, I've never heard any rumors about Yohyun...”

“Well, I haven't heard them directly, but I remember hearing men gossiping. There must be something to gossip about.”

On the table where they were having the conversation, there was a pretty vase, and Felix kept touching it during the conversation.

“Felix, why do you keep touching that vase?”

“Huh? Just because the flowers are pretty. It's nothing.”

Felix moved the vase to the center of the table with a natural gesture while smiling faintly.

“By the way, guys, the midterms are coming up. Have you studied a lot?”

“Ugh, don't talk about it. I'm weak at studying...”

“I'm not that good at it either...”

“Why don't we meet here tomorrow and study together? I happen to be free.”

Felix's voice was trustworthy. Lucy always felt a sense of security when she heard his voice.

“Sure, I'm fine with that!”

“I'm okay with it too.”

“Then let's meet here at this time tomorrow.”

Felix was sending a trustworthy smile.

*

That night, after returning to the dormitory.

“Haha. Our club is finally shining.”

Lucy was smiling happily as she dried her hair after a good shower.

“But, what is it? Something feels off...”

Since the club room, something had felt like a knot in her chest, as if she had forgotten something.

While she was deeply pondering this discomfort, her smartwatch rang, and a message arrived.

Felix: Lucy, sorry for the late message. Lumi said she forgot to tell us that she has a remedial class tomorrow, so she can't study with us. Is it okay if we do it just the two of us?

“Oh, right... Lumi said she had a remedial class tomorrow.”

She clearly said it when they were all together, but none of them remembered.

Lucy never forgot her own matters, but she never forgot Lumi's either.

She even made appointments at the same time, forgetting her own but remembering Lumi's.

For Lucy to forget Lumi's matters, she felt a bit uncomfortable.

“Everyone has their off days. I can't always remember everything.”

Lucy shook off the unnecessary thoughts and started writing a message.

Me: Of course, it's fine for the two of us! See you tomorrow!

Just as she was about to send the reply, Yohyun's face suddenly came to mind.

“Damn.”

What a ridiculous thought. Since Yohyun disappeared, the club has grown, and she even made a good friend like Felix.

“It's better to get rid of such a useless person quickly.”

A useless person.

Lucy shook her head as if to shake off the unpleasant thought and sent the reply to Felix.