SRS 128

“Professor, here is a letter sent by Lord Gerog.”

Yohan handed the letter, which contained a contract and a pledge, to Professor Will. Yohan had read both documents when they were being drafted, but he hadn’t seen the letter, so he felt a bit nervous.

I hope he didn’t write anything strange.

Gerog didn’t seem like he wanted to share his trauma, but if there was a sentence like, ‘Your disciple dragged another professor here to treat my trauma,’ Yohan would receive demerit points immediately. He clenched his fists behind his back. The elf adjusted his glasses, checked the letter, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

“Yohan Herse.”

“Yes, Professor.”

The atmosphere became solemn since the professor used Yohan’s full name. Yohan bowed his head and waited for the professor’s next words. Professor Will opened a drawer, took something out, and placed it on the desk.

“You did more than I asked. So, it’s only right that I give you a reward greater than what I promised. Take it.”

He slowly pushed the papers on the desk forward. Yohan took a step closer to check the reward and was shocked.

“Professor, this is…”

Professor Will’s original promise was an access pass that allowed Yohan to enter the commercial district just to buy a single flowerpot. However, what Professor Will handed over now was a formal access pass, which was much more valuable.

That was surprising, but there were four access passes. As Yohan’s eyes shook, a gentle smile appeared on Professor Will’s face. It was the most relaxed smile Yohan had seen from Will since he entered the school.

“I heard the other students helped Gerog as well. Please share these with them. Thank you all for working together to solve my old friend’s worries.”

The elf looked a little bitter as he spoke. Yohan met his gaze and sighed inwardly.

So that’s how it was.

It seemed Professor Will knew about Gerog’s problem and its cause for a long time. However, he probably couldn’t do anything himself because he wanted to respect Gerog’s feelings. Yohan understood that sentiment and took the access passes.

“Thank you, Professor.”

Professor Will smiled warmly at those words. At that moment, Will didn’t look like a professor, but just an elf who had lived for a very long time. Yohan watched him for a while before slowly leaving the professor’s office.

He used to think all of Fantasiademia’s professors were out of their minds. He had considered them lunatics, but through this request, he realized they were also living beings with their own stories.

“…Maybe I should let go of my prejudices a bit.”

Yohan turned away, breaking down the defensive walls he had built around his heart. The request was completed, and he had the access passes. Now it was time to relax with his friends who had worked hard.

“Absolutely! We absolutely have to use these on a weekend when we have no plans!”

Suhyeok passionately argued as he bowed to the access passes Yohan brought. Since the passes were consumable items that disappeared after one use, it was natural to choose a weekend to stay as long as possible.

“Alright. Let’s go on the weekend.”

The flowerpot Professor Will gave Yohan temporarily was still in good condition. Since there was only one day left until the weekend, Yohan wasn’t in a rush to buy a new one, so he readily agreed.

He suddenly remembered that this whole thing started because of a single flowerpot. It was a world where it was hard to find a flowerpot that suited one’s taste.

“You’ll have a special flowerpot soon. You can move around as much as you want then.”

Yohan muttered as he stroked the mandrake on the windowsill. The mandrake had been sleeping since Yohan put it in the pot, but it woke up and rubbed its leaves against Yohan’s palm. Yohan laughed at the ticklish sensation and felt relieved as he watched the sunset.

“Maybe it’s because we finished the urgent request. My heart feels lighter, so even the day feels peaceful.”

“You’re right. Things were so hectic lately that I didn’t know how the day passed.”

“Not many students lead a school life as busy as ours.”

Mikael and Suhyeok agreed with Yohan. He looked at his friends with an apologetic expression because he felt half the reason for that busy life was his fault. He didn’t cause trouble on purpose, but he always felt like trouble found its way to him.

“I’m always grateful to you.”

His friends always worked hard for him. He felt grateful and sorry every time, so he was glad he could repay them a bit through Professor Will’s reward.

The three students’ eyes turned playful upon hearing Yohan’s sincere thanks. They started joking around, acting tough or pretending they were exhausted. When they told Yohan to buy them dinner in the commercial district if he felt sorry, Yohan happily agreed. He had saved up quite a bit of money from raising the divine beast and working for the guard squad.

“Hey, you accepted too easily. This isn’t fun.”

“Then should we draw lots?”

“Oh? That sounds good! Let’s make a bet. The loser buys dinner!”

Suhyeok tore a page from his notebook to make the lots. He wrote tasks on dozens of pieces of paper.

“Wait. Wasn’t this just to see who buys dinner? ‘The person who draws this must pluck the Taming Professor’s beard.’ What is this? This is just a mission.”

When Yohan protested against the penalties, Suhyeok winked. It was more annoying than cute. Then Kylus appeared behind Suhyeok and opened one of the papers.

“‘The person who draws this must doodle on Kylus’s sword.’ What’s this?”

“Oh… I hid that in the back. How did you see it?”

“……”

Kylus narrowed his eyes and remained silent. Instead, a terrifying sound rang out from the sword sheath in Kylus’s hand.

Suhyeok screamed and ran away as the sheath swung through the air toward him. While his friends chased each other, Yohan focused on making normal lots with Mikael.

Finally, they drew the lots. Mikael’s penalty was to add ‘-nyang’ to the end of every sentence until his general class ended tomorrow. This was one of the less weird lots Suhyeok managed to write down while he was being chased.

“Ah.”

Mikael clutched his forehead as if he felt dizzy. Yohan patted his shoulder to comfort him for drawing Suhyeok’s lot.

“…It’s alright. There might be a way.”

Mikael, who looked depressed, suddenly smiled. Yohan tilted his head, wondering if Mikael had a clever plan, and then he flinched.

Mikael won’t disappear all day just because he doesn’t want to use that tone, right?

He doubted Mikael would go that far, but since it was Mikael, it was possible. No matter how embarrassed he was, he should still attend his lectures unless there was a special reason.

Yohan decided to watch Mikael tomorrow and checked the other friends’ lots. Kylus’s lot was to teach Yohan swordsmanship. Kylus wrote this lot himself, saying that teaching Yohan was a penalty. Yohan felt a bit hurt because Kylus, who worried about Yohan after he gave up on the sword after the first basic class, wrote it. To think Kylus drew his own lot. It was poetic justice.

Yohan ignored Kylus, who was frozen in shock. Then Mikael whispered.

“Yohan. Are you alright? It’s Kylus’s penalty, but you have to suffer too.”

“…!”

Now that he thought about it, Mikael was right.

Kylus drew the penalty, but two people had to carry it out. Learning swordsmanship was also a difficult task for Yohan, so Kylus and Yohan agreed to draw a new lot.

Kylus’s new lot was to choose one person from Room 304 and act as their secret bodyguard for a day. Mikael wrote this one because he couldn’t think of anything else, and Kylus looked much more relieved, accepting the task. Yohan felt hurt for a second time.

“My lot says I have to achieve something significant within a day and bring back a new title. Who wrote this?”

“……”

Yohan looked out the window guiltily. His reaction caught his friends’ attention, and they realized he was the culprit. Suhyeok pressed him for an answer, and Yohan replied with a red face.

“It’s… it’s just that I’m the only one with so many nicknames, so it’s a bit… embarrassing…”

In short, he wanted to share the burden. They looked at him in disbelief before bursting into laughter. Yohan just pressed his hot cheeks with the back of his hands and grumbled among his laughing friends.

“What! Yohan, did you draw that?”

“…Well. I guess I successfully drew the source of this whole bet.”

“Congratulations, Yohan. It’s the most normal one. But why does it feel a bit… annoying?”

“Ahaha.”

The lot Yohan drew was to buy dinner for his friends. When the students of Room 304 looked disappointed after reading the paper, Yohan laughed awkwardly and held his normal lot tightly. It seemed Yohan was destined to buy his friends dinner either way.

Late that night, someone woke Yohan up. He had been sleeping soundly without any worries for the first time in a while.

“Yohan.”

A gentle, low voice reached his ears. Yohan managed to open his heavy eyelids and saw the person calling him. Pale eyes shone in the darkness.

“…Mikael?”

“Can you come with me for a moment?”

“Huh?”

Mikael glanced at the window and made a mysterious request. Yohan rubbed his sleepy eyes and got out of bed, wondering what was happening, when he realized something he had forgotten.

He hadn’t treated Mikael’s wings in quite a while. It was about time for a treatment, so Yohan understood his request and checked the clock on the wall. It was 3:20 AM. If they hurried, they could finish the treatment and attend the 0-period class.

“Yes.”

Yohan got up and opened the window. After living with them, Yohan had become comfortable using the window as a door.

He stepped onto the ledge carefully so he wouldn’t wake his friends and grabbed Mikael. He waited for the flight magic to start.

Suddenly, a cold and terrifying chill touched the back of Yohan’s neck. Yohan turned his head in shock as his spine tingled, and he saw someone pointing a cold sword made of ice at Mikael’s neck. Yohan’s eyes widened as he recognized the person.

“…Mikael?”

The person pointing the sword at Mikael was none other than Mikael himself.