TUS Vol. 1 Chapter 2 Part 2

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Chapter 2 Part 2

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☆★☆★☆★

After the entrance ceremony ended, I got into trouble.

I was having lunch with Anastasia in the cafeteria, and all I can say is right now, I’m definitely in big trouble.

All the academic staff and students in the cafeteria are looking straight at us.

── Well, it’s not surprising that this happened, considering that Merlin, who is the headmaster of the Demon Academy, started eating her lunch right next to us.

Merlin glanced at me, and each time she did, she clearly sighed and a light shade of red can also be seen on her cheeks….

And then, with determination, she began striking up a conversation with me, or rather, I should say she’s busy trying to work up the courage to do so.

She has been trying to talk to me for about ten times now, but she just stops herself whenever she opens her mouth…. Such actions have been repeated over and over again.

Well, she’s always shy to talk to strangers, hasn’t she?

Yeah, this is troublesome. Very troublesome indeed. 

── So, what do I do now?

While I was pondering over a solution, an upperclassman who sat diagonal to me took one look at Merlin, grinned, and then said ──

“Really now…this is deplorable for a middle-aged woman to be a shotacon”

Merlin froze for a moment at those words………she then cocked her head slightly to one side.

“A middle-aged shotacon…did you mean me?”

“Yeah, if I were to talk about an older shotacon here, it would be you…O・BĀ・SA・N” |TL Note: Obāsan = Old Lady|

Those words froze Merlin again………for a moment.

“I felt your disgusting, passionate gaze on the new student representative, you know? A woman over twenty years old ogling a 15-year-old boy…. What can that mean I wonder?”

“……”

“Also, it feels like you’re looking for the right time to talk to him, almost as if you’re trying to seduce him or something, you know?” 

“……Seducing?”

“You don’t have to hide it, okay? That disgusting, passionate gaze of yours…it’s nothing more than a filthy sexual desire”

“By the way, who are you?”

“If he’s the main representative of Honour Students, then he is an elite with a promising future. In short, I, the Count’s daughter ── Victoria, am a suitable partner for him” 

Hearing that, Merlin chuckled.

“So you’re telling me that you’re trying to get this boy as a woman?”

Ehh!?

I mean, the power of the main representative is wonderful, isn’t it? It’s quite the development going on here!?

“Yes, as expected, the other vixens will be quick to take the lead. Well, it seems like I can’t underestimate the allure of a woman, even if she is an Obāsan (Old Lady). If someone calls out to him, he might just easily be deceived. Therefore ── I, as his future partner, will be the watchdog and keep people like you in check”

Just as Victoria finished talking, Merlin thought for a moment, then began to speak in a low, calm voice with a big smile on her face ──

“── Shut your mouth, you cur”

Now it was Victoria’s turn to freeze.

“C-C-Cur!?”

“If a naive stupid brat calls herself a dog…we have no other opinion of her than that she’s a cur”

“Y-Y-Y-You ── To call someone a cur…who do you think you are!? Identify yourself!” 

“I’m not just somebody…but I’m Merlin, the headmaster of another magic academy”

At that moment, the Count’s daughter immediately knelt down and said in a loud voice ──

“I-I-I’m, I’m so sorry!! I didn’t know you were the hero of the demon race, Merlin-sama…!!”

Whoa, she changed her attitude so quickly!?

This girl…what a simple personality she has…!!

I guess, being the headmaster of the demon race, Merlin is really a target of respect and awe, isn’t she? 

Also, Merlin…seems to have a harsher personality than she used to.

Well, I think it’s because of all the things that have happened since then, but I don’t recall raising a child who would call someone a cur?

Merlin then cleared her throat and said to me.

“…You”

“What is it?”

“Ephthal-kun…right?”

“Yes, I guess…”

“Hey, Ephthal-kun?”

With a smile, Merlin asked ──

“…Do you know the word…‘Reincarnation’?”

She’s always quick on the uptake, but she suddenly got straight to the point.

“Reincarnation? I wonder what you are talking about?”

“You resemble him…. My special someone…”

“Resemble, you say? I don’t quite understand, but…well, it’s not uncommon for someone else to bear resemblance to another person”

“You’re right…. I guess you just look like him…”

Merlin nodded slowly as if she was convinced ──

“Do you really think that could convince me!? Why did you run away from me in the first place!?”

When she pointed that out……well, she’s absolutely right. 

I sighed as I took the tea on the table in my hand.

“Ephthal-kun. I had a look at your exam results”

“……”

“You really blew it. The scores looked as if the legendary Four Emperors had taken the entrance exam for fun”

This is bad.

I can’t believe I’m going to pay for not restraining myself in the exam right here and now.

“And you know what, Ephthal-kun? Looking at your answers to the Academic Entrance Exam…I think you should learn how to adapt to the times better”

“What do you mean?”

“Most of the academic staff couldn’t understand a good portion of your answer sheet, which isn’t that surprising ── since the answers are based on magic theories from 400 years ago, so there’s no way today’s mages can understand it” 

Uhh….

I didn’t know that was going to happen.

I hadn’t even paid attention to it because they were all easy questions, but if I answer them with the magic theories that I know, it’s inevitable that there will be a 400-year time gap.

“So…what is Headmaster Merlin trying to say?”

“Even if reincarnation is just a shot in the dark, you have a special connection to the legendary Four Emperors, Ephthal-sama. I’m adamant about that. And the fact that you ran away from me…there was something in relation to what I said earlier that you didn’t want to face, wasn’t there?”

She is right about the reincarnation!

That’s what I want to say, but if I can do that, then I won’t be having a hard time right now.

“Now, Ephthal-kun? Who are you? I’m still a direct apprentice of the Emperor of the Thunder God, you know? If it’s something to do with my Master, I’ll be as persistent as a snake, okay? I’m not leaving until you give me a satisfactory answer”

Well, what should I do now? I wonder if there’s a good excuse that I can use to possibly talk my way out of this situation…. 

Ah, yes! Let’s just go with this.

“The legendary Four Emperors, Ephthal ── if you’re personally involved with him, then you know that he died in a mansion deep in the mountains, right?”

“Yes, of course. I laid flowers upon my Master’s coffin with my own hands after all”

“And…he was a hero and was awarded the title of Duke after the subjugation of the Demon King. Furthermore, his lineage still continues to this day…you know this too, right?”

“Of course”

“Actually. The Four Emperors, Ephthal, had a mistress you see. Are you aware of this?”

“Mistress…you say? That’s news to me”

Well, that’s because there was no such thing.

So of course she never heard of it.

“He had no magic aptitude and died of a broken heart from the despair he got. You know this ──”

Merlin quickly covered my mouth with a changed look on her face.

“That’s a matter that is not generally known…no, I should say it’s a matter that is kept under wraps. It is top-secret information as it concerns the authority of the Four Emperors themselves. Although my Master’s ability was certain…it was still too bad in the eyes of society. I have my personal thoughts on the matter…but that’s how it goes”

“I see”

“But to know such a thing…Ephthal-kun really does have a strong connection with my Master, don’t you?”

You’re the only one with the strongest connection here.

“He had a child with his mistress. And that child had an outstanding aptitude for magic, so he had been teaching the child all he knew about magic, unbeknownst to others”

The words filled Merlin’s face with astonishment.

“What…did…you…say?”

“His dream was to reach the summit of magic. He entrusted his own child and their children with his name and dream. The child settled deep in the mountains in the middle of nowhere, and his family polished their magic like a hermit, cut off from the rest of the world. No…they continued to refine it”

“Ephthal-kun? By any chance, you’re…”

“The thirteenth generation: Ephthal Alcott. That’s me. People don’t seem to know of our existence in general…but that’s the situation. And our existence is a bit of a shock to our ancestor’s direct apprentice…isn’t it?”

“I see…so that’s what it was. Well, certainly…if you’re talking about my Master having an illegitimate child and not informing us about it…then we have no reason to think well of it. Oh, for the record, I don’t mean to offend your family, nor do I mean to offend my Master…I’m just sad that I didn’t know about it…at least that’s how I feel right now”

Oh? It was quite an absurd explanation, but it seems to have convinced her.

Well, she’s always been honest and gullible.

I laughed when she seriously believed my false and foolish stories that anyone could understand for what they truly are. As I recall, she believed that a stork would bring a child to her when she was already over ten years old. Also, I’m pretty sure she believed that kissing could make a child.

It’s like the really stupid and gullible kids were the cuter ones.

“By the way, Ephthal-kun?”

“Yes?”

“I’m also taught magic by Ephthal-sama. So, in a way, you could call me your sister in apprenticeship” 

“Well, I suppose you’re right”

“And I, too…am one who aspires for the summit of magic in Ephthal-sama’s lineage of magic”

“……?”

“It’s not just your family that will follow the path Ephthal-sama has shown us and become the strongest. And they’re not the only ones that have continued to refine their magic too, you know?”

And that’s where Merlin gave me a defiant look.

“The entrance ceremony has ended. In the afternoon, there’s supposed to be a magic battle demonstration between the new student representative and the academic staff representative, right?” 

“Yes, that’s what I’ve been told”

It’s a mock battle to let people know that even the strongest new student is still no match for their academic staff.

Incidentally, in my case, I’ve been ordered to, “If your exam results are true, you will probably win against the academic staff, so I want you to lose on purpose”.

“Hey, Ephthal-kun? Would you like to compare our magic in the magic battle demonstration?”

Now, this is troubling.

The reason is…I’d definitely stand out.

If Merlin and I clash with each other, it’s unlikely that the school building where the demonstration is supposed to be held would be safe.

Well, there’s a very simple solution to the problem and that’s to just say ‘no’. But it’s because I can’t say ‘no’ that I’m in a real bind now.

Anyway ──

── I do want to see how much did my apprentice improve.

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