Vol. 6 Ch. 74

Leon stood in front of the office door, feeling oddly uneasy.

For all his years as a student, he had never once been called to a teacher’s office for zoning out in class.

And yet—this new teacher had singled him out?

Was she planning to set an example on her second day here?

If so, then Leon’s luck was just fantastic.

But there was no way out now.

Taking two deep breaths, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Leon pushed the door open.

The other faculty members had already gone home, leaving only the new teacher, Melkvey.

She was seated at the desk by the window, her legs elegantly crossed, the heel of her high-heeled shoe swaying gently.

The evening sun hung low, its golden-red glow spilling through the glass, casting a warm, dreamy light over her silhouetted figure.

Her silver hair glowed faintly in the sunset’s reflection.

Rosvisser—who had fully assumed her role as Melkvey—kept her gaze lowered, flipping through a few teaching materials.

Even in such a simple act, her posture was exquisitely graceful, exuding a pressure that was both intimidating and mesmerizing.

Hearing Leon’s footsteps, she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear before lifting her gaze toward him.

"Take a seat."

Leon nodded stiffly, hesitating for a second before sitting down opposite her desk.

Oddly, there was no chair directly in front of her—only one at the corner of the four-sided table, meaning that…

They were much closer than expected.

Leon gripped the hem of his uniform, feeling an unfamiliar sense of unease.

His back was straight as a board, sitting in a textbook-perfect posture, yet, the soft cushion beneath him felt uncomfortably unstable.

Like there was a needle beneath him, making it impossible to relax.

His eyes flicked downward... and immediately, he froze.

The pointed tip of her high heel hovered barely ten centimeters from the hem of his pants.

Smooth, delicate ankles.

Skin as soft as polished porcelain.

Completely exposed in his line of sight—

…

Why did it feel like something long buried in the depths of his soul was starting to stir?

"Why won’t you look at me, Leon-kun?"

Leon snapped out of his daze.

He hurriedly lifted his gaze, stealing a quick glance at Melkvey’s face before immediately looking away again.

"S-Sorry, Melkvey-sensei. I shouldn’t have let my mind wander during class. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful to your teaching."

Technically speaking, Rosvisser had used this exact excuse to make him stay after class.

And technically, Leon had no argument against it, because he had spaced out during the lecture.

So getting straight to the point and admitting his mistake might just speed up his escape—

Yes.

His instincts were still warning him.

Telling him to stay as far away from this woman as possible.

"Hm?"

Melkvey tilted her head slightly.

"Do you really think I called you in just because you zoned out during class?"

Leon blinked.

He was still far from the power level of ‘Ten-Second Dragon Slayer’, so at best, he could be called ‘Little General Leon’—but at this moment, he felt a chill creep up his spine.

"Then, then Sensei… why did you call me here…?"

Rosvisser leaned back slightly, reclining into her chair with a lazy, unbothered elegance.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Her silver eyes locked onto him, slow and deliberate.

"I'm still curious about what happened at noon."

"…Noon?"

"Yes. Your rejection of Elucia-senpai."

You’re kidding me, Sensei.

You called me in for this nonsense?!

Leon was thoroughly speechless but still answered truthfully.

"I already told you my reason, Sensei. I have to take care of my donk—"

"I'm asking for the real reason."

Leon froze.

Back at noon, Rosvisser hadn’t stayed too long near the school entrance.

She had only briefly observed the scene without fully immersing herself in the memory.

Now, however, with plenty of time and understanding of her surroundings, she had all the leisure in the world to pry into Leon’s past.

After all, she was genuinely curious.

If he was really such a hopeless idiot in school, how the hell had he managed to maintain top grades?

"Sensei, that was my real reason—"

"Don’t waste your breath lying to me, Leon-kun."

Rosvisser smiled lightly, resting her chin in her palm.

"I'm simply asking because I'm curious. So how about you humor me a little and tell me something more personal?"

Something about her voice, about her gaze... Felt off.

For a first meeting, it sure felt like this teacher knew him well.

Yet at the same time, she seemed genuinely curious about his real thoughts.

And—oddly enough—she was fixated on breaking through his usual responses.

But the strangest part?

Leon didn’t find her persistence annoying.

If it had been anyone else, he would’ve waved his sleeve, made a sharp exit, and never looked back.

So why wasn’t he bothered by it now?

Was it because of the way she spoke?

Or was it… something else?

"Alright, fine, Sensei."

Leon sighed, adjusting his posture slightly.

"To be honest, I have zero interest in relationships."

His tone was firm, serious, and absolute.

Melkvey raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Not even a little?"

"You should know—someone as outstanding as you could have any girl he wanted."

"That’s exactly the issue, Sensei."

Leon didn’t hesitate to explain his perspective on relationships.

"Just because I can have something doesn’t mean I should thoughtlessly take it."

"I hate when people assume that just because someone likes me, I should automatically owe them something in return."

"I believe that a relationship should be built on mutual respect and equal standing."

"Both people should push each other forward, challenge each other."

"Not change themselves just to please the other."

"That’s my philosophy."

Hearing Leon’s words, Melkvey (Rosvisser) smirked in satisfaction.

Good.

Everything lined up perfectly with what he had said after they got married.

If even a single sentence had been off—

Oh-ho-ho~ He would not have had a good time later.

"Interesting."

Rosvisser propped her chin against her hand, her silver gaze twinkling with amusement.

She hadn’t meant to look at him like that on purpose—

It was just that she had spent so much time with the real Leon in the present, she was too used to it.

She had completely forgotten that this was still Young Leon.

Seriously, woman?

You’re testing your younger husband’s resolve?

What husband in the world could pass that test?!

Young Leon—unaware of the danger he was in—found himself strangely affected.

Why?

Why was this new teacher making him feel this way?

He had been at school for years.

He had seen all kinds of beautiful girls.

Not a single one had ever made him feel this way.

And yet, this Melkvey, whom he had just met, was…

Different.

Thankfully, the setting sun masked the slight red tint on his fair skin.

Leon averted his gaze, forcing himself not to meet Rosvisser’s eyes directly.

"Hm. Then, have you ever thought about something even more serious than dating?"

Rosvisser’s voice carried a teasing edge.

Leon frowned slightly.

"More serious? What exactly do you mean—"

"Marriage."

"—Marriage?!"

Leon nearly choked.

"I don’t even want to date, Sensei! Marriage is out of the question!"

Rosvisser couldn't hold back the corners of her lips from curling up.

"Oh? Are you sure?"

"You’ve never considered getting married?"

"Never. Not once."

Leon paused, then firmly repeated himself.

"I even have a bit of a fear of marriage."

Oh no.

She was going to lose it.

Hold it in. Hold it in. Don’t laugh.

"Fear of marriage?" Rosvisser asked, barely keeping a straight face.

"You? Afraid of marriage? Why?"

Leon crossed his arms.

"My master told me that the thing he regrets the most in life is also the thing he’s most grateful for—

Marrying my master’s wife. I don’t understand what he meant by that. But because of those words, I can’t not take marriage seriously."

"How seriously?"

"Extremely, extremely, extremely seriously."

Leon’s face was completely deadpan.

"At the very least... I would never marry someone I just met on the spot."