Vol. 6 Ch. 76

"One time, it secretly followed me to school. My master thought it got lost and searched for it everywhere, only to finally find it munching on grass behind the academy."

Leon held onto Aju’s reins while explaining in a completely serious tone.

"Since then, it’s taken a liking to the grass here. I even asked the academy’s officials about it—this area doesn’t belong to any designated department, so Aju is free to come here for a meal now and then."

"...That sounds like the most abstract reasoning I’ve ever heard."

"But when it comes to you and your donkey, nothing seems too abstract anymore."

Rosvisser let out a long breath, stabilizing her emotions before replying,

"Alright, I understand. In any case, your heroic actions earlier were commendable."

"Heroic... huh?"

Leon hesitated for a moment. Instead of responding to Rosvisser’s compliment, he turned the conversation around,

"When I knocked those thugs down just now, I noticed, Professor, you also..."

"You wanted to step in and help too, didn’t you? Just a little slower than me."

Rosvisser chuckled softly, slipping both hands into her trench coat pockets and nodding slightly.

"What, you don’t think I was just here for the spectacle?"

Her tone was lighthearted and teasing, clearly admitting to Leon’s observation while also making a joke to keep the atmosphere relaxed.

But Leon remained serious as he answered,

"That never even crossed my mind. Professor Melkvey, the way you look at people when you want to help—it’s something you can’t fake. Even though you tried to act indifferent, there’s no way you’d just stand by in a situation like that."

"Good answer, kid, very straightforward—"

"But next time, when you're trying to praise someone, don’t start with 'even though' or 'but.' And don’t use ‘abstract’ to describe me, alright?"

"I'm your wife, dumbass. Only I get to call you abstract."

Of course, even though Leon’s choice of words wasn’t exactly smooth, The Queen still felt a little pleased inside.

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

At the very least, the impression she had left on this era’s Leon was a good one.

...Wait—

This era?

Could it be that they really were destined for each other?

Nope. No way. That was way too cheesy. She was already cringing at herself.

Rosvisser shook her head, shoving away the ridiculous thought.

She turned back to Leon and said,

"Thanks for the compliment. But even so, I’m still coming over for your home visit tonight."

Leon: "……"

Rosvisser smiled, completely satisfied.

She pulled one hand out of her coat pocket and waved, her soft pink nails shimmering under the fading sunlight.

"Well then, bye-bye, Leon."

With that, she adjusted her posture, tucked her delicate chin into her trench coat collar—to keep the chilly evening wind from sneaking into her neck—and began walking toward the main road outside the academy, admiring the way the moon had begun to rise over the sky.

Leon stood in place, watching her disappear into the distance, somewhat absentmindedly. It wasn’t until Aju nudged free from his grasp and wandered off to munch on some grass nearby that he snapped out of it completely.

His mind kept replaying that last moment—when Rosvisser had waved at him so casually and playfully.

Under the sunset, this version of strict, composed professor had seemed so lively and adorable.

"Ugh—"

Leon shook himself, unconsciously rubbing his chest.

For some reason, something right here had just twitched.

"...What a weird feeling."

The next day—

When Rosvisser saw Leon at the academy gates, sporting a massive bump on his forehead, for a moment she thought she had accidentally stepped into a memory fragment where he got beaten up.

"You—what happened to you?"

In her memory, there were only two people capable of knocking Leon flat—

Aju and Aurora.

The former, by virtue of being his "first love" and having once kicked him in the nose with a well-placed hoof.

The latter, a newborn infant, had exploited his "tactical baby protection immunity" to land plenty of solid uppercuts on her supposedly invincible father.

But never before had Rosvisser seen anyone manage to leave such a massive bump on Leon’s head.

"Last night, I got home a little late after feeding Aju. My master thought both Aju and I had gone missing. When he finally saw us come back, he got a bit emotional, and then—"

"That still doesn’t mean he should hit you on the head!"

Leon shook his head lightly, as if defending his master.

"Originally, he was going to hit Aju. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it... so his hand landed on me instead."

"..."

Small ones are weird. Old ones are weird.

The only person in Leon’s entire household who still barely maintained the dignity and elegance of a dragon was Charlotte.

"And why were you out so late? Were you... messing around somewhere?"

Rosvisser obviously knew Leon wasn’t that kind of person—especially not when he had Aju with him.

She was just asking in a way that suited her role as a teacher.

"What? I’m just concerned about my student."

"If my student has lifestyle issues, I have to step in and discipline them properly~"

"No—no, I wasn’t... I was just thinking about something, and I lost track of time."

Rosvisser watched him stammer and hesitate, and suddenly she really wanted to laugh.

"Thinking about something? What could be so important that you spent that much time thinking about it? So much that you forgot to go home?"

If she found out that he had spent four or five whole hours on the field just thinking, she’d probably call him insane.

After all, he had only met Rosvisser yesterday, and yet he had been distracted by thoughts of her for that long—

The truth was, he was afraid.

Afraid that his master would read him like an open book.

Afraid that his master would call him out for having thoughts about his new, beautiful teacher.

Because that would be a betrayal of his ancestors.

It would be a reckless, forbidden thought. A bold yet thoroughly discouraged act.

And yet—

Even Leon himself didn’t think he felt that way about Professor Melkvey.

But he just couldn’t stop thinking about her.

It was so damn weird.

"N-Nothing important. I’ll be heading to class now, Professor."

"...Mm."

Leon parted ways with Rosvisser, following the rest of the students into the academy.

Rosvisser watched his retreating back, at first trying to hold it in, but eventually—

She couldn't.

She laughed.

Not mockingly.

Just—

She had never seen Leon like this before.

A Leon who had to answer to a master if he came home too late.

A Leon who had his own little thoughts and worries.

A Leon who, at this very moment, was just an ordinary teenage boy—so different from the future, unstoppable warrior who would dominate battlefields.

"Oh, I know 'cute' is supposed to be an insult."

But—

"I really can’t think of a better word."

Still smiling, she stepped forward into the academy.

With a better mood than ever, thanks to Leon, she welcomed a brand new day in this world of memory.

__________

Autors NOTE:

A family member underwent surgery, today I needed to accompany him, this chapter I had planned to write in the hospital corridor, but the corridor, was not really suitable to continue writing.