Chapter 42: Thank You, S

“So, so you just didn’t want to fight your homeroom teacher!”

Will froze for a moment.

Wait, was that how Leah interpreted it?!

Did Leah actually want to beat him up?!

How unfair! Wasn’t the fight they had during the carriage incident enough for her?

But…

Faced with his former homeroom teacher, his current collaborator, and the future yandere he was trying to cultivate, Will decided—

To kneel and plead.

“Injustice! If I had known it was you, Miss Leah, I would’ve bathed, burned incense, and prepared myself thoroughly to be whipped by you!”

“Y-You just love to talk nonsense…” Leah, startled, quickly tried to change the subject. “Alright, alright, I get it.”

“If you’re still not satisfied, I can schedule a day to spar with you… no, to let you beat me up.”

“Don’t make it sound like I have some weird hobby…”

Wait, speaking of weird hobbies, wasn’t the one with strange inclinations… this Hysterm kid?

Leah glanced at Eir, her eyes clearly asking, Is your Young Master always like this?

Eir smiled and nodded.

“But what would you have done if you hadn’t baited him into saying it himself?”

“Well, isn’t that what you’re here for, Miss Leah? Just a little arrangement to make him my opponent, and maybe hint that he can beat me up. He’d definitely take the bait.”

“Classic you.”

That said, Leah’s impression of Will had indeed improved after this incident. She had initially thought he was just a clever but impulsive kid, which was why she hadn’t wanted to tell him about the mastermind behind the attack.

But his handling of the bullying was impressive—calm, calculated, and effective. Leah admitted she might not have managed it as well herself.

Perhaps, even if she told him about the mastermind, he could… handle it well?

“Alright then, if there’s nothing else, we’ll head back.”

“There is something.”

“Hm?”

“Your class ends at 5:30 tomorrow. Come to my lab after that. Don’t forget, you’re my collaborator now!”

Will felt a warm sense of satisfaction at Leah’s straightforward invitation.

It felt like watching a tsundere grow up.

Too bad she hadn’t turned yandere yet. Still a bit more to go.

“Alright, alright.”

As Will and Eir walked away, Leah remembered something…

“Oh, right. His hand is still bandaged… is that really okay?”

But then she thought about it—there was no way Will would agree to a duel while injured without some kind of backup plan.

—

Leah wasn’t wrong. Will’s injury had already healed significantly.

That evening, in the Hysterm family’s private residence, on the third floor…

Eir knelt before Will, carefully unwrapping the bandages from his hand.

By now, the bandages no longer stuck to the wound, and there was no blood. Will himself didn’t feel any pain anymore.

“Hmm… there’s still so much ointment left, but Young Master’s wound has healed so quickly! Honestly, I think you don’t even need the bandages anymore starting today.”

“True. But today, they served a purpose.”

“What purpose?”

“Dummy. Without the bandages, how else would Felix have taken the bait so easily?”

Eir tapped her forehead lightly.

“Right, Eir is so silly.”

“Then stop hitting yourself. You’ll only get sillier.”

Will examined his now-unwrapped right hand. The deep red burn wound that had once bled profusely had scabbed over and was returning to its normal skin tone.

He opened and closed his hand, testing its movement. No pain.

As for his magical circuits…

He activated them slightly. Perfect. Will could feel the power firmly under his control again.

“Eir didn’t expect the ointment Mr. S sent to work better than all the magic and medicine we’ve tried before.”

She had initially been a bit annoyed by this “Mr. S” who seemed to care so much about her Young Master. But nothing made her happier than seeing Will healthy again.

“Yeah… I owe him big time. Maybe I should pledge my eternal loyalty to him, sob sob…”

“Young Master, please act normal. Don’t make Mr. S sound like some creepy priest from the neighboring church who preys on 14-year-old boys…”

Two days ago, S had sent a new letter along with a bottle of ointment. The letter had been marked urgent, arriving much faster than usual.

It was unusually short, simply stating that if the injury was indeed caused by a witch’s flames, this ointment—picked up casually from a dungeon market—would definitely help.

The bottle, cool to the touch even through its thin glass, radiated a faint chill.

Will suspected it was made from the remains of a dungeon creature called an “Ice Spirit.” He hadn’t seen one in person but had skimmed over its entry while compiling monster data for potential game use. The ointment’s solid, icy texture matched the Ice Spirit’s description perfectly.

Ice Spirits only appeared on high dungeon floors, with a minimum level of 60 in the game settings. Something made from their drops couldn’t possibly be “casually picked up” in a market.

S probably downplayed it to avoid worrying him.

Sigh… S, you’re such a reliable man, but why are you so shy? Get it together.

The ointment was incredibly effective. The first night Will applied it, he woke up to find the once-bleeding wound had started scabbing over and healing properly.

By the first day, he could feel his magical circuits flowing normally through his right hand.

By the second day, Eir suggested he no longer needed the bandages.

It was practically a miracle cure. Without S’s help, Will wouldn’t have been able to incorporate the practical exam makeup into his larger plans.

This was a debt no ordinary gift could repay. He’d have to think of something truly special for S.

“But, Young Master…”

Eir pouted as she applied the ointment to his hand.

“W-What is it?”

“I… I don’t mean anything by it… it’s just…”

She looked up at him, her expression pitiful.

“Does Eir’s saliva… really have no effect? Sniff… now that you’re healed, you won’t need me to lick your wounds anymore…”

“…You really got into that, huh…”

“And… now that you have a good relationship with your teacher, you’ll probably come home even later…”

—Will didn’t even register the second half of her sentence.

Because he realized…

Licking was such a fitting trait for a beastkin!

If Eir had grown fond of this behavior, wouldn’t it become a terrifying weapon if she ever turned yandere? Imagine a blackened Eir, her tongue extending in a chillingly obsessive way, licking everything in sight!

“It’s fine, Eir.”

Will patted her shoulder as if entrusting her with a great responsibility.

“Lick to your heart’s content. Whenever you feel like licking, just call me. Wherever you want to lick, go ahead. Make sure to hone this skill of yours—it could make anyone tremble!”

“…Young Master, please act normal…”