EDM 70
by Cherry“Isn’t this perfect?”
Potion brewing had become quite familiar to him, so today he had challenged himself to make a high-grade recovery potion. As Soren said, it looked well-completed on the surface, but Medeio’s opinion was different.
He closed his research notebook and received the bottle containing the potion from Kafka. After tilting the bottle for a moment to examine the completed potion, Medeio tilted his head slightly.
“Not quite perfect… About 7.5 out of 10 points?”
“What do you know about it?”
“Right, you be the sage. Be the Sword Master, the Archmage, the Sage, do everything.”
Medeio was disgusted by Soren’s blind devotion. Whether the two bickered or not, Kafka scooped up the potion with a ladle to examine the problems. From the strangely murky feel rather than being transparent, it seemed one of the ingredients had been added in excess of the proper amount.
“Should I throw it away?”
When he asked looking at Medeio, he shook his head saying it wasn’t that serious.
“You can drink it. The effect will be slightly reduced, but it’ll be better than an intermediate potion.”
It was good news since it would be a waste to throw away with quite a lot of expensive ingredients used. Kafka asked Soren, who was clinging like gum, to move aside once more, then concentrated on transferring the completed potion.
“By the way, isn’t the graduation exam coming up soon? Is it okay to spend time on this?”
After finishing the potion brewing and cleaning up, Medeio asked. Soren, who had been sitting sullenly because he was hurt by being told to move away, looked this way. He didn’t say anything, but he seemed inwardly concerned.
“I passed the written exam, so I just need to pass the practical…”
In the case of written exams, since they dealt with theory, passing wasn’t too difficult if one studied diligently. The key was the practical exam, but since the exam were announced on the day making preparation impossible, some luck was needed to pass comfortably.
“Professor Pomona says it’s harder to fail.”
“Right, I’ve never heard of anyone failing the graduation exam either.”
Rigel Academy’s graduation exam difficulty was moderate compared to its reputation. Snobbish noble parents would blame the school and faculty for the dishonor of their children not receiving diplomas, and after several conflicts, the graduation exam difficulty was eventually drastically lowered.
‘That works out well for me.’
Thanks to this, even though he was a late-starting transfer student, Kafka wasn’t too afraid of the graduation exam. Instead, he had been losing sleep recently over other worries, precisely because the end of the ‘Academy arc’ was right around the corner.
The story of “Knight of the North Wind” was largely divided into Part 1: Academy arc and Part 2: Demon Lord subjugation arc. Part 1 covered up to Soren graduating from Rigel Academy and returning to House Ibelnoia, and Part 2 was about the Demon Lord’s revival not long after and the heroes setting out for subjugation.
Now, with graduation not far away, it was the end of Part 1. In other words, the current peace was tranquility that would soon disappear.
Since there was a description of late summer when Part 2 began and Soren received the Emperor’s summons, there was at most about a year left.
Since this was a third world, the flow might be slightly different, but Kafka predicted that the Demon Lord would eventually revive, just a matter of timing difference.
“……”
Kafka handed the subspace pouch containing potions back to Soren while briefly making eye contact with him. Soren opened his eyes slightly wider as if asking if he had something to say. A conversation from a few days ago flashed through his mind.
<What will you do when you graduate and return to the capital?>
Soren had suddenly asked during dinner. It was a question with many implications. Whether he would become a pharmacist, or take an exam to become a civil servant, whether he would stay at House Sonder or live independently with separate lodgings…
He hadn’t made up his mind about his profession yet. Therefore, Kafka avoided answering this part and only conveyed his thoughts about where to live. He said that after graduating and returning to the capital, he would immediately prepare for independence and leave House Sonder.
Soren welcomed Kafka’s choice. He said he didn’t particularly want to stay at House Ibelnoia either, and with a smiling face suggested they ‘live together.’ It was a plan that seemed specific yet vague, to find a suitable house in a quiet neighborhood where high society’s influence wouldn’t reach much and live together.
<Didn’t you want to become the head of House Ibelnoia?>
In “Knight of the North Wind,” Soren had tried to devour House Ibelnoia to get revenge on those who had made his childhood painful. The reason he participated in the Demon Lord subjugation was also to expand his position by backing the Emperor.
<I used to think that way, but now I don’t really care.>
Life is too short to only do good things. Saying this, Soren had smiled brightly. It was a positive change if anything, but Kafka’s heart wasn’t entirely light.
What if Soren refused to participate in the Demon Lord subjugation?
Would it be possible to subjugate the Demon Lord without Soren?
If they failed to seal the Demon Lord, destruction would come and everyone would lose their lives, just as in the original novel. It was an ending far removed from the happy ending Kafka had hoped for.
If Soren became intoxicated with sweet dreams with him and abandoned his duty, if the world took one step closer to destruction…
‘No.’
Kafka stopped thinking to forget the creeping ominousness. Even if such a thing really happened, there would be a way, and before that, Soren might willingly set out for Demon Lord subjugation. If the world ended, this romance would end too, so surely that guy wouldn’t want that either.
“Kaf?”
Since he was just making eye contact blankly, Soren gently called his name. The guy who would have snapped “what are you staring at” and “say something if you have something to say” in the past was now smiling most tenderly. Seeing that appearance, his worries were forgotten and baseless hope filled his mind.
“It’s nothing.”
“What, how bland.”
“Just various thoughts came to mind.”
“What thoughts?”
“…Soren, you really have pretty eyes?”
He couldn’t tell the honest truth, so he made up some random excuse. At the embarrassing words, Soren widened his eyes and showed shy signs. With a slightly flushed face, he rolled his eyes here and there, then quietly got up from where he was sitting and hugged Kafka as if burrowing into his embrace. It was his own way of being affectionate.
“Go do that somewhere else, you crazy guys!”
Medeio, unable to bear the strange atmosphere, shouted loudly. Only then remembering that Medeio was also here, Kafka lightly pushed Soren’s shoulder and pulled back his body. Soren obediently separated while glaring at Medeio with some resentment.
“You could just tactfully excuse yourself when you see the mood…”
“I’m so dumbfounded I can’t even speak. This is my department’s practice room.”
“Your department’s practice room, but not your personal research lab.”
Medeio shook his head as if he didn’t want to deal with them. Kafka lightly raised his hand to cover Soren’s mouth and smiled somewhat awkwardly. After all, it was their fault for getting lost in their own world in front of someone.
“Sorry, I got carried away without realizing. Anyway, thanks for helping today too.”
“…Since you’re in your honeymoon phase, I’ll understand with a broad heart.”
Medeio said something like an old man. He organized his research notes and alchemy books scattered on the desk, then gestured toward the entrance saying they should vacate the practice room.
After finishing cleanup and leaving the practice room, the sun had already passed over and the fading sunlight was pouring into the corridor. The three shadows lined up were long and slanted.
While Medeio walked ahead, Kafka walked hand in hand with Soren, matching their pace. To be precise, Soren was walking to match Kafka’s pace, but either way, they were walking side by side with their shoulders aligned.
‘The world must be turning upside down…’
What would last year’s me think if he saw this sight?
It was just a year ago that he thought he didn’t care how this world ended and would live as if he didn’t exist, absolutely not interfering. Quite cunningly, now that things had turned out this way, he wondered how he could have thought such things.
Kafka slightly raised his gaze to look at Soren’s profile beside him. His straight nose bridge and delicate lips, with the sunset drawing golden lines over his dense eyelashes, created a dreamlike atmosphere.
For a moment, he wondered if all of this might be a dream. If he opened his eyes like this, he would return to the rainy emergency staircase.
“Oh, it’s Aisha.”
Lost in thought alone, Medeio, who had been walking ahead, stopped. As he said, Aisha was looking around at the end of the corridor as if searching for something. Before he could wonder what was going on, Medeio raised his voice to call Aisha.
“Aisha, what are you doing alone?”
Aisha turned her head to look this way. The moment their eyes met, Kafka shook off Soren’s hand as if pushing it away.
He hadn’t yet revealed the fact of his romance with Soren to anyone other than Medeio. Even Aisha, who once had no secrets from him, was no exception.
“……”
As if displeased that he had shaken off his hand, Soren looked down at Kafka slightly. But he soon just looked back toward where Aisha was without saying anything else. His heart grew heavy for no reason, so Kafka looked down pretending not to notice.