Chapter 172
Nahun was extremely anxious, which was uncharacteristic of him, but he couldn’t help it due to what happened yesterday.
‘…Are you expecting something?’
Leaving those words behind, Seere hadn’t come by the next morning either. The later Seere arrived, the more Nahun’s unease grew.
“What in the world is she planning?”
“Pru?”
Leviathan tilted his head, looking perplexed. Nahun looked anxious, not knowing what Seere might do.
“If anything happens, you need to protect me well.”
“Pruu.”
“Mooong.”
“Pii!”
The Massus responded with loud answers as if to say they were the ones to rely on. But truthfully, there was no one less reliable than them. They would likely judge Seere’s friendly actions as non-threatening.
“Haa…”
Just who should he trust, he was pondering when,
Knock knock.
A light knocking sound came from the door. Nahun’s eyes widened as he looked at it. He didn’t need to be told who had come. He could sense the very familiar magic power.
“Teacher, may I come in?”
“Eh, ehh!?”
Before permission was granted, the door opened without hesitation. Nahun anxiously watched as Seere entered.
“…Huh?”
“Why do you look so surprised, Teacher?”
Nahun was astonished by what Seere held in her hand. She was carrying a steaming bowl with utensils, a small set of side dishes, and a simple meal.
“Since Teacher hasn’t been up for long, they said you shouldn’t eat salty food, so I prepared porridge.”
“Huh… did you mean this when you said you were preparing something?”
“Yes. Is… is it not good?”
Nahun realized he had made a wrong assumption. Witnessing Seere’s dejected expression, Nahun quickly turned his head.
“No, that’s not it! It’s because you thought about me…”
“Personally…”
“Huh?”
Seere said shyly,
“I made it personally…”
Nahun’s eyes widened in surprise. He was amazed not only because it was handmade but also because it was prepared specifically for him. Upon closer inspection, Seere’s fingers were covered with ointment.
“This… you’re hurt? You should have asked Mark for help.”
“I wanted to make it myself.”
Seere placed the meal carefully on the bed so that Nahun could eat comfortably.
“Teacher has fought so hard, but all I can do for you is this…”
“You don’t have to think that way.”
Nahun extended his hand slightly and gently stroked Seere’s hair.
“Didn’t I say it? When Archangel Mikael appears, I’ll handle the battle alone.”
“But you ended up getting injured like this, Teacher.”
“It wasn’t a fatal wound. I judged I could survive and acted accordingly.”
“If that injury was deliberate…”
“We might have lost the entire 72nd floor if the fight had prolonged. Mikael was stronger than expected.”
Seere recalled the surging magical power she had witnessed.
“Was that…Teacher’s magical power?”
“You could see it from far away? The longer Mikael resisted, the higher the chance of my magical power destroying the 72nd floor.”
“Why is Teacher so strong?”
“Didn’t I say? I’m one of the Great Demons.”
“Are all Great Demons supposed to be this strong?”
“I can’t say for sure…” Nahun chuckled.
“Perhaps it’s about the same.”
“I still have a long way to go.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve heard that even Belzebut managed to hold on against Mikael. If I want to reach the peak, I must reach a similar level of strength. But when I saw Teacher’s power that day, I realized I couldn’t even come close.”
Nahun looked at Seere for a moment before shaking his head.
“Demons have a long maturation period.”
“I know that too…”
“So you’re not yet fully matured. You’ve grown admirably so far, but the journey ahead is long.”
Nahun continued,
“There’s no need to rush. I will continue to help you grow.”
“…Really?”
“Absolutely.”
Nahun slowly pulled his hand back and turned his gaze to the meal.
“Well, then let’s see how delicious this meal is…”
But Nahun was slightly taken aback when he looked. The composition of the meal seemed fine, but something about it was off.
The porridge was heavily enriched with abalone. Though abalone porridge was common, it was served alongside side dishes like octopus sashimi, boiled laver, grilled eel, and leek salad…
“What… is this?”
“The eel and leek salad are a bit lightly seasoned. Since salty food is bad for you…”
“Oh, I see…”
“Is there anything you can’t eat?”
“No, no… that’s not it.”
Nahun was breaking into a cold sweat. He wasn’t sure if Seere was aware or if it was a mere coincidence—all the dishes on the table were foods known to boost male vigor, from the abalone in the porridge to every single side dish.
“Boosting vigor and stamina recovery are somewhat related, which does help with physical recovery… but…”
Could this really be a coincidence? Nahun’s thoughts were interrupted as he shivered slightly at Seere’s next words.
“Are you not going to eat?”
“No, no! I must eat. It just looked so delicious I lost myself for a moment.”
“Hmm…really?”
Seere smiled cheerfully, leaving Nahun no choice but to pick up his spoon. As he ate the slightly bland food, he glanced at Seere.
“No suspicious vibe here…”
That innocent expression watching him enjoy her cooking indicated a likely coincidence.
Nahun began to relax and enjoy the meal from this point onward, understanding that the blandness was natural for patient food.
As Seere watched Nahun eat with a bright smile, she was harboring very dangerous thoughts.
“Certainly, a basic level of stamina is necessary…”
Seere licked her lips.
“Hurry up and eat, Teacher, to regain some stamina.”
The chances are slim, but what if, after becoming a Great Demon, Teacher accidentally overindulges in pleasures of the flesh?
#
Afterward, Seere stayed by Nahun’s side except for when she went to cook. She brought him whatever he needed whenever he moved awkwardly, and even gave him massages so his muscles wouldn’t stiffen up after lying in bed for so long.
Though it might sound odd to say this to someone with a mere master-student relationship, her actions were practically those of an exemplary housewife. Nahun was deeply grateful for Seere’s dedication.
“Seere, you should get some rest.”
“I’m fine.”
“What about your duties?”
“Citri-sama and Gremony-sama have agreed to handle the aftermath. Thanks to Teacher.”
Mentioning the aftermath caused Nahun to ask with a slightly serious tone.
“…What did Agreas say?”
“He reportedly appeared bewildered, but now that the results are out, there’s not much he can say. The other Demon Kings feel the same.”
“Are they suspicious?”
“Of course they are. How could they not be, when the 46th-ranked Demon King’s forces intercepted the Heavenly Army? But there’s no way for them to know, and there’s no remaining evidence left, so there’s nothing they can really say.”
Because Seere had carefully dispatched everyone related to other Demon King factions on the 72nd floor, they had no means of confirmation. They could only confirm that the war had ended in victory.
Initially, most Demon Kings thought the interception by the 46th-ranked Demon King alone against the Heavenly Army was bound to fail. Believing he’d fail and return, they saw no need to track his progress.
“Oh, and by the way.”
“Yes?”
“We have the Hero you subdued in custody. Though one of his arms is now permanently disabled, his life is safe.”
“…Good. I couldn’t keep track after the seal was lifted, but you’ve done well in handling it.”
“Gremony-sama had him in custody.”
“I must express gratitude later.”
“Do you have any use for him?”
“There are many options. We could try to recruit him into our faction with Dein and Eri after coaxing him, or if that fails, we can simply sell him as a slave.”
“But, Teacher, I noticed something after the seal was lifted.”
“Huh?”
“You didn’t respond even when I called you.”
“…Did I?”
Seere puffed out her cheeks slightly, and Nahun gave a sheepish smile.
“I can’t quite recall…”
“That must be Teacher’s original character.”
“Ah…”
Nahun had heard similar comments from Ersha before. He was said to be cold, indifferent to the surroundings, and even cruel.
“He must’ve been a total jerk back then.”
Being a Great Demon, it was only natural in a way. Perhaps it was better to be disinterested in the surroundings like that.
“I’m sorry for not recognizing you.”
“It’s okay. Thanks to you, the war ended safely, and my rank will rise…”
“That’s how it was meant to be.”
Nahun smiled contently. Seeing this smile, Seere softly bit her lip.
“Teacher.”
“Huh?”
“It’s been a while since dinner. It’s time for your medicine.”
“Ah, yes.”
Seere brought the medicines she had prepared earlier with dinner, along with water, and handed them to Nahun. Nahun took the same medicine he had had at breakfast and lunch with water.
“What was this medicine for again?”
“It treats inflammation and helps restore magical power.”
“Hmm, got it.”
Nahun smiled faintly and said to Seere,
“Thanks to your care, I seem to be recovering faster. The person who eventually marries you will be very lucky to have you taking such good care of them…”
“…What?”
Upon Seere’s question, Nahun suddenly realized his mistake and corrected himself.
“Ah…that’s not what I meant. I was just saying that you’re taking good care of me. No hidden meaning.”
“…Hmm.”
“Really, there’s no hidden meaning…”
“It’s okay, Teacher.”
“You don’t need to envy me, right?”
Then something felt a bit off. Nahun tilted his head slightly as he sensed a change in his body. He hadn’t felt this way after taking the medicine at breakfast or lunch—somehow all his strength was fading.
“Teacher, I was really shocked this time.”
“…Seere?”
“This time, I was so worried, thinking I’d lose you. We haven’t even done anything yet…”
Seere untied the brooch of her cloak. At that moment, Nahun felt a sudden unease and urgently called out to Seere.
“Se, Seere? Didn’t we agree to go out and play?”
“I’m worried that something like this might happen again… I realized I should act first.”
“Seere… what are you about to do…?”
As Nahun’s worries turned into suspicions and he tried to get up, Seere’s red hair turned back to its original color, all the external magic power she had stored in it being drawn out.
“Target Designation.”
『Objéctum Dēsignátĭo』
“Restriction.”
『Sérvĭtus』
This was the “binding magic” that Nahun had taught Seere: “It can tie someone with less usable magic power than oneself.”
Right now, Nahun’s magic power was nearly depleted. When he tried to stop her, it was already too late.
“Binding Target.”
『Objéctum Sérvĭtus』
A binding that could never be undone with such low magic power confined Nahun’s entire body.
“Se, Seere!!”
“No, Teacher. This is the binding you taught me. If the magic power invested in this binding is greater, it can’t be undone…”
“Let me go!?!?”
Nahun tried to break it with force, but his body wouldn’t respond. This was strange. While it was reasonable that magic exhaustion would do that, why couldn’t his muscles work…
“I diluted muscle relaxants in the water.”
“…What?”
“You might not regain much strength for a while. So, please… stay still.”
Seere’s eyes were somewhat glazed over. She slowly climbed onto the bed and then onto the hips of the immobilized Nahun.
“I’ve prepared everything. Of course, I’m not wearing anything underneath.”
“…?!?!?”
“Hohoh, Teacher…”
Seere leaned her upper body slightly. From Nahun’s point of view, her revealed cleavage was now in full view.
“Let’s make a baby.”
“What!?!”
“Didn’t Teacher say that when a spouse and a child are present… a sense of responsibility grows? Once that happens, Teacher won’t overwork yourself again, would you?”
“No…! That’s not what I meant!!”
Click.
The lights dimmed. More precisely, the magical light bulbs’ intensity was significantly reduced, letting only faint light outline Seere’s figure. Nahun broke into a cold sweat as he watched her. Positioning her hands on either side of Nahun’s head, Seere leaned forward more.
“I don’t want to keep a teacher-student relationship anymore, Teacher.”
“…!”
Seere smiled and looked at Nahun. Nahun could feel it. The only emotion present in Seere’s gaze was one of deep affection.
There was nothing else.
“From today onward, I want to be in a lover’s relationship with you.”
“Initially…”
Just as he was about to be devoured, Nahun suddenly spoke.
“Yes?”
“Why did you feed me muscle relaxants and what exactly do you plan to do!?”
“Huh? What’s the problem with that…”
Nahun simply explained.
“It affects a man’s vital organ too.”
“Ah.”
Seere blinked at the part of Nahun’s groin she was seated on. Nahun, being a man, should have had a natural response in such a situation—but there was none. No reaction at all.
“Ah, no…”
“Get off. Also, release this.”
Nahun assumed Seere had finally realized her mistake and thus spoke. However, Seere, even though she realized he was telling the truth, became defiant.
“No! Now that I’ve gotten this far…”
“Why are you being so stubborn? It won’t work anyway!!”
“No… I’ll do something else!!!”
“What? Something else?”
While Nahun was bewildered, Seere quickly leaned down. Then she gently pressed her lips to his immobilized mouth.
Kiss.
Softly overlapping her lips with his.
