Meanwhile, Yujin vanishes right before Reina’s eyes.
He’s currently in the girls’ dormitory, a place considered off-limits to men at the Academy.
It’s not like he has some hobby of invading girls’ dorms—it’s all for one specific purpose.
To treat Princess Elysia von Arsedium, the second princess of the Arsedium Empire.
Calling it “treatment” might be a slight stretch, but ultimately, it’s about resolving the princess’s current situation, so it’s not entirely wrong.
This was also pre-approved by the president of the academy. Well, technically more of a request than permission.
“Princess Elysia can’t freely move around in her current state. So, um, would it be too much trouble, Professor Yujin, if you could visit her directly?”
The flower pinned to Elysia’s right eye is proof of a demon’s mark. Even if she covers her eye with something like an eyepatch, rumors of a defect in the princess’s body would not bode well for Elysia herself.
Royalty is supposed to be noble. If word spreads that a member of the royal bloodline—a pillar admired by all—is blind in one eye, it would deal a severe blow to the sanctity of the royal lineage.
Of course, to Yujin, who comes from a modern world where social hierarchies dictate even personal imperfections must remain hidden, this all seems rather ridiculous…
“Well, I can understand why someone wouldn’t want to reveal their disability, and this isn’t exactly a place where modern thinking applies.”
Regardless, Yujin acknowledges that he now lives in this world and respects its culture and ideologies to a certain extent.
While the sanctity of royalty doesn’t resonate deeply with him emotionally, he understands it intellectually, so he agrees to handle this matter discreetly.
That’s why he’s standing outside the princess’s room right now, isn’t it?
He mutters to himself:
“Man, this feels kinda weird. Like I’m sneaking into the girls’ dorm for some clandestine meeting or something. Normally, I’d deserve decapitation for doing something like this, huh?”
「…You’re here to solve a problem for a young princess, not for some secret rendezvous, right?」
Tiamat emphasizes the “problem-solving” part, prompting Yujin to shrug.
“It just feels like that, you know? Sneaking into the dorm already makes it feel secretive.”
「…Does this girl appeal to you or something? Why are you always thinking about it like that?」
“Huh?”
Yujin tilts his head at Tiamat’s suddenly pouty tone.
“…Tiamat, are you jealous?”
「W-what…」
Tiamat flinches at the question, as if hit close to home.
「What’s this sudden talk about jealousy? Jealousy for what, I ask?」
“Not true?”
「F-first of all, what am I supposed to be jealous of? Why should I feel inferior to her? I was once the leader of dragons! Mortals and even other transcendent beings couldn’t compare to me.」
“Well, that’s true… but you seem unusually sensitive whenever I mention anything about secret meetings or such… unless I’m mistaken.”
Yujin lets it slide ambiguously, not having much direct experience with female jealousy. He mostly agrees because Tiamat denies it so strongly.
「Me, jealous? What nonsense…」
On the other hand, Tiamat herself is confused. Unbeknownst to her, Yujin’s words have struck a nerve.
Having never experienced romantic feelings before, Tiamat didn’t realize how sharing emotions with Yujin through their soul connection affected her.
Laughing together, sharing deep conversations, and forming a bond—these moments spent with Yujin as simply “Tiamat” rather than as the leader of transcendent beings were incredibly precious and joyful for her.
Perhaps that’s why she reacted so sensitively when Yujin jokingly brought up the idea of a clandestine meeting. It felt as though the time they shared was being taken away by someone else.
Though she wasn’t consciously aware of it.
But Yujin wasn’t thinking along those lines.
“Tiamat.”
「W-what?」
“I’ve said this before, but I truly cherish the time I spend with you. You’re the most important person to me. To put it simply, I consider you family.”
「!」
“When you worry too much, remember that in my heart, you’ll always come first.”
「W-what… A-ah…」
Caught off guard by Yujin’s sudden heartfelt words, Tiamat stumbles over her speech, her ghost-like form somehow blushing furiously.
「S-suddenly what’s this about?! Y-you’re embarrassing…」
“Just take it as my honest feelings. It’s better to express myself clearly than keep things bottled up, right?”
Unbeknownst to Yujin, this trait of his resembles his biological parents—he speaks straightforwardly when necessary.
“Shall we get back to work then?”
Their casual chat went on longer than intended. Yujin realizes it’s time to help Elysia.
Knock knock.
He knocks on Elysia’s door.
A delicate voice responds from the other side:
“Who’s there?”
“Professor Yujin. Princess, I’ve come to check on your condition. Is this a convenient time?”
“P-professor? Please wait a moment.”
Footsteps approach hurriedly.
Creak!
The dorm door swings open, revealing Elysia, still radiating her elegant beauty despite her martial prowess.
“Oh, please come in.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Yujin steps inside at Elysia’s invitation.
The room looks the same as yesterday.
Yujin takes the same seat in the center of the living room, while Elysia sits across from him.
Yujin begins:
“It’s been since the morning after yesterday. Have you been well?”
“Yes, thanks to Professor Yujin, I had my first peaceful night in a while.”
“That’s good to hear. Your complexion looks fairly healthy.”
“D-does it? I wasn’t expecting you today, so I didn’t even have time to wash up…”
“Ha ha, no need. Princess, you’re beautiful enough as you are.”
“!”
Elysia instinctively flinches and bows her head upon hearing Yujin’s gentle compliment. Her face turns bright red.
Even though she’s heard countless praises of her beauty before, hearing it from the man in front of her feels inexplicably sweet.
Thump! Thump!
Despite knowing he’s no prince on a white horse, her heart pounds uncontrollably.
Why is this happening?
“Are there any other issues? Any discomfort, or perhaps the sealed magic acting up?”
“No, nothing like that.”
Elysia shakes her head quickly in response to Yujin’s question. He nods.
“In that case, I think we can start today.”
“Start… what exactly?”
“Training to control the magic within you. Of course, we’ll start with adapting to it and stabilizing it so it doesn’t overwhelm you.”
“Is that so…”
Elysia hesitates after Yujin’s explanation. She finally asks:
“So this is training to become a demon, then.”
“That’s right.”
Yujin casually confirms, then questions Elysia, who appears conflicted.
“Do you feel resistance toward it?”
“To be honest… yes, I do.”
With a bitter smile, Elysia replies to Yujin’s inquiry.
“As you know, demons are transcendents filled with lies and evil. There’s even a Mansean doctrine stating that mortals’ malice was created by demonic magic during the creation of all things.”
“…”
“I’m afraid… that I might become a grotesque creature like them. That I might lose the love of my family who believe in me and turn into a monster.”
“Princess.”
At her words, Yujin smiles gently and gazes at Elysia.
“Do you remember our contract?”
“…That was…”
“I promised to resolve your issue. To help you remain fully yourself through that contract.”
As Yujin speaks, his eyes open. Elysia unconsciously holds her breath.
The vertically slit pupils resembling an abyss, and the ruby-red irises glowing with demonic allure—the same eyes she saw after he sealed her magic last time.
Elysia stares at them, entranced.
“Princess Elysia.”
Yujin continues:
“You may not trust me completely. Becoming a demon to survive sounds unbelievable, even to me. You might suspect I’m manipulating you into becoming one.”
“But, Your Highness, you mustn’t fall into despair.”
Interrupting Elysia’s hesitant defense, Yujin asserts firmly.
“Your Highness, you must believe in yourself. Or hold onto the love of your family who believe in you.”
“…”
“As I’ve said before, your enemy is another version of yourself.”
With that, Yujin reaches out toward her right eye, touching the flower’s stigma with his fingertip.
“And if you lose to it, you will die.”
“…!”
“The self you know will fade, replaced by a new self reborn as a demon. Do you think you can allow that?”
“…I… I…”
“I won’t let that happen.”
“!”
At Yujin’s firm declaration, Elysia looks straight at him.
His usually cheerful face is replaced by a rare expressionless stare, his crimson eyes piercing like tangled bloodlines.
“Your Highness.”
“…”
“I’ll do everything in my power to help you. I’ll ensure your sense of self remains intact and guide you to become a transcendent more human than anyone else. That’s our contract.”
“Professor… sir…”
“This is both a contract and a promise. Even if you fail and fall to the very bottom, I’ll find a way to pull you back up.”
After saying this, Yujin smiles again and asks lightly:
“Does that make you feel a bit better?”
