NOVEL NEXT Chapter 51
Chapter 51
“…What’s going on?”
Nahun was in the front yard. There was only one reason he would be out in the front yard. It was for Seere’s lesson. He couldn’t attend yesterday because of Rea’s special class, but today he had come out for the lesson, only to find…
‘Where has she gone?’
Seere was nowhere to be seen. Since the day they first met, she had always been waiting first with Cain, but today, even after a long wait, there was no sign of Seere.
At that moment, a passing servant caught Nahun’s eye, and he called out to him.
“Eldein.”
“Y-Yes!?”
“Why are you so flustered? I just called you over for a moment because I needed something.”
“Ah, you startled me… Hehe…”
Eldein was a servant from the Incubus clan. Unlike those who had worked in the Demon King Castle since Seir’s time, he was one of the servants chosen after Seere ascended the throne, but he had already amassed over eight years of experience.
With the move to the 69th floor of the Demon King Castle, the number of servants increased, and Eldein, with his experience, had risen to a fairly high position.
“If you keep getting flustered like that, the lower-ranking ones might start to look down on you.”
“Hahaha…”
“Do you know where Seere has gone? She hasn’t shown up yet.”
“Um, I believe Her Majesty has already finished her preparations.”
“Hmm?”
Then she should have appeared by now. However, even after Nahun waited for a while, Seere still did not come out. When he mentioned this fact, Eldein also tilted his head, as if finding it strange.
“That’s quite unusual. I’ll go check on it for you.”
“Sure, please do.”
After a while, Eldein returned with a slightly puzzling expression. When Nahun asked what had happened, Eldein replied.
“Well… it seems Her Majesty is changing outfits again.”
“…What?”
“Apparently, she’s not satisfied with something…”
“…….”
Nahun felt a mix of embarrassment and understanding. Seere was now at an age where she would start to take an interest in her appearance, just like other girls. While it was certainly that age, the reason Nahun was flustered was different.
‘Suddenly like this?’
The interest in dressing up usually develops slowly. It’s not like someone who doesn’t know anything about makeup would start doing full makeup overnight.
Seere had never been particularly interested in dressing up. Just yesterday, she had worn whatever Rea and Cecili dressed her in.
“…Hmm.”
It was indeed a welcome change, but Nahun couldn’t shake the feeling that it was sudden. After thanking Eldein for his help, he quietly spent time reading a book in the front yard.
Then, something popped out. It was Leviathan, the white whale that Nahun summoned. It appeared in a very small and cute form so it could perch on the table where Nahun had placed the book.
“What’s the matter?”
“Puu!”
“Huh?”
Leviathan nudged its head toward Nahun’s back. Nahun closed his book and turned around. When he saw what was behind him, he momentarily lost his breath.
When one stands before a masterpiece of the century, feelings of awe, ecstasy, and reverence arise. At that moment, Nahun was experiencing exactly that kind of emotion.
It was a masterpiece. A painting that seemed to come alive was right before him.
“N-No… Seere.”
“I-I’m sorry, Teacher. I’m so late, aren’t I…?”
It was Seere. Just when Nahun thought she was focused on her preparations, she had emerged beautifully adorned. She wore a dress primarily in white and black with a silver tiara and necklace.
Though the bracelet on her wrist that Nahun had gifted her clashed with the colors, it made her look even better from the perspective of someone who had given her the bracelet.
If a great artist were to depict a teenage girl, it would feel something like this. No wonder all sorts of praise like “beautiful,” “pretty,” and “like a picture” had been used to describe Seere’s appearance in Ebel Queen Maker.
As Seere sat in front of Nahun, he couldn’t help but break into a proud smile. His student, whom he had taught since she was small, had grown up so beautifully and healthily.
“You look really pretty today. Did you dress up for me?”
“Y-Yes…”
Nahun was so happy that he almost forgot the fact that Seere was late. Perhaps this feeling arose because she was a character he had nurtured many times in the game. Nahun maintained a grin while talking to her.
“When did you grow up this much? Seeing you healthy and beautiful makes me very happy.”
“Is it really pretty?”
“Of course. Right now, you must be the most beautiful in the Demon World.”
“Hee, Hehehe…”
Seere couldn’t stop her silly laughter.
Looking at her adorable smile, Nahun hoped that this child would continue to grow up healthy and beautiful. Regardless of his own ending, he wished for her to grow up well.
To achieve that, education was essential, and he mustn’t indulge in laziness. Nahun decided to stop the praise at this point and talk about the lesson.
“Now Seere, what we’ll learn today is…”
“Teacher.”
“Hmm?”
“What is your ideal type?”
“Hmm? Ideal type?”
“Yes, personality and appearance… that sort of thing.”
Why was she asking such a sudden question? Nahun pondered for a moment and responded to Seere.
“Someone who is kind.”
“Yes.”
“They don’t need to be overly kind, but I’d like them to be moderately kind. It would be even better if we had the same hobbies.”
“Yes, yes.”
“And… I’d like them to be a family-oriented woman. I dislike people who neglect their families.”
“Ah.”
“When it comes to looks, well, it’s nice if they’re pretty, but it’s not a requirement. I think it’s more important that our hearts align.”
“Heh…”
Nahun wanted to share as much as possible about what Seere was curious about. While asking about his ideal type seemed a bit unexpected…
“…Huh?”
A thought crossed his mind. He looked at Seere, wondering if she was perhaps considering introducing him to someone.
“Seere.”
“Yes?”
“If you’re thinking about introducing a woman to me, that’s unnecessary.”
“…….”
At that moment, Nahun was surprised. Seere’s expression suddenly stiffened and then relaxed as if to say, when did that happen?
“Why would I ever do that?”
“…Right, that wouldn’t be necessary. I was just wondering, that’s all.”
Nahun wanted to ask why she had asked about his ideal type, but recalling Seere’s earlier expression, he thought it might be better to let it go.
So they silently moved on from that conversation, and Nahun continued with the lesson. As the lesson progressed and was nearing completion, Seere asked him one more thing.
“Teacher. Have you ever had a lover?”
“Hmm? Why do you ask that?”
“Oh, just out of curiosity. I’m curious about what kind of love you’ve experienced.”
“Love, huh…”
Nahun thought he understood why Seere was asking such questions. Seere was probably at an age where she was starting to take an interest in the opposite sex, so she was likely wondering what love was about.
But Nahun…
‘…I’ve only briefly dated someone in my freshman year of college.’
He didn’t really have much to share. The relationship he had at that time was more about wanting to have a girlfriend rather than any genuine sense of love.
Before that… he hadn’t even had the leisure for it.
“Well.”
“Yes?”
“I’m not quite sure about that. I think I’ve never really felt what love is. It might be better to ask someone else about it.”
“…….”
Seere had a surprised expression for some reason. Seeing her face, Nahun chuckled awkwardly.
“Even I don’t know everything.”
“…Oh. I never thought of it like that. It’s natural that you don’t know everything. No one in this world is perfect.”
That was a very mature statement. Nahun nodded with a sense of pride. He felt that she had grown up quite well.
Meanwhile, while Seere said that, she had a somewhat different thought in mind.
If the teacher didn’t understand love, that meant the teacher had never truly experienced it. So the teacher, whom she thought knew everything, was actually…
‘…Unexpectedly a beginner?’
Beginner.
Beginner.
Beginner.
Beginner.
Beginner.
Beginner.
The two-character word began to swirl around in Seere’s mind. Just before her gaze started to lose focus, Nahun spoke up.
“Well, that’s enough for today’s lesson. Now, you can go do your personal training and return to your duties.”
“Ah…”
Hearing Nahun’s voice brought her back to reality. Seere took one last look at him before nodding and standing up.
“…Teacher.”
“Yes?”
“Will there ever be someone to stand by your side?”
“Well, I can’t say for sure. Asking like that means I can’t give you a definite answer. It could happen or it might not.”
Nahun said that, then added one more thought.
“But I… don’t really feel that way at the moment.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes.”
It was only natural, as Nahun was planning to return. Even if he found a lover here, he would eventually part ways, and he didn’t want to inflict pain on himself or the other person.
He hadn’t felt any interest in love either. He had encountered numerous women who were definitely beautiful, but he had never felt any lust for them. While Nahun was not inherently stoic, perhaps it was due to being possessed by a being of a different magnitude, a great demon.
“…Thank you for your answer. I’ll just change my clothes and go train now.”
“Sure, work hard.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
Nahun no longer watched Seere as she trained. When she was younger, he had monitored her out of concern that she might give up or get hurt during training.
But now, Seere was no longer a child who would get hurt during training or quit out of reluctance. He could trust her. That was also why he didn’t feel the need to check the recent training journal.
“I’ll head in first.”
“Yes.”
#
After Nahun went inside, Seere stayed in the front yard for a moment. She ran her hand over the table where Nahun had left his touch, quietly murmuring to herself.
“…He still seems full of the desire to leave.”
When she asked if someone would ever appear to stand by Nahun’s side, Nahun had a very skeptical response. It was as if he didn’t want to leave anything behind here.
Seere sensed that Nahun’s feelings would not be easily swayed by ordinary matters.
So Seere had thought of something. This girl who liked the teacher so much had come up with a plan to keep him by her side. Thanks to yesterday’s lesson from Rea, she had been able to recall something she hadn’t thought of before.
She wouldn’t execute it immediately. It was a plan for a time much later, when she had become significantly stronger and enough time had passed.
“Teacher…”
To bring that plan to fruition, she decided to start gathering power from now. Seere briefly spread her magical power wide and began to draw in external magical power. As a result, a few strands of her white hair turned red.
“I’m sorry. I’m such a fool that I can only think of this.”
A slightly devious smile hung on Seere’s lips.