NOVEL NEXT Chapter 45
A mad apothecary and a witch created a biological weapon.
Class S students were helplessly overpowered by the biological weapon.
Rynelle slyly cast magic at Nina while pretending to help, and Nina fought back against Rynelle.
It was absurd that despite internal discord, Class F was overwhelmingly dominant.
The picture I had imagined was that a female student reinforced by Paul was firmly holding off the enemy while Rynelle swept them away with her high-powered magic.
Even if it involves team members, with Nina’s healing ability, it should be fine.
I had envisioned a perfect synergy of tank, dealer, and healer, but the outcome was chaos.
A tank pushing forward and taking everyone out solo, a dealer attempting team kills, and a healer who gave up on healing—what a brawl!
There’s no mess worse than this.
“I’ve decided not to expect teamwork at all anymore.”
From the start, it was a bad choice to pair the original protagonist and the villain.
My reputation may have tanked, but I still won the bet.
I could have made Professor Makulam do anything, but I didn’t say it right away.
If the wish ticket is left unused for too long, it becomes a troublesome burden.
Not knowing what I might make him do, I knew I’d have to spend the day in anxiety, constantly keeping my eye on him.
For me, watching that process was the most enjoyable part.
So I decided to save the wish ticket until the campfire at the end.
“But right now…”
Even though it had become a mess, I should commend the student who gave me victory.
However, what Nina and Rynelle had done was counterproductive to the win, so those two were excluded.
It was a good thing the medicine worked; otherwise, I would have been the loser.
“Paul.”
“I’m sorry! I accidentally messed up the dosage!”
“It’s fine, either way, the drug test came back normal, so you don’t need to worry. Rather, thanks to you strengthening that monster… ah, no, I mean the student, we won.”
“Th-thank you.”
I expected to be scolded, but instead, I was praised, which only made him uneasy.
I’m the type that values results over the process.
“By the way, do you have any leftover medicine?”
“I do, but are you planning to use it yourself, Professor?”
“I’m not using it myself; I have a different place for it.”
“Well, the clinical trial for the medicine is over, so I don’t think I’ll be using it anymore. I’ll pass it on to you.”
“Thanks, I’ll use it well.”
“Just don’t overuse it, okay?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything that might affect you and Celestia.”
I managed to grab five potions that were used during the mock battle from Paul.
I decided on their usage the moment I saw their effects.
“Wasn’t it supposed to be tomorrow…?”
During this training camp, Nina will be kidnapped by a mermaid while walking near the coast.
A prophecy stated that she must be brought back to avert a crisis in the Underwater Kingdom.
Despite being kidnapped without asking for her consent, good-hearted Nina willingly offered to help the mermaids.
But the scale of the disaster was beyond imagination, and they faced a crisis due to the mermaids’ sabotage, who distrusted humans.
In the end, with Kyle Crown Prince arriving late to rescue Nina and fixing the situation, peace is restored to the Underwater Kingdom.
Afterward, as a token of gratitude for helping, Nina and Kyle were rewarded with the goddess’s pearl.
Nina uses the pearl as awakening material and later for creating the Crown Prince’s engagement ring.
In the final chapter, looking at the ring evokes memories of their time under the sea, and she joyfully accepts the proposal.
“That can’t happen.”
Considering Nina’s growth, she must obtain the pearl, but it cannot fall into Kyle’s hands.
That’s why I got the medicine from Paul.
If I can strengthen the mermaids with the potion, there’s a chance to resolve the situation without Kyle’s help.
I feel sorry for Kyle, but I couldn’t let him have the pearl.
At the very least, I think it’s kind of me not to do something like snatch it away.
“Are you really not planning to use it for something strange?”
“You seem especially suspicious today.”
“That’s because with the smile you’re making, Professor, it feels sinister.”
“Oh, really?”
I must have inadvertently revealed my true feelings through my expression.
I covered my mouth with my palm and gently massaged my facial muscles.
Managing my expressions was harder than I thought.
“Do you have any other potions?”
“I want to ask if you’re looking to make a kick out of a flea’s liver, but I just remembered that Celestia gave me a potion to pass on to you.”
“Is it my exclusive one?”
“Yes, she said it’s a potion that amplifies your magic, but she warned to only use it in emergencies as it hasn’t been verified.”
A double-edged sword, huh?
Celestia knows I’m using Space Magic, so it should definitely have an effect.
It’s just that since the side effects are unknown, I’ll need to be prepared before drinking it.
Still, I decided to accept it for now.
“What’s the dosage?”
“Just pop the cap and drink.”
“Okay, tell Celestia I said thanks later.”
“She asked you to express your gratitude in person. Speaking of which, the victims of the gender-change drugs keep bothering her, and she wished Professor would crack down on them.”
“Just hearing that makes me imagine what expression Celestia had while saying it.”
“Isn’t it really cute?”
At Paul’s unbelievable comment, I turned to him.
Of a sudden, he trembled slightly as I turned towards him.
“Isn’t she adorable?”
There was a strangely breezy feeling in Paul’s tone.
Having met someone with similar hobbies and skills, it’s understandable to fall in love.
However, considering their age difference, supporting his love purely was a difficult task.
No matter how much rejuvenation potions keep one’s youth intact, the reality is I’m a grandma who has lived longer than my ancestors.
Especially since I wouldn’t want my precious student exposed to a grandma who loves the ethereal world.
“…Hang in there.”
“Thank you!”
Run away, you fool…
*
Due to the discrimination I endured from the first day, my evaluation of Florence Academy wasn’t great.
However, if I had to admit something, the surroundings were exceptional, unlike Kia del Academy.
The vast sea, the sun rising and setting above it, and the rhythmic sound of waves lapping ashore.
Under normal circumstances, I’d fall asleep right away at night, but here, I took evening walks every night.
There wasn’t a better setting to clear my complicated thoughts than this.
“Am I really doing well…?”
Today, I brought up that recurring concern yet again.
I had resolved to act in line with my beliefs without worrying about others’ opinions, but anxiety always arises.
I can’t know for sure that the actions I thought were right won’t have a negative impact on the future.
Desires need to be exercised only within limits to avoid punishment.
In other words, now I’m tightrope walking, but I can’t see below my feet.
I have no way of knowing whether I’ve crossed the line or if I’m just barely hanging on.
No wonder anxiety creeps in all the time.
“Professor?”
“Huh?”
While walking along the beach aimlessly, someone spoke to me.
When I turned from the sea, a familiar girl was smiling at me.
A girl in a pure white camisole dress and beach sandals had come out to the beach.
Her white hair fluttering in the sea breeze was truly beautiful.
“It really is Professor Daniel!”
“Nina?”
“What an incredible coincidence meeting here!”
“…True. I never expected that the naughty student breaking curfew would be you, Nina.”
“Ah! S-Sorry!”
“Don’t worry. Just this once, I’ll let it slide. How about walking together?”
“Yes! That sounds great!”
I preferred walking with Nina rather than alone on the deserted beach.
More than anything, while she said it was a coincidence, there were signs she had come to see me on purpose.
Surely, the sweat running down her forehead wasn’t seawater, right? And she had put on her sandals the other way around.
She likely spotted me walking on the beach by chance and came over.
I’m not so heartless that I’d turn away a student who broke curfew just to see me.
“Hehe!”
Above all, Nina is adorable.
Just being with her brought me a sense of calm, as if I were walking along the beach.
“By the way, Professor, did you know we have a campfire scheduled for our last activity?”
“I know.”
“Then, does that mean we’ll have a dancing time during the campfire?”
“I know that too.”
How could I not?
I remember Nina returning from the Underwater Kingdom and dancing with Kyle Crown Prince.
Looking back, the legend that one forms a bond with the partner they dance with at a campfire had been foreshadowing.
Since then, it seems the victor of the story has been decided to be the Crown Prince.
“If it’s alright with you, during the campfire…”
“I’ve been waiting for this. Oh virtuous saint.”
Just as Nina was about to declare her important resolution, the waves crashed, and someone interrupted her.
A woman, completely drenched from surfacing from beneath the water, appeared.
Her upper body resembled a human, but her lower body was that of a fish—a mermaid.
“By divine prophecy, we have come to escort you from the Underwater Kingdom, Saint. I apologize for the abruptness, but could you help our mermaids?”
Instead of kidnapping, the mermaids came respectfully a day early to take Rynelle.
It was surprising how the development unfolded differently than in the novel, but what happened next was truly astonishing.
“I’d rather not.”
“W-What?!”
Nina, with a suddenly scrunched-up face, expressed her refusal in a cold tone.
She wore a look that could best be described as menacing, likely the most ferocious face I’ve seen from her yet.
It was shocking that she categorically refused the mermaids’ request, something she had gladly accepted in the original story.
Given how angry Nina was, I could only guess at the reason behind it, which left me speechless.
“Well, isn’t the timing just perfect?”
What the heck… this looks like doom, total doom!