Please Do Not Abandon the Adopted Heroine

9 – Undine, we must go…

The existence and ecology of monsters remains undetermined.

They are born in the snowfield, parasites living in the snowfield, the generic term for countless organisms.

The only clear fact is that they are extremely aggressive towards mortals and the rest remain uncertain despite ongoing research.

For instance, when you break the leg of a monster and it burns well without a smell – no one knows whether it is a snake, worm or mite – one would need to calmly acknowledge it to obtain a basic understanding of monsters.

Crackle…!

Hmm, it burns well.

The smell of charcoal is strangely aromatic, even considering the horrific appearance.

Cecilia didn’t seem to like it much either. After glancing several times between the panting monster and me, she seemed a little surprised, her ears pricking at the sight of the monster’s leg charred in the flames.

“It’s a bit disgusting.”

“…It’s nothing. You don’t need to worry.”

“By the way, wasn’t it quite good? Such cool magic. Can’t you just roast Ribicanji, or Rajenkanji with it?”

Cecilia stared at me distantly, as though she didn’t understand what I said. Hmmm…Wasn’t its name Rajenka?

“…Are you talking about Rebecca?”

“Ah, right. That’s it, she seemed a bit fiery.”

“………..”

“Anyway, if she annoys you, just suppress her with magic. It’s rare even for a talented fox tribe with great spirits to use magic. It’s proof that you have talent.”

“I appreciate your words, but Rebecca…she is a genius who reached the 5th class at a young age. Not only am I no match for her, considering her status, it’s even more impossible.”

“You address her with ‘Lady’? Even though she tried to kill you by throwing you off a cliff? Striking.”

“…It’s my fault. I…I must have made Rebecca nervous.”

“No need to make excuses. If it’s awkward, you don’t have to share now. I’m just suggesting a way out, the choice is yours.”

At my response, Cecilia stared at me with a puzzled face.

Seeing this, she relaxed her tense shoulders.

With a self-deprecating laugh, his face buried in his knees was streaked with deep fatigue.

“… I wonder if I could be more confident if I become as strong as the Professor.”

“I don’t know why I’m the benchmark… but yeah, setting aside trivial problems, why the sudden mention of that?”

“You know about the Bloodline.”

“Bloodline. You’re talking about the race living in the snowfields. Known as the masters and creators of the demons. Unlike demons, they’re a unique species with rationality and intellect.”

“They’re the main obstacle to the empire’s secret ambitions, and the harshest factor against the pioneer’s endeavors in the snowfields. They’re further ostracized due to their intensely strong power and closed nature, and their peculiar trait of drinking mortal blood to extend their lifespan.”

“Hmm…”

“As you probably know, Professor, our fox clan is well known as being kinsmen to the Bloodline. This is all because of the legend that our distant ancestors had a close relationship with the Bloodline. These ears and tails of ours are even considered symbols of the demons.”

The appearance and types of demons are so diverse that it’s hard to sort them all out. From seemingly ordinary and familiar ones to ones so monstrous it’s hard to even call them creatures. But it’s undeniable that a high proportion of them have ‘beast’ appearances.

Latching onto the fox clan’s unrecordable legends, their ears and tails often become prey for those harboring hatred towards demons and the Bloodline.

But as modernity emerged, this became nothing more than an archaic stereotype.

There are those who still harbor such sentiment, but they are in the minority and it’s rare that such rudeness is even voiced.

“Well, I’m aware of such atmospheric traces, but it’s not common for them to accuse and insult as blatantly as Rebecca. Let alone trying to lure someone off a cliff and kill them, especially if they’re from the same party.”

“………”

“But it’s true that the fox clan still doesn’t receive treaty treatment. The fact that they’ve quickly assigned a student-aged girl like you, Cecilia, to a hero team that’s only been summoned for less than 2 years…the intention is so obvious it makes me want to cry.”

Cecilia tightly shut her mouth.

Her clear eyes trembled slightly. Was I right to the point? I had no intention of cornering her.

I concluded my bitter words.

“The fox clan is a blessed race associated with the spirits. When it comes to birth, they have nothing to do with either demons or the Bloodline. I can ensure this with certainty at my own risk. You’re blessed. You have nothing to do with the Bloodline.”

“….. You talk as if you’ve come across the Bloodline, Professor.”

“Bloodline? Well, I’m not completely unfamiliar.”

“Are… are the Bloodline strong?”

Cecilia, who had been covering her face, cautiously asked me as she looked up for the first time.

I squinted my eyes slightly. It’s the first time Cecilia has asked me something. I needed to rethink a bit.

Strong, huh? Let’s see. If we were to go by that…

“It’s rather ambiguous… it varies. But you should know about the Bloodline too, right? You’ve been in the 6th holy sword party. You should have come across the Bloodline enough. The failure of the last expedition was also because the Bloodline messed things up at the end.”

The Eastern Siberian expedition that took place half a year ago. An event where two active-duty warriors and a newly enlisted warrior went out on a pioneering expedition, only to be heavily attacked by their blood kin, was one of the major newsworthy events recently.

“…The ranks of the 3rd and 7th swordsmen lead the frontline, while I, along with rest of 6th swordsman party, who were still relatively green, were assigned to the back-up support. …The bloodkin appeared, our party could only manage to run away. It was so utterly humiliating.”

“The emperor, it seems, granted permission as part of convalescence for you to return to school.”

“Including myself, our party consists of six people. The other three members have suffered minor and major injuries…they’re now being treated in a hospital in the capital.”

Cecilia’s head began nodding off.

Perhaps due to her sudden relaxation.

It seemed she couldn’t fight off the oncoming sleepiness.

“If I become…strong…like the professor…I, too…one day…”

Her whispering voice gradually trailed off.

“If I get to see…teacher…again…”

“…Teacher?”

Teacher? Wait! Teacher?

Has Cecilia ever called me “teacher”?

“…Tea, tea, tea, teacher?! Cecilia, who on earth are you talking about?! The teacher is here?!”

I intuitively understood that she wasn’t talking about me, whether she said it directly or indirectly.

Teacher? I never imagined there would be another person she might refer to.

Sob, sob. Teacher is really upset.

“When I was young…when I was still in my hometown…there was a teacher…and he…left me behind… ”

Cecilia’s eyelids began to droop, and her breathing became more regular.

It’s probably too late to get an answer now.

Enough fooling around, it’s time to stop.

“…Hmm. Seems she was tired.”

I chuckled softly as I continued to construct magic in the air, trying to make her as comfortable as possible while she sleeps.

There’s a mental magic spell I know that fits the situation.

As I tucked her sleeping form in with her jacket, I gently whispered the incantation.

“At the heart of the shadow where the residual warmth of a single fire remains. Measure it. The fringe, the whisper of silence, amidst the vague consciousness, the colors of the lullaby at the time of the twilight.”

***

“Undine.”

“Did you call me, my master?”

The bubbling froth held a faint glow as it surged forward, soon developing into a human form. Presently, bubble-clad Undine revealed herself between the dark cliffs.

Her elegant silver hair reflected the flickering bonfire, vibrant as it waved.

As she steps, the trickling sound of water burst forth.

“Archmage, Undine. I present my regards to my honorable master.”

The combat suits provided by the school are pants, ungendered. Tracing along Undine’s touch on her pants, water hued silk was transparently apparent.

She raised her hem, motions fluttering along with it, transparent ice crystals melted and fell.

I didn’t exactly know what it meant, but it was said to be her own formal greeting.

I glanced at her then briefly inquired,

“What is the situation above?”

“Professor Alexander has finished handling the situation… However, from the surface, it had to be processed as an accident. Brave Kim Yoo-sung is also unable to suspect Rebecca’s involvement, due to the risk that might follow from the school’s perspective if it were not processed as an accident.”

“If that’s the school’s stance, there’s nothing we can do.”

“…It’s frustrating.”

Her tone was calm yet somewhat frosty. Ice-cold Undine stared far away, at the distant cliff above.

“Just give me the order. I will plunge the audacious ones who dare to involve you into the deep lake.”

There was no lie in Undine’s words. So, I chose my words carefully.

“Undine.”

“Yes, my master.”

“I keep stressing, we cannot act recklessly. That’s our agreement with the President. I trust you remember.”

“I understand,” she said lightly, bowing her head.

That was when the problem of direction came up. Undine’s gaze happened to land on Cecilia, who was fast asleep.

“… Although it may sound presumptuous, there is something I would like to ask before that.”

When I nodded, she pointed to the clothes I had covered Cecilia with in a thin voice.

“Um… Those… That coat, it, it’s definitely the one you were wearing this morning, right?”

“Yes.”

Snap.

Then Undine’s eyes turned pitch black for a moment.

Spinning and spinning.

Her swirling pupils seemed to be rotating.

Spinning and spinning. It’s real.

Oh no, she realized.

Like carbonation popping, Undine burst, and my insides burst.

In an instant, Undine’s expression and tone reversed, and her face puffed up like a balloon.

“Hmph! I wasn’t coming to see you as a teacher after all! Hmph! Hmph! Sorry for interrupting your good time! As a disturbance, I should go now!”

“… Undine! Where are you going? Aren’t you going to give it back…? I’m exhausted, you know. If I use any more magic here, I’ll faint?! I’m really worn out. I’ll just collapse abruptly. Wouldn’t the bed be messed up?”

“Mmm, magic, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“You’re the one who said, ‘Hmm, this is my signature, remember, newbie. Use all the magic that’s here, even if it’s gone.’ Please, think about your own physical condition!”

“W-w-well… I just wanted to show off a bit in front of my student! And from the beginning, if you had been watching properly, you wouldn’t have said such a nauseating thing! Inciting and manipulating, do you think that works?”

“Oh my, teacher. You were so kind to that fox lady over there. Different. From. Me.”

“… hahahaha. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am Eugene Ser Naperna, the embodiment of equality and compassion. The keywords I am pushing recently are trust, equality, and compassion. I don’t show favoritism towards my students, that’s what I mean.”

“Hmph! There must be a corner where a long tongue gets pricked.”

Then, Uundi spoke in a rare gloomy tone.

“I ignored your request to become the supervising professor.”

“…… Ugh.”

“Even the handmade pendant that Teacher begged me for, saying that they wanted it so badly.”

“Wow…!”

“And now you even sit by the bonfire and chat! That’s mine, mine!”

“What do you mean by ‘mine’… Did you leave it with me?”

“A sunset at the beach. In the cool breeze, when I say ‘Oh, it’s cold♡’, you silently take off your coat, a thrilling lovey-dovey moment…♡ This was supposed to be my 54th-2nd bucket list item……. Huh… You take away my body and my heart, and now even my dreams and illusions… I hate you…”

Uundi cried with a wailing voice.

By the way, body and heart… If someone hears that, they will misunderstand, Uundi.

“Am I just a servant for cold rice now?! Even if it’s a study room, if you neglect it to this extent, my heart will leave. Even a captured fish will eventually jump out of the fish tank one day!”

“That’s how it is.”

“… I really hate you! It’s bad, it’s bad! After starving for about 8 hours, I’ll grab my hungry stomach and say, ‘My love, Uundi. Please, can you bake apple pie for me every morning? Oh my fairy, my life, my soul, and Uundi, please marry me. I love you. Let’s build a cabin for just the two of us in a place with clean water and fresh air. I would like about fifteen healthy children, regardless of whether they are sons or daughters.’ I have to write a reflection letter with that content, right? You’ll forgive me then.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Then, half a page!”

“I don’t want to.”

“Please, just one sentence, please…!”

What do you want, really.

“It’s meaningless. You… um… what… what should I say……… Um…….. Ah, right! You’re an incredibly special student.”

Desperately squeezing out the words, I was surprised by the strangely quiet response. Uundi lowered their head deeply, closing their mouth.

I cautiously checked if they were really angry, and Uundi, with reddened ears, was forcing a smile and avoiding eye contact.

“Huh… Huhng~ So you think of me as special, Teacher~♡”

“Of course. That’s why…”

“hehehehe… I see… ♡ hehehehe… so special, really?! hehehehe! Oh my ♡! You should have said that earlier! Almost gotten misunderstood ♡! Silly silly silly♡♡♡♡!”

“Hoon Dee Ne…”

Are you hurt anywhere? I swear, I’m about to die from this lovey-dovey act.

“hehehe! Oh dear, observe me, teacher~ I’ve shown you a coquettish side of me, embarassed I am. Please forget about that mis-step, for I will return to being the refined, elegant and extraordinary ‘Jeongshil Hoon Dee Ne’.”

“Hoon Dee Ne… What on earth are you talking about…”

I hurriedly reached out my hand but it was of no use.

Hoon Dee Ne was already fading away, like a bubble bursting, and all my hand was doing was grabbing at thin air.

“What are we going to do if you leave us alone…….”