NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17
“Ah, I’ve heard about it. Just don’t be too late, okay?”
There was a hint of doubt, but Frecia had indeed obtained permission from the dormitory head.
As I stepped out of the dormitory, the chilly night breeze greeted me. Though it was gradually becoming warmer, the night air still felt quite cold.
Unless it’s a special circumstance, no students are out at this hour. As I made my way to the Magic Research Building, I only spotted a few teaching assistants here and there.
Room 707 in the Magic Research Building. I lightly knocked on the door, but instead of waiting, I went right in without hesitation. During the day, there had been at least a sliver of sunlight creeping through the curtains, but now that the sun had set, only the dim light of small lamps illuminated the room.
In the first room, there was, of course, no sign of Frecia. As if it were only natural, I headed toward the inner room. Upon entering the side room, there lay Frecia sprawled out on the sofa, fast asleep. She seemed to be in a deep slumber, showing no signs of waking even from the sound of my knock or my footsteps approaching carelessly.
“Boss?”
Nonetheless, since our appointment was at 10, I needed to wake Frecia. Wary of disturbing her, I approached and called out softly.
“Boss?”
Still, Frecia was deep in sleep. I raised my voice slightly.
“Boss? It’s time to wake up.”
“Ugh… what is it…?”
Finally, she rubbed her eyes and sat up, but she was still bleary and confused, unsure of who had woken her or why I was there.
“You called for me at 10. It’s time to wake up now.”
If it were daytime, I might’ve drawn the curtains to indirectly rouse her, but at this point, with the sun down, that was ineffective. The only light coming in was from the stars in the night sky.
Fortunately, Frecia sat there for a moment, zoning out, then snapped back to reality. In fact, she looked much more alert now than during the day. It seemed that Frecia was more of a night owl.
“Ah, you’re here. Right, there was work to do today…”
Finally sitting up, Frecia rummaged through her wardrobe and threw on a short cape. However, underneath the cape was just a thin dress. Surely, wearing that out in the cold would be a problem, but Frecia didn’t seem to care.
“Alright, let’s go. Grab the basket I prepared and follow me.”
Smack!
Frecia passed by me and playfully slapped my behind before leading the way.
Like before, I still had no idea why she was doing this, and I began to worry a bit about her preferences. But I had neither the pride nor courage to protest. I had long since sold that for my salary and allowances. Honestly, for the amount I earned, I could brush off a couple of playful slaps. Besides, it was just cute when a little girl like her did it.
As I walked slowly behind Frecia, adjusting my steps to match hers, I eventually reached the wall surrounding the academy.
Frecia pulled one arm from under her cape and placed her palm against the wall.
Suddenly, a radiant wall of light began to glow above her hand. It was the barrier surrounding the academy. Regardless of anything else, the academy was the top training ground in the continent, filled with the children of the nobility. Should it ever face an enemy attack, the consequences would be dire. That enemy could be an ordinary terrorist, a sudden movement of monsters, or even an assault by the demonic race.
For this reason, I had heard that the durability of the barrier magic set up around the academy was almost on par with that protecting the capital of the Empire.
While I marveled at the display, I noticed a slight crack in the shining wall of light spanning about ten meters from where Frecia had touched.
“Please take out two from the basket.”
I promptly retrieved two translucent magic stones from the basket and handed them to Frecia. She replaced the existing stones embedded in the wall with the new ones. However, it seemed there was more to it than just the replacement, as she began to draw several magic circles in the air, which then sparked with energy. When I looked back at the cracked wall, it appeared to have healed as if nothing had happened.
“There are still many spots to repair… Take the replaced stones and follow me.”
I shoved the now powerless stones into the basket and began to walk after Frecia.
After quite some time of repairing, we surprisingly hadn’t managed to fix many places. I suppose when repairing the barrier surrounding the academy, one had to cover quite a bit of ground along the wall.
“Achoo!”
About halfway around the academy, Frecia let out a small sneeze. Perhaps it was the chilly night breeze that had gotten to her; she was rubbing her arms under her cape to stave off the cold. I had been a bit worried when she left wearing just a thin dress under her cape…
I decided to take off my jacket and drape it over Frecia’s cape. It was clear her frame was much smaller than mine, so this would sufficiently cover her.
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
Fortunately, Frecia expressed her gratitude, wrapping her hands around the jacket to shield herself from the night air.
Well, I too was feeling the chill, but it wasn’t enough to get sick. I began to think maybe I should have stopped her before leaving the research lab.
“By the way, why are you the one repairing the barriers, Boss?”
I had been meaning to ask Frecia this question for a while. I was under the impression that the academy handled such matters.
“Because they thought me too young… so they passed it off to me.”
It seems that the hierarchy didn’t change much in any institution. But to task a student, especially a first-year, with such an important job like repairing the barriers?
“But aren’t you the same year as me?”
“Same year? No way.”
Oh! The thought that she might be a higher year had never crossed my mind due to her youthful appearance. If she had a complex about her looks, it would not be surprising for Frecia to be upset. Luckily, she seemed unconcerned as she continued walking silently.
“Then how old are you, Boss?”
“Me? I’m 16.”
?
Most students at the academy typically start at 18. But Frecia was two years younger than that. Given that she wasn’t even in the same year, it implied she must be at least a second-year. What kind of nonsensical genius is this?
“Wow… When did you enroll in the academy?”
If the school trusted her enough to handle things, she must have been at least a junior, meaning she enrolled at 14 years old?
“? I’m not a student.”
“Huh?”
“I’m a professor in the Magic Department.”
?
???
“What do you think? Are you starting to feel a bit of respect for me now?”
Frecia smiled subtly.
Wait a minute. Did I just hear something absurd? I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
This little girl in front of me is a professor in the Magic Department? Even though she is younger than me? Not a scholarship student or anything, but a full-fledged professor?
It finally clicked. That’s why she had been able to doze off in the research lab even after class, and how she had managed to claim the lab for herself.
She wasn’t a student to begin with, so she didn’t need to worry about class times. And, as a professor, she had been assigned a personal research lab.
“So… what should I call you? Professor?”
“…Just calling me Boss is enough.”
Of course, I had no intention of looking down on her just because she was younger. In fact, the fact that she was invited to be a professor at such a young age was deserving of respect. Originally, if someone had money, it didn’t matter if they were older or younger. I had always held a sense of respect for my Boss.
“So, what do you teach, Professor? I don’t exactly have a clue based on the magic you’ve experimented on me…”
Thinking about the magic she’d used on me, it seemed like she specialized in buffs or debuffs, but there were plenty of completely random spells as well. Thus, I asked what her specialty was.
“Those are just spells I created as a hobby.”
The most shocking revelation from everything I had heard today was that the salary and allowances she gave me were merely a fun pastime for her.
In the end, by the time we finished the work, it was well past midnight. While I was feeling drowsy, our Boss appeared even more energized.
“Alright, I’m heading in now. Thanks for all your hard work, Boss.”
“Yeah. I put in a little extra for night pay today.”
As I received the pouch of silver coins, I could feel it was heavier than the usual amount.
In these times, who wouldn’t respect a Boss who looks out for night pay like this?
I bowed to my Boss once more at a 90-degree angle. I love you, Boss. Call me anytime.