Chapter 25

The day after the welcome party at the ultra-high-end restaurant was a holiday.

I suppose these kinds of parties are usually held before a day off. Fortunately, I didn’t have any hangover symptoms. It seems high-quality alcohol doesn’t leave you feeling sick the next day.

Back when I was a student, I occasionally stayed too long at bars that served stuff that might as well have been moonshine, and I’d spend the next day vomiting. That wasn’t just being drunk; it was more like being halfway poisoned. Drinking expensive liquor made me realize the difference.

Cerulia was already awake. From behind, she appeared for a moment to be wearing nothing but an apron as she prepared breakfast.

“Good morning, Master. It is a holiday, so you could have slept in a bit longer, you know?”

“It’s not like I went to bed that late, so sticking to the usual time is fine. If I let my rhythm slip even for a day, it makes getting back into it later a real pain.”

If you carelessly change your sleep schedule on your days off, the following weekdays become miserable. I learned that lesson the hard way during my time at magic school.

By the way, Necrogrant Dark Magic Co. operates on a full five-day work week, so I am guaranteed two consecutive days off. Truly wonderful. There’s no such thing as “holiday overtime” here!

“What shall we do for our day off? Even if we wanted to go out to eat, it might be difficult after the feast we had yesterday.”

A delicious aroma of soup drifted from the pot in front of Cerulia. This kind of homey cooking has its own charm—especially when Cerulia is the one making it.

“Let’s see… I want to go shopping a bit before noon. And I want to stop by the school. After that, we can have some free time. If there’s anything you want to do, Cerulia, just let me know.”

“In that case…”

Cerulia turned off the heat on the stove—and turned around to cling to me, leaning her weight against me. She looked up at me through her eyelashes.

“Um, would it be alright to do something ‘befitting a Succubus’ starting this morning? You see… last night, we prioritized our sleep schedule and I went to bed without doing anything…”

Ah, she was bothered by that more than I expected!

Actually, while we did go to bed at our usual time last night, the arrival time itself was late because of the welcome party. That’s why we skipped the “Succubus-related activities.”

Cerulia hadn’t said a single word of protest, but it had been weighing on her. Well, she is a Succubus. Expecting her to skip that is like telling a raccoon not to wash its food in water.

“Alright. As long as we can head out around noon, I’m fine with anything.”

“Thank you very much!”

Cerulia’s expression instantly brightened into a smile that looked like a blooming flower. For a girl who looks like a pure young lady to be this lewd… it feels like a total cheat code. She’s like the embodiment of a man’s desires. Oh, wait—she’s a Succubus, so that’s exactly the point.

“Then, Master, since changing clothes is a hassle, would you mind if I stayed in just this apron?”

Who knew an apron could be endowed with a meaning entirely separate from cooking!

“Yes, gladly!” I replied, sounding like a waiter at a cheap tavern.

After that, Cerulia took very good care of me.

●

After a light meal, we headed into the Capital around noon. I decided to stop by a specialty magic goods shop just to look around. Looking at the Dark Magic section again, it was incredibly cramped compared to the White Magic area.

“It really does seem like Dark Magic is in decline,” Cerulia noted, looking a bit lonely.

“Well, I guess it’s better than a situation where dangerous Dark Mages are popping up everywhere…”

In the Dark Magic corner, there were dried frogs and lizards for use as sacrifices. So far, we hadn’t used anything like that at the company, but that’s the classic image of the craft. The fact that they were for sale meant there were people using them.
For some reason, there were even collars and handcuffs for sale.

“This can’t be related to Dark Magic… what are these for…?”

“Those are likely for use with animal-type familiars,” Cerulia explained, pointing to a promotional pop-up. ‘Firmly restrain even the most unruly familiar!’ it actually said.

“There are some violent familiars who will attack their summoner. Others frequently try to drink the summoner’s life-blood. It is necessary to keep such familiars in check.”

“I see… I guess Dark Magic really is scary at its core.”

President Kelkel must have gone to great lengths to create a working environment where those risks were minimized. You can’t exactly work in an environment where your familiar is trying to take your life.

Since I was here, I thought about buying a staff made from animal bone to look the part of a Dark Mage, but the price tag said sixty silver coins, so I passed.

“It seems they are expensive because craftsmen hand-make them one by one.”

“I’ll manage with the one the company lent me for a while. It’s not like I have to carry one at all times anyway.”

Leaving the magic shop without buying anything, I entered a household goods store.

“What are you looking for this time?”

“A gift, but I’m not sure what to get… Oh, wait, this is perfect!”

My eyes landed on a magic-infused broom. The description read: ‘Conveniently moves automatically to sweep away dust when held! Dramatically increases cleaning efficiency!’

Items with these kinds of magical settings are designed to react to even minute amounts of mana, so even non-mages can generally use them without issue. The price was five silver coins. It was a bit pricey, but perfect for a gift.

“Alright, I’ll take this.”

“Master, thank you! This will make cleaning our home so much easier!”

“Ah, actually, this isn’t for us. It’s a gift… I’ll—I’ll take two!”

The expenses were adding up, but it was the day after I got my first paycheck. I decided to be bold!

My next destination was the school. I wasn’t there to settle scores with the teachers; my grades were good, so I got along with them well enough. Besides, I didn’t actually have business at the school building itself.

I went to the boys’ dormitory for the first time in a while. Lise-chan was out front, sweeping the entrance.

“Long time no see, Lise-chan!”

“Wah! Franz-san, what are you doing here?!”

I suppose it was a surprise. Even if I were coming back out of nostalgia, it was far too soon.

“Actually, I wanted to pay you back for everything you did for me over the last four years.”

I handed her the broom decorated with a ribbon.

“It’s just a small token of my thanks. Please accept it.”

At first, Lise-chan just stood there blankly, but gradually her eyes filled with tears until she started crying.

“Oh, you dummy… this is a really expensive broom…”

“Even if this broom cost fifty silver coins, it wouldn’t be enough to truly thank you, but I thought it might help convey my feelings.”

“Yeah… I’m going to keep this dorm cleaner than ever before! It’ll look brand new!” Lise-chan nodded vigorously.

“B-by the way…”

Lise-chan’s eyes flickered toward Cerulia for a moment.

“I just want to confirm… this isn’t a proposal, right? You have that girl with you, after all.”

Did she think I was proposing?! That would make me look like a very “heavy” guy!

“No! It’s strictly to show my gratitude for my time at the dorm!”

“Right, of course. I knew that.”

For some reason, I felt like Lise-chan looked a little disappointed, but it was probably just my imagination. On the way home that day, Cerulia said to me:

“Master, if you had said you loved her just then, you could have gotten married. Even though you’ve only been working for a month, it might have been a missed opportunity.”

“It’s fine. I have you, Cerulia.”

I meant it from the bottom of my heart. Besides, I didn’t have romantic feelings for Lise-chan; proposing on a whim like that would have been completely insincere.

“Master… I shall remember those words for the rest of my life!”

For some reason, Cerulia was even more intense than usual that night.