019 – Choker? Leash?

—

[Looks like I wasn’t able to chill chill.]

(Picture)

Looks like I spilled the panacea because I wasn’t able to chill chill.

It’s a chill-inducing frustrating situation, but I don’t get angry about situations like this.

After all, I only use this game as an eroge and wank to it, so I’m not that desperate for power.

[Comments]

– Chill my ass, seriously ㅋㅋㅋ

– You spilled the panacea?? Seriously, what kind of bullshit do you have to do in the game to spill a panacea??

ㄴ (Author): I was about to drink it, but my character’s hand happened to slip at that timing.

– You are so chill. Seeing you, I don’t need my chillion shillings anymore.

“So, it’s only a paltry chillion? That’s hardly enough to buy a single drop of the elixir the author spilled on the ground.”

“Silence, chill!”

– Today, we shall partake in chill shrimp.

“No, no, haha! Now you’re just slapping ‘chill’ on everything, regardless of the topic! Haha!”

“Chill-style set meal is a chill-deal, chill.”

“Now it’s just nonsensical, hahahaha!”

—

‘Could it be?!’

Alas, the miracle of my body transforming into a succubus did not occur.

‘Or perhaps, it’s for the best.’

Lowering the screen where I had been observing with scrying magic, the thought that this was perhaps a blessing arose.

Even if I were to be suddenly transformed into a woman, wouldn’t it be rather disconcerting if I were to gain X-ray vision into Professor Layton’s clothes?

Even as a woman, my mind would remain that of a man, so there would be no heartbeat for another man.

…

Alone on the infirmary bed.

I ate Professor Layton’s special hospital meals, touted as being good for my health, and made a vow.

The better it is for you, the more bitter it is…

‘Unhealthy food is the best.’

Rather than live a long life eating bitter things,

I’d rather eat delicious food and die early.

“That being said…”

However, quite separate from that sentiment, I diligently stuffed the hospital food into my stomach.

The reason being…

‘This is ether…’

The foreign sensation I felt within my body.

‘Oh…’

The more hospital food I consumed, the more this unidentified energy within my flesh reacted.

Not like the unpleasant sensation of parasitic worms wriggling, but as a pleasant resonance.

One would have to be a fool not to realize that this was ether.

‘I finally…’

The energy, which had swept through my entire body, had finally found its destination, it seemed, as it gathered in the very center of my chest, at my heart.

“Ahem, ahem~”

I had lived until now not truly knowing what ether even was.

“So this is ether?!”

With this energy, it would be possible to solidify the parts of my body I desired, the lower half aside, and,

If I worked diligently enough, I could even imbue weapons like swords and shields with ether, enhancing them.

“I’ve lived half my life at a loss~.”

Feeling ether for the first time, I could say with certainty

That this body of Mikhail, into which I had possessed, was a dead body devoid of ether.

Everyone in the Magic Kingdom is born with a certain amount of ether, yet Mikhail’s body had not even a speck of it.

In this world, perhaps Mikhail starved to death.

‘Thank you, Professor Layton!’

Offering endless silent gratitude to Professor Layton, who had bestowed upon me that precious elixir, finally enabling me to use Aether.

I resolved to carry out the search for his Doppelganger with absolute perfection, as he had requested.

“Hmm? Now that I think of it…”

As I diligently consumed foods that supposedly increased Aether…

A peculiar realization dawned on me.

‘Abduction… Eavesdropping… Sleep…’

Magic was clearly a phenomenon that manifested by converting Aether residing within the body.

That was why mages desperately sought after elixirs…

“…Then what on earth was the magic I’ve been using until now?”

What, then, were the three spells I was able to cast with a body devoid of Aether?

“?????”

Countless question marks bloomed within my mind.

The fresh shock of discovering that what I believed to be magic wasn’t magic at all.

‘…It wasn’t magic?’

What in the world, then, was this status window floating before my eyes?

‘Was this… divine magic?’

The thought that it might be divine magic crossed my mind.

But even if divine magic had sleep, there was no way it would include things like abduction or eavesdropping, I quickly dismissed the thought.

“…I don’t know.”

I may not know what this is right now.

But what’s important is that it’s working, right?

Just look.

Can you not see Professor Layton, just finishing his swordsmanship lesson and taking a shower?

“Whoa… those back muscles…”

…

“Should I wait a bit longer…?”

“Thanks to your gift, Professor, I feel truly revitalized.”

“I’m truly glad to hear that.”

Perhaps because I had been bedridden for so long, a wave of dizziness washed over me as I stood, causing me to sway.

“..!!”

“Ah…”

In that instant, understanding struck.

The unusually frequent nosebleeds that, once started, were hard to stop.

The dizzy spells when rising after sitting for a long time.

This was…

‘I’m anemic…’

Well…

It would be problematic to expect a resurrected body to be perfectly healthy.

“You need to eat more meat.”

There’s a saying that red meat is good for anemia, so I decided to make it my staple from now on.

For now, what’s important to me is this:

“…Let me go.”

“Lie back down.”

“I’ve been lying down all day…”

“What’s wrong with a sick person lying down?”

I had to overcome the burly, muscle-bound man trying to force me back into bed.

“I-I’m fine…!”

“The Archmage is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Get plenty of rest until then.”

“No, no…! I’m telling you, I’m fine…!”

“You always say that.”

“That’s because…! I only say I’m fine because I really am…!”

Honestly…

How frail must I seem to Professor Layton?

A delicate body that would snap if you touched it?

A fledgling who barely knows how to use Ether after dying once and coming back to life?

Hmm…

‘Am I really that weak?’

Before I could even find the words to persuade Professor Layton, I had successfully persuaded myself.

“Well… that is…”

That being said, I couldn’t just lie in bed again.

I also wanted to eat instant food instead of healthy food.

I also wanted to eat academy cafeteria food instead of hospital food.

I also wanted to drink soda instead of water…

‘It’s all food!!’

Why are there so few excuses?

In the end, as I was just stammering without saying a word, the professor sighed and asked a question.

“What are you going to do if you go out now?”

“Well… I’m thinking of looking around the academy.”

Really.

I hadn’t been able to find the hidden piece inside the academy for two days now.

Once proper lectures start, I’ll have less and less time to wander around the academy.

Wouldn’t it be better to search the academy now while I still have the leisure to do so?

“Indeed. You’d look around.”

“That’s right.”

“And in your spare time, you’d also be checking for doppelgangers?”

I wasn’t aware that mind reading was a type of magic.

My intention to check if anyone I encountered was a doppelganger for my own safety while wandering the academy had been exposed.

“That is, that’s…”

“…Please, don’t do that, Mihyun.”

“Pardon?”

“Aren’t you still young?”

“…?”

“I hope you can trust this old man to handle things from here on.”

“…I do. Who would I trust if not you, Professor…”

“It makes me happy to hear you say that.”

Ah…

I don’t know anymore.

“…I’ll give up.”

“Thank you. Rest easy now. The Tower Lord is arriving tomorrow…it will be difficult again from then on, won’t it?”

“…I know my own body well. I’m really alright.”

“I’m the one who’s not alright.”

I don’t understand why the Professor is looking at me with such a pitiful gaze.

And I also don’t understand why his eyes are so full of ‘trust’ when he looks at me.

Eventually, realizing there was nothing I could do, I comfortably laid back down on the treatment room bed.

‘Well… since you keep giving me such precious things.’

The truth is, I felt deeply sorry.

Professor Layton keeps bringing me food that doesn’t taste great but is good for my body…

And whenever I eat it and digest it, I feel the amount of Aether increasing, so it’s not like I can’t tell.

I knew perfectly well that all this food I was eating wasn’t easy to obtain.

I also knew that there were few types of herbs or flowers in the Arcane Campus that increased Aether, which made me feel twice as guilty.

“You need to gain some weight for now.”

“I agree…”

“I’ll bring you a new meal in about 20 minutes. Can you eat some more?”

“…This is already my fifth meal today. And you keep giving me such precious food that I…”

I was about to tell him that I felt too guilty to eat any more.

But then, the Professor said…

“Ella has volunteered to prepare this next meal.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

I straightened up and began to wait for my meal.

‘Food from the Eloise family?!’

The meals that had blessed my life yesterday flashed before my eyes.

“Ahaha, are you that happy?”

“Is there anyone who wouldn’t be?”

“I’m glad Ella and you get along so well.”

After uttering those meaningful words and flashing a significant smile, the Professor left the ward.

I bid him goodnight, saying I would see him tomorrow, and decided to look forward to the food that Ella would bring.

‘What will it be? Steak?! Hamburger steak?! T-bone steak?!…’

…

“I’ll be back after grabbing a bite, please wait here quietly.”

“Yes, have a delicious meal.”

The priest tending to me went off for his supper.

Though I was the only one left in this vast treatment room, I knew Ella would be arriving soon, so I didn’t feel particularly lonely.

After waiting for about five more minutes,

Knock knock knock.

I heard someone knocking on the treatment room door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s… it’s me…”

“Come in, Ella. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Now that Ella’s here, I suppose it’s my mealtime.

Thump-thump…

What delicious food awaits to greet me…?

*Creak…*

“…”

“…”

Through the slowly opening door, a woman walks in, her face flushed a bright red.

In her hands, she held an obviously expensive elixir and a tightly closed lunchbox.

“..What’s that?”

“Ah, this…! It’s an elixir from our manor-“

“No, no… Not that, …that thing around your neck…”

“..T-this is… a… choker…”

Around the woman’s neck… she called it a choker, but it was clearly a leash.

‘…Do chokers these days come with handles too…?’

“Th… that…”

“Ah, yes, Ella. Please speak comfortably.”

“I, I thought you didn’t like my gift… So, I thought really hard… about what I could give you… the best thing… from the Eloise family…”

She must be talking about the elixir.

She must be saying that because the elixir she’s holding is such a wonderful one.

Surely, she wouldn’t be offering me her own leash as the best gift… er? Why is she lifting up that leash?