031 – Operating Principle

A miracle, where customers thronged the doors of the sleep clinic on its very first day, did not occur.

Come to think of it, that was only to be expected.

“…Where exactly do we get our customers?”

“Don’t you have anything prepared?”

The potential clients who need a sleep clinic don’t know where to apply.

And the boss who suggested opening a sleep clinic doesn’t know where to receive applications.

“Uh… this is my first time doing business too, you see.”

“Heh… Mi-heon-nim makes human mistakes too?”

‘It’d be nice to have a way to receive calls, like a cell phone…’

Feeling a slight regret that there wasn’t a convenient device like a cell phone here.

Just as I was about to return to my dorm room.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of someone hammering away, even at this late hour, echoed from that corner.

“Oh..”

Inside the Academy, booths run by the students themselves were bustling.

Some operated blacksmithies, mending weapons and gear in need of repair.

Others cleaned dorm rooms.

Still others made and sold snacks, like candies and sweets.

“Quite a few customers.”

“Word is, that blacksmith might not be much for crafting new things, but his repair skills are top-notch.”

‘..Good at repairs, but can’t craft, huh…’

Indeed, the number of patrons using the booths wasn’t small.

There was no need to bother going all the way outside the Academy.

And since the students didn’t pay rent, their prices were often cheaper than the Academy’s shops outside.

Furthermore, if a student running a booth happened to be from a powerful family, many people would use their services even if they didn’t need to, just to forge a connection.

‘Feels like a high school festival.’

It felt just like those festival days back in high school, when…

“..Miss Ella.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think we could rent one of those booths too?”

The thought that it would be nice if we could set up shop there as well crossed my mind.

However…

“To apply for a booth, you need the permission of two professors.”

“Ah…”

“And, the minimum requirement is to be a second-year student or higher. They say it’s hard for first-years to focus on their studies if they own a booth.”

The unfortunate reality was that I couldn’t open a booth.

“That’s too bad…”

And so, I tried to think of another way, but…

“Hmm…”

“?”

“Hmph hmph…!”

Suddenly, Miss Ella stopped in her tracks and began sending signals as if she desperately wanted me to understand something.

“??”

“Hmph!…”

What is it?

Does she need to go to the bathroom?

“..Are you doing that on purpose?”

“Ahahaha.”

Truthfully, I had caught on to some extent.

While she was listing the requirements for opening a booth, she was subtly looking at me with hopeful eyes…

Exactly like the eyes of a child proudly boasting, ‘I can open a booth!’

In the end.

“So, I’m the boss now, Mr. Mihyun?”

“It is an honor to serve you, President Ella.”

What began as a temporary five-day arrangement with Ella-ssi was now a formal employer-employee relationship.

…

“Shall I wash up first, Mi-han-nim? Or would you prefer I go first?”

It was a little regrettable that the third option, washing together, was not on the table.

Because if I did anything foolish here, even if Ella-ssi and I enjoyed it with mutual consent.

I might experience the magic of two fingers and two toes disappearing courtesy of the Duke.

“I will wash first.”

To avoid any stray thoughts, I decided to wash up first.

…

I emerged from the shower, having cleaned myself more thoroughly than usual.

“Oh…”

“Mi-han-nim, you have a cat?”

I saw Ella-ssi diligently petting a True Ancestor Vampire disguised as a cat.

Of course…

Miyaong~

Isabella Lilith-nim had just awoken from her slumber.

“Oh oh…”

“I will wash up now.”

The culprit who disturbed the sleeping True Ancestor Vampire vanished to wash.

I worried that Isabella Lilith-nim might be angered by a mere human disturbing her rest, but.

“Is he your human companion?”

“Pardon?”

“He carries your scent. I thought he might be your wife, or perhaps your girlfriend.”

“Not yet. I still need President Ella’s father’s permission…”

Thankfully, she hadn’t gotten angry, mistaking me for Ella-ssi’s lover… wait, what did she just say?

“Not yet?”

“No, no… Just a moment? …Isabella Lilith-nim?”

“What kind of owner uses honorifics for their pet? Call me comfortably.”

“?????”

“So, why did you call me?”

“…Owner, you say?”

“…Weren’t you going to be my owner last night?”

“Ah?”

Those words I said, meant to ease the embarrassment about the slip-up on the bed last night.

“..Not?”

“Aah! I almost forgot for a moment. Truthfully, it’s also my first time having a pet…!”

“Is that so?”

I had inadvertently become the owner of a True Ancestor Vampire.

Swish~ swish~

Isabella-nim, no, Isabella-ssi, wagged her tail gently, expressing her joy.

‘…Is this really okay?’

That true ancestor vampire’s behavior was quite bewildering, but…

Pat, pat.

Myaong~

For now, she was cute, so I decided to pet her.

“Isabella-ssi…?”

“Are you going to use honorifics with a pet?”

“Until I get used to the honorifics… I’ll drop them then.”

“Okay.”

Petting the talking cat, I began to ask about the question that arose when I met the doppelganger earlier.

“Don’t doppelgangers explode when they transform into vampires?”

“That’s right.”

“Could it be… am I a vampire?”

“Huh?”

I recognized myself as undeniably human.

However, this body wasn’t my own, but a body I had possessed.

Just in case, I wanted to check the possibility that Mikhail was a vampire.

“Human! A very….”

“A very?”

“The weakest human I’ve ever seen among adults.”

“Confirmation received, thank you!”

“You’re welcome! …Huh?”

“Wah…”

The rest of the sentence was unnecessary…

I collapsed onto the bed in despair, and Isabella-ssi, seemingly sorry for what she said, came over to me and started kneading me with her paws.

“I’m sorry…”

Knead… knead…

Receiving the kneading from my pet cat, I continued to ponder.

‘A doppelganger exploded immediately after transforming into me, even though I’m not a vampire…’

Since a true ancestor vampire confirmed it, it was certain that I was 100% human.

If that was the case… there must be another condition, aside from transforming into a vampire, that caused a doppelganger to explode after completing its transformation.

And perhaps that condition was…

“I’m s-sorry nyaa…”

“Isabella-ssi?”

“You’re forgiving me?!”

“Hypothetically, what happens if a doppelganger replicates itself into two identical humans?”

The thought occurred to me that ‘What if a doppelganger transforms into two identical people?’

“If I tell you, you won’t abandon me, right?”

“Why would I abandon Isabella-ssi? You have to live as my cat forever.”

“Uh-huh!”

…

The consequences of a doppelganger imitating a vampire are, so they say, the same as the consequences of a doppelganger imitating the body of a human they’ve already copied.

I was pleased that, thanks to Ms. Isabella, the amount of information I could deliver to Professor Layton had increased.

“I’ll turn off the lights now.”

Tomorrow was the entrance ceremony, so to sleep a little earlier, I switched off the light and climbed into bed.

“I’m so excited!”

“Pardon?”

And then, as I lay down next to the woman in her pajamas…

I heard Ms. Ella’s voice, her words of excitement only making my own heart race even faster.

‘If you confess here… I might not be able to refuse.’

If Ms. Ella were to suddenly embrace me here…

I would have no choice but to accept, so as not to disappoint her.

Provided it was a hug with ‘absolutely’ no ulterior motives.

The Margrave would surely understand the extenuating circumstances…

“It’s always been my dream to sleep in a dorm room with a friend, you know?”

I am trash…

“My father… he was worried about me staying in the academy dorm. He kept saying that the kidnapper, Mikhail, might try to take me again.”

‘…How did he know?’

I was momentarily impressed by the Margrave’s foresight, but then…

“Speaking of which,”

“Yes?”

“That sleep clinic that Mikhail is supposedly running.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Could you perhaps… provide it for me as well?”

Ms. Ella had just suggested that she wanted to experience the sleep clinic we were planning to offer.

“I’m the president, so this is an order, Mikhail!”

How could I possibly refuse the request of a woman smiling so brightly as she gave me a command?

Slowly…

I leaned up in bed, gently looking down at the woman lying beside me.

“Pretend I’m a customer suffering from insomnia.”

“Welcome, customer~.”

“Hee…”

The woman giggled, as if my little joke was amusing.

I rested my hand on her head and stroked her hair, slowly creating a sleepy atmosphere.

“You worked so hard today, Ms. Ella.”

“Hmm~.”

“Now… Ms. Ella, who had to suffer by teaching a commoner who knew nothing about etiquette…”

“Heehee…”

“You will slowly drift into the depths of slumber.”

A gentle pat… a gentle pat…

“Ella, from this moment on, you are falling into ‘sleep’.”

Soft, rhythmic breaths…

—

Ella Eloise (21)

[Abduction] – Inactive

[Surveillance] – Layton Isolde

[Sleep] – Inactive

—

A woman fallen into a deep slumber, her breathing even and regular.

Would she even notice if I touched her, just a little?

“The Master is truly strange.”

Such wicked thoughts never crossed my mind, of course.

“How did you put her to sleep? It wasn’t even magic, was it?”

I turned my head, meeting Isabella’s gaze, her curiosity piqued by my rendering Ella unconscious.

“Are you curious?”

“Yes! Very!”

And then I confessed.

“Me too.”

“Eeh?”

I was curious as well.

I didn’t know how I was using these abilities.

“The Archmage said that I’m drawing on Primordial Qi, or something like that.”

“Primordial Qi?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… I don’t feel anything particularly like that.”

“Exactly, right? To be honest, I haven’t felt like I’m dying while using this strange trick.”

“Not Aether… not using life force… and not Divine Power either…”

“So what is it?”

“It’s definitely magic, right? A magical effect, but without using Aether. So then…”

Because the True Ancestor Vampire’s examination had begun.

I waited for a moment, wondering if he could figure out the principle behind this unidentified skill.

I would receive a very shocking answer.

“How should I say this… Ah! If the Goddess watching over the Arcane Continent were to use magic, I think it would feel exactly like this!”