[V11C33] Must Protect

Even as day turned into night, the rain continued to fall.

In a nap room of the Sazandol Mage Association, Monica crawled out of bed and lit a lantern with chantless magic.

Seated on the bed, she rummaged through her coat and pulled out a bundle of papers.

These were the blueprints for the dragon detector and the anti-dragon detector, which Monica had retrieved from the safe specified by Isaac before heading to the Mage Association.

Monica scanned the text using the light of the lantern.

(There’s no time to waste…)

Earlier, Melissa had returned from setting traps around the building, saying “Ah, I’m freezing! Time to take a bath! Come on, Little One, you’re joining me!” and dragged Monica into the bath.

Monica had suggested that having two of their most essential forces bathing at the same time was a bad idea, but Melissa refused to listen.

Then, immediately after exiting the bath, Melissa had confiscated all of Monica’s documents and writing utensils. She then pushed Monica into the nap room and ordered her to sleep for at least three hours.

Her only choices were to sleep as ordered, or be forcibly put to sleep via Melissa’s enchanted roses. In other words, she could not refuse.

Thus, Monica pretended to sleep for a bit, before sitting up and bringing out the documents hidden in her coat.

Isaac’s blueprints needed to be kept secret from Melissa and Ray. In that sense, she was fortunate to be able to examine them while she was alone.

Three hours was enough for Monica to verify the documents.

(Silas-san will probably arrive at Sazandol tomorrow or the day after… I need to hurry, or he might find Nero.)

The magical tool to conceal Nero’s identity. The spell for countering Gluttonous Zoe.

Monica intended to complete both before Theodore put his next plan into motion.

Isaac’s design was exceptionally well done. His magical tool for countering the mana emitted by Silas’s dragon detector was practically complete already. Monica made only a few adjustments.

Crafting a magical tool required ores and paints processed for mana infusion, but the Mage Association had a full set of such tools.

The design was not overly complex, so it wouldn’t take much time to make.

(But drawing magical tool blueprints is supposed to be pretty challenging… Ike really is amazing.)

Above all, Monica felt a warm feeling in her chest at how Isaac, despite being so busy, was working hard to protect her and Nero.

Monica closed her eyes tight and thought about her disciple.

He had lost something precious, but ironically, this allowed him to regain his original face and his freedom.

Should he regain Felix’s face to protect the late prince’s honor, or should he live freely as Isaac? Monica did not know which path was correct.

However, regardless of the path he chose, Monica wanted to support her disciple.

(…I will protect Ike.)

Which was exactly why she needed to hurry.

Monica opened her eyes and got back to examining the blueprints.

＊　＊　＊

Theodore and Gluttonous Zoe had appeared in Sazandol, but a whole day passed without incident.

This was a welcome development since the reinforcements from the capital had yet to arrive. That said, Theodore’s complete lack of action felt eerie.

It was another rainy day, so Monica stayed indoors, developing the spell for countering Gluttonous Zoe. Once Melissa tossed her into the nap room, she switched focus to the anti-detection tool for Nero, using the blueprints hidden in her coat.

The next morning, Monica asked Melissa and Ray for permission to temporarily return home.

She claimed to be fetching a change of clothes and necessary research materials… but the real reason lied elsewhere.

Monica had completed the anti-detection tool designed by Isaac, so she needed to deliver it to Nero. Additionally, she was concerned about Isaac’s mana depletion.

Fortunately, the two approved Monica’s request.

Theodore had shown no signs of movement for an entire day, so this was likely to be a drawn out affair. As a result, Melissa agreed with the necessity of preparations such as more clothes and research materials.

“Do you really expect us to stay in a building without makeup or a dresser for an extended period of time? A girl can’t keep going without all that stuff, obviously. Hey, Branch Director, for the sake of my motivation, go buy a dresser and put it on the expenses,” was Melissa’s response.

After watching the former Sage demand a dresser from the Branch Director, Monica silently paid her respects to the poor man and boarded a carriage headed to her home.

The cloth-wrapped staff was held tightly against her chest, and there were several magical tools hidden in her pockets.

＊　＊　＊

“I’m home…”

As soon as Monica opened the front door, Isaac appeared from the kitchen.

“Welcome back, Monica.”

The sight of Isaac caused Monica to widen her eyes in surprise.

He had always worn a simple shirt and vest when staying in Sazandol, sometimes covered with an apron.

Now, however, there was a black eyepatch over his right eye.

The eyepatch not only covered the right eye that had lost its vision, but also the scar directly above. It was wide enough to cover the right half of his face.

“Ike, that’s…”

Seeing Monica’s interest in the eyepatch, Isaac explained with a smile.

“I disassembled one of my spare vests to make it. Since my black eye and the scar above it stand out a lot.”

“Y-You made it yourself…!?”

It seemed his domestic skills went far beyond just cooking and cleaning.

As a side note, sewing was a big struggle for the clumsy Monica.

“By the way, I fixed the button on your blouse since it was about to come off,” Isaac continued.

“T-Thank you so much…”

While awkwardly expressing her gratitude, Monica suddenly noticed something else.

Isaac also had a scarf wrapped around his neck. Most likely, it was to hide the black mark on the nape of his neck.

The combination of eyepatch and scarf concealed all traces of him being attacked by Gluttonous Zoe.

Impressed by her ever-prepared disciple, Monica surveyed the inside of the house. Nero was nowhere to be seen.

“Ike, where’s Nero…?”

“Nero has been patrolling the town since morning in cat form.”

Apparently, Nero had been searching for Theodore on his own.

Monica revealed a purple gem from her bag. This was the magical tool she had crafted yesterday, without informing Melissa and Ray.

“I have to go on standby at the Mage Association for a while, so I came to get a change of clothes. Also, I wanted to give this to Nero.”

Isaac examined the magical formula at the center of the gem, widening his sharp eyes.

“Could this be the design I drew…?”

“Yes, I made it.”

“My esteemed master is as amazing as always.”

Isaac seemed to be admiring Monica for this, but in her eyes, it was a much simpler task than disassembling a vest to make an eyepatch.

Monica lifted the purple gem to eye level and began explaining.

“As long as Nero wears this, it will react to the mana emitted by the dragon detector, deploying a non-dragon mana arrangement. That should deceive the detector… but there’s one problem…”

Isaac had drawn the design, and Monica had crafted the magical tool. It was theoretically perfect in terms of performance. That is, aside from one tiny problem.

“How do we put this on Nero…?” Monica asked, looking hopelessly at Isaac.

“A collar, I guess? That’s the first thing that comes to mind.”

“But it will be a disaster if he turns human while wearing it…”

There was a clear difference in size between the neck of a cat and the neck of a human. A cat collar would end up strangling Nero once he transformed back.

Monica could easily imagine Nero rolling around the floor as he gasped for air.

Isaac also put on a wry smile with a somewhat icy expression. However, the angle of his eyebrows indicated that he was troubled rather than angry.

“We can discuss it when Nero returns,” Isaac said.

“…Right.”

“By the way, Monica, are you eating properly? And sleeping…”

Isaac bent down, peering into Monica’s face.

His blue left eye darted back and forth, examining Monica’s complexion. The sternness of his face made Monica reflexively straighten her back.

“I see you haven’t been sleeping.”

“Ugh…”

Her tricks may have worked on Melissa, but not Isaac.

Either way, his current face only made him look even more intimidating when he was angry. It was always unnerving to see a fake smile on Prince Felix’s face, but his current face presented a whole different level of pressure.

“Um, well, Ike, your health is more pressing than mine…”

Isaac had been completely drained of mana, and was still having his mana sucked through the mark on the back of his neck. This depleted all of his naturally recovered mana, so he would never be fully recovered.

“I’ve recovered enough for daily activities. Either way, I’m confident in my physical strength, so it’s definitely you who needs rest.”

“But, um, I still have things to do…”

“In that case, just take a thirty-minute nap, alright? During that time, I’ll prepare some snacks. I’ll also wrap up some non-perishable snacks for you to eat during standby.”

Monica had come back as the master worried about her disciple’s condition, but once she returned home, she found herself being cared for instead. Without any chance for argument, she was laid on the sofa and covered with a light blanket.

She mumbled something about research, but her exhausted body quickly dozed off once she was tucked in.

The sound of light rain was soothing to the ears.

“Good night, Master.”

Monica responded with a sleepy murmur as she closed her eyes.


The sound of Isaac walking through the kitchen. The sweet aroma of the snacks he was making for her.

This was her quiet and happy everyday life.

(…I must protect it.)

Even in the midst of dozing off, Monica solidified her resolve.

She would not let these happy times be taken away from her.

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