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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: A Sudden Change
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The next day, as I was in the middle of getting ready, the butler spoke to me.

“Professor Luspell has arrived.”

“...Already?”

And I haven't even had breakfast yet?

“Shall I tell him to come back later?”

“Ah, no. Show him to the study.”

I hurried to the study to find Luspell already flipping through the proposal.

“...You’re early.”

“The sooner we start, the sooner we finish.”

Wasn’t it just yesterday you said, ‘The sooner we start, the sooner I can leave’?

“Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

He answered nonchalantly, his fingers flicking through the pages.

“This part here. I was thinking about it all night, and what if we make it absorb water instead of letting it pass through?”

“...You thought about it all night?”

“Yes.”

“You mean you didn’t sleep?”

“Is that important? Let’s focus, shall we?”

I snatched the proposal from Luspell’s hands.

“I’m asking because it is important. Did you sleep?”

“I did.”

“How long?”

“...”

“Professor Luspell, I asked how long you slept.”

“About a couple of hours.”

“So you slept less than thirty minutes.”

Luspell stared at me, a look of utter surprise on his face.

“H-How...”

You always lie and say you slept for two hours even if you only shut your eyes for a minute.

It’s not like I haven’t been fooled by you before. It’s obvious.

“Do you realize your face is paler than these papers? Or that you have dark circles under your eyes?”

“...”

Luspell tentatively touched his own face.

His already gaunt face seemed to have aged overnight.

*It’s good that he’s motivated. But what’s the point if he’s going to work himself to the bone! Does he want to die from overwork? And his body is so much weaker than it was back then!*

When Luspell got obsessed with something, he wouldn’t even care about his own body.

He had been found on the verge of starvation in his lab several times.

Does it make sense that he nearly starved to death because he forgot to eat?

Thinking this couldn’t go on, I started following him around.

I kept at it until Luspell got so annoyed he was on the verge of throwing a fireball at me.

I even nagged him the day before we died fighting the Demon King.

Eat your meals on time. Get some sun at least once a day, even if it's brief. Sleep for at least six hours.

*But nothing’s changed. How disheartening...*

This time, I’ll fix that damn chronic habit of his for good.

I steeled myself and glared at Luspell.

“Professor Luspell, do you take me for a fool?”

“What are you talking about? When have I ever done that?”

“If you think I’m a joke, then you must think my promises are a joke, too.”

“A promise?”

“You made a promise to me yesterday. Don’t tell me you forgot?”

“What... Ah!”

Luspell snapped his mouth shut with a look of realization. It seemed he finally remembered.

“Answer me. Did you forget?”

“N-No... Yes.”

“While you were thinking about the proposal?”

“...I’m sorry.”

I threw the proposal onto the desk. Then I gestured to the study door with my chin, but Luspell just blinked.

“Let’s go eat. After that, I’ll lend you a bedroom so you can get some sleep. We’ll start finalizing the proposal then.”

“I woke up early, so I don’t have an appetite. I’ll be sure to eat later.”

“If you’re going to refuse, then go home.”

“...But you need my help.”

“I said I was fine, but you’re the one who insisted on helping. Honestly, I can manage perfectly well without you.”

Luspell’s eyes widened as if in shock.

“Either you eat, rest, and we’ll finish the proposal with a clear head, or you can refuse and go home. The choice is yours.”

Luspell looked at me with a complicated expression. He soon averted his gaze and mumbled.

“I’m... a bit of a picky eater.”

I almost burst out laughing.

I knew better than anyone that Luspell was an extremely picky eater and was slightly ashamed of it.

I’d experienced it firsthand, after all.

“That’s why you look the way you do. Eating your vegetables won’t turn you into a cow, so eat a balanced meal. You need your strength if you want to conduct all the magic experiments you love.”

“...”

“Did I say something wrong?”

“It’s not that... I just feel strange.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know...”

“You’re strange. You’ll eat, right?”

Luspell seemed to be thinking about something before slowly nodding.

After we finished eating, I practically forced him into a guest room.

“Sleep.”

“...Yes.”

I expected him to resist, but he surprisingly went into the guest room quietly and woke up around noon.

We had sandwiches for lunch and started finalizing the proposal.

Fortunately, there wasn’t much left to do, so we were able to finish quickly.

Or we would have, if Luspell hadn’t suddenly started acting strangely.

At first, he was clearly cooperative, even proactively suggesting ideas.

But at some point, he started acting comfortably around me, and eventually began explaining, one by one, the magic formulas to be engraved on the device.

And then, when I naturally couldn’t understand...

“No, how can you not know this? Duchess, did you perhaps fall from a tree when you were young?”

“...”

*Sigh, here we go with his bullshit again...*

In the past, when I was Adela, Luspell had tried very hard to teach me magic.

I had no interest and couldn’t understand it even when I listened, but he clung to me like a leech and pestered me relentlessly.

His behavior, which the other members of the party dubbed his ‘antics,’ didn’t actually have any ill intent.

In his own way, he was trying to give me something that was as good as his everything.

Of course, I didn’t want it in the slightest and we almost ended our friendship over it. But anyway, it was Luspell’s unique way of saying, ‘You and I are best friends♥.’

*B-But since when were we best friends...?*

Sure, I let Luspell see me cry yesterday.

And Luspell had wiped away my tears.

*But isn't that a little weak to become best friends over? It's not like Luspell is an overly emotional person.*

Just what happened yesterday was nowhere near enough.

*What on earth is wrong with him? Was I too casual with him?*

Until recently, all Luspell knew about Adrian was her name and her title.

Because of that, he accepted me as I was, without any preconceptions.

He didn't know if I wasn't acting like Adrian, or even if I was acting completely differently.

It was because he was naturally uninterested in others, and besides, he didn’t know what the original Adrian was like.

I found that side of Luspell very comfortable.

I admit that because of that, I subconsciously treated him casually.

Honestly, when I talk to Luspell, the tension just leaves my voice.

*Keep your distance. That’s Luspell. One of the three men most likely to discover my true identity.*

I composed my voice, making it cool and dry.

“Professor Luspell, why should I have to listen to the operating mechanism of a fireball? Do I look like a student to you?”

“I’m explaining it because the flow of mana is similar to the device that uses solar heat. As a developer, shouldn’t you understand how the device works?”

“You’re the developer, Professor Luspell. I’m merely the one who proposed the idea.”

“Still, you should know the basics so you don’t get looked down on. Here, have a seat. I’ll explain it again from the beginning.”

I quietly placed a hand on my stiff neck.

“Who would look down on me...? I’m the Duchess of Ivrante!”

“Throwing your title around isn’t something to be proud of. So, the way a fireball is activated is, first, you absorb the fire-attribute energy in the atmosphere according to this formula, and then... How about it? Isn’t it starting to click now?”

“Not at all.”

“...Are you sure you didn’t fall from a tree when you were young?”

“That’s enough.”

“Why on earth can’t you understand? This is the most basic of basics!”

“...”

You idiot! You still don’t get it?

The magic formulas are written in the language of magic, not the common imperial tongue!

I stood up decisively and pointed to the door with my fingertip.

“Get out. Now.”

***

As I watched Luspell leave through the window, I asked.

“About Luspell, wasn’t he acting really strange today?”

The spirits, who had been hiding and watching us the whole time, suddenly appeared in midair.

-He’s always been a strange human, but he was taking it too far earlier. I really don’t get why he’s trying to teach formulas to someone who doesn't even know the language of magic. He got his ass kicked by you for doing that before, and yet...

-If the door was slightly ajar yesterday, today it felt like it was wide open. But Lord Luspell isn’t someone who opens up to people this quickly, is he? Considering that, it’s not normal.

That’s what had been bothering me, too. I couldn’t figure out the reason for his sudden change in attitude.

Salamander flicked his bright red tongue and snickered.

-Hehehe, I know the reason.

“Oh? What is it?”

-He was alone for a bit this morning. I secretly followed him, and he was hiding this.

Salamander worked his mouth for a moment before spitting something out.

An intricate doll made of paper. It was a familiar object.

“A paper doll?”

-That son of a bitch was acting up just so he could do this. To distract you. I bet he’s hidden one somewhere in this room, too.

“...Was that all it was? That’s not a big deal, is it?”

So, Luspell was pretending to be friendly to hide a paper doll without my knowledge?

Strangely enough, I wasn’t bothered at all. I just felt that the inevitable had finally happened.

*So they’ve finally realized I’m a hardcore stalker.*

Leonhart probably told them at Charles Beer.

In the end, the three men decided to join forces to save their friend from the hands of a stalker.

I didn’t know Owen’s role, but Luspell was clearly the lookout, seeing as he hid a paper doll in my house.

*Luspell not showing up at the promised time, then suddenly changing his mind and offering to help with the proposal... Yes, it was all to plant the paper doll.*

Though for that to be the reason, he was awfully enthusiastic about the proposal.

Well, he was the type to go all-in when he focused on one thing.

“But who hides a paper doll in a guest room? Who even uses that room? He should have at least hidden it in my bedroom.”

I clicked my tongue before clapping my hands together sharply.

“Alright, everyone! Should we go find the paper dolls now? When you find one, don’t break it. Just wrap it in something like paper so Luspell can’t peek through. How about it?”

-Ooh! Whoever finds the first one gets to be called ‘Big Bro’ by the others!

-Sounds good!

-Shit, get out of my way! Gnome! Don’t just stand there like an idiot, you find one too!

-(Nods!)

The spirits scattered in an instant. I was left alone to finish the design sketches.

I thought I’d be short on time, but thanks to Luspell’s help, I had more than enough time to finish the designs.

“Mm... All done.”

For something I forced myself to do, it wasn’t half bad.

If this were an assignment, it’d probably get a B+. It was a shame to just throw it away, but it couldn’t be helped.

I decided to be satisfied with the fact that I met the deadline I promised Leonhart.