Chapter 36
“Oh, well done. Well done.”
Ikelid clapped his hands together. For some reason, the sound reminded Eki of Mila and Giyote’s annoying cheers. Was she drinking a potion, or was it beer?
Eki swallowed the small amount of potion in one gulp and handed the vial back to Ikelid. He slipped it back into his pocket and asked,
“How’s the taste?”
“It’s a little bitter.”
“No nausea?”
“No.”
Eki answered honestly. They were ordinary questions, after all.
But what came next made her eyes widen.
“Alright then, Miss Eki. What do you think of Cassius’s face?”
“He’s absolutely gorgeous. The kind of beauty you’d never see again in your lifetime? If I had to score it, he’d get five thousand points out of a hundred.”
Then she froze, her jaw dropping at her own words.
“W-What, why did I say that?! Why is my mouth moving on its own?!”
“Hahaha. Looks like the potion’s working nicely. Now, second question. Do you think you could satisfy your desires with someone other than him?”
“I’m not sure. Honestly, there’s no one like my Master— Ah, wait just a second!”
Cassius, who had been sitting on the sofa pretending not to pay attention, dropped his pipe in shock. He immediately stood up, stormed over, and grabbed Ikelid by the collar.
“You bastard! What did you make her drink?!”
“Cassius, that hurts~ It’s nothing weird. Just a little truth serum.”
“You said it was a potion to find her ideal person!”
“Hahaha! And you believed that?”
“Damn you!”
Cassius flung the laughing Ikelid aside and rushed to Eki, who had gone pale as a sheet. He grabbed her shoulders, his voice tense.
“Eki, are you alright? Do you feel anything strange?”
“N-No. Aside from my mouth speaking before I think, I feel fine.”
“That’s nothing new.”
“…What was that?”
Cassius ignored her and continued checking for any signs of harm, but she kept insisting she was fine.
Eki ran her hands over herself as well, and indeed, there was nothing unusual. It didn’t seem like Ikelid had meant to harm her.
“See? I told you. It just makes her a bit more honest. For the next few days, Miss Eki won’t be able to lie. So I hope the two of you can release your desires in complete honesty!”
“You… damn… old man…”
It was a relief that she wasn’t hurt, but realizing they’d fallen for Ikelid’s mischief was far from pleasant.
Cassius summoned a broom and started beating Ikelid with it. The latter yelped dramatically, pretending to cry as he dodged the blows. In the end, unable to withstand Cassius’s wrath, he flung open the window and leapt outside.
“Ah—!”
Eki gasped, but her panic didn’t last long. Ikelid landed neatly on a round levitating device waiting just outside the window.
“Well then, since I’ve helped, I’ll be on my way! Oh, by the way, Cassius, you might be able to resolve things the same way Eki can. Good luck~”
“IKELID LAGUS!”
Cassius’s neck and ears flushed a deep rose color. His face, a mix of fury and humiliation, twisted as he charged toward the window. But by then, Ikelid had already poured mana into his device and was soaring far into the distance.
Cassius didn’t jump out after him, thank goodness. Eki silently thought that was a relief, since his face made it look like he’d hunt the Association Head down and tear him apart with his bare hands.
‘Wait, he said Master might be able to resolve it the same way I can? What’s that supposed to mean?’
She couldn’t imagine. Cassius was a dragon who cared about nothing but magic. What kind of suffering could he possibly have because of ‘desire’? Once he finished a few research projects, all his stress would be gone anyway.
Eki was just about to ask when Cassius grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward one side of the lab.
“Let’s run a physical exam. Just in case.”
“Huh? I told you, I’m fine.”
“Still, better check. The potion you drank must have affected your brain, so it could be dangerous internally.”
That was true enough.
“Take off your clothes and put on a robe. You know how examinations work, right?”
“Yes, of course. But Master, you telling me to take off my clothes sounds a bit indecent.”
“…What?”
Oh, damn it.
Eki clamped her hands over her mouth. She swallowed hard and shook her head.
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
“……”
“…Actually, it wasn’t nothing.”
Oh, this is maddening.
A heavy, mortifying silence fell between them.
The back of Cassius’s neck flushed a vivid pink once again. He bit his lip, turned away, and without another word, began forming a magic circle.
And so, burning with unbearable embarrassment, Eki underwent the examination and proved beyond doubt that she was perfectly healthy.
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