Master, I Swear I Didn’t Mean To! - Chapter 48

He entered his bedchamber, unsure whether he should feel shame first, or anger, or perhaps humiliation at his own clumsy imitation of a s****l act.

“Hah…”

Cassius shut the door and rubbed his forehead. His face was still burning. Perhaps it would have been red even if he hadn’t run. He stood there for a long while, mind blank.

He finally came back to himself as he replayed the events in his head, noticing something strange.

‘The door… it opened by itself.’

He hadn’t undone the magic seal on the wardrobe. How could he have, in that state? Yet the door had flown open, releasing them.

‘Was it the luck potion?’

The potion worked according to Eki’s desires. And though faintly, he too had been affected. It was absurd to think he had desired such an encounter, yet if the potion’s influence extended to him, perhaps the sudden opening of the wardrobe had been its way of signaling the end of that ‘event’.

‘Still, it’s strange.’

Eki being pushed into the wardrobe might have been mere coincidence. But the release of a magically sealed door… that exceeded the potion’s range of effect.

‘There had been strange noises from inside that wardrobe before…’

That was why he had gone to inspect it in the first place.

‘Should I check it again?’

He considered it, then shook his head. No, he couldn’t go back there. Not for several days, at least.

Cassius ran a hand over his face, his jaw tightening. The memory replayed vividly: Eki’s touch, his loss of restraint. This was not normal. It should never have happened.

And yet…

‘It felt too good.’

Eki’s hands were nothing like that of a slime or beast. If he could, he would have turned back time just to be trapped with her again.

‘Idiot.’

Only now, when the sticky residue on his clothes disgusted him, did that thought fully register.

Cassius stood there, hating himself for giving in to such base desire. But no matter how many times he cursed himself, the burning shame would not fade.

❖ ❖ ❖

Whether or not Cassius was suffering, the midterm inspection day for the Gailard Mage Association was approaching.

“Master! The laughter-inducing potion has finished fermenting! Please check the magic circle!”

“Alright.”

“Ah, wait, please take a look at this too. I drew up the design, but there were some unclear formulas.”

“I’ll check it soon.”

After Cassius had been brought to release by Eki’s hand, he had somehow become much more docile.

‘Is it because things are awkward?’

She felt awkward too. How could she not, when she gave Cassius a handjob?

Even last night, she had kicked off her blanket and tossed about in distress. Why had she done that, why had she acted so impulsively? How was she supposed to face her master now!

If they hadn’t been so busy, the two of them might not have spoken to each other for hours, even while working in the same laboratory.

But they had work to finish.

That was the problem. The damned workload.

They had to meet the number of magic circles and potions ordered by the Association, and on top of that, the deadline had been moved up. So Eki moved even busier than before. She drew magic circles and brewed potions, then drew and brewed again, repeating this endlessly.

‘I’m so tired I could die.’

Since her body was exhausted, all the complicated thoughts in her head naturally faded away. Now all Eki wanted was to finish her work and rest.

‘And because Master doesn’t lose his temper like before, I keep getting distracted.’

Even earlier, if it had been the usual Cassius, he would have shouted, “You still can’t draw the design properly? What on earth have you been learning under me!” Then she would have pouted and said she had no time to practice because she had been busy cleaning the cauldrons. The two would have argued back and forth for a while, then snorted and finished drawing the formulas.

‘It’s definitely not a good memory, but… I kind of miss it.’

This must be what they call affection mixed with resentment.