29 – Double Reunion (2)

Justina and I were walking on a dark mountain path even in the middle of the day.

The shadows cast by countless trees obstructed my vision, but my eyesight was able to detect even the darkness, and Justina seemed to have no trouble walking as well.

However, the punishment given to Justina and the collection of hunting traps were not very difficult.

“If it is hidden in a place like this, how are you supposed to collect all of it….”

“I haven’t seen Ma Mathematics professor like that, but he is secretly strict.”

If you dare to compare the weight of the sins, the fault of the guy who made the poison in herbalism class must be heavier than the student who dozed off.

But whether it was because the herbology professor’s personality was toxic, or because the witchcraft professor was adamant, Justina’s punishment was much more severe.

At most I just need to tend the garden, because in Justina’s case, if she loses her attention even for a moment, she may miss the trap she needs to retrieve.

“Besides, the traps are small and unobtrusive.”

“Even an animal will not step on a trap that is highly visible. Isn’t that obvious?”

“…… You listened to me.”

Justina and I grumbled but dutifully retrieved the trap.

As I went deeper and deeper into the forest, I felt a visceral sense of uneasiness, but I believed Justina’s words and did not turn around.

According to my senses, it was certain that there was a demon in this area, but…….

According to Justina’s words, there won’t be a big problem even if the monster appears.

– Kreurreure… ….

From the conclusion, it was as Justina said.

A manticore, a beast in the shape of a lion with a grotesquely torn mouth, appeared on the face of an elderly human.

However, Manticore looked the other way and growled, but did not injure me or Justina.

No, she instinctively sees through Justina’s identity, so she may not have dared to attack.

“I really don’t run.”

“Didn’t you tell me? Still, those guys do become slightly aggressive when we conduct classes like monster hunting for students to practice combat.”

“Are you sure you don’t bite and kill people then?”

“Yes. If any such safety accident happens, the reputation of the school itself will drop, so Denbergen shouldn’t do that.”

Just a few words of conversation while retrieving her trap seemed to show how seriously Justina took Den Bergen Academy.

In fact, when she had just read the memory of the dagger, she wondered what Den Bergen Academy would be like for Justina.

Is it just a cage to keep me in, or is it really her dream?

If only I had run a school for hundreds of years to use as bait to catch mice, nothing would be as embarrassing.

‘It’s been about a week since I put it on hold.’

However, Justina, whom she lived with for a week and saw in person, was different.

I couldn’t find the creepy face that I had seen in her dagger memory, and her love for her school dripped through every time she spoke.

Obviously, at first, I thought that if I revealed that I was a Dane, I would be trapped somewhere and treated like a pet.

However, Justina, whom I had seen with my own two eyes over the past few days, clung to me a little more than she did 500 years ago, but did not show a threatening appearance.

‘I still feel dangerous, but it’s probably just because Justina is a powerful race called dragons.’

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, Justina suddenly sprinted forward.

She seemed to be trying to retrieve her trap, which was placed at the top of the tree.

No matter how you look at it, Justina’s short stature makes it impossible to reach the place where the trap is placed, so the moment she tries to help.

I could see something long and thick crawling in the shadow of the forest, not a path for people to walk on.

I couldn’t see it well because it was wrapped in darkness, but judging from the texture of the leather and the rough shape, I could roughly understand it.

A snake? To be precise, an animal commonly referred to as a serpent.

But for its size, it was no ordinary beast.

“Looks like a demon again.”

“Hmm, that’s right. Anyway, why doesn’t this reach me… Whoops… !”

I was about to ask if it would be better to use magic instead of moaning, but for some reason it didn’t seem like I was in a situation to say such a thing.

‘What is it?’

My senses, recognizing the snake beast, were sounding an emergency alarm.

It has a different feel from the Manticore that passed by us earlier.

I could feel that the Manticore had no intention of harming us, but now the fluff on its forearms quivered.

As if he was warning me of something.

‘Dangerous?’

The Serpent Witchbeast was running in a straight line toward Justina.

Rationally, I thought I didn’t need to move.

As Justina said, there’s no way the demon of the mountain will attack people.

Even if the dragon attacked, there was no way Justina would be hurt.

Taat-!

But my instinct was already to pull the dagger out of my bosom and run.

Because the beast has a strange leash tied around its neck?

You think Justina can’t cope?

I can’t pinpoint a clear reason, but someone in my head screamed that I had to protect Justina.

Shashashashak!

“Watch out!”

My body accelerated after hitting the ground like lightning.

The distance that had been separated by several steps was shortened in an instant.

My body moved so naturally that I got caught between the serpent beast and Justina.

Then he thrust the dagger he had taken out of his bosom into the roof of the serpent’s mouth, his mouth wide open revealing his fangs.

– Kyaaagh!

The serpent let out a painful scream and staggered back.

The serpentine monster’s eyes were bloodshot red.

No matter how you look at it, that’s insane.

It was clear that she was possessed by something else that was out of Justina’s control.

It was the eyes that revealed all my base desire to bite Justina’s throat with those fangs, chew the meat, and drink her blood.

“Wait a minute! Deneb, it’s too dangerous for you…….”

I left Justina behind and charged once again toward the Serpent Witchbeast who couldn’t come to her senses.

In my head, that is, I know with my reason.

I hoped that Justina, behind her, would take care of it with her magic anyway, and that as long as she crossed her arms, everything would be over.

The serpent will lose its life and collapse, leaving only her corpse and skin.

However, I couldn’t leave everything to Justina and stay still.

So to speak, it was something like innate nature.

– “…… Uh, have you ever raised children?”

Justina’s question from a few days ago came to mind out of the blue.

I could see her holding back her shyness and gathering her courage to ask.

I still can’t confidently say that I raised those children, but…….

At least at this moment, one thing has become clear.

‘…… I will protect it.’

What comes to mind is not Justina, Lee Wind, or Elfin, but Mr. Philburton.

Uncle Philburton took care of me even when I grew up.

Even though I was already stronger and taller than you were in your heyday.

Being considerate of such a man, even if I sometimes say that I don’t need help anymore, he still feels obliged to protect me.

That feeling has been handed down to this point 500 years later.

‘Was this?’

I finally understood.

I want to protect my child even if he grows up stronger than I am.

It might be arrogant to say that this is the heart of a parent.

But one thing was certain.

Just as Mr. Philverton protected me, I also moved my body naturally out of a sense of duty to protect Justina.

For now, I didn’t even think about having to hide my identity.

“Kyaaagh!”

I got right in front of the screaming serpent beast and suddenly changed the direction of the blade.

I let go of the dagger that I was gripping as if stabbing, and gripped it again as if cutting it.

Piercing a serpent’s tough hide with this rusty dagger isn’t the right way to take a life.

Poke the mouth, or at least keep attacking only one part of the skin.

But I didn’t aim for the serpent’s demon beast, I tried to sever the grotesque metal leash that he was wearing around his neck.

Another!

Golden sparks rose from the short blade of the dagger.

The blade, wrapped in a golden sword, cut through the steel leash like tofu, and the leash, which was cut in half to reveal its cross-section, shattered powerlessly and fell to the floor.

“Heo Eok, Heo Eok… ….”

My whole body creaked, but I didn’t care.

No matter how hard it is, I can’t believe my body has become like this after only a few seconds of exerting my sword skills.

However, it seemed that the results of my overwork had already come out.

“Kyaaa… Kyaaa… Kyaaa….”

The eyes of the Serpent Witchbeast, which had been shining red, became quiet.

My eye color has returned to its original color before I knew it.

Not only that, but his aggression was castrated in an instant.

I couldn’t believe it, but was that leash really the cause?

“…… Hey, what the hell are you doing?”

“Wait! Look at this, it looks like a magic engineering product, but it was controlling the magic beast. If you’re seeing it for the first time, even if something goes wrong, it’s definitely wrong…….”

“Isn’t it time to say that?!”

Justina shouted in anger at my words, which is rare.

I, who was excitedly talking while holding a steel leash made with magical engineering technology, stopped at the force of the force and stopped.

Have you ever seen Justina like this?

‘No.’

When I first met Justina, she didn’t mind.

Even when she said that I would come back, she was calm about Justina.

At least when she found out that Liwin was a time wizard, she showed a bit of embarrassment, but it was only a surprise.

At least in my memory, Justina never expressed her feelings as openly as she does now.

‘Because it’s a game. For Justina, this world is all play.’

Lewin, Elfin, and me for 10 years of play.

Even building and running a school like this is fun.

The identity of the chairman is also playful.

It is also fun to pretend to be a student.

The fact that you waited for me to come back,

Everything, play…… ?

‘…… It can’t be, right?’

It may have started as a play.

A mischievous spectator who wants to watch the war between the kingdom and the resistance.

No matter what happens on the stage, such as murder, arson, war, or destruction, it does not affect the outside audience watching the stage.

From noble mtl dot com

A dragon in play is no different from an audience watching the stage.

‘But, Justina was different.’

The young dragon Justina jumped onto the stage during her performance.

Because I was too immersed in this world.

Because I love the inhabitants of this world too much.

Theater has ceased to be theater, and play has ceased to be play.

Justina, the dragon who could no longer enjoy the game, stood up and punched me in the chest to vent her anger.

“That dagger, are you doing this on purpose to see her real daughter?”

“… ….”

“Once again, just watch the back of her leaving in front of her eyes, is that what you want to say to the original girl?!”

“… ….”

“At least say something! A guy with weaker stamina compared to his previous life, aren’t you asking what he believed in and stretched out like that?!”

Justina gets angry and then uses evil.

She couldn’t pat her on the chest and hugged her tightly.

Even though she was wearing a shirt, she felt hot liquid dripping down her chest.

I didn’t know what to do and quietly put my hand on her head.

“…… Dane.”

The moment she heard that name, several scenes passed through her head.

Justina, who walked in front of me forever in the ordeal of fear.

She is Justina, who she saw in the memory of the dagger, who was determined to imprison me.

Justina, who smiled broadly when she saw me perform the shadow step technique.

‘…… What was I afraid of?’

The Ordeal of Fear is just a fiction of what I’m afraid of.

Even in the memory of the dagger, Justina is 500 years in the past.

Maybe I was afraid of the fantasy Justina created during the 500 years without me.

‘Justina in fantasy? Where is that?’

But after watching for a week, I realized.

Today’s Justina is not that different from 500 years ago.

There is no such thing as a fantasy Justina, the only Justina I can see is the real Justina.

And at least the Justina I knew wasn’t the self-righteous woman who would never listen to me, threatening to imprison me.

“…… Justina.”

Justina stopped crying at the sound of her name being called.

Then she looked up at me with her tears and snot on her face.

I murmured softly as I ran my thumb over her eyes.

“Surely at the end… You said you would come.”

“… So, are you going to say that you’ve been there?”

I shook my head at her and smiled shyly.

“It’s been 500 years, isn’t it a bit late?”

The worst joke that doesn’t even sound like a joke.

However, Justina cheerfully dismissed even this.

“Isn’t it too late? But why skip a week?”

“Yes, 500 years and a week.”

However, this warm atmosphere only lasted for a moment.

Justina pinched my cheek while smiling and glared at me with her fierce eyes.

“By the way, why did you hide it for a week?”

“Ah… ….”

That’s going to take a while to talk about.

***

In the meantime, near the mountainside where Justina and Deneb are.

There was an elf who was secretly searching the mountain using the trapping techniques ‘camouflage’ and ‘shadowwalking’ that he learned from Deneb or Dane.

‘Well, demons don’t go around openly on a day like this.’

Of course, I wasn’t following Justina or Deneb.

Before she went to school, she decided to search the mountain altogether because if she could get rid of the demons as quickly as possible, she would be able to get out of her teaching job.

Unfortunately, however, Elfin could not find the Demon Brother and sister.

I even found traces of it being on the mountain, but it seemed to have disappeared without a trace, like a cockroach hiding in a corner when it sees the light.

‘I didn’t expect to find it in one day.’

In order to achieve ‘nothing happened’, which is the specialty of the imperial family’s dark department, it is necessary to work with as few people as possible while using as little manpower as possible, such as working alone with an elfin.

So, for now, the elfin is exploring this small and medium-sized mountain alone.

Of course, it’s only about two demons. Elfins can’t even exercise after eating, so there won’t be a big problem in battle, but the search itself was a hardship.

‘Wait a minute, pretending to be there?’

At that moment, Elfin felt a pair of men and women near her.

However, no matter how much she sensed it, she was not a sign of her demons.

I checked myself, and it seemed that a boy and a girl who seemed to be students at the nearby Denbergen Academy were having a tryst.

‘Put, that’s not even funny. Is it worth it at my age?’

It’s a good time… Even though she thought that, she was secretly envious and was about to ignore it lightly and pass by, but Elfin noticed something strange.

The man’s side is unfamiliar, but the woman’s face and energy are familiar.

I took a closer look just in case…….

‘Justina?’

…… What’s that old lady doing with the blue kid?

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