The man quickly stepped forward.
"Oh, you're an educator. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Cosine Silver, and my father is an officer at Creas. I know this might sound presumptuous, but I fell in love with you at first sight. I would be honored if you'd allow me to serve you."
Shirone and his group were stunned.
'That's the worst self-introduction ever. Who would fall for something like that?'
Still, this might be a normal way of speaking in aristocratic circles.
Siana didn't say anything. She just pressed her forehead with both hands and sighed.
Although she didn't show it, Siana's heart was burning with frustration.
Her mind sank as she recalled Keira's gaze.
'She must hate me. I shouldn't have gone. No, I shouldn't have contacted her at all.'
That was a memory from when she was younger. Even when Armin appeared with Keira, she didn't really feel betrayed.
But there was a sense of anticipation—what would it be like if they met again?
That feeling, where your heart races and you long to turn back time.
'But... is this love? I haven't wanted anyone since that day.'
Silver continued.
"Oh, I made my introduction too grand. I apologize. I guess I just wanted to impress you, since you're a woman I definitely don't want to miss. Please forgive my rudeness."
"It's fine. I'm tired, so please leave now."
Siana was really tired.
Of course, it wouldn't be difficult for a certified 6th-grade magician to sober up forcibly, but right now, she needed the unrealistic haze alcohol provided.
She wanted to forget everything, to wash away the memories with more alcohol.
"Hmm."
As Siana, already half-drunk, began to stagger, Silver rushed forward to support her.
"It's not chivalrous to leave a lady alone. I'll take you home in my carriage."
Neid glared.
"What do you think you're doing? Don't touch the teacher."
"I think there's a misunderstanding. I'm here to help her. You all go back. I'll call a carriage."
Despite Neid's protests, Silver tried to wake Siana up, but Shirone grabbed his wrist.
Silver's face twisted in annoyance when a young student stopped him. It was the quickest way to handle this situation.
"Where did you learn to grab an adult's wrist like that? Let go of my hand if you don't want trouble."
Shirone didn't back down.
"You said it was fine. Please leave. We'll take her back."
"You're making a joke of yourself. I saw you all get her drunk earlier. Do you think you'll come to your senses if you get expelled?"
Iruki scoffed.
"You should come to your senses. If your father works in the civil service, shouldn't you be more careful about your actions? If you keep acting like this, who will suffer?"
Silver's eyes widened.
"You? You just called me 'you'?"
"Then what should I call you? Oh, 'officer's son' might be the formal title."
"You shameless brat!"
Silver's mild drunkenness quickly turned to anger, and he grabbed Iruki by the collar. But as a shock ran through his side, his grip loosened, and he stepped back.
"What… What is this?"
Neid had sent an electrical current through his hand.
"Take it easy. We're outside of school, so we're holding back. If you're going to get angry, go somewhere private."
One of Silver's companions spoke up.
"Hey. Those guys… they're magic school students."
"Magic School? Alpheas Magic School?"
Silver's expression darkened.
Magic schools were of a different status than regular noble schools, and Alpheas Magic School was one of the top five prestigious institutions, attracting only the best of the nobility.
'Damn it, it had to be Alpheas Magic School. It's a national institution, so even my father can't do anything about it…'
Iruki read Silver's thoughts as he watched him nervously, then approached him with a smug grin.
"You're going to expel us?"
"No, that's…"
"I'm Mercodaine Iruki. If you have any business, come to the school."
"Oh, Mercodaine…"
Silver sobered up instantly.
It didn't matter whether Creas was a province or the capital; no noble in the Kingdom of Tormia was unaware of the Mercodaine family name.
The Mercodaines were the first class of nobility and the head of the "Yongroe," the king's advisory body. They were the kingdom's most learned and respected family, holding their position for hundreds of years.
Iruki gave a bitter look as he observed Silver's stunned expression.
Wherever you go, there are always 'family-selling' nobles.
Still, the reason Iruki had threatened Silver in such a harsh manner was to protect Siana.
He knew that Silver was a man who would not hesitate to talk nonsense if he found an opportunity, so Iruki cut him off early, fearing he might exploit his teacher's weakness.
Of course, as a member of the Olipher school, Siana would never be defeated by a mere noble.
A man from Silver's group tugged at his sleeve.
"Let's go, Silver. Hey, Silver."
Though he wanted to yell, Silver left the place quietly.
Even after they left, Neid remained angry.
"The mood's completely ruined. As they say, you can't judge a book by its cover. Let's never come here again."
Shirone sighed.
"Alright. Anyway, let's go. It's getting dark. Are you okay, Teacher? Let's head back now."
"Hmmm."
Siana, still tipsy, stood up with the support of her students.
She was annoyed by how the evening had been ruined, but she didn't feel bad. Seeing her students there by her side made her feel like becoming a teacher was the right choice.
Siana happily paid for the meal and, still struggling to control her body, left the establishment.
Moonlight poured down from the clear night sky.
"Ha."
Siana let out a breath, as if in awe. It felt unexpectedly pleasant.
Maybe it was the alcohol, but something about that night made her feel like she had taken a new step forward. For the first time in a long while, she felt like she could live her own life, free from the shadow of Armin.
It must've been the alcohol.
"Ah, I feel so good. Today is such a great day."
As if entranced by the moonlight, Siana looked up and spun around in place.
Shirone and his group, exiting the store, watched her in a daze.
She was beautiful in the moonlight, and the way her trench coat spread out like an umbrella as she spun around was mesmerizing.
That was the only reason the people walking the streets didn't scold her.
Shirone and his group watched her, intrigued.
"You dance when you're drunk? So, that's the kind of person you are, Teacher. This is so unexpected."
"By any chance… isn't this a scoop?" Neid said, smiling.
Iruki stroked his chin.
"Hmmm, so you can make a deal with this? Just promise to keep quiet about the injections you gave Miss Siana."
Siana had been clashing with the Shadow Research Society for years, so she couldn't just laugh it off.
"It's morally wrong, but… it's not exactly a big secret. We all have to live too."
Shirone, lost in thought after hearing their words, suddenly looked up and was startled.
"Guys, look over there!"
Siana, still spinning, stumbled, and her footing wavered.
The group rushed to support her, fearing she might collapse.
"Catch her!"
Shirone supported her back, while Neid and Iruki held her arms.
"Teacher, wake up. We can only go back to school if you're okay."
"Ugh, I feel dizzy…"
After drinking an entire bottle of cognac and running around for an hour, the world seemed to spin around her.
"Hey, that won't work. Shirone, you carry me."
"What? Why me?"
"Because you're the strongest among us."
"Ha."
Shirone couldn't deny it.
Though the three men trained in magic together, their physical strength was lower than their peers since they focused so much on magic and neglected physical training.
Shirone, having climbed mountains and chopped wood since he was young, was stronger than his friends.
"I can't help it. Alright, Teacher, I'll carry you on my back."
"Don't act so annoyed. Do you think it's common to get a chance to carry a teacher? I'm actually a bit jealous."
Neid had a mischievous smile on his face, though it wasn't really jealousy.
"Tch, you can't even speak properly."
As they left the noble district with Siana on Shirone's back, the number of people around noticeably thinned.
"But Teacher Siana is surprisingly light. When I actually carried her, I was surprised. I always thought she was about my height."
"It's a psychological thing. Teachers usually seem bigger than they really are."
"Is that so? But she's surprisingly heavy. It's getting harder."
Iruki laughed.
"Of course, she's human, so she'd be heavy. Women are made of bones, muscles, and flesh. Did you think they'd be as light as a feather?"
Shirone had never really thought about it that way, but he did expect her to be lighter.
But the fact that he had never even held a woman's hand, let alone carried her, made this experience strange.
"Huh, I know that much. But it's really hard. I can't even go to school like this."
"What if we used magic? Air magic?"
"No matter what, she's still a teacher, so that might not be appropriate…"
Shirone, still struggling with the situation, couldn't help but think how unfair it was.
"What is this? There are three men, and yet one woman can't be carried? I should've learned swordsmanship instead. If he were my friend, he could carry me, who carried Teacher Siana."
His friend was none other than Lian.
Though they didn't know him, Neid and Iruki seemed to feel newly inferior to each other due to their poor physical strength.
But Siana was actually heavier than expected, and she didn't have the physical strength to fight against those who focused only on books.
"What can I do? The only exercise I get is breathing. But I'm good at using my head."
Iruki snapped his fingers.
"Then use your head. The inspector has a schema. You should learn it right now. What do you think, Shirone?"
"Does that even make sense? How can you suddenly learn a schema?"
"But you can still try. I did the Spirit Zone in one go. Didn't you?"
Neid asked, stunned.
"You entered the Spirit Zone without knowing it was the Spirit Zone?"
Iruki laughed.
"That sounds just like you. Nothing's impossible for you. The basic principles are the same, anyway. Schema."
Now that Shirone thought about it, Iruki's words made sense. It's always better to try than to guess without doing anything.
"Should I really do this? Should I really give it a try? Actually, my arms are so sore I might die."
Neid pushed him further.
"Go ahead, try it. I heard you can project a body image from a state of no-self. So…"
"I know what that is. Just wait. Focus."
While the others stayed silent, Shirone closed his eyes, focusing on his body's sensations.
No-self, just before entering the spirit zone.
It's about awakening all your senses by projecting a body image there.
"Euuuuuh… Eaaah! Ah, no. It's getting harder."
Iruki, holding back laughter, spoke up.
"Idiot, are you sure you can do this? Specializing in the Spirit Zone means you're against the schema."
"Poohahaha!"
Unable to hold back, Neid burst into laughter. Shirone turned around, eyes wide open.
"Hey, damn it! I'm not doing it anymore! Change it!"
In the end, the three of them decided to take turns carrying Siana.
But before they could even make it halfway, Neid collapsed, and Iruki didn't manage to move more than ten steps.
Shirone, who had to lift Siana again with his aching arms, was left speechless.
"Hey, don't we look pathetic?"
"It's rude to say out loud what you could just think, Shirone."
After Neid's comment, all three fell silent.
It wasn't that they felt bad about themselves. They were just too tired to speak.
As they arrived at school, Shirone suddenly spoke.
"You know… let's stop this."
"That's it? What do you mean?"
"Dealing with Siana about today."
"Hmmm…"
It was true that Neid felt guilty.
But this was a matter of life or death for the research group.
"But there's no good solution. Have you come up with a way to protect the study group?"
"No. Of course, I'm not going to oppose the fate of the organization. But I think this should be separate from that. To be honest, today… it must've been a really sad day for Siana."
The friends, thinking about it from Siana's perspective, fell silent.
Sacrificing one's eyes for one's own cause, then saying goodbye to someone precious, isn't something that can be solved with just a drink.
"Yes, I know. But the research group matters to me too. You might not know, but I inherited this position directly from the previous president. The research group is really being disbanded because of me…"
Iruki agreed.
"I understand your position. The decision is yours. We're just the members, after all."
Neid sighed.
"I wouldn't be saying this if it were something else. To be honest, Siana is a tough person to deal with. She has no weaknesses. A prickly personality, flawless plans, and she manages her students so well. She even told me to quit, worrying about Shirone overloading. To beat someone so tight-lipped, you have to resort to tricks."
'These are…'
Siana, who had been quietly listening while riding on Shirone's back, started to cry.
To be honest, she was a little out of it when she was drunk, but now she was almost sober.
"But now you know."
Shirone said, breaking the silence.
"Why did you choose the path of a teacher? Why were you obsessed with overflow? Teacher Siana doesn't want us to follow the same path as you."
"Tch! I know that much. Honestly, you're one of the people I respect."
Neid stopped talking, but couldn't look away from Shirone and Iruki's gazes.
"Okay! What you saw today is invalid! Let's keep everything about what happened today between us. The study group will rethink everything starting tomorrow. What do you think?"
Iruki nodded.
"No complaints. We're the villains anyway. Actually, I owe a lot to Professor Siana. Even though her words can be cold, she always stands by her students when it matters."
Shirone agreed.
"Then let's do this. No matter what difficulties we face in the future, we'll never reveal what happened today. It's separate from the study group."
"Okay, done!"
Once the decision was made, they felt a sense of relief. Shirone and his group walked to the magic school with lighter hearts.
No one knew that Siana had already sobered up.
As they neared the school's main gate, Shirone, half-exhausted, stopped when he saw a guard with a torch. It wasn't yet midnight, so the night shift hadn't finished.
Shirone halted.
"What should we do? If we go in like this, strange rumors might start. Besides, we're leaving without permission."
"No worries. Let's use magic from here on. I'll float Miss Siana, so hold on a second."
"Yeah. Teacher, put her down. Iruki, help me."
As Shirone bent his knees, the weight on his back suddenly disappeared.
Surprised, he turned around to see Siana standing upright. She no longer looked drunk, and her eyes were clear.
"Okay, teacher?"
Shirone, feeling empty, sat down on the ground.
If I could walk, what was the point of all this suffering?
Neid asked.
"Teacher, are you really okay?"
"Of course. Do you think I'd get that drunk?"
Shirone made a sad face.
"But why…?"
"If you eat expensive food, you should pay for it. You really didn't want all this trouble?"
Of course, it had only been a short time since she'd sobered up. Even though she's a great sorceress, she couldn't just use her powers to evaporate alcohol already in her bloodstream.
"Anyway, follow me. If you want to sneak in quietly."
As Siana walked toward the gate, Shirone and his group followed, almost as if in a trance.
The guard, recognizing her face, blinked sleepily and greeted her.
"Ah! Good evening, Ms. Siana."
"Yes, thank you for your hard work."
"But… did you go out with the students?"
"Yes. I took them on a field trip."
"Oh, I see. Thank you for your hard work. Have a good night."
According to school rules, students weren't allowed to enter the building at night, but if they were with a teacher, it wasn't an issue.
Shirone and his group hurried past the gate, still nervous the guard might call them back.
Once they entered the central park safely, Siana suddenly turned and glared at her students.
"You."
"Hic!"
Shirone finally felt it in his skin. They had returned to Alpheus Magic School.
"I'll just let today's events slide."
"...Yes?"
"I'll keep this between us. I won't report it to the school or tell anyone. And I'll give you another month. That's the most I can do for you."
"..."
"Find a way to convince the school within a month. Whether you hold a presentation or bring in a ghost, it's up to you. If you really care about the study group, fight for it. That's my teaching philosophy and how I show love for my students."
The students were deeply moved.
They couldn't believe those words came from Siana and not another teacher.
Thank god.
Neid clenched his fist.
"Yes! Please look forward to it. The study group will prove its worth. I'm sure you'll be surprised!"
Iruki joined in.
"Well, panicking isn't really our style. Maybe we should let loose this time?"
Siana smiled bitterly as she watched her students regain their confidence.
It's true that when their enthusiasm reaches the sky, she feels anxious first. But on the other hand, she looks forward to what kind of crazy stunt they'll pull next.
Haha, try hard, you annoying students.