Volume 16 - CH 16

I was going to visit Professor Slayley's workshop at the Austin Academy of Magic to have the curse of the "Mad King" lifted, but I heard another person screaming on the other side.

「........Professor had gone to make tea, hadn't he?」

Kaede asks me with a dubious look.

「I thought so too, but...」

「Just wait a little longer, and I'll make you some tea from a live mandragora.」

The professor said from the back, is that what you mean?

「No, I'd rather have regular tea. I thought we were supposed to die if we heards mandragoras screams?」

Kaede was worried, but if it's alive now, it's probably fine.

「It's fine. It's still small. It's also covered by a magic barrier, so there's no problem.」

As expected, the professor seemed to have taken this into consideration.

You can't afford to have anyone die.

The black tea came out―but it was more bitter and tasteless than I expected.

「Tsk, give me some regular tea.」

I demanded, frowning.

「Sorry, this is all I have.」

「Be prepared next time. No, I'll bring you some good tea leaves next time.」

I say, realizing that it's definitely safer to bring my own.

「Thank you for that. Maybe it's because I'm going to make them the guinea pig, but students don't come here very often, haha.」

「That's obvious, isn't it?」

Kaede add tsukomi, but I think Serina was wrong about the information, too.

Maybe she was told that he was a difficult professor to deal with, but it wasn't a matter of politeness.

「Professor, let me ask you one thing, about the black sea anemone――」

「Thanks for the wait! I've brought him here.」

Serina came back with the "Mad King".

「Oh, you brought him here.」

「I had a hard time. I was stopped by the guards at the main gate, who said no outsiders were allowed in. I had no choice but to tell them that he was an experimental material for Professor Slayley, and they managed to let me through. ...... I'm sorry, was that okay?」

「Yeah, that's totally fine. I see. So this is the cursed armor.」

「Yes, you shouldn't get too close to it. ......」

Serina was worried, but the "Mad King" was quiet, as if he had been told of the situation.

「You can hear our voice, right?」

The "Mad King" nodded his head. He was a large man in full plate armor, but his nodding was narrow.

「Can you try to speak something for me?」

「Guaah!　Grrrr... guah!」

「Hou-hou, you've got the voice of a beast. Thank you.――Dispel the formation and turn back the tide. Break it down, Dispel!」

The professor tried to cast a spell, but .......

「How it is?」

「Gaa?」

「Oh, it's a failure. Well, it looks like I'm still not up to the task. Haha.」

The professor says with a light smile, but I guess I missed my guess.

「Gu, gururu...」

The "Mad King" is on all fours and looks shocked, but I guess Serina told him to expect that the curse would be lifted.

「C-cheer up, okay」

「Well, there's got to be another way.」

「Exactly. You might want to ask "Laplace's Demon".」

The professor said.

「Laplace?」

As I recall, that was a concept that mathematicians came up with. No, is it any different here, in the other world?

「It's a demon sealed in the "hidden library" of this academy ― the forbidden spell sealing area. He is said to be omniscient and omnipotent, so he might be able to teach you a better way. Well, you need the Headmaster's permission.」

「Hmm, I'll talk to the headmaster.」

「I wonder if it's okay. Don't blow up the headmaster's office or anything, okay?」

Serina was already anxious, but I don't want to destroy the headmaster's office or the school either.

So I guess I have no use for this place anymore.

「Thank you for your help, Professor Slayley. Thank you.」

「Nonono, Alec-kun, I'll make you some tea and you can come back and be my guinea pig. I'm sure I'll be able to test some rather dangerous items.」

「No, I'll bring you the tea, but I'm not going to be your guinea pig.」

「What did he do to you?」

「Well, one of my arms.」

「What?」

As I was talking, I heard a rattling noise behind me, and it seemed that something had gone haywire again in the box in the back.

It's probably a cursed item anyway, so there's no need to star longer.

「Let's go.」

「Ah, yes. Well, thank you for your time, professor.」

「No, what? Students are always welcome here.」

We left Professor Slayley's workshop.