Chapter 27: Q&A Session

“Ugh, I—I’m so embarrassed I can’t even look at your face, A‑kun…”

“Me too… I never imagined I’d be such a rookie.”

I noticed that Liluria and Sylha, who had just witnessed that kiss, were still completely flustered.

They were probably upset that, just as I was slowly growing close to them, Professor Zenon suddenly appeared and snatched that opportunity away.

They went off on all sorts of tangents—complaining about things like, “Even though you haven’t been with me yet,” and “It really annoys me that you’re smirking after that kiss.”

So, as a solution, I told the two of them.

“Then, Liluria and Sylha, why don’t you both kiss me too?”

After hearing my words, the two of them deliberated for about a minute before finally deciding.

“Fine,” they said.

First, Liluria immediately kissed me without any hesitation.

Since kissing on the lips was far too embarrassing, she—like Professor Zenon—opted to kiss me on the cheek.

After pressing her lips against my cheek for only a moment before pulling away, Liluria turned bright red—almost comically so—and dashed off to her room on the second floor.

She was probably rolling around on her futon in embarrassment.

Next up was Sylha.

As expected, Sylha had a hard time going through with the kiss.

Right from the start, her face turned bright red with overwhelming bashfulness.

I think she repeated the “I’ll do it? → No, I really can’t!” routine about five times.

It was so exasperating that I threatened, “If you don’t do it within the next ten seconds, I’ll do it myself!” That finally steeled her resolve.

Just like Liluria’s kiss—a mere, fleeting touch of the lips on the cheek—it must have been incredibly embarrassing for Sylha as well.

She said she was going outside for a bit, then returned after sprinting around the neighborhood about ten times.

“Well, I always thought I was a rookie too, but watching you two gave me some courage.”

“Ugh, shut it. Everyone has a first time.”

“And if I may say so, it’s just that everyone else is way too lewd.”

Taking Professor Zenon’s suggestion that, since we live under the same roof, there’s no need for restraint, we all became comfortable enough to talk casually.

But there’s still so much we don’t know about Professor Zenon.

So, we immediately decided to hold a Q&A session.

In the order of myself, Liluria, and Sylha, we began asking questions.

“Why do you call me ‘darling’?”

“Because you touched my ear, you’re my darling. And you’ll have to take responsibility, you know?”

“Are you serious, you loli-elf!?”
“I only touched your ear, you know!?”

“Zenon, how old are you now? You’ve been famous as a sage since before I was born.”
“About 120, I guess? I forgot the exact age.”

“I see. So in human terms, you’d be like three years old…?”
“Exactly—just a freshly born three-year-old… but that’s not how it works! In human terms, I’m about twenty!”

It seems that even in this world, elves live long lives.
If 120 years is equivalent to twenty in human terms, does that mean they can live up to around 500?
I’m a bit envious.

“By the way, after trying to kill me, how can you still call me ‘darling’? What were you planning to do if I had really died?”
“Because I knew that my darling possessed a mysterious defensive technique, I was convinced you wouldn’t die. And if you had died, well, that would have been that.”
I really wish you wouldn’t just brush it off like that!
Truly, the human view on life and death in this world is insane.

“Zenon, you’re famous for having the fire and ice attributes, but do you also have the spatial attribute? That teleportation earlier was a spatial spell, right?”
“Ah, if that’s the case, it’s thanks to the power of this.”
Zenon said that while showing the ring on her left index finger.

It was a generally dark, unassuming ring.
But in contrast to its plain decoration, the stone set inside shone with a dazzling brilliance.

“This ring is a teleportation ring. It consumes a great deal of magic power, but whoever holds it can freely use teleportation magic with the spatial attribute.”
“What? Isn’t that just too incredible…?”
It’s an ability that’s far too extraordinary.
Is it really acceptable for one person to possess something like this?
If I could use teleportation magic, I’d be able to spy on the women’s changing room or the female bath as much as I wanted.
And even if I got caught, I could just teleport away—and my alibi would be rock-solid.
…Will you lend it to me next time?

“Of course, this isn’t mine. It’s a national treasure of the Elves. I’m merely entrusted with its safekeeping.”
Being tasked with guarding a national treasure—how much trust do they have in you?
It appears that Zenon is recognized as an important figure not only in human society but also in elven society.

“Zenon, seriously, how much do you have in savings? Do sages really get rich?”
“Hmm… I’ve converted most of my assets into land and buildings, but altogether, it’s probably not less than one billion.”
Wha—one billion!?

“Hey, my wife, how are you? I’m a little short on cash right now. Could you lend me just one hundred million?”
This guy—he immediately had a glazed look in his eyes when he heard ‘one billion’!
And then, even after saying it’s just a little, demanding one hundred million is outrageously bold.
“I’m sorry, though I have plenty of assets, I don’t have that much liquid cash.”
“Tch.”
He started clicking his tongue the moment he realized he wasn’t getting any money!
“It’s refreshing, really. I’m so glad you don’t love me just for my money.”

Sorry, Sylha was also after money at first.

“Well, even if it’s not a lot, I do have around ten million.”
“Oh, my beloved wife!”
“I’ve got you wrapped around my little finger.”
I wonder… is it really okay for me to love someone like this?
I’m starting to wonder if it’s even alright for me to fall in love with someone like this.

Well, I feel like our conversation has gone pretty off-topic, but I guess we’ve managed to ask most of the things we wanted to know.
Sensing our vibe, Zenon then said, as if it were her turn:

“Then, I’d like to hear about you all. My mind is completely filled with my fascination with you.”

She looked each of us in the eye before continuing:

“Rekuria Kingdom’s former second princess, Liluria-na; Sylha, the 9th-ranked R-class ranker of the Adventurer’s Association; and Aō—a boy possessing a mysterious power that defies belief. I’ve never seen such an extraordinary group. I simply can’t get enough of you.”

Zenon looked us over and, playfully sticking her tongue out, gave a mysterious smile.