Snoc, Elena, Walwiss, and Pina arrived after Leona. They came with several other Sunewick mages and weren’t stunned by the large crowd that gathered around them. Though they were celebrated as much as Leona’s team, they played along with the crowd and skillfully got away. After greeting the Pope and the Saintess at Yuras, they went to visit Zich and Lyla.
“Master!”
“Master!”
Snoc and Elena shouted at the same time. Like dogs seeing their owners after a long time, each of them went off to their respective teachers. Elena and Snoc responded the same way, but Zich and Lyla responded differently when they saw their ex-disciples.
“It’s been a while, Elena!” Lyla greeted Elena with a bright smile.
“What are you running toward me for?” Zich chided and ruffled Snoc’s hair. Yet, it appeared that Zich was also in a good mood, and there was a slight smile hanging on his lips.
Koo!
“Oh, Nowem. How have you been doing? I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t seen you for long, but you seem to have gained some weight?”
Koo? Nowem studied his body in surprise, and Lyla looked up from patting Elena’s head.
“Really? A mythical beast can also gain weight? This is my first time hearing such information.” Lyla’s eyes reflected a mage’s characteristically curious gaze. Nowem shuddered because it was a gaze he was very familiar with; all the mages who said they wanted to experiment on him looked at him with such eyes.
“Huh? Really? I didn’t notice 'cause he’s always with me.”
When Elena also looked at him with the same gaze, Nowem cried out, “Koo!” and dug deeper into Snoc’s chest inside his clothes. Soon, Snoc’s chest area wiggled and calm down. It seemed like Nowem had taken a perfect seat inside Snoc’s clothes and had no intention of leaving for a while.
“Please stop joking. Look at how scared Nowem gets.”
“Hahaha. This guy has a lot of fear for a mythical beast. To think he would get so scared of a little joke like this. Don’t you think so?” Zich laughed and asked Lyla and Elena.
“A joke?”
“Joking about what, sir?”
“...Hm. As I thought, mages are a completely different species that defies expectations. Protect Nowem well, Snoc.”
“...I am staying in the magical tower right now. Can I really protect him well?”
“If you don’t, your friend will get sliced into small pieces.”
Koo! Snoc’s chest area wiggled again. It sounded like Nowem was thumping on Snoc’s chest with his front legs. He was signaling to Snoc to protect him.
“Haha, I was joking, Nowem. There’s no way I would do that.”
“Yes, I was just joking with my master. That’s all.”
Koo?
Nowem peeked out with his face after hearing Lyla and Elena’s words. Fortunately, the dangerous look in their eyes had disappeared. Nowem let out a sigh of relief and while maintaining his wariness against the two, he climbed up Snoc’s shoulders again. It seemed like he was prepared to jump into Snoc’s chest as soon as something happened.
“Did I tease him too much?” Elena made a bitter smile. Since she was excited to meet Lyla, she had gone a bit further on the joke than usual.
“Tch, tch. That’s why you shouldn’t push things too far. Nowem must be shocked after all the teasing he got.” Walwiss walked in late behind Snoc and Elena and clicked his tongue. “You are still hung up on one mythical beast at your age.”
Walwiss looked at Nowem, and Nowem’s eyes brightened as if he was seeing his savior. Yet, when Walwiss made an ominous smile, all the hair on Nowem’s body rose.
“I dissected many mythical beasts when I was your age...”
Kooo!
Nowem dug into Snoc’s chest again, and Snoc’s clothes kept shuddering. After that, it took quite a long time for Nowem to come outside again.
***
“Sir Dwayne, you are also quite mischievous.”
“Haha, I didn’t think he would be so shocked by a light joke like that. I’m more surprised than him. Is he really a mythical beast? You didn’t just get a random mole from the fields?”
Kooo! Nowem stopped nibbling the cookies on the table and protested. He had calmed down considerably at this point.
“Huh? What? You want to go at it with the great mage, Walwiss Dwayne? Even if you are the mythical beast of the earth...ah! You bastard!” Nowem rushed toward his teacup and splashed his cookie-crumb-smeared front paws into the tea. Nowem stuck out his tongue at Walwiss and dug into Snoc’s clothes again.
“...It’s wet.” Snoc sighed after seeing the chest portion of his clothes become damp from Nowem’s tea-soaked legs.
“Snoc! Give me that damn mole to me! Whether he’s a mythical beast or not, I will...!”
“Stop it, Grandpa!” Though she had also teased Nowem, she thought Walwiss’ behavior was embarrassing and clutched Walwiss’ arms. Walwiss stared at Snoc’s chest area disapprovingly, but no matter how hard he glared, there was no way Snoc would rip the front part of his shirt open and Nowem would peep out.
“Urgh.”
Walwiss gave up in the end. He grumbled a few times as he saw that his teacup was missing about a third of its contents and had cookie crumbs floating on top. However, that was the extent of his reaction since he wasn’t really angry. He quickly reverted to his usual expression as he looked at Zich and Lyla and asked, “So, how have you two been?”
Both of them nodded. Zich answered, “We’ve been well.”
“Are you still doing those kind acts?”
“Of course.”
“You must have made many evil bastards cry.”
“I would appreciate it if you say that I relieved the anger and pain of innocent victims.”
“Yes, I’ll leave it at that.” Walwiss didn’t object to crushing bad guys, so it didn’t matter what Zich did to them.
“How have you been doing, Sir Dwayne?” Zich asked.
“I’ve been holed up inside my laboratory after returning to Sunewick. The last battle I fought with you left a deep impression on me.” Although Walwiss had accumulated a great amount of experience in his life, it was the first time he ever fought a battle like that. No matter how old he was, he was still an inquisitive mage. Moreover, since he was hailed as the best mage, he was always thirsty for more knowledge and ways to improve his magic. After separating from Zich, Walwiss immediately holed himself in a lab in Sunewick.
“Have you had any success?”
“Not yet, but it was extremely fun. I found something fun to experiment with in my later years.” Walwiss laughed as he talked, and he looked extremely happy. “Other than that, I spent my time teaching Elena and Snoc.”
“You must have taught Elena magic, but what else did you teach Snoc besides mana control?”
“There was nothing much to teach besides controlling his power since he’s a different type from me, and you’ve taught him the basics very well. What I taught him is the history of the magical tower and the cultural mannerism he should respect.” Walwiss stared at Snoc and Elena. “If he wants to join the Dwayne family, he should know at least that much.”
“Ah, as expected, that’s what happened.”
Snoc and Elena blushed slightly, but neither Zich nor Lyla were surprised. Before they separated, they thought that it was only a matter of time until Snoc and Elena became a couple.
“I seriously dislike him, but I guess it can’t be helped since Elena likes him.” Walwiss glared at Snoc, but he wasn’t ignoring Snoc. Walwiss would have treated any man the same no matter how skilled or what high status they held if they approached Elena.
“Look at that. She’s glaring at her dear grandpa just because I insulted her boyfriend a little. You should be prepared once you get a child too. When they meet someone they like, they’ll treat their parents, grandpa, and grandma harshly like that.”
“Oh, Grandpa!” Elena cried out.
“My ears haven’t gone deaf, child.”
Zich laughed while watching Walwiss and Elena fight and turned his head toward Snoc. “So, how’s your life in the tower?”
“It’s good, but I can’t get used to it because it’s too luxurious for me. To be honest, I’m not sure if I deserve such treatment.”
“Don’t think too hard about it.”
Considering Snoc’s background, it was a matter that troubled him, but it was a pointless concern. “You might think that you’re able to live a life like that thanks to Elena, but you’re fully capable of earning a life like that by yourself too.”
As a Dragon Slayer and Bellid Subjugator, Snoc’s reputation was renowned throughout the world. Moreover, as a magical beast’s contractor, Snoc’s ability was among the world’s best. There was a clear reason why he was called the Earth’s Tyrant and ruined a whole country before Zich’s regression. If he decided to join a country right now, he could be promised a high status. In particular, if he joined a country that was familiar with him and Zich, he could be guaranteed an even higher status.
“So don’t sweat it. Most of all, even though you’ve become independent, you’re still my disciple. You’re not going to lose to anyone, even in the magical tower.”
Snoc laughed. It had been a long time since he faced Zich’s self-confidence, which verged on arrogance. Yet, this made him feel at ease. As expected, his master was an amazing person.
“I understand, sir.”
“Then, that’s good enough.”
“Geez, how can one person try to be on equal footing as our prestigious Dwayne family of Sunewick’s magical tower? Still, it’s amazing that I can’t deny it either.” Although Walwiss had great pride in his family name, even he could not dismiss Zich’s words as mere bluff. The power and force that Zich showed at the Bellids’ main base was nothing short of astounding.
“Come to think of it, I heard that you came with Pina Acous.”
“The Karuwimans asked us to bring the dragon’s body this time, so since she owns a part of the body, I also had to bring her as well.”
“Your relationship with her seems to have gotten better.”
“As you know, the reason why such a big rift formed between our school and her school is because of the coup. Since neither of us was in the right, it’s ridiculous for us to keep hating each other. Our personal feelings subsided somewhat over time, and it wasn’t that difficult to convince her since she prioritizes restoring her school’s reputation over anything else. Also, it’s not like I have the right to say anything since I did such a bad job raising my kid.”
“But it seems like you’re still not on close terms.”
“That’s the way it originally was. Anyway, I heard that the elf was here first.”
“She came to enjoy the festival. She’s been out and about every day since she arrived in the city.”
“Didn’t the festival not start yet?”
“Yes, but there are still quite a lot of things to enjoy since there are many stores that opened early.”
“Well, no wonder. She’s the type who’s really into those things,” Walwiss replied and rose from his seat. “Then this old man will start heading out soon. The young folks need time for themselves. I’ll be browsing the streets, so why don’t you guys catch up?”
Walwiss left the room.
The remaining four started by giving updates about their life and began conversing about various topics. Since they had been separated for a while, there were endless topics to discuss, and occasional laughter burst out between their conversations. Like this, the two pairs of master and disciple talked for a long time.