Right after Yujin made his stern declaration, all the hallucinations disappeared.
When her vision cleared, everything began to appear normal once more.
However, Elicia couldn’t bring herself to look at anything else. Her gaze was entirely fixated on Yujin’s narrow eyes. She couldn’t focus on anything else.
No matter how often she looked at them, his eyes were mesmerizing. They glittered like rubies, radiated a captivating brilliance, yet carried a weight as thick and vivid as blood. The more she looked, the more she was drawn to their irresistible charm.
Lost in a daze as she stared at Yujin, Elicia finally snapped back to her senses only after Yujin let go of the blade he had been holding.
“…Ah, ah!”
Elicia hurriedly dropped the sword. As soon as she did, the blade disintegrated into petals.
“I-I’m so sorry, Professor! Are you hurt anywhere…?”
“Haha, I’m not hurt at all, Your Highness. So there’s no need to worry too much.”
Yujin repeatedly opened and closed the fingers that had held the blade. A faint trace of demonic power lingered on his fingertips.
However, like he had said, there was no wound. When he lightly flicked his hand, even the residual demonic power dispersed completely in an instant.
“More importantly, are you all right, Your Highness? It seems the demon’s consciousness tried to play a trick on you.”
“Y-Yes… I’m fine. But to think I pointed my sword at you…”
“I already told you, it’s fine. There’s no harm done, and if anything, it’s my fault for not responding more swiftly. Still, it’s a relief that you’re unharmed, Your Highness.”
Yujin who was still exuding an air of composure spoke reassuringly. Hearing his words, Elicia seemed somewhat relieved, but her expression remained clouded. It was clear that the fact she had swung a blade at Yujin weighed heavily on her mind.
“I’m so sorry…”
“It’s fine. It was the demon’s trickery, after all. Please, raise your head. If you keep bowing like that, it’ll make me feel uncomfortable.”
“…Yes…”
At his words, Elicia lifted her head. Seeing this, Yujin turned away and began to survey their surroundings.
“Still, the aftermath of what just happened seems to have left quite a mess here.”
“Ah…”
Elicia’s body was that of a demon. It was only natural that the clash of her sword strike and Yujin’s strength had left the area in complete disarray.
“Let’s tidy this up a bit.”
Snap!
Yujin muttered as if it was no big deal and snapped her fingers. Immediately, a high-level spell began to unfold.
Woooooom!
In an instant, everything around them began returning to its original place, as if time itself were rewinding. Elicia’s eyes widened at the sight.
“…This is… time magic.”
“You recognized it, Your Highness?”
Yujin replied to her murmur. Elicia nodded her head.
“After you came by yesterday, Professor… I did a little research about you on my own. Ah, i-if you found it rude or unpleasant—”
“Haha, not at all. There’s nothing to be upset about. It’s natural for a student to be curious about their professor. You don’t need to be so overly cautious about every little thing. Besides, you’re royalty, aren’t you?”
If a member of the imperial family acted overly deferential toward a mere professor, that in itself could cause issues. While it was just the two of them here now, and Yujin was someone of considerable fame, the difference in their social status made her behavior seem a bit excessive.
“Yes…”
Of course, Elicia was well aware of how excessively cautious she was being around Yujin. She knew full well that there was no need to act this way, and yet…
Why am I acting like this? Really, why?
Elicia was known throughout the empire for her image as a lofty, untouchable flower. In public, she always maintained the noble and dignified demeanor befitting that reputation.
Ever since she resolved to grow stronger, she had deliberately behaved this way to avoid revealing any hint of weakness.
Naturally, she bowed her head to certain individuals who warranted such respect, like the academy’s Headmistress Ines Karandar, but she didn’t go out of her way to act so carefully just to avoid offending people in general.
Yet, in front of Yujin, she felt as if she was somehow… different. Words that would usually flow effortlessly now stumbled, and her typically composed demeanor gave way to clumsy, awkward movements.
It might have been because of Yujin’s immense power or the hidden secrets she pretended not to notice, but…
Elicia instinctively felt that it wasn’t just that.
This was… something else entirely.
“For now, please take a seat, Your Highness. I’ve suppressed the rampaging demonic power for the time being, so it should remain quiet for a while. Let’s start by giving you some time to get used to it.”
“Ah, yes!”
At those words, Elicia took her seat. Yujin also sat down across from her.
“Let’s start with sensing the demonic power, shall we? Of course, sensing its presence is a very basic step, but the demonic power you possess, Your Highness, belongs to a transcendent being.”
“Yes.”
At his words, Elicia closed her eyes for a moment and focused on the demonic power within her.
Swish…
The demonic power exuded a sweet, almost intoxicating fragrance, as though it could enchant countless beings in an instant. It reminded her of a flower.
“I… I can feel it.”
“Then, can you try moving it?”
At his question, Elicia attempted to control the demonic power, much like she would normally handle the aura she had always wielded.
However…
It won’t move.
The demonic power, which had gone wild with excitement when its seal was broken earlier, now seemed to cower like a frightened mouse hiding in its hole and showed no signs of budging.
The vivid sensation she’d felt just moments ago when she had wielded the demonic power and even used it to form a sword was still fresh in her mind. But now, it was as though that moment had never happened. The demonic power refused to respond.
“…It’s not moving.”
“Is that so? Well, I had a rough idea this might happen. It seems the demon’s consciousness has a firm grip on the demonic power’s control. After all, losing control over that would leave it utterly powerless.”
“…That might be part of it, but… it feels almost like it’s afraid.”
“Afraid? Are you saying it seems scared?”
“Yes, that’s what it feels like, though it’s just a faint impression.”
At her response, Yujin tilted his head slightly. Then he directed his thoughts toward Tiamat.
Tia, does the energy of a transcendent being have something akin to consciousness?
[…Hmph, I don’t know. Why don’t you try figuring that out yourself?]
…?
The problem was that Tiamat seemed to know something but clearly had no intention of sharing it with Yujin.
All she could feel was growing frustration.
[Not long ago, you were calling me your top priority and whatnot, but now you’re putting all your attention on that girl.]
Tiamat was particularly irritated by Yujin’s gentle demeanor toward Elicia. Just before they entered this room, he had been spewing nonsense about how she was his most precious person, his family, and so on. Now, Tiamat really didn’t like the way he was acting as if he was trying to seduce Elicia.
Hmm…
Of course, for Yujin, it was hard not to let out a wry smile at the situation. Tiamat clearly had no intention of offering her help at the moment.
Well, I suppose I’ll just have to soothe Tia later…
For now, there wasn’t much he could do to appease Tiamat, so he decided to set that matter aside. Instead, Yujin expanded his senses as a transcendent being.
Specifically, he focused those senses on Elicia, intending to thoroughly observe her current state. Like Tiamat had suggested, he decided to figure it out on his own.
He began to assess her condition.
The demonic power is frightened… That seems about right, but something feels a bit off.
It was true that the energy of a transcendent being didn’t simply yield to the will of someone without control. Even Yujin, before becoming a transcendent, had faintly sensed that he wouldn’t have been able to use the mana within Tiamat’s heart without her permission.
But this situation was slightly different from that. It wasn’t just that Elicia lacked control over the demonic power.
…Ah, I see.
Yujin glanced subtly around the room.
In reality, he had deliberately spread his mana throughout Elicia’s dormitory room. Naturally, this was a precaution to immediately suppress the demonic power if it went berserk. In a way, this room could now be considered his domain.
The demonic power of the demon had already lost to him in a battle of territories. With the room essentially transformed into Yujin’s domain, the demonic power could no longer act recklessly.
In a sense, it could be said that it had retreated with its metaphorical tail between its legs after losing the territorial fight. Just like Elicia had said, it was behaving as if it were afraid.
It’s a simpler problem than I thought. In that case…
Yujin considered withdrawing his mana for a moment but then shook his head. Whether he withdrew it or not, Elicia wouldn’t be able to control the demonic power as she wished in her current state.
If that was the case, it would be better to stick to the initial plan of giving her time to adjust. With that conclusion, Yujin spoke.
“In that case, let’s keep things as they are for now. Your Highness, continue sensing the demonic power and focus on getting used to it.”
“Yes.”
“Then… shall we start with a light counseling session? I’m not a professional counselor, though.”
At Yujin’s words, Elicia slowly opened her eyes and asked,
“…Counseling?”
“Yes, that’s correct. After all, the stronger Your Highness becomes internally, the easier it will be to take control of not just your body but also the demonic power. Ah, and please continue to stay in the state of sensing the demonic power.”
“Ah, yes. But… what will the counseling be about…”
“The topic of counseling… hmm, I see. It might be a bit of a sensitive subject…”
After a moment of contemplation, Yujin turned to Elicia and asked,
“Let’s talk about any traumas or other mental issues Your Highness may be dealing with.”
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