I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 856 – Side Story 129: Masterpiece and Fragrance (1)

Waking from a dream is truly regrettable. Moreover, if that dream was truly happy, anyone would hesitate to wake up. They would pull the covers over themselves again, close their eyes, and hope to continue the dream.

But it doesn't work that way. A dream once interrupted doesn't return. The moment you realize it's a dream, it's destined to end.

'Truly short. A pleasant dream.'

Rudger felt a certain pull. It was a sensation he had forgotten until now, yet at the same time had grown familiar with.

Following where it led, he was finally able to open his eyes again in reality. What he saw before him was Casey Selmore.

Not much different from when she had put the ring on him just moments ago. Still beautiful and lovely. But that was himself from another world. Casey seemed to be the same.

Her eyes widened in surprise, but she soon recognized reality and her expression settled.

"How strange."

Casey said, looking down at the core of the mirror world. She understood that the dreamlike phenomenon she had experienced wasn't simply a dream. It was another reality. A reality of possibility where she and Rudger had come together.

Recognizing this, Casey's face flushed red without her realizing it.

'Is this man not affected at all?'

Casey glanced at Rudger's expression. He had just experienced such a thing, yet his face was indifferent.

She felt annoyed that she seemed to be the only one conscious of it, and felt gloomy thinking she might be the only one taking it seriously.

So without realizing it, she poked Rudger's arm. An expression of sulking, just like her counterpart from that other world had done.

Normally she wouldn't have done that. The fact that Casey acted this way was likely because the aftereffects of the mirror world still remained.

"Ah."

Rudger made a sound, "Ah," and stared at Casey. His eyes, which had seemed indifferent to the point of languidness, appeared to widen slightly.

"...Are you alright?"

Rudger asked. Casey felt a subtle sense of discord at that reaction.

'What. His reaction is somehow duller than usual.'

Rudger was always thorough and far from the word carelessness. Yet such a person didn't react until she poked him like this, showing such a dull appearance.

Casey examined Rudger's appearance carefully.

"Ahaha."

A smile formed as the corners of her mouth lifted without her realizing it.

"Why are you laughing?" 

"Hmm. No, it's nothing. I'm fine, but what about you? Actually, I'm more worried about you."

Casey had a triumphant expression like someone who had won a match. Rudger couldn't understand why she was making that face. However, seeing her like that, he felt oddly relieved. He was glad she seemed to have quickly escaped the aftereffects of her first experience with the mirror world.

"This is the first time I haven't realized it until it ended like this." 

"Was it different when you used it before?" 

"I've realized midway through that it was like a dream before. This is the first time I only noticed after it was all over. This is another curious situation."

Rudger stroked his chin at the fact that the data had increased. However, proving why this time was different seemed difficult.

He would have to use it several more times in the future.

"That means I can say I'm special, right?" 

"Does it work that way?" 

"Why not? You said my case was the first." 

"Well, it's not wrong. If you want to call it special, then special it is." 

"Ehehe." 

"..."

Why was she getting excited and laughing by herself? Rudger didn't bother asking the reason,

"Thank you all for your hard work!"

Because Rene, accompanied by researchers, was approaching from afar.

The data from the mirror world had now been collected three times. The number was still small. When using experimental animals instead of Rudger, it was even harder to know.

It would be good if people went in directly, but they still didn't know what dangers might exist. The only ones capable were Rudger and Rene, who could use spatial magic.

Rene couldn't enter the mirror world herself because she was the chief director of the experiment. She found this quite regrettable. But she didn't throw a tantrum. She too was a proper adult who knew how to take responsibility for her position.

'In the end, the only method is to send volunteers along with me at the forefront.'

And the subjects to send had to be people who had some acquaintance with this side. When they tried using the mirror world once with someone they were seeing for the first time, it wasn't as satisfactory a result as before.

One of the researchers was meeting Rudger for the first time, and the world they entered together was an ordinary place with nothing special.

A world where the only thing present was Rudger working at the same workplace as that researcher. Rudger even realized immediately upon entering that this was a different world.

'They say it moves to find a world of infinite possibilities, but does this mean that with people who aren't greatly related, the number of such worlds is extremely small and there aren't many elements worth observing?'

In the end, naturally, it was decided to go back to doing it with people who had connections.

"..."

Rudger stared at the person standing before him.

"What? Why are you looking at me with those eyes?"

Did she feel burdened by his silence? The other party responded somewhat curtly.

"No. It's nothing. Rather, this is unexpected. Flora."

Rudger asked Flora, who had volunteered.

"I thought you wouldn't be interested in this kind of thing." 

"If I wasn't interested, would our Lumos family have provided massive funding for this experiment? The money invested here isn't just from the imperial family, you know?"

Surprisingly, this mirror world experiment Rene was conducting was a full-scale experiment supported even by the Lumos and Ulburg families.

No wonder it seemed they were using quite a few supreme-grade magic stones just to operate one mirror world, using them as if breathing.

"So, did you come to check the experimental results?" 

"No. I'm not interested in that kind of thing. There's only one reason I came."

Rudger realized what Flora was trying to say.

"You were my partner today." 

"Do you dislike it?"

Flora asked curtly. Her eyebrows raised and her lips pouted. Others might think she was angry, but Rudger thought the opposite.

'She's feeling anxious.'

Her self-defense mechanism had activated for a possible situation. She had become an adult and was doing well in external activities as the Duke of Lumos, he had heard. But Flora still retained traces of her younger self.

"There's no way I'd dislike it. Rather, I asked because it felt too good for me."

When Rudger spoke with humility, Flora's expression softened smoothly. Flora wasn't unaware that those were honeyed words. Living in an aristocratic society, how could she not distinguish such things?

But what mattered was that it was Rudger who said it. Rudger didn't speak carelessly. Just the fact that he said such things to make her feel better was a very valuable experience for Flora.

"Too good for you, indeed. Since this is my first time, you can guide me well, right?" 

"I'll do my best to escort you."

Rudger stepped onto the mirror world together with Flora Lumos.

The familiar scene unfolded again as the mirror world activated. Flora, who had only heard about it and was seeing it for the first time in reality, showed admiration mixed with some tension.

"You don't need to be nervous. Just think of it as having a nice dream."

Simultaneously with Rudger's advice, his vision flashed and flickered.

"Wake up. Hello?"

Rudger's consciousness returned at the sweet voice he heard in his sleep. But he didn't open his eyes. Rather, it was because the other person started fussing over him first.

"Honestly. When I tell you to sleep, you don't, but you always sleep like this when you're busy?"

The voice nagging him as if unable to handle him was Flora's familiar one.

Rudger was already awake, but deliberately continued pretending to sleep. Flora quietly looked down at Rudger like that.

"Sigh. If you're going to sleep anyway, there's a separate duty room next door, so sleep there. Why on earth do you try to sleep on this uncomfortable sofa?"

Flora looked at Rudger lying on the sofa as if he was pathetic. Then her expression soon softened as she carefully stroked his cheek with her hand.

Flora, who was looking at him with an utterly loving gaze, found her eyes drawn to Rudger's lips without realizing it.

-Gulp

After swallowing, she swept her hair back with her hand. Then she slowly brought her face close to Rudger's lips.

The moment the distance became close enough to feel each other's breath.

"Flora?"

Rudger opened his eyes and was staring intently at her.

"...!"

Flora was startled and pulled her body back. In doing so, she accidentally knocked over a small pile of documents beside her.

Flora didn't know what to do, looking at the scattered documents and materials. Her face was flushed redder than ever before.

"I-If you were awake, you should have said something!" 

"Sorry. I thought I'd get nagged if I just woke up." 

"...Those words right now, you're asking me to do it more, right?" 

"Oh my, did it sound that way?"

Rudger made a light gesture. Subtle mana arose and organized all the scattered documents with telekinesis.

Flora quietly watched that scene. For her, who visualized magic through smell and sight, Rudger's magic looked like a beautiful work of art.

Even magic used casually was displayed like a masterpiece that made one unable to help but admire it. It was natural for her gaze to be captivated.

"Hmm. But what brings you here? I thought there was no separate schedule today." 

"No separate schedule? Today is the time for you to give a speech in the auditorium!" 

"Hmm. Was it? In the first place, the students don't even like my speeches, so is there really a need to do it? It would be much more beneficial if our capable vice-chancellor took care of it."

Even with Rudger's praise, Flora's expression didn't soften. She scolded Rudger with a stern expression.

"Please have some awareness that you're the chancellor of Theon!"

At the words "chancellor of Theon," Rudger scratched his head.

"It's not like I wanted it."

When the previous chancellor, Elisa Willow, suddenly stepped down for personal reasons, they naturally came to select the next chancellor. However, before leaving, Elisa Willow wrote a letter of recommendation, and it was for Rudger Chelici.

Originally, the opportunity to be chancellor was given to teachers with high seniority, but Rudger's seniority wasn't that long.

However, no one opposed him. Because his magical aptitude was something even teachers with high seniority couldn't dare approach.

His reputation was also solid, so Rudger was able to rise to the position of chancellor of Theon without much opposition.

"Do you think I don't know that? I'm also busy just with the Lumos family's affairs, yet I'm taking time to come here like this!"

And Flora Lumos, who was nagging before him, was the current head and duke of the Lumos family, and the honorary vice-chancellor of Theon.

Right now, their relationship was one where she regularly visited the chancellor's office to nag like this.