Munchkin Disciple Wants to Stop Being Obsessed Over

Was I unknowingly tense?

“No, suddenly… hiccup, the hiccups… hiccup.”

The suddenly started hiccups showed no signs of stopping.

“Pfft, it seems our disciple is indeed hiding something.”

Daphne, finding me cute, continued speaking while pouring cold water into a cup.

“I’m not… hiccup.”

I gulped down the water and hiccupped again.

‘This is crazy.’

Even a calm response would be insufficient.

I’m just hiccupping away, so how suspicious must I look to Master?

Though I thought that.

Master showed an unexpectedly somewhat softened attitude.

“Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen our disciple hiccup.”

“Hiccup.”

“Come here for a moment.”

As I sat beside her, Daphne silently began pressing my wrist and the center of my spine with her fingers.

“…I think it’s stopped.”

After about 3 minutes, having miraculously regained my normal breathing, I glanced at Master’s face.

Then Master’s cherry-like lips opened again.

“Go ahead and try.”

“…?”

“Whatever mischief our disciple is plotting. I don’t know what it is, but just try it. This master will accommodate you as much as possible.”

“I don’t know what you mean by plotting… I just suddenly had the hiccups.”

“Yes, let’s say that.”

“…”

Daphne starts drinking tea again with a subtle smile.

She exuded composure. How should I put it? It felt as if she was saying:

-Whatever you do, it won’t work on me.

‘Surely she’s not expecting me to leave?’

Despite it being clearly impossible, I felt strangely anxious and uneasy.

Perhaps she peeked into my mind?

Daphne placed her teacup on the table and gazed at me intently, and embarrassed by that gaze, I changed the subject.

“When are you planning to depart?”

“Tomorrow. This time I plan to be away a bit longer.”

“By a bit longer, you mean?”

“I think it will take about a month.”

“A-A month?”

My mouth gaped open at this unexpected good news. Even a week was sufficient time to escape, but a whole month!

On the other hand, I was also curious. What kind of matter would make Master, who is such a homebody, be away for a month?

Did she see my expression? Master continued with a bright smile like a butterfly flower.

“There’s been an unsolved problem, and I’ve found a lead this time.”

“What problem?”

“A very important problem for you, and for me. So…”

What could be an important problem for both me and Master? I thought hard, but nothing specifically came to mind.

If anything, it would be the fact that I am a Vessel of Sin and the chains binding Master.

But the issue is, this isn’t a common problem for both Master and me.

While I was pondering alone.

“If you were thinking of running away, abandon that thought completely. A very important matter…”

Words striking at the core were heard.

“Pfft!”

Having been properly hit, I had to spew out water again.

“…My disciple. I’ve been wondering for a while, are you doing this on purpose?”

A lowered voice, my head rises.

I see Master who has fully received the water I spat out. She’s completely soaked. Drip, drip, water droplets are falling from platinum hair and a pretty face.

“I-I’m sorry, Master. I was surprised to hear such an outrageous statement.”

Seeing that, I jumped up and hurriedly began wiping the water mixed with my saliva using a handkerchief.

“…Yes. Someone as smart as you wouldn’t even think of impossible things. Ah… Here, give it to me for a moment. I’ll wipe that area myself.”

Was that area a bit embarrassing? Master snatched the handkerchief and, turning her head, began wiping inside her dress.

How much time had passed? Having wiped off all the moisture, Master called me with narrowed eyes and pursed lips.

“My disciple. By the way.”

Seeing that expression, I had to gulp dry saliva. Because that expression was one just before throwing a hysteric fit.

“It seems that girl named Rose or whatever came to our territory during the day…”

Sure enough. Master started revving up as usual, bringing up Rose.

“She came to say goodbye. She’s going to the academy.”

“Oh, is that so? Good news. She was quite lacking as a child. Now I’ll never see that annoying face again… I mean, ahem. Now that child can receive proper education.”

However, unlike usual, Master’s reaction was peculiar.

It was a joyful look, like a commander hearing the death news of an enemy general.

“Are you that pleased? Even though you disliked her so much.”

Because it seemed quite cute, I was able to ask a playful question.

“W-Who said I disliked her? If someone heard, they might think I was jealous of that child. Anyway. Here, take this.”

Master covered her constantly twitching mouth with her left hand, and with her right hand, took out a note from her pocket and handed it to me.

“What is this?”

“This master will be away for a month, won’t she?”

My gaze turns downward. Reading through the items listed on the note, a sigh escapes me.

Cleaning, meditation, training, and so on. My schedule for the month was densely arranged there, and seeing this made me feel stifled.

“Master, it seems the rest time is missing?”

“That was intentional. To make you just stay at home and watch the house. Our disciple has a habit of causing incidents whenever this master is away, doesn’t he?”

“…”

My mouth closed tight. Come to think of it, there was the incident with Rose, and I had caused something every year.

“When I return, I’ll check everything without exception, so don’t slack off and diligently complete your tasks.”

“If there’s even a speck of dust in the house, if it’s evident that you neglected your training. And as I always say, staying out overnight is out of the question, and if you bring a woman home…”

“I believe our disciple knows well what will happen afterwards. It’s no use running away. As you know, I’ve planted tracking magic on you. So…”

Daphne, drawing mana, smiled and said.

“Rather than having vain thoughts, stay quietly at home.”

Hearing those words, I nodded and thought.

If I escaped clumsily and got caught, I might really die then.

When I got up, Daphne had already left.

Looking at Master’s clumsily arranged bed, I felt a strange emotion.

Emptiness, hollowness, regret. Such emotions.

Is that why.

“The gratitude towards one’s master~”

A song began to be hummed naturally.

“Is like the sky~”

I learned so much from my heavenly Master. Although I only received 10% of her skills, it was still sufficient.

The truth is, Master is an unreasonable munchkin, but with this much, I should be able to chew through the academy as I please.

“The more I look up~”

Honestly, I had a great sense of gratitude toward Daphne. She saved me when I had nothing, raised me, taught me, so I could only genuinely look up to her.

“The higher it gets.”

But it was too high.

The level of catastrophe that could occur if I didn’t go to the academy.

And the wall of obsession that Daphne has built up until now.

So, now I don’t plan to look up anymore.

Looking up too much makes my neck hurt.

“It was filthy being together, let’s never see each other again.”

Saying that, I was about to step outside.

When I noticed an unfamiliar basket placed on the table.

“…”

Inside the basket were clumsily kneaded breads and a letter.

-Leaving my disciple behind, my heart felt empty, so I couldn’t help but enter the kitchen. This time I paid quite a bit of attention. So please don’t throw them away…

Pfft, reading the letter, I found myself smiling without realizing.

Did she use magic this time? The bread kneaded by Master was awkwardly shaped, but the color at least was decent.

“…”

This wasn’t my plan, but feeling strange, I took out a sheet of notepaper from the drawer.

With one clumsily kneaded bread in my mouth.

After leaving the house, the first place I visited was the Adventurer’s Guild building.

“Kamel, if everything you’ve told me is true, I will surely repay you.”

“Yes, since you’re going that way anyway, please check it out. I guarantee, if you find just the treasures I mentioned, Master Martin, you’ll become the continent’s greatest adventurer.”

I was passing information to adventurer Martin, who was about to embark on an adventure to the north.

“Ah, please stay still for a moment. This… will be really helpful to you.”

I was also able to smoothly pass on the tracking magic that had been planted on me.

“Are you some kind of dragon? A friend who’s only seventeen transferring magic bestowed upon himself to another…”

“I’m not a dragon, but I am quite extraordinary. Oh, Master Martin, when you go here, be sure to find this person and go together. You can’t enter without this person. And…”

How grateful that fact was. When I came to my senses, I was even passing on various tips that didn’t need to be shared.

“I don’t know how to repay this favor…”

“Well, isn’t this a world where we help each other? I don’t need anything else, just please collect that item I mentioned earlier. I’ll definitely come to retrieve it.”

“I hope we see each other again someday.”

With a distant expression, holding both my shoulders, Martin had tears in his eyes.

Seeing that, I smiled and said goodbye.

“I’ll come find you, so don’t worry. And thank you.”

I meant it sincerely.

It’s already grateful enough to take the tracking magic, but he’s also going to find the hidden piece I need.

How could I not be thankful?

The next place I visited was the café run by Jakel.

“Kamel, are you sick or something?”

“That’s a disappointing thing to say to someone who brought gifts.”

“…”

Jakel looked at the bundle of gifts I had brought with a dubious expression.

“I think your position is quite secure now, so Jakel, take it easy from now on. Hire plenty of staff, spend sufficient time with your family. You’ve been neglecting your family because of work, haven’t you?”

“Kamel, are you crazy? Or under a curse spell?”

“I’ll be away for a while. During that time, I’ll take just one-tenth of the profit, so please deposit it at the Armad Trading Company in my name.”

“Kamel, I’m really worried, you’re not having any bad thoughts, are you?”

Jakel asked in a concerned tone, and I continued what I was saying, taking out a notebook and handing it to him.

“These are menus that haven’t been released yet. I’ve written down what to release by season and year, so if you follow that…”

“Kamel!”

Was he too moved by my kindness? With teary eyes, Jakel hugged me and began to cry.

“No matter how tough the world is, how can someone your age think of dying first? This uncle was wrong. So don’t die. This world is still worth living in!”

What is he saying? As I’ve always felt, Jakel’s mumbled pronunciation was really hard to understand.

So, half-listening, I pushed away Jakel who smelled strongly of an old man and said goodbye.

“Thank you for everything. Be happy.”

This too was sincere.

It probably wasn’t an easy decision.

To believe the far-fetched words of a mere eleven-year-old and start a business.

Had I grown more attached than I thought? As I was about to leave without regrets, my head turned.

“Sob, sob, how could such a young one make such a choice… sob!”

There was Jakel, sitting down in place and crying sadly.

Seeing that, my heart was touched, and I thought.

It seems we weren’t that special to each other.

Kalmia Silene.

A 6th circle magician and current professor in the magic department of Arden Academy, she asked a middle-aged man with light blonde hair.

“Dian, what are you doing here?”

“Can’t you see? I’m receiving application forms.”

“That’s why, why are you receiving them? You’re a professor.”

She had rushed over when she heard that an old friend had been appointed to the academy where she works.

“I want to see the cadets in advance. You never know. An undiscovered gem might appear before me.”

Her old friend was completely out of his mind.

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but thanks to that brilliant idea, the staff here are quite uncomfortable.”

“That can’t be. When I visited, everyone seemed very pleased.”

“I think that sentiment should come from the people over there who are being cautious.”

“Is everyone uncomfortable with me?”

Still as tactless as ever. Thinking that, Kalmia placed her hand on her forehead and looked around.

Pale-faced staff members were desperately smiling and waving, indicating it was fine.

Having suffered greatly in the hero’s party, her deranged old friend was smiling broadly and acting up ‘as expected’.

“Hey, Dian. There’s no point in being here. The kids you’d find interesting are already well-known and have already submitted their applications. So just quietly prepare for your classes…”

“Kalmia. Want to make a bet after all this time?”

“What bet?”

“Whether a child who would interest both you and me will come to submit an application today. I bet 500 gold that one will come.”

“Good grief, what…”

Kalmia was dumbfounded. Because this bet was one she could only win.

After all, today is the last day to receive applications. Children of interest had all submitted their applications long ago.

“I don’t need 500 gold, if you lose, you buy the drinks. How about it?”

“Deal.”

But Kalmia accepted the bet.

Because she didn’t dislike her friend’s confident expression after so long.

Also, to create a pretext to share drinks with her friend after a long time.

That was why Kalmia readily accepted the absurd bet.

It certainly was.

-Click.

In Kalmia’s eyes, she saw a handsome boy opening the door and entering.

Hair as dark as jet black,
Eyes as red as if they were burning,
A face so handsome you’d believe it was crafted by a god,
And uniquely, swords hanging on both sides of his waist.

Except for being a bit short, his appearance was interesting enough just by his looks.

“Oh…!”

Was he thinking the same?

Dian was even letting out an exclamation.

Of course, unlike her, the reason Dian was surprised was the mana the boy possessed…

“What, that kid…”

Kalmia’s mouth gaped open as she belatedly realized the reason.