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Chapter 201
Chapter 201
[Translator – Peptobismol]
Chapter 201: Jaeger (1)
Sekreet, who had gone missing, had transformed into a fluffy Werefox. Ronan and Adeshan stood frozen in place, dumbfounded by the sight. The innkeeper, upon seeing Sekreet descend, hurriedly approached.
“Oh, you’re awake. Shall I prepare today’s meal for you?”
“No, it’s fine. There’s still some leftovers from last night. Could the commotion earlier have been caused by Jaeger’s lackeys?”
“No, it was just the neighborhood dilinquents, as usual. It’s quite common. They’re only proud of being former members of the rebel army.”
“That’s a relief. Anyway, the meal is fine. Thanks for taking care of it.”
“Not at all. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
The innkeeper returned to the kitchen. From their conversation, it seemed Sekreet had been staying at this inn for quite some time.
Normally, Ronan would have been curious about who Jaeger was, but he felt no such curiosity now. That was because, damn it, Sekreet’s white and fluffy tail was swaying behind him. As he approached with a knowing look, Sekreet casually spoke.
“I heard the news that spring has returned to the Empire. You did a great job.”
Ronan didn’t respond. He couldn’t bring himself to accept the fact that the arctic Werefox walking on two legs was his professor. It was quite shocking enough that he had turned into a girl, and now he was a beast. Sekreet chuckled as he looked at the speechless Ronan.
“You seem to have a lot of questions. Understandable.”
“...Wait a moment.”
Suddenly, Ronan took a large gulp from the glass of distilled spirits. Indeed, it seemed quite potent, possibly because it was Northern spirits. As the spirits burned down his throat, a faint scent of vanilla emanated from within.
Hmm, it’s definitely good spirits. Ronan wiped his mouth and set the glass down. The arctic Werefox remained standing right where it was. It was still emanating mana familiar to him from its diminutive shoulders. Ronan, covering his face with his hands, muttered a curse.
“Shit.”
It was not delirium caused by the shadow mana. What was before him was indeed Sekreet. He pulled up a chair and joined the table.
“It’s been a while Student Council President Adeshan. How have you been?”
“Um, are you really Professor Sekreet...? I-I’ve been well, for now.”NewW novels updates at novelhall.com
“It seems so. You even came all the way up here to the North with your lover. After all, I realized when you wrote that letter while he was trapped in ice .”
“L-Lover? Ronan is just...!”
Adeshan’s face turned as red as an apple. She tried to explain with her mouth agape, but only incomprehensible sounds like “Uuuh” and “Umm” came out. Just say he’s a friend or a junior. Why say such things?
“Just... Kyaah...”
Adeshan, who had been babbling nonsensically, gulped down the glass in front of her. She tilted her head upwards, gulping without stopping once. The glass she put down was empty.
“Puha...!”
“Are you okay? That must be quite strong.”
“Hmm, I think I’m fine. It’s not bad, though...?”
Every time Adeshan spoke, a scent of vanilla wafted. Seeing her unusual reaction, Ronan chuckled. It was a world of difference from Elizabeth getting drunk after a sip of grape wine. Maybe she was better at drinking than himself. Perhaps drinking was also a talent of hers.
They ordered a bottle of spirits altogether. Melted cheese and crackers were served as snacks. Adeshan seemed to like the distilled spirits quite a bit, since she started sipping it without even toasting. Ronan looked back at Sekreet.
“So... why are you here, Professor? And why didn’t you come back to Philleon?”
“There were circumstances. I’ll explain that gradually, but let’s talk about something else first. Why did you come to the North?”
“I stopped by Hyran and had to go to the Sea of Ghosts. Sunbae came to help me on the way to the blacksmith’s forge... Oh, seriously, can’t you keep your tail still?”
“Aw, no fun.”
Adeshan pouted as her glass was taken away. Her face, flushed with alcohol, looked cute but also somewhat mischievous. Wait, didn’t she just say “Aw”? Maybe I misheard.
“Oh, wait.”
At that moment, Adeshan suddenly brought her face closer. Her large gray eyes sparkled in front of him. Ronan held his breath as her nose almost touched his.
“...What is it?”
“You got something on you.”
Adeshan reached out her hand and brushed the corner of Ronan’s mouth with her index finger. Only a crumb from the cracker the size of her fingernail came off. It seemed like he accidentally got something on his face while talking with Sekreet. She naturally put her finger in her mouth and smiled coquettishly.
“Ahaha, you have a clumsy side too, don’t you?”
Ronan was left speechless by her provocative gesture. It was a terrifying drinking habit, completely different from Elizabeth’s boasting about showing the essence of fire magic. Sekreet whispered to him as he gently tapped his back with his tail.
“I thought so earlier, but you two are a great match.”
“It’s not like that.”
Ronan, taking a dry gulp, shook his head. He didn’t drink much, but he felt intoxicated. The professor he hadn’t seen in a long time had turned into a beast, and the former superior who he respected so much was now showing off a coquettish side... Well, the latter wasn’t too bad.
“Alright, let’s go upstairs.”
Anyway, Ronan and Adeshan followed Sekreet to the second floor. His room was located in the farthest corner.
The mana barrier emanating faint light, visible even at a glance, seemed quite dense around the door. It was a security spell he had seen before. Sekreet, holding the doorknob, murmured a specific spell, and then the barrier disappeared, and the door opened.
“It’s shabby and messy, but come on in.”
“Well...”
Ronan’s eyes widened as he entered Sekreet’s room. It gave off a completely different feeling from the room he had seen two years ago in Separacio. Various books, clothes, and papers with scribbles were scattered around. A white furball, presumably from Sekreet’s fur, rolled around like a weed in the wilderness.
A blanket embroidered with the phrase “for humans only” was stuck in the corner of the room, and it seemed impossible to pull it out easily as something small and sinister seemed to live inside. In summary, it was just a mess. After looking around the room, Ronan spoke up.
“...It’s really shabby and messy.”
“Hmm, I did warn you.”
“What on earth did you do to end up like this?”
It seemed like Sekreet’s lifestyle had changed to that of a beast since turning into a Werewolf. Fortunately, it seemed like he seemed to at least use the bathroom for relieving himself. Drunk Adeshan kept tapping Ronan’s back with her forehead, chuckling meaninglessly. Sekreet scratched his head as if he was embarrassed.
“I spent about a month here. I was busy reaching the curse tracking down the Jaeger gang, so I didn’t have time to clean up.”
“The curse? Jaeger gang?”
Jaeger was the name that came up in the conversation with the innkeeper just now. Sekreet nodded.
“Yes. It’s the leader of the new Beastmen Alliance that’s been causing trouble lately. Since you don’t know, it seems like you haven’t visited any cities other than Rundalian.”
Sekreet, who walked into the room, picked up a piece of paper rolling on the floor. On the large paper, suspected to have been torn from the wall, was a bold drawing of a white tiger with an eye patch.
He was not as intimidating as Zafia, but still had a fierce look. Under the portrait was a provocative slogan that read, “Let’s cleanse the North with the blood of the inferior race!” While Ronan examined his face carefully.
“In a cute little corner that you can’t even find even if you rub your eyes... Hmm?””
His face seemed to emit a sense of deja vu. Even considering that all beastmen of a race looked the same, it was still weird. Finally, Ronan, who was rummaging through the memories of his past life, raised his eyebrows.
“This guy...”
[Translator – Peptobismol]