Summons.
After class, I was summoned to the waiting room next to the potion practice room, where I found myself surrounded by Teacher Tobias of Magic Studies, Master Marlen, and Teacher Emdem, who was in charge of potion instruction in Magic Studies.
"Miss Cristea is what Emdem heard true?"
Master Marlen asked while stroking his beard.
"Uh... which part are you referring to?"
It was definitely about the aphrodisiac, but depending on which detail they took issue with, my answer would change.
"Don't play dumb, Miss Cristea. You... um, you said that the aphrodisiac has a magic amplification effect, didn't you?"
Ah, so it's that.
"Well, yes... I found out by chance."
I reported that I had accidentally obtained cacao, which turned out to be an ingredient in aphrodisiacs, that I had used it to make sweets, and that when a cook tasted it, his magic power increased, causing him to overheat. I carefully avoided mentioning Prince Kaldor as much as possible.
However, given my originally high magic power capacity, I had only felt a slight increase and didn't think much of it at the time. But during today's potion-making class, I had clearly infused more magic power than usual.
So, I wondered if perhaps I had a resistance to it, and the effects appeared late, or if the aphrodisiac itself had a slight lasting effect.
If neither of those were the case, another possibility was that the aphrodisiac had relaxed my magic control, causing me to inject more magic power than intended.
If that were true, then cooks with low magic power capacity might have overheated because they couldn't control their magic, causing it to overflow.
"I see..."
"If magic power runs wild, it leads to excitement, which may explain its use as an aphrodisiac."
"… I see."
"Um, Cristea, you mentioned that the effect appeared late for you, but... isn't it a bit early for you to be taking aphrodisiacs at your age?"
Teacher Emdem cleared his throat and hesitantly spoke.
"Huh? Ah, no! I didn't take it for that purpose! I, um, was just using it as an ingredient!"
"‘Ingredient!? An aphrodisiac!?’"
As I flusteredly explained, the three of them stared at me in disbelief, their eyes wide.
"… Miss Cristea, no matter what, using an aphrodisiac as an ingredient is absurd, you know? You need to stop trying to eat everything."
"… I'm very sorry."
Master Marlen scolded me.
But come on—thanks to my past life memories, I knew that cacao was a food ingredient.
If I had the chance to make chocolate, of course I had to try!
Even if the result was nowhere near the chocolate from my previous life.
"The young lady of the Ellisfeed family... ah, I see. The ‘Repulsive food-eating lady’... Oh, excuse me!"
Teacher Emdem muttered as if he had just realized something, but Master Marlen and Teacher Tobias immediately shot him a glare, silencing him.
Yeah... I mean, I get it.
There was no way to talk my way out of this, so I could only offer a dry laugh.
"In any case, this matter has already been reported from Duke Ellisfeed's house to the royal family, correct? If that's the case, the academy will also need to conduct its own investigation through the Headmaster. Tobias, Emdem, hurry to the Headmaster’s office!"
"U-Understood!"
"Ouch! Stop hitting me with your staff! I'm going!"
Chased out by Master Marlen, teachers Tobias and Emdem left the waiting room.
Now it was just Master Marlen and me. He twirled his staff, activating a magic water heater in the corner of the room, and the water began to boil.
"Miss Cristea, it's been a while. Would you make some tea? Oh, and I’d like something sweet to go with it."
Smiling wryly at his request, I replied, "Of course," and took out some sencha and tea utensils from my inventory near the heater.
I carefully brewed the tea, plated a few slices of yokan from my inventory onto a small dish, and served them to Master Marlen, who happily reached for them.
"… Honestly, Miss Cristea, you are quite the troublesome student. At this rate, I won’t be able to retire anytime soon."
Sipping his tea, Master Marlen raised an eyebrow.
"Mas… Teacher Marlen... If you retire, I'd be in trouble. If something happens, I wouldn’t have anyone to turn to for advice."
"You may call me Master Marlen when we're alone. Why not consult Neil?"
"Teacher Neil would gladly help if it were about Sacred Beasts or Magic Beasts, but he has almost no interest in students…"
Seriously, that man has zero interest in students.
Even though he's a dorm supervisor, he’s always in his lab, researching magic beasts or tending to them. I don’t even know when he comes back to the dorm to sleep.
The best way to submit a leave request is right before or after class…
"That rascal... If he’s neglecting his duties, let me know, and I'll deal with him."
"Y-Yes…"
Sorry, Teacher Neil.
You might get scolded, but if you're not doing your job, it can't be helped!
"Mm. That was a fine tea and treat. Miss Cristea, you don't have any more classes today, do you? Go back to the dorm."
"Yes."
"Oh, and—don’t talk about the aphrodisiac too much in public. It's an improper topic for a young lady to bring up, you know?"
"Y-Yes!"
That’s true.
I had let my guard down because I was talking to Mariel-chan, but under normal circumstances, this would be a scandalous topic.
Oops, that was a slip-up.
But still, while cacao is currently associated with aphrodisiacs, if handled correctly, it could become widely accepted as a confectionery ingredient or a magic-enhancing potion.
Maybe I should consult Mariel-chan and work on developing it?
Thinking about that, I returned to the special dormitory.
What do you think about this chapter?
