Unsold Slaves Returned as Heroes

50. The Last Day of the Silver Cheongje Festival

Yuri and I headed to the place where Tia was to present.

There are cafeterias in each of the Academy’s many towers and research buildings. Today, culinary research students rent a bakery and hold a presentation.

But when I arrived at the scene, it seemed that there was a problem with people busily gathering.

“Ah, Mr. Wicker!”

Tia, wearing an apron, saw me and ran over. Her face was teary-eyed, so she looked distraught. Even in the midst of that, it was admirable that she tried to smile at me.

“I heard the news. Rumor has it that she is a great lecturer? Congratulation!”

“Thanks. But what’s the matter?”

Tia smiled vaguely.

“That… The Culinary Arts Conference has been canceled.”

“Why?”

“The main ingredients are all spoiled.”

“Did it go bad?”

“Eh. I was going to make herring pie with a new recipe I developed this time.”

“That nerd who put six fish instead of apples in his apple pie?”

“Wow, which local food? Looks delicious.”

After hearing the explanation, Yuri waggled her tail.

“Yes. But the ingredients are cod, not herring. I can’t get more because it’s sea fish, but it’s all spoiled.”

Tia looked pretty upset. Her mind was understandable.

In the meantime, Tia studied culinary arts with me during her extracurricular time, and this time she has prepared with great effort even with graduate students.

“You’ve worked hard. I must have been very upset.”

“Huh, thank you….”

“How many do you need?”

“Since we have to make 50 of them with 6 in each, 350 of them to spare….”

“Twenty two. Item Box.”

Opened a black hole. This time with a long rectangle. I took out the boxes one by one from the inside and put them down.

“Gyo, professor. What is all this?”

“Cod. These are items purchased at Pier 13 two hours ago.”

“Yes, really?! How do you have it?”

“It’s left over from a previous sale. To be exact, it was from four years ago.”

“Professor’s item box, is it the type where time stops when you put it in?”

“Right.”

“Wow, isn’t that super rare? I heard that there are less than ten people on the continent….”

“Keep it a secret.”

“Hee hee, yes! Mr. Wicker, thank you!”

Tia smiled broadly and she gave me a hug. She is a stock that was only occupying a seat anyway, but it was good because there was a place to use it.

As Tia explained the situation, she thanked the research students over and over and moved to Daegu. I heard their story along the way.

“Did you catch the culprit?”

“The guards don’t even feel it….”

I asked because I heard ugly words.

“Taya, what is the culprit talking about?”

“Huh? No, that’s….”

Tia hesitated before she explained the situation. She blamed someone’s attack on the materials that made her unusable, she said.

“Did you use the detection magic?”

“Oh, I tried it, but I’m not sure.”

“With your skills, there’s no way that would happen. Would you like to try again later?”

“The presentation is important right now, right? Please wait a minute. I’ll make it delicious soon and serve it!”

Tia went back to her kitchen, smiling brightly.

I was worried.

“Let’s look for it.”

“Yes?”

Yuri, who was still quiet, widened her eyes.

“You hurt Tia. It takes a while to just let it go. She’s highly alert at the academy, but she’s said to have skills when she’s in trouble.”

“Uh… Err, that’s it. Today with me….”

Yuri tried to say something to me, but she shut her mouth.

“I need to check the discarded fish.”

When she returned with a fish sample to be used as evidence, Yuri was crying.

“Yuri?”

“… Hey, I know I can’t take it off. Still, I don’t like it as it is….”

Yuri’s hand gripped her collar and became stronger.

“You spent all day with Tia yesterday, and you went to the lecture presentation today to protect Tia, and even now….”

Yuri lowered her head.

“… No, you can’t talk like that. Forget it. I’m happy just being with my older brother.”

Yuri’s voice trembled slightly. She seems to have made it uneasy.

“Yes. Today is the day I spend with Yuri. Let’s go around alone.”

“Oh no! Do whatever you want. I’m sorry for pushing you….”

“I already lost most of my morning time because of lectures, but it was a pity. Now, let’s go somewhere else.”

“Ah, yeah….”

There was no cheer in Yuri’s voice, but seeing her wagging tail, she seemed to be somewhat relieved.

After telling Tia that I would eat the pie later, Yuri and I set out on the road.

Actually, I didn’t really want to eat pie. Because the visuals were terrible.

You don’t have to leave the fish head out of the pie. Even six.

If anyone sees it, they’ll think it’s black magic.

***

Yuri looked at the silver blue flowers that illuminated her sunset.

Wicker’s back was wide as she walked between them, and she wanted to run at it at any moment.

Yuri was glad he came out with her instead of spending more time with Tia.

I was worried about Tia’s presentation, but it was resolved anyway.

I wanted to monopolize Wicker even more than that.

Tia already spent all day with her master yesterday. Together she prepared lectures and practiced magic all night long.

Luca decided to meet the master tomorrow, when he had the most free time.

So, wouldn’t it be okay to be this greedy?

Isn’t that such a bad thing?

Yuri felt so sorry now that she couldn’t hold her master’s hand like back then because of the snow around her.

… No What about the professor and the student?

There are quite a few students who date instructors.

The owner is the youngest among the professors.

If only you would accept this heart.

“Yuri.”

“Oh, yes.”

“Looks interesting over there.”

Wicker pointed to one side with a relaxed smile. There was a group of students busking on the street.

There was also an Earth Coffin team. The three of them, , , And Were holding instruments one by one and playing calmly.

As Seira played the lute, a soft tone tickled her ears. A beneficial buff similar to a blessing winds up on those who hear it. Just listening to it made my heart calm.

After the performance of one song, the audience gave a small applause. Hwa Hwa, who was playing daph, recognized Wicker and Yuri and shook her hand vigorously.

“Do you know how to play an instrument?”

“No, no. It can’t be.”

Wicker was taking out a mandolin from the item box before he knew it.

“What about the song?”

“Uh… If it’s a hymn….”

“Good.”

Wicker pulled Yuri by the wrist. Before they knew it, the two got into a group of minstrels.

“Welcome, Yuri!”

“Xue, Xuehua!”

“Welcome. Do you have a song request?”

“Uh, uh….”

Yuri noticed. Wicker gestured to encourage him to try his best.

“Would tea and hymns be okay…?” .”

“Of course! If you start, I will follow you.”

Take care of your breathing.

Perhaps it was because she was blinded by her sunset, Yuri slowly let out the tone she had once called from her throat.

“Oh….”

Seiri started playing her lute with light admiration. Xuehua’s Daf, Aru’s flute, and Wicker’s mandolin also follow and match the beat.

A white star dust rose around the five people. It was a blessing created by the chords of bards.

The passersby also stopped their steps one by one and began to focus on Yuri’s song.

‘… Wow.’

After a short song ended, a brilliant sense of liberation came over Yuri.

It was the kind of joy she had never felt in her life.

After finishing her song, Yu-ri, alerted by the applause, ran out of her seat with Wicker as if running away.

“Wow, wow.”

“You did well. It was great.”

“Well, that’s good…” .”

I felt like my cheeks were about to melt at Wicker’s praise. Her first sense of achievement was so satisfying.

“Hey, it was fun.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“… Thank you for caring.”

She will always be grateful to him. She

She asked me to look at her as an adult, but every time she does this, she feels that the weight she has lived with is different from him.

Unlike herself who still complains like a child, the master is always watching over the three of us.

“Thank you for today.”

“I had fun too.”

“You meet Tia yesterday, me today, and even Luca tomorrow. All of you coffins on earth should see it, and you must be busy….”

“Hmm? I have no plans to meet Luca tomorrow.”

“Yes? Has the schedule changed?”

“I didn’t have an appointment with Luca in the first place.”

“Uh… ?”

It was only then that Yuri realized that he was misunderstanding something.

“Wait a minute. Then Luca… ?”

Yuri searched for his memories.

These days, including Cheongje, she had never met Luka.

***

“Professor, it’s over…” .”

Morning of the third and final day of the Euncheong festival. When I went out to her office, Sersi brought me the test paper with a blank face.

“You must have stayed up all night.”

“Yeah. The result was strange, so I ran it several times, and it was morning.”

Anyway, I had an ominous feeling, so I left Sersi to examine the cod samples I got yesterday to see if there were any clues.

“The result?”

“I’m here. I thought it was poison at first, right?”

“Hmm.”

I checked the test sheet and result sheet Sersi handed to me. Cross-validation was performed several times to reduce the possibility of errors.

“It’s black magic.”

“What kind?”

“Soul exploitation. It’s for a demon summoning ceremony.”

“Do you have a copy of the investigation report from the admissions system incident?”

“Contrast is over.”

“Excellent.”

“hehehe.”

The demon summoning spell that hung on Bext’s heart as written in the report. Contrast it.

After that incident, I read the Wiki article about demon summoning to some extent.

Devils are largely divided into 9 ranks, 7, 8, 9 are called low, 4, 5, 6 are intermediate, and 1, 2, 3 are called high rank demons.

At that time, the demons that Bext summoned were of the 4th class, but the summoning technique itself was a contract with a higher-level demon.

It is said that the number of high-level demons is small and they have strong pride, so they do not make contracts with humans.

And the reaction from this test sheet.

The chest looks the same as Baxt’s summoning ceremony.

“I can’t say for sure at this stage, but I have to assume that it’s the same darkness as Bext. Good job. Now go to sleep.”

“Yeah. Please take care of me.”

Sersi staggered out of the office.

The one who spreads the spell on food is a black magician. I think Tia’s presentation wasn’t the only goal. I think it was already on the move from day one.

Most of the restaurant’s food must be in a state of dissolving the magic formula sequentially. There is no problem with the coffin of earth, since I have been managing it as an artifact since the admission system.

“When the number of people who have eaten the feast food is inscribed with a soul-stealing formula.”

I plan to summon a high-class demon as a sacrifice.

During the festival, restaurants and street vendors are always booming, so the number of people who have already eaten must be staggering. General spectators, guards, school staff. It is not possible to calculate how widespread it is.

My students may also be harmed.

First of all, I sent a copy to the president about what I found out. Mulan is also doing well, so you should be able to respond there as well.

“It just went well.”

Today is the day I decided to meet Aisha.

According to the chancellor, she said that Aisha caught the dark magicians during her patrol.

It seems that you have already noticed this and are moving.

I wonder if it was Aisha who destroyed the material for Tia’s presentation yesterday.

I need to respond quickly.

First of all, catch the black magician spreading the spell.

I packed my coat and left the office.