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“Alright… now then… let’s take… roll…”
“Teach… totally half-dead.”
“Fwahahaha…! S-serve you right, you white-haired teacher…!!”
“Plerion’s half-dead too!”

That day’s class was nothing short of agony. Even the slightest movement made every muscle in my body scream in protest.

If lecture time was this bad, then practical lessons were out of the question. Even floating hurts.

“So with that said, how about we make this afternoon’s practical class… a lecture instead, everyone…”
““““““BOOOOOOOOO!!!!”””””

I’d thought I was pleading as earnestly as I could, but the kids—overflowing with the urge to run around—responded with a chorus of boos.

Even Plerion, who should’ve been in the exact same condition as me, joined in. Where the hell was he getting all that energy?

“Alright, alright! I’ve reserved the training yard, so we’ll do the practical stuff there. I’ll be asleep. Fire off your favorite spells at me or whatever.”
“That’s the most half-a̲s̲s̲e̲d̲ class we’ve ever had!”
“But I can already see it now—she won’t get hit once and still give us nothing but criticism!”
“Which makes it super helpful in the end!”
“Hahaha… You hear that, Konis…? This is our chance to finally clobber that smug teacher…!”
“You’re amazing, Plerion! What is your mind made of?!”
“Alright, alright, settle down! I’m taking roll, so everyone back to your seats!”

After the jeers just a moment ago, the room now brimmed with cheerful, easygoing energy.

✦✧✦✧✦

“Momo, I’m done for. Just gather my bones and bury them somewhere outside the city.”
“You’ll be fine, Master. Nobody dies from muscle soreness.”

I cursed my frail body—just a morning of lecture had drained the life from me.

Fail to do even one sit-up, suffer muscle pain, then overexert the next day to avoid that pain and lose even more energy… it was a vicious cycle.

Any student who stepped into the cafeteria at lunchtime would be greeted by the corpse of their teacher slumped over a table.

“Building stamina doesn’t happen in a day. Eat up, and let’s power through the afternoon!”
“I don’t even have the stamina to gain stamina. I’ve already given up.”
“No problem! Even if you give up, training continues as long as I don’t give up.”
“You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”

It wasn’t a joke—if anyone could do it, it was her. The mountain of food piled up in front of me said it all.

She clearly wanted me to eat it and build strength, but with my current capacity, I could maybe manage a tenth of it at best.

“I’ve got a rough idea of your limits now, Master. You’re a disgracefully scrawny bean sprout, but don’t worry—I will handle this!”
“A disciple shouldn’t be talking so big. You’re not even a pro.”
“I’ll have you know I was in the track team! …Well, I had to quit because of an injury, but still…”

There was a flicker of sadness in Momo’s expression as she said that—not quite homesickness, but more like quiet regret as she gazed off into the distance.

I was caught off guard to see that side of her, and before I could stop her, she started loading even more food onto my plate—hey, hey, hey, wait a sec.

“You fool! Don’t pile up more food than I can eat—that’s wasteful!”
“No worries! I’ll happily eat whatever you can’t Master! Get your iron and vitamin B in and let’s ace that practical training!”
“Don’t bring that up again, damn it—I hate this! I’m not moving a single step from this spot! Not one inch!”
“Wow, throwing a tantrum now? Finally acting your age, are we?”

Cutting into our back-and-forth at the table was a man clad in black holy vestments.

His outfit, completely out of place in an academic setting, and the sacred aura he carried—like that of a saint—left a vivid impression on me. Marching into a den of wizards with that presence took serious nerve.

“Ah, Mr. Kagase! Is your stomach wound all healed up now?”
“Yeah, got the all-clear from the Lady Saint herself. Guess I made you worry, huh?”
“Not really. Honestly, I was starting to forget you even existed until you spoke up.”
“I am technically a saint, you know? A little respect wouldn’t kill you.”

Kagase Mikaboshi—self-proclaimed saint and leader of the sect that worships the Amatsugami.

He’d taken a nasty hit during the battle with War and was, for a time, on the verge of death.

“It’s more of a problem if a magecraft teacher bows and scrapes to a sorcerer. And besides, you’re not really the type to like that kind of thing.”
“True, but still… well, whatever. I’m here on business today.”

He pulled a palm-sized box from his pocket and pressed the indentation in the center.

The box split cleanly in half, and out of it leapt a golem clearly larger than the container itself.

**“Woof! Woof woof!!”**
“Ah! Daigorou!”
“The guys in the Magitech District scrambled to get him fixed. Told me to bring him back to you two.”
“‘Bring him back’? Wasn’t he theirs to begin with?”

What sprang out of the box was Daigorou, repaired so thoroughly there wasn’t even a trace of damage left.

The limbs Momo had destroyed had been replaced, and all the damaged armor except for the core had been completely overhauled. Honestly, it probably cost more than building a new one from scratch.

“When they heard how you didn’t completely destroy him and brought him back intact, they said it was a token of appreciation. Craftsmen love people who respect what they create.”
**“Woof!”**
“If they’re offering, I’ll gladly accept it, though I doubt we’ll be able to make full use of him.”
“They also said he’s smart and capable enough to carry you on his back if needed.”
“Nice to meet you, Daigorou. I welcome you with open arms.”
“Master, the speed at which you change tunes is amazing.”

This was exactly the kind of asset I’d been dreaming of—now I wouldn’t need to waste magic power on every single movement.

Transporting supplies would also be so much easier. This would be a huge help on the road from here on out.

“One more thing. Got a message from old man Arnitta—there’s a guy named Zaif who wants to talk to you.”
“Zaif… Ah, his son. But he wants to talk?”

The name belonged to the young man who had been researching telescopes. He was the one who gave me a tour of the workshop, so I remembered him well.

I had let my curiosity get the better of me and commented on his research, so this was probably about that.

“Got it. I’ll go see him—I’ll treat it as a thank-you for Daigorou too. This afternoon okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll let him know. Also, old man Runira’s is swamped, so he asked me to give you this on his behalf.”

He put the box away and pulled out a new item—a tin can with luxurious carvings etched into its surface.

I didn’t need to open the lid to know what was inside. The label printed on the can matched one of the most famous confectionery shops in the city.

“Oho, someone knows how to curry favor! Excellent hustle for a sorcerer. Maybe some of you are decent. Very well, I shall take full responsibility for safekeeping th—”
“No. Sweets aren’t for people who skip their meals. I’ll take custody of this.”
“……”

Just as Momo and I both reached out at the same time, the heartless young man handed the tin to her without a moment’s hesitation.

As if to prevent any chance of it being stolen back, he even positioned Daigorou between us, who then let out a low, warning growl. Is this really how you treat someone who just did you a favor?

“I’ll hold on to it until after class. Thank you, Mr. Kagase.”
“Heh, sounds like you’ve had your hands full, Momose.”
“…Damn it all!”

But no matter how loudly I cried, the stolen sweets didn’t return—and my full-body muscle pain only flared up worse.

For the first time since ending up in this body, I shed tears from sheer frustration.

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