She Banished Me Yesterday, But Today She Calls Me Master? - Episode 7
“Professor Asto, I don’t understand how to solve this problem…”
After the magical theory class, a female student—Teresa—approached me hesitantly. I smiled gently and leaned over to glance at her magic circle blueprint.
“Ah, here—the flow of mana is reversed. If you fix this…”
“Oh, I see! That’s what I needed to do. Thank you so much, Professor Asto. Your explanations are always so clear. I’m really glad you’re feeling better.”
“Thanks. I appreciate you coming to visit me, too. Sorry I was a bit all over the place.”
When I patted Teresa’s head, she beamed with joy. Seeing her look up to me gave me a quiet sense of fulfillment. In fact, I felt more joy helping a single student understand something than I ever did saving the
kingdom as a so-called hero.
“By the way, Professor Asto… you seem to be getting along quite well with that slave girl. Don’t tell me you two are… involved?”
“You mean Linde? No, of course not. She helps me with household chores. She’s really attentive… I owe her a lot. Though, she does worry a bit too much.”
Trying to smooth over how Linde had practically chased Teresa away in her concern for me, I answered lightly. For some reason, Teresa began mumbling to herself.
“I see… so they’re not actually together… which means… I still have a chance. Gotta give it my best…”
“Huh? What was that just now?”
“Nothing, nothing! Please help me again if I have any more questions in class! See you!”
After seeing Teresa off with her usual cheer, I returned to the staff room, only to be greeted by my colleague, Professor Chaos.
“Professor Asto, the principal wants to see you. Did you do something… questionable?”
At that, my body stiffened for a moment.
…No way—did someone discover who I really am?
I was hired after being cast out. While the principal and a few others likely know I’m a former noble, if the truth ever reached the ears of those aristocrats who worship Eltrinde, I’d be forced to leave the academy.
As if to confirm my unease, I felt a prickling sensation as I walked down the hallway to the principal’s office—like someone was watching me. I turned around, but no one was there. Lately, this feeling had been happening more and more.
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“Whew, that scared me…”
After finishing the meeting with the principal—which, thankfully, was just a routine end-of-term evaluation notice—I returned to the staff room, only to find a messy stack of test papers waiting on my desk.
“Professor Asto, can I leave these with you too?”
“Huh? Isn’t grading supposed to be Professor Arnold’s responsibility? I need to prepare materials for student interviews…”
“Sigh… This is why rookies hired through connections don’t understand anything.”
When I protested about the pile dumped on my desk, Arnold—a sharp-eyed young man with glasses—sighed dramatically.
“Professor Asto, who is responsible for teaching and nurturing the most outstanding students in this school?”
“…You are, Professor Arnold.”
“And who has the most distinguished lineage here?”
“That would be… not me. Professor Arnold, who comes from a noble family.”
Barely stopping myself from blurting out the truth, I gave him the answer he clearly wanted. Around us, the staff room filled with a familiar atmosphere—”Here he goes again.”
Once a duke—the highest title in the kingdom—and now just a novice teacher. Life really is unpredictable.
“Indeed. I, Arnold Fafnir, am an elite destined to lead this academy to greatness. I can’t waste my elite time on something like grading—anyone can do that! Understand?”
“Yes, yes…”
“My true duty is to raise future heroes with great magical talent, just like the ones who saved this country—like the Magic Knight Lord Asto Berg and the great mage Eltrinde. Got it?”
With that, Arnold pointed dramatically to a painting of the four heroes who once saved the kingdom, then strutted out of the room.
“Well… He’s not wrong. Though, they really exaggerated how I looked in that painting.”
I chuckled bitterly as I watched him go. Honestly, he’s irritating—but compared to my abusive boss from my past life’s black company, he’s far more tolerable. At least he doesn’t resort to insults or violence.
I gave up being a hero to start a new life. This time, I want to live quietly.
And besides, I always wanted to be a teacher. Helping others learn is fun. Watching them grow brings me joy. It suits me better than being a national hero.
More than anything… even if I was exiled, I still love this country. Seeing promising young people develop their talents is truly rewarding.
“And I want to prove it—to myself more than anyone. That I can live without cheat-like knowledge. That I can survive not as a reincarnated otherworlder, but as Asto Berg himself.”
Right now, I still have this—Acceleration. Using chantless acceleration magic, I quickly finished grading the stack of tests.
“Are you okay? Honestly, Professor Arnold can be too much. Sure, he’s capable, but pushing all his work onto a new teacher like you…”
That voice of concern came from my senior colleague, Professor Rosalie—a sweet twenty-year-old woman who, as I hear, is currently looking for a boyfriend.
“Oh, look, a strand of Arnold’s hair. Want me to curse him? I’ve got two options: a day-long stomachache, or not being able to pee for a day. Your choice!”
“Uh… That won’t be necessary, thanks.”
I chuckled awkwardly at Professor Rosalie, who grinned mischievously with a hair strand in hand. Her specialty is curse magic, and she’s always ready to rely on it.
“Besides, the grading’s already done. With time magic, this stuff is a breeze.”
“…Time magic? You’re joking, right? That’s ancient magic, revived only by Eltrinde herself!”
“…Oh.”
I froze for a second as Rosalie leaned in, eyes sparkling.
“Professor Asto, do you actually know something about Eltrinde’s ancient magic?”
Without waiting for a reply, she launched into full-on fan mode—a familiar intensity I recognized from my previous life: the way fans talk about their favorite idols.
“I’ve read all of Eltrinde’s research papers! Especially her masterpiece from when she was ten—The Theory and Practice of Time Magic. Absolutely brilliant!”
“S-Sorry, I only heard about it in passing… I’m not really an expert or anything.”
Cold sweat ran down my back as I tried to change the subject, afraid my secret might slip.
“Really? But just now, you spoke as if you knew how to use it.”
“Haha, no way. Only a handful of people can even use time magic, right?”
I laughed it off, still sweating. She used to casually cast time spells whenever she almost didn’t make it to the bathroom… and she was ten.
“Exactly! Only a legendary hero like Eltrinde, a ‘Demon Lord Slayer,’ could handle top-tier ancient magic like that!”
“Right, right. I was just joking earlier. Besides, Professor Arnold already did most of the grading before handing it off to me.”
“I see… Then I’ll skip the curse this time.”
Though she still looked unconvinced, Rosalie backed down, much to my relief. I want to live a normal life—marry a normal woman, build a peaceful home, and follow my own path.
I’ve had enough of playing the hero. All I want now is a warm meal from Linde. I worked late yesterday and worried her, so I plan to go home early today.
“Ow—?”
Suddenly, a dull pain pulsed in my left arm. When I rolled up my sleeve, I could faintly see a black line forming on my skin.
That mark—it’s the same as the one on Eltrinde’s arm. For some reason, it always flares up on the day Linde comes to work.
“If it gets worse, maybe I should head to the church and get it treated…”
I quickly pulled down my sleeve, averted my gaze from the portrait, and returned to work.
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★ ☆
“Hey, miss. We’re new here. Mind showing us around?”
“I’m sorry, but my master is waiting for me.”
Eltrinde responded with a completely emotionless face—entirely different from the smiles she showed Asto.
She had finished cleaning and was now out shopping for ingredients to prepare dinner for Asto, who was likely to return late again. Unfortunately, she’d run into some troublesome people.
I let my guard down… This usually doesn’t happen.
She had changed out of her maid uniform into a blue dress Asto had gifted her. She couldn’t help but feel happy wearing it—but perhaps that’s what attracted their attention.
“Aw, don’t be like that. We’re the S-Rank adventurer party ‘Feast of the End.’ If you show us around for a day, we’ll buy you something nice—food, gems, whatever you want.”
“And maybe give us a private tour of your inn room too, eh?”
The men jeered as they flashed their Orichalcum S-Rank badges—the mark of the highest adventurer rank.
‘Feast of the End.’ A famed party that once set out to defeat the Demon Lord. Even after Asto and the other three heroes defeated the Demon Lord, this party remained active and well-known. Their leader, the swordsman Flugel, had once sparred with Asto himself.
S-Rank wasn’t just for show. Even in a busy city, no one would dare step in. And understandably so. Adventurers often abused their power, and crossing them meant trouble. Most people would turn a blind eye—especially for a stranger.