This Time, I Am A Mob's Potions Teacher Who Has Become Engaged To The Mastermind Of The Otome Game - 9

When I returned to the prep room, Noel lifted me up and hugged me tightly.

“Noel! I got the Moryu! And I’ve gained a powerful ally too!”

Being in cat form makes it feel like I’m completely enveloped when hugged, which unsettles me, so I spoke quickly.
And then, at just the right (or wrong?) moment, the potion wore off and I turned back into a human.

“When you’re out of my sight, I don’t know what you’re doing, and it makes me anxious.”
“Noel, I’m not in cat form anymore, you know?”
“Just listen, will you?”
“Y-Yes, sir!”

His intense smile left no room for argument.
So I had no choice but to quietly listen to what he had to say.

“You’re always acting recklessly, doing everything on a whim and rushing into things without thinking.”
“Hey, save the lectures and the insults for later!”

I’m exhausted from running around the forest in that tiny body.

But Noel glared at me mercilessly.

“Honestly, this is a light punishment for making me worry this much.”
“Sorry…?”
“Why does that sound like a question?”

I didn’t think he’d be so worried, especially about someone like me who needs to be kept under watch.
He’s too kind for his own good.

And not to repeat myself, but—
“There’s just one thing bothering me—Noel, I’ve been in human form for a while now.”
“I know.”
“You’re still hugging me though, so I thought maybe you hadn’t noticed.”
“I won’t feel calm unless I do this.”

So he has this kind of side to him. What a lonely guy.

“I’m just glad you made it back before the potion wore off. I heard from Jill about the monsters and that you might turn back. I was really worried.”
“You’re such a worrywart.”

Despite feeling awkward, somehow just seeing his face made me feel at ease.

“So, who’s that man behind you?”

But that moment of peace vanished in an instant as Noel turned to Treant and asked, cold as ice.

“That’s Treant.”
“Liar.”
“No, really, it is.”

Even Noel didn’t expect Treant to appear in this form.

“This fool speaks the truth. I am Treant. This is my true form now.”
“I do remember you. You used to disguise yourself as a student and loiter around Professor Roaek’s prep room. No one knew who you were, so we assumed you were some kind of monster. But since the professor took you in, we couldn’t exorcise you.”

Apparently, they’d met while he was in human form.

“I remember you too. You used to come often, glaring at me like a child who had their mother taken away.”
“Right back at you, don’t you think?”

Wow, Professor Roaek is really popular.
Feels like a battle for her is about to start.

“Why were you always around Professor Roaek?”
“I was injured. Edith was gathering ingredients in the Forest of Finis when she found me and tended to my wounds. She dragged me home, saying I should stay until I healed.”

It seems the professor’s nurturing side extends beyond just students, even to spirits.
Treant apparently grew fond of her while she treated him.

“I don’t like humans, but Edith is different. I even offered to become her familiar, but she turned me down.”
“So she rejected you.”
“Silence, you fool.”

He said she declined because he was old and that forming a contract with him wouldn’t benefit her.
A considerate move, thinking of Treant, who lives far longer than humans.

“Noel, I think we should entrust the curse-breaking to Treant.”
“Entrust it?”
“Yes. If the one who cast the ancient curse is watching for someone to undo it, having a spirit do it might avoid interference.”

“That… might be true.”

His eyes, the color of amethyst, stared deeply at me.

“Just how much do you know?”
“What do you mean, ‘how much’? Only that Professor Roaek is cursed.”

The truth is, I know the culprit and Noel’s past too,
But if I say that, I’ll definitely seem suspicious—and he’ll be even more on guard.

Noel sighed deeply, troubled.
It’s understandable—hard to accept a plan from someone you don’t fully trust.

Just as I was about to get discouraged, Noel said something unexpected.

“Let’s go with your plan. Treant, I’m entrusting you with breaking the curse. I know you’ll save the professor.”
“Of course. I am on a different level from that fool.”
“Isn’t your attitude toward me a bit too harsh?!”

As I glared at him, ready to protest his repeated rudeness, Noel reached out his hand to me.

“I’ll walk you back to the dorms. Let’s… hold hands. It’s already late. We can talk more tomorrow.”
“Wha?! Hold hands?”

He used to get mad when I tried to hold his hand.

“If I don’t, I feel like you’ll just wander off somewhere again.”
“Are you treating me like a kid—waaah?!”

I thought he’d just hold my hand like you would with a child,
but instead, he intertwined our fingers, and I let out a weird squeak, making him chuckle.

Noel, isn’t it a bit much to hold a child’s hand like a lover’s?

“Leticia, thank you for fulfilling the contract.”

As he tightened his grip, my heart skipped a beat.
His hand was warm, and my frozen fingers gradually regained their feeling.

“I-It’s not over yet, you know?”

I can’t relax until I see Professor Roaek safe and the curse lifted.
Still, when I saw Noel’s gentle smile, it felt like a major task had just been completed.