This Time, I Am A Mob's Potions Teacher Who Has Become Engaged To The Mastermind Of The Otome Game - 7

“Looks like that guest of his stole Professor Fabius away, huh?”

Olson still wore that ever-friendly smile.
With his striking good looks and casual way of speaking, he quickly blended in with the other students.
During breaks, I often saw people gathered around him.

“If it’s dance practice you’re after, I could be your partner, you know?”
“Oh? Are you good at it?”
“Kind of. I practiced so I could have fun chats with girls while dancing.”

Because of my memories from my previous life, I couldn’t see him that way at all, but—
The truth is, Olson is a hopeless flirt who loves girls.

He’s been pretending to be “Olson Doruille,” but it’s all a lie—his name, his background, everything.
If you follow his route in the game, he eventually reveals his real name and tells you that he’s actually a prince of Shia.

His true name is Svieto Rev Sia.
A name his mother gave him with the hope that he would rise above his half-siblings and claim the throne.

“Hehe, the reason may be shallow, but at least you’re hardworking.”
“Ehh?! I think that’s a perfectly good reason!”

Olson pouted a little, then swiftly took my hand and started dancing.
I was caught off guard by the sudden pull and nearly stumbled—
But he caught me just in time.

Jill and Micah, who had been watching, let out threatening growls.

They were far more on edge than before, ready to pounce at any moment.

I appreciated how fiercely they were trying to protect me…
But I didn’t want them to actually attack Olson.

“It’s okay, you two. You don’t need to be so on guard.”

I’m scared of Olson right now too.
But even so, I still want him to find happiness someday.

That’s why—I can’t let my fear control me.

I had to face him head-on—
As a teacher.

“Having not one but two familiars with you… Professor Fabius must really care about you, Professor Bellecour. He looks like a different person when he’s watching you.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

That was my honest opinion.
Sure, he uses a more casual tone with me, but aside from that, I think he treats me just like anyone else.

And those two familiars were assigned to watch over me, not for the kind of reason Olson is imagining.

“Jeez, you’re so dense. Poor Professor Fabius.”

For some reason, he’s looking at me like I’m some pitiful creature—even though he’s the spy from an enemy nation.
What exactly did I do to deserve that?

Before I could protest, he swept me into another spin, completely dragging me along at his pace.
When my vision started to blur and I wobbled from dizziness, Olson finally let go of my hand.

In my spinning vision, he looked like he was giving me a smug smile.

“Sensei, what are you thinking about?”

“You.”

Though I didn’t mention that it was because I was trying to figure out what his true intentions were in talking to me.

“That makes me happy. But if Professor Fabius hears that, he might get jealous—so let’s keep it a secret, okay?”

“Oh dear. Secrets aren’t good, you know?”

I said it jokingly, but Olson’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“Sensei doesn’t like secrets?”

“Of course I don’t.”

“And if Professor Fabius kept a secret from you?”

“I’d just have to make him confess, wouldn’t I?”

Olson let out a short laugh.
Finally freed from his presence, I subtly took a step back to create some distance.

Olson held his stomach as he laughed, his carefree expression betraying a boyish innocence befitting a student.

“Professor Bellecour, you’re really funny.”

“Should I take that as a compliment?”

That word—funny—somehow felt like I was being mocked.

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way~”

Even as he said that, Olson was wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.

There’s no way he wasn’t making fun of me in his head. This little—

When I glared at him with suspicion, Olson quickly hid his mischievous smile and returned to his usual expression.

“Don’t be mad! To make it up to you for hurting your feelings, I’ll tell you something interesting.”

He didn’t seem the least bit sorry, but I wondered if he was actually remorseful.

“Sensei, did you know there’s a way to gain even more powerful magic by offering up a dragon as a sacrifice?”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Humans have a limit to their magical power, but if you absorb a dragon’s strength, you can get an unlimited supply.”

“Oh? That’s news to me. But wouldn’t that be dangerous? It should cause abnormalities in your body.”

As I said that out loud, a realization hit me.

In the game, Noel became a dragon.

He was the final boss who stood before Sara and the others with overwhelming magical power.
That power couldn’t have been human.

“Yeah. If you did something like that, you wouldn’t be able to remain human. And,”
“That sorcery is considered forbidden magic, so anyone who uses it receives a permanent mark as punishment.”

Olson’s words brought to mind the strange mark I had seen on the back of Noël’s hand.

I started to feel scared.
The dreadful thought that Noël might have already succumbed to darkness sent a chill down my spine.

I had promised myself I would stop that from happening.
But if it was already too late—if I had failed—my mind threatened to go completely blank.

Even so, I forced myself to remain composed.

“Where did you hear something like that?”

“Before I came here.”

If he heard it before coming here, then… he must’ve learned it in Sia.

I wanted to ask more, but I couldn’t say it aloud.
It was something I wasn’t allowed to speak of.

And just as I was struggling with that, Noël returned.
With a cheerful “See ya~,” Olson vanished.

Not long after, Noël came back.

“Did Doruillel do anything to you?”

As Noël leaned in to check on me, Olson’s earlier words echoed in my mind.

“No, he didn’t do anything.”

“That’s good. Want to keep practicing?”

I found myself staring at the hand he offered.

If that mark hidden beneath his glove really was the price he paid for sacrificing a dragon…
How was I supposed to face him now?

Could I really stop him, after all?

That thought alone nearly brought me to tears.

“No. I just remembered something I have to do, so I’ll pass.”

Because right now,
I couldn’t bear to look him in the face any longer.