This Time, I Am A Mob's Potions Teacher Who Has Become Engaged To The Mastermind Of The Otome Game - 3

After the staff meeting ended and I went to the prep room, I found Noel was already there.

He was chatting with the fairies—a sight that, at first glance, looked charming and heartwarming.
But I had a strong feeling they weren’t talking about anything cute.

After all, the fairies had mischievous looks on their faces.

It seemed like they were negotiating something, but I decided not to ask—because I was afraid I’d get dragged into it.

Let sleeping gods lie.
Well, in this case, not gods—fairies.

“Good work at the staff meeting. I’ll make some tea.”

“Thanks.”

Today, Noel had dropped by after finishing work at the Ministry of Magic.
Proof of that was the deep violet robe hanging on the coat rack.

I wonder… how did Noel choose his own path?

That thought suddenly crossed my mind.

The Fabius family has produced generations of knights.
His adoptive father is the commander of the knight order, so once Noel was taken in as the heir, he was probably expected to become a knight too.
But he ended up becoming a civil official in the Ministry of Magic.

Maybe they actually let him choose his path freely.

It sounds like they tried not to provoke His Majesty, but maybe they were also trying to support Noel’s own wishes.

“How did the career surveys go for your class, Leticia?”

“There was one student who put ‘Demon King’ as their first choice, and another who left it blank—but other than that, I think the interviews will go smoothly.”

Noel let out a cheerful laugh.

“Hahaha, Demon King as a first choice? That’s gotta be Barte, right?”

“Y-Yeah, you got it.”

S-So sharp. As always, he’s sharp.

I hadn’t even given him any hints, and he nailed it right away.

Compared to how Noel was in the game, his atmosphere has definitely changed—but the skills he possesses seem to be the same.

Noel observes people very closely.

He’s great at reading ahead and slipping into people’s hearts.

In the game, he used that skill to its fullest—finding weaknesses in the romance targets and Isabelle, and exploiting them.

“I have no idea who submitted the blank one.”

“It was Clarac.”

“Ah, I see.”

Noel murmured with a nod of understanding, then lowered his gaze to the teacup and fell silent in thought.

He might know something about César.

“Clarac shows a lot of interest in Applied Magic Studies.”

“Oh, really?”

As I quietly watched, he began to speak bit by bit.

“I often see him borrowing books about magic from the library.
He might want to join the Royal Court Magician Corps…
But in his case, he’ll probably have to give up on that—since the role of Deputy Prime Minister is already waiting for him.”

“So Clarac really is going to inherit the title, then.”

In the dream, César was also borrowing books about magic.

What should I do…? Maybe it really is going to come true.

If that’s the case, then soon César will likely find a book on dark magic in the library.

Driven by a desire for the kind of powerful magic that could conquer all of humanity,
he might get consumed by the power within that book.

There’s no reason we need to recreate an event that causes a student to suffer.

I need to listen to César’s feelings and stop the event from happening.

“I’ll try talking to Clarac tomorrow.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him, too—subtly.”

“That’d be a big help. Thanks.”

“I only see him during Applied Magic Studies, so I might not be much use…”

“That’s not true at all. If it’s you, Noel, I’m sure you’ll pick up on something about him.”

Even though I’m the one who’s always here, Noel—who only stops by between his duties at the Ministry of Magic—noticed things about César I never did.
That’s exactly why I want to rely on his sharp perception.

…Wait, huh?

Now that I think about it—when does Noel even rest?

He juggles both his work at the Ministry of Magic and his role here at Oria Magic Academy.
He’s here even on weekdays and weekends.
And even when he’s called in to work weekends at the ministry, I’ve never once heard him say he got a compensatory day off.

Oh no.

Could it be that this future mastermind is actually a complete corporate slave?!

“Noel, are you getting proper rest?”

“I am.”

Liar.

I have proof from my mother-in-law’s regular letters.

“You worked on your day off recently, didn’t you?”

“Well, yeah. Just worked in the morning and came straight here after.”

“And the next day you had a dinner meeting with your father—that’s what your mother told me.”

“I asked to leave early and came here that night.”

He answered with a perfectly calm expression, but Noel didn’t have any free time at all.

That doesn’t count as “resting.”

“You’re not resting, are you?!”

“I am resting.”

“You’re still saying that?!”

What exactly does this boy think “resting” means?

Resting is when you do nothing, relax, or spend time doing what you love, you know?

But if he’s going to work, attending family functions, and then dropping by here afterward, there’s no way he has any spare time left.

“You don’t have to force yourself to come here when you’re busy, okay? I mean, Gil and Mika are here too.”

“I come here because I want to.”

Apparently, he didn’t like my suggestion, because he glared at me with a frown.

Aha—I see how it is.

He’s so concerned about me that he can’t help but come check on me himself.

What the heck. I thought maybe he trusted me a little by now.

Well, sulking won’t help.

If he still doesn’t trust me enough, I’ll just have to raise his affection level.

I’ll take care of overworked Noel and show him I’m someone worth relying on.

I’ve got a great plan!

Its name: “Re☆fresh & Rethink Strategy!!!”

I’ll prove to him—through my actions—that I’m nothing more than a harmless background character in his life!

“Then take a break from your Ministry of Magic work and stay here all day! You’re not allowed to go home!”

“…Why? Just a minute ago, you said I didn’t have to come.”

“I only said that because I felt bad for how busy you are… but the truth is, I want you here. If you’re not nearby, I end up worrying about what you might be doing.”

Exactly—if I’m not keeping an eye on him, I have a feeling he won’t rest properly.

Just like Noel keeps an eye on me, I’ll keep an eye on him, too.

Because I want Noel to actually relax and spend time doing nothing.

It’s hard to imagine someone as perfectly composed as this future mastermind being spaced out or lazy…
But at this rate, I just know he’ll burn himself out one day.

“L-Leticia… does that mean… you…”

Noel averted his gaze slightly, looking flustered.

Did I go too far telling him not to go home?

But if he does go home, he’ll probably end up helping his father with work anyway.

Flustered Noel was like a child who got caught by his mom while trying to skip studying—
and honestly, it was a little funny to see.

Even though he’s the perfect honor student, I doubt he’d ever actually skip anything.

“That’s right! I’m your mom, and I’ll be watching carefully to make sure Noel’s actually resting, okay?”

I said it with all the protective energy of a second mother—and in that exact moment, Noel’s expression froze so hard, I could almost hear it crack.

“……”

“Noel?”

“…Ah, so that’s still going on, huh.”

Noel pressed his fingers to his forehead, his expression pained as if he were enduring a headache.

“…Ah, yeah. I see. So that’s what this is. I really should’ve learned by now… but I still end up getting my hopes up.”

To make matters worse, he was muttering something under his breath like a spell or a chant.

He must be seriously exhausted.
I really need to make sure he gets some rest soon.