BSS 100

Chapter 100

“This! Mom said this is really precious! She said she only has two of them too!”

“Is that a magic stone?”

Just by looking at it, you could tell it was an extraordinary gem.

It radiated an intense energy I’d never felt in my life, and just staring at it made me feel like I was being sucked inside.

Though before I could be completely drawn in, Magi had tossed it carelessly into the pot.

“Here, Genie, take it.”

“…This doesn’t seem like an ordinary gem. Is it really okay for me to have it? Mom gave it to you, right?”

If it was Magi’s mom, she would obviously be a dragon, and she probably wasn’t as naive as Magi.

She was likely an ordinary dragon.

Which meant ordinary—thinking humans are just insects!

I was terrified that if I accepted such a precious thing and got caught later, I’d be punished.

By, say, a breath attack… or another breath attack… or yet another breath attack!

The memory of the pressure in the party hall sent shivers down my spine.

“It’s fine! Mom gave it to me, so it’s mine!”

“That’s true, but…”

“If I need more, I can just ask Mom again!”

It was fortunate for me, but it seemed Magi wanted to cram in as many good things as possible to help make Rai’s body.

Well, a dragon’s promise is like life itself. As long as Magi’s mom didn’t know, it would be fine.

“Thanks. I’ll take good care of it then.”

[…]

“Rai, why are you suddenly so quiet?”

[Uh… it’s…]

“Genie! I’ll show you something amazing. Touch this! It’s Toka’s orb!”

Interrupting Rai, Magi suddenly held out the orb toward me.

It was a marble with two colors swirling mysteriously together, constantly shifting like it was alive.

When Magi held it, the yellow color dominated, but the moment I took it, the black color suddenly increased.

“Toka?”

“It’s an orb that seals a neutral demon! That demon’s name is Toka.”

“Pfft…”

“They say you can tell the morality of an intelligent being using this.”

You should at least give a warning before telling me that! Damn it! I already saw it!

I froze and stared at the orb with a serious expression.

The idea that this orb could know what kind of human I am was both nerve-wracking and creepy.

“Black is evil, yellow is good!”

“Ugh.”

“The ratio will change depending on who’s holding it.”

I tensed, waiting for the colors to shift.

But no matter how long I waited, the orb didn’t change. It remained perfectly half and half for a while.

“Huh?”

Thinking something was wrong, I placed the orb on the floor for a moment.

It was still half and half.

I stared at it, picked it up again, and it remained unchanged.

Half and half. Half and half.

“Magi… I think this thing might be broken.”

“Huh?”

“Look. It’s not changing.”

“That’s weird? That can’t be.”

Magi nervously took it, rubbed it with her hands, and suddenly the yellow color increased noticeably.

“It works?”

“Yeah.”

But when I took it back, it returned to its original state—the perfect half-and-half mixture.

“Hmm?”

“Why is it doing this?”

Magi looked puzzled, but I was convinced it was broken.

After all, it was a dragon who had barged into a party on the Empire’s founding anniversary, stolen jewels, and kidnapped people—yet this orb labeled it as good.

Well, not exactly evil, but… thinking about it, Magi was rather good, at least by dragon standards.

“This is strange! I’ve never seen anything like this!”

“Either it’s broken, or it means I’m neither good nor evil.”

“Eh? Can that even happen…?”

“Why not?”

Unable to believe the orb’s reading, Magi suddenly thrust it at Rai, who was nearby.

“Rai! You try too.”

[What?! A lizard! Ew, spit!]

“Hey, try it, Rai.”

Rai, pretending to spit at Magi, reluctantly moved under my command.

[I don’t have hands, you know?]

“Magi, Rai has no hands. How does that work?”

“You just need to touch it with your body.”

“Exactly.”

We put the orb on the floor and pressed our heads together, staring intently at Rai.

It was silent pressure to hurry him along. Rai hesitantly touched it lightly with his tail.

Nothing changed.

“Do it properly.”

[What’s the point of this anyway.]

Under my command, Rai wrapped the orb with his tail and lifted it, yet there was still no change.

Even when I picked it up, it remained half and half.

But when Magi held it, the yellow color surged, proving that it could change.

“Interesting.”

“Why is it doing this? It can’t be broken… Grandfather’s grandfather gave this to me!”

“Then I guess it’s about time it broke.”

“No, it’s not…”

Magi protested, but whether it was broken or not, I didn’t want to put it back in the pot.

“Anyway, let’s leave that out. Even if it’s not broken, having a demon sealed in it is unsettling. It makes me uncomfortable.”

“Hmph.”

[Exactly what I was saying, Master!]

“I wanted to give it to Rai.”

[Who’s Rai! It’s just a tiny kid! Don’t call me that!]

Rai and Magi weren’t exactly on good terms.

Thankfully, the two couldn’t communicate well.

Otherwise, they’d constantly fight, and I’d be stuck in the middle—an obvious disaster.

“What did Rai say, Genie?”

“Uh… he doesn’t like being called Rai.”

“Then Rai-chan?”

[Gyaaah!]

I don’t get it. Why are there no normal beings around me—spirits or dragons? Must be a hallucination… right?

Even though I wasn’t a mage, teaching magical theory to a dragon called the ancestor of magic seemed like a ridiculous joke, but it was true.

Moreover, I was actually a pretty good teacher.

Surprisingly, I was teaching well.

“Ughh.”

“You’re doing well. Ask if you don’t understand.”

“No! I think I get it! I can solve it.”

It was the fifth day of magic theory class.

Magi wasn’t as foolish as expected. By human standards, she could easily be considered a prodigy worthy of the Drike Academy.

The only unfortunate thing was that she was born a dragon.

“Magi, if you solve this, I’ll let you choose what Rai’s seventh body will be.”

“Really?”

I hated studying myself, so I knew what worked for someone who hated it.

Carrots, not sticks. Praise and recognition for effort were important.

If it was difficult, I wouldn’t scold, but patiently guide, soothe, and give breaks.

Most importantly, I needed to provide a clear goal—like Robenin Pedri for me.

Without something to achieve, there’s no will to try.

Most studying is half-forced; people resist when they see no result.

No one wants to endure meaningless effort.

“Wait! If I do it this way… hmm, isn’t this the wrong theory?”

Magi pouted and scribbled in her notebook, but soon seemed to find the answer.

Magic theory is essentially a combination of math and mana, and my math skills weren’t bad.

After all, I used to be a high school girl in Korea.

“Amazing, Magi! Everything’s correct!”

Praising her loudly when she succeeded was one way to give a sense of achievement.

“Wow! Can I include a dwarf then?”

“…Ugh.”

I wanted to reward her, but not that.

“Why are you so fond of dwarves, Magi?”

“They’re all excellent blacksmiths.”

“I understand, but… no dwarves. Even if dead, intelligent beings make me uneasy.”

“Eh! But you said I could choose what I want!”

“Sorry. Humans are liars. Learn that as well while you’re at it.”

Correction: I wasn’t a good teacher. Sometimes, I was an unlicensed quack who didn’t keep promises.