* * *

He felt like throwing up. If he had to describe how I felt right now, it would be like throwing up.

“Why the hell is there so much to study…….?”

The books Mamil had brought with him didn’t just fill the desk, they were piled in a mountain in the corner of the room. It would take days to read them all, let alone study them.

Cadel mechanically flipped through the pages, rubbing the corners of his eyes, which were stinging from too many hours of hard work. Endless pages of printing, complicated formulas, and technical language. His mind was racing. His brain was fried by the urgency to learn everything quickly and take the test.

‘I’d rather have Lydon steal it for me.’

After eight hours of dismal thoughts and the stress of reading, Cadel finally dropped his head and closed his eyes. There was no way he could read anymore.

Counting the number of books he had to read, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at the seat next to him.

“……He sleeps well.”

There, at Cadel’s side, was Lydon, slumped over the desk, fast asleep. At first, Lydon had interrupted Cadel’s studies with flirtatious jokes and physical contact, but then he’d quietly watched Cadel, not making a noise. Cadel was so focused that he didn’t even realize what Lydon was doing. It seemed like Lydon was tired of waiting and fell asleep.

Lying on his side with his arms crossed, his face was wrinkle-free and serene. His rhythmic breathing, long eyelashes, fair skin, and light blonde hair created a peaceful atmosphere.

‘How can he sleep so beautifully?’

Despite his crazy and hard-to-comprehend tendencies, he had a surprisingly beautiful face when he was still.

‘It’s just that he can’t stay still.’

As Cadel gently brushed the hair that had fallen down to the corner of Lydon’s eyes, the corners of his mouth that were cute like a cat twitched. He wanted to tease Lydon for no reason, so he kept rubbing his head, but Lydon only gave him a small stir and didn’t open his eyes. Finally, after affectionately rubbing Lydon’s soft cheek, Cadel pulled his hand away with a low sigh. The thought of having to study again was overwhelming him.

With that brief distraction, as Cadel was about to turn his eyes back to the printings, he heard a grumpy voice coming from behind him.

“Your lover?”

Reflexively, Cadel turned his head to see Mamil, who had been there for who knows how long, organizing the food he’d brought in from outside, glancing alternately at Cadel, who looked surprised, and Lydon, who slept soundly.

“Yes? What…… He’s just my comrade.”

“You’re just groping your comrade like that? You’re a very cheeky commander.”

“……I didn’t grope him.”

When his thoughtless behavior was pointed out, his face heated up for no reason. What on earth was he thinking to create such a misunderstanding? Cadel, who had never expected to hear such words from the mouth of a middle-aged man like Mamil, was visibly embarrassed.

‘Is it because the foundation of this world is female-oriented? Is everyone tolerant of this?’

He only petted Lydon while he was sleeping because he thought Lydon was cute. It was shocking that he was loving the same man once he was conscious of it. When he first transmigrated into Cadel Lytos, he never imagined such a change.

Mamil placed the sandwich in front of Cadel, who squirmed in embarrassment, and checked the amount of reading he had done.

“If you’re dating someone, it’s better to avoid those in power. It’s not bad if you’re in a relationship with a fairy.”

“I’m not dating him, even though he looks like this, he’s still a prince.”

“It doesn’t matter if you are of different races. If I had to choose between your subordinates, I’d go with the greatsword wielder.”

“No choosing! Why are you doing this, really?”

Cadel grunted in exasperation, shoveling his sandwich into his mouth. Anyway, Mamil, who had figured out how much Cadel had read, just had to say what he had to say.

“While you’re busy groping a guy you’re not dating, read at least one more book. You’ve got a lot of momentum, but it’s a slow burn.”

[Achievements remaining for the title [8-Star Magician]: 72/100]

When clearing a quest, the achievement value was not displayed. Most of it came to mind while he was with his teacher, Mamil, so Cadel was surprised that the next level wasn’t that far away. Although he had fought numerous battles since he had just become a 7-star, he did not feel that it helped him grow.

‘I was too busy trying to survive to care.’

It was proof that all the hard work hadn’t been in vain, and Cadel was overwhelmed with pride.

[Magic achievements have increased slightly!]

[Achievements remaining for the title [8-Star Magician]: 74/100]

The cramming for the Grass of Opportunity was more daunting than he could have imagined, but the payoff was more tangible than ever.

Each time he beat a book, he would get an achievement from 1 to 4. At this rate, he’d be an 8-star magician by the time he took the test. It motivated Cadel in a different way. The stronger he got, the more powerful he became, the less pressure he had to put on his subordinates.

“Darling, aren’t you going to fall in love with books? I’m going to be blinded by jealousy!”

Of course, for Lydon, it was all just a tedious wait. Lydon’s patience, which had been stretched thin by Cadel’s studying these past few days, had been racing through the underground at high speed.

He hated Cadel for not paying attention to him, hated the way Cadel berated him whenever he got in his way, and had long since forgotten why he’d come to Mamil in the first place.

“I told you to at least go for a walk alone. The progress is so slow that studying all day isn’t enough. Don’t disturb me.”

“I already went for a walk! You didn’t even know I was gone, right?”

“Ah…… really? Then come back again.”

“……I’m ad. I could tear up every book in here and it wouldn’t be any more tattered than my heart. Shall I show you?”

Despite his timid threats, Cadel steadfastly flipped through the pages. How could this be? Rage surged through Lydon at the hateful piece of paper that had stolen Cadel’s attention.

Glaring at the mountain of books, Lydon plucked one out with an irritated hand. His red eyes rolled wildly as he scanned the pages.

“Why do you need to learn this?”

“What I lack is theory. I have to study to use more diverse and perfect magic in real life.”

“These are all trivial things I learned as an infant. What are you learning here?”

“……Infant?”

Cadel’s eyes finally shifted at the embarrassing remarks. Despite the much-anticipated attention, Lydon’s eyes were still on the ‘trivial’ book.

“It’s similar to the theory that Grandpa Melphis taught me. I remember learning it around that time when I was 20.”

“20, 20 years old is infantile……?”

“Yeah. Because fairies and humans grow at different speeds.”

If 20 was considered infantile, then how old was Lydon? Cadel wanted to ask, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak for fear of the answer that would come back.

“Cadel abandoned me because of this basic theory? This is ridiculous.”

“It’s a completely non-basic issue to me. Even now, I feel like I’m pulling my hair out trying to understand each and every one of them.”

Even though Cadel wanted to ask questions in a timely manner about issues he did not understand, his teacher, Mamil, was often away due to work. He had a lot of questions to ask, so he could only learn them late in the evening when Mamil came. Studying like that was bound to be inefficient, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hold on to Mamil, who had been dispatched to the Empire, all night.

Cadel lamented with a sigh, and Lydon’s eyes lit up as he closed the book without hesitation.

“Do you want me to tell you?”

“……You?”

“If I tell you, Cadel’s study will be completed faster. Okay? Do you want me to tell you? Let’s do that. I’ll teach you well!”

Despite Cadel’s reluctance, Lydon stuck his face in. Cadel nodded, feeling a little guilty because he knew Lydon was going to be stubborn even if he refused. If Lydon’s teachings could help him, it would be a win-win.

“So where should I start explaining?”