Chapter 69: Dying of Embarrassment

Solomon scrambled to get to his feet and put some distance between himself and Yari.

The elf blinked at him with large, innocent eyes.

“You move rather quickly for such a large man.”

“Yeah. That happens when I get kissed by people randomly..!”

“…So I was bad at it then.”

“What?!”

“I thought you would have liked it if I were more aggressive, since you seem to prefer it with-”

“Don’t finish that sentence. I don’t want to talk about her with you.”

Yari seemed to realize her mistake. “…Right. That was a bit rude of me. You have my apologies.”

“You can spare me your apologies. Just tell me why you kissed me.”

“Did you hate it?” Yari asked innocently.

“Don’t answer my question with a question.”

Yari huffed. “I thought it would make us closer.”

Solomon had even more questions now than he did before. “Since when do you care about-”

“I answered your question. Now you must answer one of mine.”

Yari stepped around the table and inched closer to Solomon.

He naturally found himself with his back against the wall.

“Did you hate it?”

Solomon was pretty sure that he had never liked anything more. Yari’s lips were the single softest thing he had ever felt. If he closed his eyes, he could still feel her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him in for an embrace he had no real desire to escape from.

The only thing that pulled him away was the guilt.

“I…cannot answer that.”

Yari took another step towards him. “If I tried again, would that make it easier for you to answer?”

Solomon wanted to say yes so badly that it was jarring. Had he not bitten his tongue at the last moment, he would have undoubtedly said something that crossed a line.

“You’re drunk or something.”

“That’s insulting in a number of ways.”

“Well, I don’t know how else to explain… this.”

Solomon placed his hands on Yari’s shoulders to stop her from coming closer.

“You signed a contract. Tell me honestly, why do you want to get closer to me all of a sudden?”

Yari blinks slowly as she answers. Her eyes have no real thought behind them like a turtle. “Because my father said I should.”

“…”

“…?”

“I beg your fucking pardon?”

“He says that I should be exploring human culture. Specifically… you know.”

“I don’t know a god damn thing.”

“Don’t make me say it out loud. It’s embarrassing.” Yari’s cheeks reddened. “Stop being daft and just… do something already.”

“…You’re not thinking clearly.” Solomon shook his head. “Let’s get you some water or something before you do something that you’ll regret.”

Yari didn’t seem to understand Solomon’s refusal, but she backed off regardless.

She sat back on the table while staring holes into him.

“Do you feel close to me, Solomon? Are we forming a bond?”

Solomon began looking around the room for something Yari could drink. “Ah… sure, instructor. Very close. Too damn close.”

“Should I have worn something different? I would have thought that you would-”

“We can be close if you’ll stop talking, Instructor.”

“…Yari.”

“Hm?”

“I inserted myself through a lifetime of your memories and I have gained an unfair amount of knowledge about you. It would be strange to still refer to me as an authority figure when we’re alone.”

Solomon thought Yari was getting worse. He intensified his search efforts.

“I also thought you should know that just because my father suggested this, it doesn’t mean I’m doing it against my will. I find you quite handsome, and if you don’t mind the age difference then-”

Solomon hurled a cauldron full of water at Yari.

Unfortunately, instead of a splash, the water floated around Yari’s head and hung in the air.

The two stared at each other in silence.

“…Why did you do that?”

“I was trying to fix you.”

“Do I look broken to you, boy?”

“Yes.”

Yari frowns as she stands up from the table. “Honestly… I need a favor. But I didn’t believe that it was something that you would let me do if we weren’t closer.”

“What kind of favor would you be willing to sell yourself to me for? I’m already giving you my flesh and blood!”

Yari tapped her fingers together. “Yes, but… in addition, I would really like it if you would allow me to study the armament you used in the opening exam. I know it’s a big ask, hence-”

“Yari.” Solomon places the pot aside and strides across the room.

No longer putting space between them, he places his hands on her shoulders and holds her firmly.

This close together, Solomon isn’t the only one who is a tad bit flustered. Yari was not lying about finding him handsome.

“Think about what you are saying for a second. You know full well where my sword comes from. Why are you talking to me about an armament when you know I don’t have one?”

Yari blinks slowly. Her eyes twinkle with recognition, then embarrassment.

“That’s right, you don’t… but… my father just wanted to know so badly that he thought I should-”

“Has he done something to you?? Is that why you’re like this??”

“N-No, why would you ever insinuate that-”

“Because you’re forgetting things that are pretty damn hard to forget and you keep bringing up the Dean! Why?!”

“W-Well, I can’t lie to you, so… so..”

A line of blood runs down Yari’s nose, horrifying Solomon.

Her eyes suddenly lose all clarity and light as her body goes limp.

Solomon catches her before she can hit the floor, but bigger problems soon arise.

A seizure soon ravages her body. Uncertain of the remedy, all Solomon can think to do is hold her tightly in the hope that she will stop shaking.

“My… what have we here?”

Solomon looks up and finds the voice of a man he knows all too well.

Instructor Abel looms in the doorway, a gourd in one hand and a sheathed sword in the other.

Solomon hadn’t even heard the old man enter, but from the moment he laid eyes on him, he couldn’t focus on anything else.

Now that he was a yellow core, Solomon’s senses were dramatically heightened.

Meaning he could tell just how far the old swordmaster was above him.

“You’re one of mine, right? What kind of dreadful situation have I just walked into?”

–

Solomon watched Abel as he placed his hand over Yari’s head.

She had finally stopped shaking several minutes ago, but she remains unresponsive.

At Abel’s direction, Solomon placed the elven noble on the table and draped a blanket over her.

He seemed more bothered by her exotic outfit than the fact that she was an elf.

As he treated her, he continually stole glances at Solomon.

He could see the trace amounts of her lip gloss still smudged across his lips.

“…You know, this place doesn’t exactly have a whole lot of rules but teacher-student relationships are prohibited.”

“We’re not in a relationship.”

“Sex friends, kissing buddies, whatever you want to call it, I recommend that you stop. Even the dean’s daughter can’t avoid the kind of scrutiny that would bring.”

“We haven’t done anything immoral, Instructor.”

“Sure, kid. Sure.” Abel burps and Solomon is suddenly nauseous from the stench of alcohol.

The sword master points his sheathed blade at him.

“So what’s that then?”

Solomon looked towards his arm. Yari’s knife was still lodged in his skin, though the blood had dried and the wound had mostly healed around the knife.

“I was married once, kid. I know what crimes of passion look like. Starts out all nice and sweet, but the next thing you know, you’re feeling some pain in your body because you got flirted with by a tavern wench and-”

“Sir… this was really just part of an experiment.”

Abel rolled his eyes.

“Fine. Keep it to yourselves then. I won’t try to step in anymore.”

Solomon feels the knife in his arm begin to wiggle.

With no prior warning, the blade comes flying out of Solomon’s arm; reopening.

Solomon quickly clapped a hand over the wound as he searched for his shirt.

He could already feel the wound closing up before he had even found it.

“No need to go hiding wounds on my account. I’ve seen more than my fair share already.” Abel yawned.

Solomon maneuvered his body so that he was facing away from the old man. “Of course, sir. I was just looking for something…”

He could feel the old man watching him carefully as he kneeled to put his shirt back on. He only relaxed when he no longer felt that droll, suffocating stare.

After pulling on his shirt and jacket, he scoured Yari’s lab for some kind of bandaging to stuff up his sleeve.

As he searched for it, he suddenly paused when he felt a very familiar energy in the room.

The knife that Abel had pulled from his flesh was now glowing with an intense golden light.

Solomon never thought he would see the arts of Olethros again. Especially not anything new.

He was entranced, right up until the moment Abel stabbed Yari in the forehead.

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