At the Demi-Human Queen's command, her sons began preparing a feast to entertain the sorcerers who had traveled so far to visit them.
No matter the world, sheep were stupid, obnoxious creatures, especially rams, which were so aggressive they would headbutt practically anything that crossed their paths. Some inexperienced Tarnished assumed all sheep were adorable and approached them hoping to make friends, only to find themselves knocked flat on their faces.
Thus, even when the demi-humans were preparing to slaughter a few sheep for their feast, those hardheaded rams kept approaching them.
Thops was busy teaching the queen, Melina was looking after the young apprentice Moli, and Skyl was building a fire and setting up his cooking equipment. Everyone had something to keep them occupied.
Meanwhile, a particularly plump, healthy sheep had somehow joined the flock.
Its fleece was fresh and brilliantly white, resembling clouds high in the sky. The other sheep, by contrast, were all filthy.
The demi-humans had rather primitive herding habits and never bothered counting their livestock. Having one sheep more or less made absolutely no difference to them.
However, while they might have been uncivilized and crude, they certainly weren't idiots.
The moment they spotted the striking white sheep standing out among the flock, they immediately decided it would make an excellent meal and began sharpening their knives.
The serrated machetes used by the demi-humans looked like elongated turds squeezed out of an iron furnace. Their shapes were crude, their surfaces covered in rust, and their jagged edges were uneven and terribly blunt.
Getting slaughtered with one of those things would be an ordeal lasting two whole weeks, and the unfortunate victim would probably starve to death before the executioner managed to finish the job.
The white sheep's beady eyes sparkled with intelligence.
Unlike those brainless idiots that would willingly approach an armed demi-human just to headbutt him in the chest, it immediately recognized the danger and retreated behind the rest of the flock.
Unfortunately, it had severely underestimated just how conspicuous certain sheep could be.
Like a firefly shining in the darkness, it was simply too distinctive, too outstanding.
Its plump, well-fed rump, its soft, snowy-white fleece, and even the suspicious way it backed away had deeply attracted the demi-humans' attention.
After whispering among themselves for a moment, they turned toward the white sheep like officers who had just issued a death sentence and began surrounding it.
"Baaaaaaa! (Thops, save me!)"
Thops was enthusiastically lecturing the Demi-Human Queen, talking so much that his mouth practically watered. He even sneezed.
Doniel?
Couldn't care less.
The white sheep charged wildly through the crowd like a bolt of white lightning, knocking aside the short demi-humans blocking its path and leaving chaos in its wake.
It raced down the dilapidated dirt road running through Hermit Village.
As it passed through the village center, its eyes happened to meet those of Skyl, who was squatting beside a pot of boiling water.
Skyl could vaguely discern a profound sense of resentment in the sheep's gaze.
Unfortunately, their brief exchange was interrupted when the pursuing demi-humans came charging past, shrieking and chattering at the tops of their lungs.
The white sheep continued fleeing for its life, racing northward.
It dashed through the line of bowing sorcerers, past the helpless-looking Millicent and the deathly still Sorcerer Azur, before finally reaching the edge of a cliff.
With a mighty leap, the white sheep sailed through the air and landed on a massive boulder protruding from the opposite cliff face.
"Was that sheep Doniel?"
Millicent asked curiously when she returned to Skyl's side.
By then, the demi-humans had already caught another sheep, and Skyl had helped prepare it for roasting. The delicious aroma of cooking meat was now filling the air.
"Probably. Look how fast he runs. He's much more athletic than that frail, nerdy shut-in of a sorcerer he used to be."
"You've certainly put him through a terrible ordeal."
Skyl was rather speechless himself.
He spread his hands and said, "Well, whose fault is it that the brat decided to run away? If he'd just stayed beside us like a good boy, do you think we'd actually have eaten him?"
"You know he doesn't understand jokes. He genuinely thought we were going to eat him."
"Now that you put it that way, I actually feel a little guilty."
Skyl chuckled, then suddenly noticed the strange expression on Millicent's face.
"Hmm? What's wrong? Couldn't get the staff repaired?"
Millicent sighed.
"Don't even mention it. Apparently, I'm going to become an instructor at the Academy now. How am I supposed to attend classes with you from now on? It's terribly disappointing."
Skyl's eyes widened in surprise.
"You're going to be a professor? Well, would you look at that! My Millie's really moving up in the world!"
The moment he imagined the situation, his eyes narrowed mischievously.
"But wouldn't that mean we're having a teacher-student romance? How scandalous! Millie, I'm afraid I'll have to report you to the headmistress for seducing a handsome male student."
Although Millicent's cheeks turned crimson at his teasing, she didn't shy away.
Instead, she crouched beside him, brought her face close to his, and whispered tenderly, "That's right, I've seduced you. What are you going to do about it? From now on, you'd better listen to your professor. Otherwise, I won't award you your Conspectus crown."
"Yes, ma'am."
Skyl straightened his chef's hat and adopted a perfectly serious expression.
"Your orders, please. How would you like your lamb skewers cooked?"
"Oh, you're absolutely shameless! How can you say things like that without getting even a little embarrassed?"
Skyl grabbed a handful of steaming lamb skewers from the charcoal grill and handed them to Millicent.
He watched as she crouched beside him, taking bites of meat from the skewers. Her pearly teeth flashed as she chewed, and her lips gently expanded and contracted like two soft little leeches.
He still remembered the warmth of those lips, along with every sweet word that had emerged from them, each one carefully considered and spoken with perfect composure.
There was an entirely different sort of charm to watching Millicent eat.
"Easy now. Slow down, slow down. The lamb chops over here are ready. I'll cut you the most tender piece."
"Aren't you going to eat? Are you just going to sit there watching me?"
"If you ever cook for someone, you'll understand that most of the satisfaction comes from watching them enjoy your food. Even the hottest meal eventually cools down and becomes unappetizing if nobody's there to eat it."
Hearing this, Millicent promptly stuffed several more pieces of meat into her mouth.
Like a hamster filling its cheeks with food, she deliberately puffed them out and gave Skyl a playful, challenging look.
Unfortunately, she was the first to lose her composure and burst out laughing.
Despite being the one trying to make someone else laugh, she invariably ended up amusing herself first.
It would take her many years to outgrow that particular habit.
When she laughed, Skyl couldn't help laughing along with her.
Eventually, Millicent's attention drifted toward the crackling campfire.
The exuberance in Skyl's expression gradually softened, his delighted smile giving way to a gentle, affectionate gaze.
He knew the entire story of this red-haired girl's life, the scene unfolding before him and the countless moments they would share in the future.
His ability to foresee the future hadn't robbed him of his patience for life.
Watching possibilities become reality was like collecting pearls along a beach.
Each pearl he picked up was another treasure safely tucked away. Even though the beach ahead glittered with countless more, knowing they were there did nothing to diminish the happiness he felt whenever he bent down to collect another.
"What if I don't know how to teach? Maybe I should just become one of those terrible professors who never actually teaches any classes."
Skyl shrugged.
"Practice more, prepare your lesson plans, and be ready to improvise a little when the situation calls for it. That's all."
"But what if a student asks me a question I can't answer? What am I supposed to do then?"
"If we were on Earth, I'd advise you to prepare your lessons thoroughly and treat your students kindly. But since we're in the Lands Between, I'd suggest giving any disobedient students a good beating."
"Oh! That reminds me, the staff! Sorcerer Azur is completely unreliable. He hasn't even repaired it yet!"
"Don't forget that I'm right here. My Millie's about to be crowned Chief Instructor. How could she possibly assume her new position without a proper staff befitting her rank?"
The delicious aroma of roasted meat drifted through the air, attracting hungry guests from every direction.
Laughter and lively conversation continued throughout the demi-human village as the banquet carried on.
Meanwhile, the fugitive white sheep had unknowingly wandered toward a grim, heavily guarded manor.
It had arrived at the fortress of the Lord of Volcano Manor.
A passing group of Marionette Soldiers promptly seized the sheep and escorted it inside.
Tanith, the proprietress of Volcano Manor, was preparing to entertain some distinguished guests.
The moment she spotted the white sheep, she happily ordered the kitchen staff to slaughter it.
"Baaaaaaa! (Skyl, save me!)"
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