Chapter 31-2 The Unexpected Disciple
"I've always wondered why Master made me his disciple."
"Wasn't it to make you his successor?"
"I'm a long-lived species, you know? I'll still be shiny and plump a hundred years from now. The time he spent raising me is just a blip in my work report."
From the way he talks, maybe the rumors that long-lived beings can live for a thousand years aren't just lies.
"He purposely sent me a broken shredder. He wanted me to go to that little shop."
"Why?"
"To have me help Mr. Momota."
──If only he had that 'arcane medicine that can fix anything', grandfather might still be alive.
Even without that, they could've eased his suffering.
"He was too naive and didn't make it in time. Long-lived beings have a different sense of time than humans, and Master totally overlook stuff like this."
I watched Yuruyana shake his head in exasperation, tilted mine in thought, then nodded with certainty.
"...No. Mr. Elmer might have been used by grandfather too."
"Huh?"
"If they were that close, he could have reached out as soon as grandfather got sick."
"...Oh."
I don't know much about Mr. Elmer's personality, but picking up a kid to raise him into a full-on Arcanopharmacist just to help one man isn't sane.
If he knew grandfather was seriously ill before sending out a disciple, he would've rushed over immediately.
grandfather must've kept it a secret because he knew how Mr. Elmer was.
"Grandfather wasn't planning to extend his life."
"Instead, did Master try to ask me to support his successor?"
"Probably."
And that's how they both tried not to bother each other, leading to my meeting with Yuruyana.
"I doubt grandfather even anticipated I'd end up living with Mr. Elmer's disciple."
"Master would be shocked to learn that Mr. Momota's grandson took over the little shop."
I felt a funny thrill, like I finally outsmarted my grandfather who always rolled me around in his palm, and for the first time in a while, I think I really laughed.
Yuruyana burst out laughing too, his shoulders shaking with it.
* * *
Luka was happily laughing in the town mayor's office.
He sat on the couch, crossing his long legs, and looked at the middle-aged man sitting across from him.
Behind the back of the chair, Keel stood quietly, staring at the man with a blank expression.
Of course, he was just doing what Luka told him to do.
"Still a bit short, huh? If my captain hadn't happened to be here, someone might have lost their life."
"Y-yes... it's very unfortunate that our assessment was lacking..."
The mayor, who thought only a few young people around 20 would show up, was sweating profusely from the overwhelming presence of the blonde youth sitting before him.
Even the politician who gave him the advice, who was all confident before facing him saying, 'He's just a kid soldier,' was now huddled in a corner.
Keel followed behind Luka, straightening his back to hide how much of a coward he really was, while Luka, smiling without raising his voice, got exactly the results he wanted.
"Bwah!"
Once outside the office, I finally exhaled, taking deep breaths multiple times.
"Vice Captain, how can you be so calm like that..."
"You'll get used to it eventually."
I thought to myself that I'd rather not get used to it, and I trudged after Luka to meet up with Thomas, who should be at the mountain trail entrance.
"By the way, I've been wanting to ask, Senior Tsukumo has already retired, right?"
Luka slowly turned around with his hands still in his pockets.
"But you keep calling Senior Tsukumo 'Captain.' Does that mean the current [Fourth] doesn't have a captain?"
Usually, Luka would be the one to become captain, or someone from another department would be assigned, but Luka still held the title of Vice Captain, and Keel hadn't heard any rumors about a new captain.
It was a simple question, but I immediately regretted asking it.
"The captain of [Fourth] has always been Tsukumo Kreis, right?"
He said it with a sneer, but his eyes weren't laughing.
"Y-Yeah, that's right..."
Realizing that it was Thomas who was smitten with Tsukumo, Keel started to seriously consider putting in a transfer request when he got back.
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