Negi peeked inside. He was greeted by the sight of countless dolls, packed into every available corner of the room. The signs of the "minor fire" I'd accidentally caused a while back had completely vanished. Whether it was magic or some high-tech intervention from Chao, it was an impressive repair job.
"Wow... it's actually quite charming. It doesn't fit the 'Vampire' vibe at all."
Negi whispered the observation to himself. I silently agreed, but I also made a mental note to warn him: if Eva heard him call her room "fancy" or "charming," things would get ugly very fast.
"May I ask who is calling?"
"Gah!" Negi jumped.
We turned toward the voice. There stood Chachamaru in her maid uniform, holding a tray laden with a water pitcher and medicine.
"Hello, Axel-sama. And Negi-sensei. Do you have business with my Master?"
"Oh! Ch-Chachamaru-san?! Wow... that outfit really suits you!"
"Thank you. Now, regarding your business?"
"Right! About the other day... I am so, so sorry!"
Negi doubled over in a bow so deep it looked like he might snap.
"Please, do not dwell on it," Chachamaru replied calmly. "Axel-sama intervened to save me, so I sustained no lasting damage. There is no need for concern."
"Really? Oh... thank goodness..." Negi let out a massive sigh of relief. The guilt must have been eating him alive all weekend. Seriously, what had he been through during the break? He was like a completely different person compared to when we parted on Saturday.
"So, where is Evangeline-san?"
"Master is ill."
"For real?" I blurted out.
"Yes. For real," Chachamaru echoed.
Is it just me, or does Chachamaru using slang like "for real" feel incredibly weird? Regardless, my suspicion had been confirmed. She really was out on sick leave. If there was a virus out there with enough 'guts' to infect Eva, wouldn't that technically qualify as a biological weapon? I really didn't want to deal with a Resident Evil scenario in the middle of a magic school.
Negi seemed just as skeptical. He tilted his head—a gesture so innocently cute that if Ayaka had been there, she would have been knocked unconscious by the sheer "moe" of it.
"But that's impossible. Evangeline-san is a Trueblood vampire. She's immortal! How could she catch a cold?"
"He's right."
A voice cut through the room. It was the master of the house. Eva had likely heard us from her second-floor bedroom and dragged herself out. She was dressed in pajamas, perched precariously on the staircase railing, glaring down at us.
"You have a lot of nerve coming here. Do you realize that even with my mana depleted, killing a fledgling like you is easier than eating breakfast?"
"Master, you should be in bed..." Chachamaru murmured, but neither the vampire nor the boy mage were listening.
"Evangeline-san! Please, take this!"
Negi thrust a sealed envelope toward her. For a fleeting, horrifying second, I wondered if it was a love letter—maybe I'd been spending too much time with the gossip-mongers of Class 3-A. Eva seemed to share my suspicion; she stared at the letter with pure bewilderment.
"...What is this?"
"It's a challenge! I want a rematch! And... and you have to stop skipping class, or you'll never be allowed to graduate!"
"I already told you," Eva sighed, sounding exhausted. "The curse makes graduation impossible anyway, even if I have perfect attendance."
So, he'd already been briefed on the curse.
"Whatever. If you want a fight, I don't need a formal challenge. I'm perfectly happy to settle things right here, right now."
She reached into thin air, producing a test tube in her left hand while gathering mana in her right. Between the School Attendance Curse and this "even-devils-get-colds" sickness, she was clearly at her limit. The mana she was radiating was weaker than when we'd fought at the villa—it was even weaker than the very first time I'd encountered her upon being transported to Mahora.
But to Negi, this was the full power of a Master Mage. He leveled his staff, meeting her gaze with a grim determination.
"Fine. But if I win, you have to start coming to class!"
Wait, wasn't this whole 'incident' originally a mock battle set up by the higher-ups to give Negi experience? How did it turn into a dispute over truancy?
For a few seconds, they locked eyes in a tense standoff. Then, without warning, Eva's strength gave out. She tumbled right off the railing toward the floor.
"Master!"
Chachamaru blurred into motion, catching Eva in her arms a fraction of a second before she hit the hardwood.
I stood there, blinking in confusion. What just happened? I looked at Negi, wondering if he'd cast some kind of silent hex, but he looked just as stunned as I was.
Character Status: Axel Almar
LV: 38
PP: 625
Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272
Defense: 272 | Evade: 302 | Hit: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to enhance Slime performance)
Growth Type: All-Rounder / Special
Terrain Ratings: Air: S | Land: S | Water: S | Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accel (SP 4)
Effort (SP 8)
Focus (SP 16)
Strike (SP 30)
Awaken (SP 32)
Love (SP 48)
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9, SP Regen, Concentration)
Psychokinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9
In-fight Lv.9
Morale Limit Break
Geass (Gray)
Magic (Fire)
Magic (Shadow)
Magic (Summon)
???
???
Total Kills: 376
-------------------------------
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