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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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Chapter 156 - Head Theoretical Professor Kaiden (8)
The restaurant served a delightful course meal, with every dish being absolutely exquisite.
However, Kaiden barely touched his food, instead watching me eat with an amused expression.
"Aren’t you going to eat?"
"I am. It’s delicious."
He replied, spearing a small portion with his fork and taking a delicate bite, his eyes smiling as he looked at me.
"Honestly, just seeing you enjoy your meal is enough to fill me up."
"Are you sure you’re not using illusion magic to trick yourself into feeling full?"
"That’s amusing."
Kaiden chuckled softly.
"There’s something I’ve been curious about."
Kaiden tilted his head inquisitively, his expression inviting me to continue.
He always reacted this way whenever I asked him something.
With his sharp features and serene demeanor, he reminded me of an elegant breed of cat.
It was no wonder the people at the Academy were initially so surprised by his appearance and gender.
"Don’t take this the wrong way."
"How could I? Even if you were to curse me to my face, I would gladly accept it with a happy heart."
Look at him talk—his personality hasn’t changed one bit in all these years.
"You… you’re a man, right?"
"That’s what you’re curious about?"
Kaiden’s smile deepened.
"Surely you’ve confirmed this yourself. Back during the Special Force days, we bathed together on more than one occasion, didn’t we?"
That was true. Both Linus and I had seen for ourselves that Kaiden was, indeed, anatomically male.
There was no reason to doubt him after that. Back then, he didn’t even know how to use illusion magic.
Besides, the original story clearly described Kaiden as a man.
Sure, his mysterious past as a reclusive mage left room for interpretation, but there was no narrative twist to suggest otherwise—not even by the end of the novel.
If he were meant to be a cross-dressing woman, there would have been no need to add such a convoluted detail without resolving it later.
"Do you suspect I’ve been using illusion magic to deceive you?"
Kaiden tilted his head the other way, his gaze playful.
"If you’re really unsure, I could prove it to you again. You’re welcome to touch and confirm for yourself."
"N-no, that won’t be necessary."
"Hehe."
Kaiden laughed softly, covering his mouth with a hand. At moments like this, he looked every bit like a woman.
Still, something about him felt unsettling.
Back then, it made sense. But even now, a decade later, he looked exactly the same as he did back then.
No matter how youthful or attractive a man may be, aging is inevitable, especially with the influence of hormones. Yet Kaiden’s appearance was unchanged, as if frozen in time.
He wasn’t an elf, and he wasn’t using anti-aging magic—at least, as far as I could tell.
"Have you, perhaps, used magic to slow aging?"
"That kind of magic doesn’t exist, Dian. You find my lack of change suspicious, don’t you?"
Kaiden said, brushing a loose strand of hair behind his ear.
"Not suspicious—just curious. It’s fascinating."
"There’s nothing fascinating about it. You haven’t changed much in ten years either. You’re still as strikingly handsome and charming as ever."
Kaiden smiled, his compliment catching me off guard.
"Well, uh, thanks for that."
"As for the topic of magic, I can’t think of any reason why I would bother maintaining my appearance with magic."
He spoke with a measured tone, as if dissecting the logic for me.
"Let’s consider the benefits. Anti-aging? But Dian, I’m barely past twenty even now, ten years later. And frankly, while it’s embarrassing to admit, I don’t think my appearance is so unsightly that I’d need to hide it."
Placing a hand on his chest, Kaiden smiled sweetly.
"On the contrary, using magic to maintain my looks would be more trouble than it’s worth. Constantly casting spells is exhausting, even for me."
"Hmm…."
Kaiden reached out and took my hand gently.
"So please, don’t doubt me, Dian. We’ve been comrades, surviving countless life-and-death situations together. And honestly, does it even matter whether I’m a man or a woman?"
"Well…."
"If anyone tries to plant doubts in your mind, just ignore them. Not only do I have no reason to deceive you, but if I ever wanted to, I could have done it in a way that left no room for suspicion. You know that, don’t you? I am a mage, after all."
His calm tone carried an oddly persuasive weight.
Combined with his logical argument, I found no reason to press further.
"Alright, I won’t ask again."
"Thank you."
Kaiden patted my hand lightly before asking.
"By the way, who brought this up to you?"
"No one. It’s just something I thought about on my own."
For some reason, I felt an intense instinct not to tell Kaiden the truth, so I lied.
"I see."
As usual, Kaiden didn’t question me further and accepted my explanation without hesitation.
"My apologies for causing you confusion, Dian. But even if you doubt everything in this world, there’s one thing you can always rely on."
"And what’s that?"
"My respect, admiration, and love for you."
Kaiden said, his hand tightening around mine.
"From the moment we met ten years ago, and forevermore."
Kaiden’s crescent-shaped smile shone brighter than ever.
# # # # #
"Huh? There they are!"
Hindrasta ducked beneath the window as Kaiden and Dian exited the restaurant.
"They’re heading somewhere else. Shouldn’t we follow them?"
Peeking through the curtain, Merilda asked. Meanwhile, Knightley nudged Hindrasta’s backside with her foot.
"Hey, are you absolutely sure about this? That the Head Theoretical Professor is using magic to keep Dian all to himself?"
"I’m telling you, it’s true!"
"Why would he even do that?"
"Why? Because Dian is obviously an amazing person, that’s why!"
Hindrasta’s voice grew louder as she glared at her companions.
"I’m telling you, just seeing his face makes me so happy I could die!"
"...What?"
Merilda and Knightley stared at each other, dumbfounded by Hindrasta’s sudden confession.
It was true. Lately, Hindrasta had started feeling differently about Dian.
The turning point had been when Dian stood up to a dragon to recover her stolen money.
Despite having no obligation to help her, Dian had gone out of his way to make sure she was okay.
"That’s why I can’t stand Kaiden keeping Dian to himself. Who does he think he is? Don’t you agree?"
Without waiting for a reply, Hindrasta kicked open the carriage door and leapt out.
"Come on, let’s follow them! We’ll lose them!"
The three students pushed their way through the crowd, keeping a close watch on Kaiden and Dian.
The two professors seemed to be deep in conversation, but then, suddenly, they turned and entered a narrow alley.
Not wanting to lose sight of them, Hindrasta shoved her way to the front.
"What the…?"
Standing at the entrance of the alley, Hindrasta froze.
It was empty.
The alley was a straight path with no corners or hiding spots. But in just a few seconds, both Kaiden and Dian had vanished.
# # # # #
Kaiden had suddenly led me off the main street into a narrow alley.
"Why are we going this way?"
"I told you—I have a gift for you as thanks for everything you’ve done for me."
Kaiden turned to me, smiling faintly.
"And it’s here?"
"Please close your eyes and turn around for a moment."
Feeling a wave of suspicion, I hesitated but complied, shutting my eyes and turning my back to him.
"You can open them now."
When I turned around, I froze, staring silently at Kaiden.
"What do you think, Dian?"
Kaiden had transformed into a woman.
His usual black robe was gone, replaced by a sleeveless white turtleneck. His body was taller, more curvaceous—unmistakably feminine.
What is he doing!?
"Why aren’t you saying anything, Dian?"
Kaiden asked gently, his smile unchanging.
"Is this not to your taste? Hmm, I see."
Kaiden’s chest and hips grew even fuller.
"I remembered you said Hindrasta’s form was charming. Does this look similar?"
He spun around playfully, his smile unwavering.
"I’ve always wanted to repay you for helping me. So tonight, let’s spend time together like this. This is my gift to you."
Illusion magic.
The kind that distorts all five senses, making the unreal feel real.
"Kaiden. Let me ask you something."
"Anything, as long as it’s not about my gender."
He replied with a sly smile.
"It’s not about that."
"Then what is it?"
"You… who are you?"
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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