"Oh, I heard. Just don't be too late."
I had some doubts, but it turned out Fresia really did get permission from the dorm supervisor.
As I stepped out of the dormitory, the chilly night breeze greeted me. Although the weather was getting warmer, the night air was still cold.
There were no students outside at this hour unless for special reasons. On the way to the Magic Research Building, I only saw a few people who seemed to be assistant professors.
Room 707 of the Magic Research Building. I knocked lightly on the door and, without waiting, went inside. During the day, a bit of sunlight seeped through the curtains, but now that night had fallen, the only light came from a small lamp illuminating the room.
As expected, Fresia wasn't in the first room. By now, I was used to it and headed straight to the inner room. As usual, there she was—Fresia, fast asleep on the sofa. She was so deeply asleep that she didn't stir at the sound of my knock or my footsteps approaching.
"Boss?"
Since it was already 10 PM, I had to wake her up. Not wanting to offend my boss by touching her, I approached quietly and called her in a low voice.
"Boss?"
Still, Fresia snored on. I raised my voice slightly.
"Boss? It's time to wake up."
"Mmm... what...?"
Finally, Fresia rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up, still half-asleep and unaware of who woke her or why I was there.
"You called me for 10 PM, remember? It's time to get up," I said. If it were daytime, I could've opened the curtains to let in the light, but at night, there was only starlight peeking through the curtains.
Luckily, after sitting in a daze for a moment, Fresia seemed to snap awake. In fact, she looked even more alert than she did during the day. It seemed like she was naturally more active at night.
"Oh, you're here. Right, I had something to do tonight..."
Fresia got up from the sofa, rummaged through her closet, and threw on a short cape. But beneath the cape, she was only wearing a thin dress. She was bound to get cold, but it didn't seem to bother her.
"Okay, let's go. Grab that basket over there and follow me."
Smack
As Fresia passed by, she gave me a light slap on the butt before walking ahead.
This again? She'd done it before, and now I was starting to worry a bit about her preferences. But I didn't have the pride or courage to protest. I had long since sold that for my salary and benefits. Honestly, for the amount I was getting paid, a few slaps on the butt weren't worth complaining about. Besides, with her being a small girl, it just seemed... cute.
Because of her shorter strides, I followed slowly behind Fresia until we reached the academy's outer walls.
Fresia extended her hand from under her cape and placed her palm against the wall.
Suddenly, the barrier surrounding the academy began to glow along the top of the wall. The academy was known as the continent's top institution for nurturing talent. With so many noble heirs attending, any breach of security could be disastrous. Whether it was a terrorist attack, a sudden monster migration, or a demon invasion, the consequences would be severe.
That's why the academy's barrier was said to be as strong as the one surrounding the imperial capital itself.
As I watched in awe, I noticed a faint crack in the glowing wall about 10 meters from where Fresia's hand touched.
"Grab two of those from the basket," Fresia instructed.
I immediately handed her two translucent magic stones from the basket. She took the stones and swapped out the worn-out ones embedded in the wall. But it didn't end with a simple replacement. Like before, she drew several magic circles in the air, and they glowed brightly. When I looked up again, the crack in the barrier had vanished as if it had never existed.
"There are still more spots to fix... Take the used stones and follow me," she said.
I tossed the now dimmed magic stones into the basket and followed her along the wall.
We had been working on the barrier repairs for a while, though we hadn't fixed that many spots. Since we were walking along the academy's perimeter, it took quite a bit of time.
"Achoo!"
About halfway around the academy, Fresia let out a small sneeze. The cold night air must have gotten to her, as she rubbed her arms together beneath her cape. I had a bad feeling when she left the lab wearing only that thin dress under her cape...
I took off my uniform jacket and draped it over her cape. Since Fresia was much smaller than me, it covered her pretty well.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
Thankfully, Fresia accepted the jacket gratefully, wrapping herself up to block out the cold wind.
The night air was chilly for me too, but it wasn't bad enough to catch a cold. Looking back, I probably should've insisted she dress warmer before we left the lab.
"By the way, why are you the one repairing the barrier?" I asked, finally voicing the question that had been on my mind.
"They passed the job to me... because I'm young," she replied.
So even in this world, people get dumped with extra work for being young. Still, wasn't barrier repair too important to leave to a student, especially a first-year?
"But Boss, aren't we in the same year?"
"Same year? No, we're not."
Oh. Because of her youthful appearance, it hadn't even occurred to me that she could be in a higher year. If she had a complex about looking young, she might have gotten angry. But luckily, Fresia didn't seem bothered and kept walking.
"How old are you, Boss?"
"Me? Sixteen."
...?
Most academy students entered at eighteen. Fresia was two years younger than that. And since she wasn't in my year, that meant she was at least a second-year. Was she some kind of prodigy?
"Wow... So when did you enter the academy?"
She must've been admitted at fourteen if the academy trusted her with such important tasks. Could she be in her third year already?
"Huh? I'm not a student."
"What?"
"I'm a professor in the Magic Department."
...?
???
"Now do you feel a little more respect for me?" Fresia said, flashing a sly smile.
Wait. My brain struggled to process what I had just heard.
This small girl was a professor in the Magic Department? Younger than me, yet a professor? Not just some scholarship student?
It all made sense now. No wonder she could stay in her lab even when classes were in session. No wonder she had her own research lab.
Of course, she wasn't a student—she was a professor. She didn't have to attend classes, and she had her own lab.
"Uh... what should I call you, then? Professor?"
"'Boss' is fine."
I had no intention of disrespecting her just because she was younger than me. In fact, the fact that she had become a professor at such a young age was impressive. Besides, anyone who pays well is automatically deserving of respect.
"What do you teach, Professor? I can't tell based on the magic experiments we've done..." I asked, curious about her area of expertise. Given the types of magic we'd tested, I thought maybe she specialized in buff or debuff magic, but there had also been some completely random spells in the mix.
"Those were just spells I made for fun."
Out of all the revelations today, the fact that my salary and bonuses were coming from her "hobby" experiments was the most shocking.
By the time we finished the barrier repairs, it was already past midnight. While I was starting to feel drowsy, my boss looked even more energized than before.
"Well, I'll head back now. Thank you for your hard work, Boss."
"Yeah. I added a little extra for night duty today."
She handed me a pouch of silver coins, and I could immediately tell it was heavier than usual.
Who wouldn't respect a boss who even takes care of night shift bonuses?
I bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle toward Fresia. Thank you, Boss. Call me anytime.
* * * *
[I've added Illustrations of Elysia - Annie - Cillian - Fresia to the Gallery]
[To check them go to Deviantart.com/ov4096, Click Gallery, Click The Former Assassin Becomes a Noble Lady]