Almost two weeks had passed.
Course registration would begin next week.
Since the registration period lasted about a month, I would need to submit a proposal around the middle of it.
That was the only way to attract students.
Of course, I had only outlined the framework so far, without filling in the details.
But I had no choice.
This course wasn’t just my responsibility.
I had to get input from the Treasures as well.
***
After our first warehouse exploration, Cassian seemed very pleased with the experience.
She had even started examining her body, checking for any changes.
Eventually, she reached the point where she was the one suggesting we enter another warehouse.
‘Was it a kind of resonance with the relic?’ It seemed the physical effects gave her a lot to reflect on.
As someone who needed to collect many Treasures, this was good news.
Of course, I had no intention of granting her request.
Until her body was fully stabilized, I had no plans to set foot in another warehouse.
At that time, she was still dealing with the aftereffects of the first exploration.
When I firmly refused, Cassian pouted slightly before walking away.
Her body was the most precious thing to me.
More than my own.
The amount of information contained within it was immense, and I had no idea how much further it could grow.
There was no reason to waste it due to short-sighted decisions.
My choice was made with that in mind.
I had to preserve and protect it—to study it for a lifetime.
Yes, one day, she would leave.
The university was ultimately a place to graduate from.
With her talent, she would likely graduate before me.
That meant I needed to keep her around while I still could.
Efficiently, at that.
***
And so, Cassian spent her time resting at the Tower, doing little more than lounging around.
Once her body had fully recovered, we visited another warehouse.
The body in which the relic resided remained just as useful.
I continued recording the ranks of Treasures in the Mirror Beetle’s archives.
Which led us to now.
Beyond the mirror, I could see Cassian.
She was sprawled across the massive recovery bed I had prepared for her, rolling around with a stuffed bear.
Waves of restorative magic flowed over her.
Professor Irien stroked her chin lightly.
I was standing quietly beside her in the professor’s room.
My gaze briefly flickered to the tray in my hands.
The day’s lunch, prepared for the professor, sat atop it, steam rising gently.
I carefully placed it before her.
She stopped watching the mirror and glanced at me.
Smiling faintly, she leaned back, allowing the butler to set the table for her.
“You want to use that one as your assistant?”
“Yes. Her name is Cassian. She was one of the students who received a passing certificate from my previous lecture.”
“Well, I don’t mind.”
The professor nodded without much concern—just as I had expected.
She zoomed in on the image of Cassian, observing her closely.
Occasionally, she glanced at the Mirror Beetle beside her, watching past explorations play out within it.
“Hm. I can see why you want her as an assistant. She’s the complete opposite of you.”
Then, she dismissed the mirror entirely.
Her interest had faded.
The Mirror Beetle stopped its playback and returned to my hands.
The professor turned her gaze to today’s meal.
As she examined its contents, her expression wavered slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.
It was understandable.
Even I had to admit today’s dish looked rather unimpressive.
A shallow, wide bowl filled with a transparent liquid, with a few floating eggs.
Nothing else.
A very simple meal.
But I met her skeptical gaze with confidence, my smile unwavering.
This egg soup was the culmination of my long culinary experience—its flavor a distilled essence of everything I had learned.
The eggs were a byproduct of the tentacle eggs Cassian had hunted.
Back then, she had requested that I grill them.
The taste had been absolutely terrible.
But that wasn’t the ingredient’s true flavor.
While sorting through the remains of magical creatures, I had been drawn to the aroma emanating from the tentacles.
Curious, I had tasted them raw—and the richness that filled my mouth had been astonishing.
A truly captivating taste.
‘So why had the grilled version been so awful?’
It was because heat had altered the flavor.
The moment those mysterious tentacles came into contact with fire, their taste transformed.
Thus, I had refined them purely through magic, softening them repeatedly.
In the end, they had changed, becoming something akin to eggs—leaving behind only the purest essence.
And the broth—
That was the key.
It wasn’t just made from the tentacles but contained a variety of other ingredients.
In the process of softening them with magic, their forms and colors had dissolved, turning completely transparent.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that hundreds of magical creatures had melted into that single bowl.
In the process, I had gained a great realization.
Cooking magical creatures had no limits.
The only limits were the ones I imposed upon myself.
‘If I could break free from those constraints, then boundless possibilities awaited.’
This egg soup was the very essence of vitality.
Even Cassian, still lounging in bed, would benefit from a portion.
It would undoubtedly aid her recovery.
“Today’s dish is light on the stomach. Try a sip of the broth first, then eat the eggs afterward.”
I gestured toward the soup as I spoke.
The professor lifted her spoon and gently prodded one of the eggs floating in the broth.
It twitched slightly in response.
Just as I had intended, it was still somewhat alive.
She watched it for a moment before scooping up some broth.
The liquid thickened slightly, forming a jelly-like consistency before smoothly rolling onto the spoon.
She carefully brought it to her lips and took a sip.
Her eyes closed as she savored the taste.
The furrow in her brow gradually softened, replaced by a relaxed warmth.
I smiled.
There was no resisting that broth.
I had experienced the same reaction myself.
The warmth spread through the body, enveloping it in deep comfort.
After a few more sips, she finally touched the egg.
It squirmed slightly on the spoon before she placed it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.
Then, she looked at me and smiled.
Her eyes curved into crescents, her expression filled with genuine delight.
“This is… quite good.”
“Thank you.”
I bowed my head slightly.
A great deal of effort had gone into reviving that dish.
Cassian had sliced the tentacle egg clean in half, killing it instantly.
But I had managed to salvage a portion of its core.
To maintain its flavor, I had grafted a tentacle onto it.
The tentacle had absorbed the core, reviving it to a living state.
And now, it sat before the professor—a perfected dish.
The professor quickly finished her meal, placing a hand on her stomach with a small cough.
Satisfaction radiated from her expression.
Another successful service.
I retrieved the empty bowl and swiftly prepared tea.
The tart aroma cut through the thick scent of the broth, freshening the air.
She lifted the teacup and inhaled the fragrance, her expression relaxing further.
The broth had been incredibly rich.
Because of that, it could feel a little overwhelming.
To counterbalance it, I had chosen tea leaves with a slightly acidic tang to cleanse the palate.
She sipped the tea and smiled.
As she enjoyed her drink, I retrieved a few sheets of paper from my spatial pouch and quietly placed them before her.
A list of the Treasures we had cataloged this week.
“Hmm, when I heard you were taking on a lecture, I wondered what you’d do. But is simply organizing the warehouse really meaningful?”
She tilted her head as she spoke.
Then, setting down her teacup, she began reading through the papers in front of her.
“It’s not just for the lecture. You assigned me the role of warehouse keeper, so how could I possibly leave the warehouse in disarray? I compiled these records to make it easier for you to review them.”
At my explanation, the professor gave a small nod.
I then placed a Mirror Beetle before her—identical to the ones I had given to the Treasures.
As I willed it, the beetle’s screen displayed a bulletin board—one dedicated solely to the Treasures.
Two new Treasures had joined this week, bringing the total to five when combined with the first three.
They were noisily chattering on the board.
Seeing this, the professor’s expression shifted to one of growing interest.
“This is a communication hub for the welfare of the Treasures. I’ve set it up so you can check it at any time. It’s also linked to their respective Mirror Beetles, so if you ever wish to observe them, you can view their recordings.”
With that, I activated the screen.
The Mirror Beetle flickered briefly before displaying a vast lake.
It had connected to another Mirror Beetle on the other side.
At the center of the lake was a shifting mass of spectral entities—a fragment of a star’s eye, commonly known as a Star Eye.
It seemed to sense our connection and glanced toward the Mirror Beetle.
Through that link, it could see us as well.
The moment it spotted the professor, it shuddered violently.
Bubbles rose to the lake’s surface in agitation.
The professor smiled lightly at it.
I bowed slightly toward the Star Eye beyond the screen.
It flinched for a moment before slumping in resignation.
Watching that scene filled me with a deep sense of satisfaction.
This was a form of security.
‘If the professor took an interest in this bulletin board, the Treasures would be much less inclined to act recklessly.’
With that thought in mind, I handed the Mirror Beetle to her.
It was also meant to serve as a source of entertainment for her.
The screen soon went dark—the connection was still unstable.
After all, it extended beyond the barriers of the doors.
More adjustments were needed.
“This is pretty amusing. I like it. And now I understand why you’re interested in the Treasures.”
The professor’s gaze shifted toward my chest.
Or rather, beyond it—to the tree within me.
Of course, she knew all about my Shadow Tree.
That meant she had likely pieced together why I had distributed Mirror Beetles to the Treasures.
There was no need to hide the truth from her.
She would have figured it out sooner or later.
“But how exactly are you planning to conduct the lecture with all this?”
Her eyes gleamed with curiosity.
I scratched my cheek and shook my head slightly.
“It’s not fully sorted out yet. Once everything is finalized, I’ll provide you with a detailed explanation along with the lecture proposal.”
The professor didn’t seem satisfied with my vague answer.
She puffed out her cheeks slightly and narrowed her eyes, suspicion flickering in her gaze.
“Something’s fishy. Feels like you’re up to something strange again.”
“Come on now, when have I ever done anything like that?”
I waved my hands dismissively.
She stared at me for a moment, then finally relaxed her expression and resumed sipping her tea.
“You know the answer to that better than anyone. Well, waiting to find out could be entertaining too. You may go.”
She gestured with her hand.
I bowed deeply.
“Then, I will take my leave.”
Stepping backward, I carefully exited the room.
***
The days that followed passed in a routine cycle.
Cassian lounged in bed, then idled around the Tower, ensuring her body stabilized as much as possible.
Mira remained close, continually treating her.
Cassian’s body underwent changes throughout the process.
More power and potential began manifesting within her.
I blinked as I reviewed the data Mira had provided.
Her transformation seemed to be straying slightly beyond human standards.
It was likely due to Mira’s influence.
Well, it was still growth, so there was no harm in it—at least, that’s how I reasoned.
Cassian would manage herself.
And Mira treasured that body, so it certainly wouldn’t be detrimental to her.
While they focused on stabilizing her condition, I threw myself into research.
My goal was to further refine the Mirror Beetles dedicated to the Treasures.
Security measures were reinforced in the process.
These connections extended beyond the doors of the Treasure Vaults.
The doors themselves were sealed by multiple layers of powerful barriers.
If not for the key, even I wouldn’t have been able to conceptualize such a connection.
Thus, I had to make use of those barriers.
Every signal the Treasures sent was first intercepted by the vault’s barrier, where it was scrutinized.
It was examined for any trace of malice, excessive magical energy, or fragments of intent.
Only after passing these checks were the messages posted on the bulletin board.
Sometimes, the Treasures made requests.
Some wanted small magical creatures.
Others simply wished to hear about the world outside.
I spent my time responding to their requests as best as I could.
Then, we explored the warehouse.
That became the weekly routine.
Two weeks passed in this manner.
During that time, we explored three additional rooms.
We discovered a total of twenty-two new Treasures.
Among them, five possessed intelligence refined enough to join the bulletin board.
That brought the total number of participating Treasures to ten—the minimum I had aimed for.
I engaged them in deep discussions.
I even created a separate, private bulletin board hidden from the professor.
It was necessary for structuring the lecture—and also for their sake.
These Treasures were now, in a sense, my future clientele.
Listening to their opinions and accommodating their needs was only natural.
Their satisfaction equated to my own success.
With that in mind, we finalized the lecture proposal.
***
With the completed plan in hand, I stood before the professor.
She was savoring the aroma of her tea when I placed the proposal and ten additional sheets of paper before her.
Those ten sheets radiated a powerful magical energy—stemming from the blood-red script written upon them.
The professor immediately noticed.
She glanced at the papers.
“And this is?”
“A solidarity statement from the Treasures. Out of the thirty-nine Treasures across the five rooms, ten have written this as representatives.”
The Treasures were the true hosts of this lecture.
They would be the ones evaluating the students and bestowing their rewards.
My role was to mediate between them, gathering scores and information.
A world where everyone benefited.
This was the first step toward that ideal.
The professor tilted her head slightly.
I met her gaze head-on and spoke firmly.
At this moment, I was the Treasures’ representative.
For the sake of this lecture—and for their future—I had to fight for them.
“Just as students are guaranteed their rights to survival and property, Treasures must also be granted basic rights. This is their demand.”
“Pfft—!”
The professor nearly spat out her tea.
She coughed lightly and stared at me.
Her eyes were filled with bewilderment.