Officially Moving In

"There was nothing worth saying about the past. I had no plans to return to Earth either. But you—surviving tetanus for so long, were you some incredibly powerful mage?"

Was she thick-skinned, or simply carefree? Mayuna's ungrateful treatment did not anger Ruben. Instead, he asked with great interest.

"Yeah. If I had to put it that way, I was probably a modest eighth-rank mage."

Mayuna's current expression practically had surprise written all over her face. Come on, be surprised. If the Pope saw her looking like such a little girl, his jaw would probably drop.

"Apprentice mage, mage apprentice, mage, grand mage, magic instructor, grand magic instructor, Mage Saint, Mage God... You're a Mage God?"

Ruben held out his hand and counted on his fingers. He stopped at eight, his expression and inner thoughts completely unmoved.

"You could at least act a little more surprised, couldn't you?"

Mayuna said gloomily. Even emperors had to bow to greet her, yet this ungrateful guy would not even give her a reaction.

"You can't even understand the most basic circuit diagram. Even the God of Light is useless to me. What I need is an assistant."

"What? I can learn."

"Forget it. Once you recover, you can leave. Science is boring. Go practice your magic."

"I'm so sleepy. Can I bathe here?"

Mayuna yawned. The medicine's effects and her body's exhaustion made her terribly drowsy, but she absolutely had to bathe before sleeping.

"To the left... I'll take you there. Don't tear apart my bathroom too."

"Look at this. It's called a showerhead. Turn the switch, and water will spray down. Got it?"

Ruben pointed at the showerhead above them, then turned it on to demonstrate.

"I'm not an idiot. I could use it even if you didn't teach me."

Mayuna spoke against her true feelings, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the showerhead. This person really had a lot of good things. Bathing without having to control her own mana was just too convenient.

"Then how were you planning to bathe if I hadn't taught you?"

"I can bathe by myself. Watch. Fire magic [High-Temperature Roof]. Water magic [Hazy Rain]."

Mayuna raised a finger. A ring of red mana gradually solidified and floated above her head. Then a blue ring floated above the red mana and began to release streams of fine rain. As the rain passed through [High-Temperature Roof], it was heated by mana and turned into artificial hot water.

"So troublesome. So troublesome! Bathing should be something you enjoy slowly. Controlling mana while bathing is torture!"

Ruben looked at the composite spell over her head with utter disdain. Only then did he truly feel that science was amazing.

"That's why nobles have servants cast spells for them while they bathe. But I don't like that, so I do it myself. Also, how long are you planning to stay here?! Wind magic [Breeze of Warm Spring]!"

Mayuna was about to take off her clothes when she saw Ruben still standing there. She instantly forgot that he had saved her life and blasted him out with a spell.

"Ruben, where's my room?"

After bathing, Mayuna emerged from the bathroom carrying a warm mist around her. She had already dried her hair with fire magic, and she had spare clothes in her spatial ring, leaving Ruben without so much as a glimpse of anything.

"You still want a room? I never considered having guests over. Sleep on the sofa."

"Y-You're making me, the greatest mage on the Holy Continent, a Mage God, sleep on the sofa?"

Mayuna was so angry that she nearly lost her mind. Even if she wanted to sleep in the Holy Empire Emperor's palace tonight and demanded that his concubines accompany her, the Emperor would not dare refuse. Yet now, a human with not a trace of mana in his body was telling her to sleep on the sofa!!! Well, she had just learned the word "sofa" from him. If he had not said it, she would have long regarded that soft thing as a bed.

As a patient, she knew she should not make so many demands of the person who had saved her life. But this was the living room. Sleeping on the sofa meant Ruben would see her sleeping posture and the way she slept. That was absolutely unacceptable. Even if she had to be a little more willful, she could not yield on this.

"I'm doing this for your own good. Are you willing to sleep in a bed a man has slept in?"

"That's fine. Where's your room?"

"Here."

Ruben did not refuse. He was already used to girls being willful. Besides, when scientists were tired, they could sleep anywhere they dropped. He led Mayuna into his room. It was not large, containing only a bed, a lamp, and several things Mayuna did not recognize.

"Purification magic [Purify]."

As Mayuna's mana spread through the room, every trace of Ruben's presence vanished. Stray hairs, the scent clinging to the blanket—after Ruben took out a magnifying glass and examined his glass cup, he found that even the fingerprints on it had disappeared. The room looked like a brand-new one that had never been lived in.

"Don't you think magic is more convenient than science?"

Mayuna looked at Ruben's surprised face and spoke smugly, as though she had won.

"Nonsense! I don't believe in that. I believe in science. Cleaning up myself is convenient too!"

Ruben immediately denied it. Although this magic really was convenient—no laundry and no dusting—he would never betray his faith.

"What a stubborn guy."

Mayuna laughed as she watched Ruben flee the room. She lay on the bed, gazing at the unfamiliar ceiling as she recalled everything that had happened that day.

"Phantom magic [Memoir]."

"Little Mayuna, are you afraid to sleep alone again? I may be your teacher, but I can't sleep with you every day. There are still many things in this world you haven't encountered yet: friends, lovers, enemies, people chasing you, people you chase, debt collectors... Speaking of lovers, Little Mayuna, remember this: once you meet a good man, hold on to him tightly. Plant magic [Vine Entanglement] is simple, right? Oh, and make sure you firmly keep a man's wealth in your own hands too. Do you still remember how to use theft magic [Space Swap]...?"

Driven by Mayuna's mana, a translucent Yura appeared in the room. She was a phantom formed from Mayuna's past memories. Whenever Mayuna could not sleep, she would cast this spell to bring her out. In the image, Yura smiled gently as she tied the elderly Pope into a dumpling with vines, while also teaching Mayuna the dark magic that could loot other people's spatial rings clean.

"Teacher..."

Amid Yura's voice, Mayuna slowly fell asleep. A tear slid down onto her pillow.

P.S. Please bookmark and recommend.

P.S. The cheerful daily life born from the meeting of science and magic was about to begin.

Probably.