When Luo Ge woke up.
The first thing I saw was a face, a child's face so close to my eyes.
Blue hair, round cheeks, and those eyes he knew all too well.
She was looking down at him, her eyes filled with tenderness that almost overflowed the screen.
He... was stunned.
Before my mind had fully recovered from the drowsiness, my mouth had already reacted.
"Teacher Luo... Teacher Roxy? You... you... you're Teacher Roxy?"
When Luo Ge called out the name, he didn't notice the girl with the single ponytail in front of him, Roxy, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
Even his eyes flashed with a hint of cunning that was almost imperceptible.
Immediately afterward, Lara tightened her arms around Luo Ge, pressing his head closer to her chest, and said in a gentle, comforting tone, "Ahem... silly apprentice... it's me."
"I am a teacher!"
"Teacher? You? Huh?!"
Then, Luo Ge hugged the girl tightly again, with great strength, so much so that Luo Ge was almost unable to move.
Being held in someone's arms like a child, to be honest... even Luo Ge felt a little embarrassed.
He was fine when he was little, but now he's almost all grown up.
What's going on with Teacher Roxy?
Why the sudden change of heart?
After all, in his memory, although Teacher Roxy was very kind to him, she always maintained a just-right distance.
Aside from that reunion on the beach in Krasma, the teacher would usually just pat him on the shoulder or pat him on the head—that was the limit.
Such an action, like today, where someone suddenly and without warning hugs their head tightly to their chest... is extremely rare.
certainly.
What puzzled him even more was why Teacher Roxy had appeared here out of nowhere.
Red Dragon's lower jaw...
This is no place you can just stroll through; it's covered in snow year-round, teeming with monsters, and even experienced adventurers are reluctant to set foot here.
He didn't tell Ms. Roxy where he was going before he came here.
So here's the question?
How exactly did she find him so accurately and manage to save him from the Dragon God's clutches?
Could it be?
On the surface, Teacher Roxy is Water King Rank magician, but is she actually a hidden master?
Or perhaps... both Hitogami and men are right.
Is Teacher Roxy an undercover agent planted by the Dragon God?
Just as Luo Ge was wondering what was going on, he suddenly felt something sticky liquid fall on his face.
It slid down his cheek and finally dripped onto his chin.
Huh?
What's wrong?
Is it raining?
At this altitude of the Red Dragon's lower jaw, it should be snowing.
Luo Ge opened his eyes and looked carefully at his teacher, Roxy, who was holding him. Above his head... he froze.
Teacher Roxy?
A very strange expression appeared on that face.
A glistening trail of drool hung from the corner of his mouth, his eyes curved into two crescent moons, and his smile looked... lewd no matter how you looked at it.
He was making muffled "heh heh" sounds in his throat, as if he was dreaming of something wonderful.
What had just dripped onto her face wasn't rainwater, but her saliva.
Holy crap?
Who is this person in front of me? Is this... this is still my teacher?
Since he met Teacher Roxy, he had never seen such a lewd expression on her face.
In his memory, even if Teacher Roxy was greedy, she was greedy in secret. If he caught her, she would blush and hide the bowl behind her back.
But Roxy in front of him was completely oblivious, drooling almost onto his face, and smiling like a child who had stolen candy.
Luo Ge couldn't stand it any longer and coughed lightly, reminding him, "Ahem? Teacher, are you drooling?"
"Oh? It's okay..."
After realizing what had happened, Lara quickly wiped her drool and turned her face away.
Seriously...
Sigh, my dad was just too charming when he was young. I really want to bully him a lot.
She silently told herself to stay calm, she must stay calm. Lara, you have to keep your composure, after all, she is the future savior.
She took a deep breath, calmed the fluttering heart inside her, and then put on a dignified and sacred "teacher" face again.
" Luo Ge..."
"You seem to be alright now? The teacher just used healing magic to treat you."
"Thank you, teacher!"
"My body is perfectly healthy right now, but teacher... I remember that the magic you possess... isn't it only Intermediate-Rank Healing Magic? Isn't limb regeneration something that only King Rank or higher healing magic can accomplish?"
"Teacher?"
"Oh, you mean this? Is it really that difficult for someone as talented as you, teacher, to learn King Rank healing magic trick without a teacher?"
"You already know God-Rank Healing Magic? Speaking of which, I can even teach disciples of God Rank magicians, so isn't it reasonable for me, Roxy, to know a little King Rank healing magic?"
"Is that so? It does seem... plausible."
Luo Ge nodded thoughtfully, then remembered that Roxy was also a genius and a Water King Rank magician.
Seeing Luo Ge stretch his body, Lara came up and, under the pretext of checking his body, took the initiative to touch Luo Ge's abdominal muscles.
She smiled and said, "It seems... my disciple has recovered very well!"
"Um... Teacher, I'm all better now, but I really owe you a lot this time..."
Luo Ge looked at Roxy with deep gratitude, and let out a long, meaningful sigh; "You, teacher... you saved me once again, really... I can never repay your kindness in this lifetime."
Suddenly, Luo Ge remembered Roxy, who had just been drooling, and said, "By the way, teacher, you must be hungry too, right, after saving me?"
"..."
Lara paused for a moment.
Hungry?
She was indeed a little hungry.
Having traveled such a long distance across the time barrier, I've used up a lot of my magic, and my stomach has been rumbling for a while now.
Seeing her reaction, Luo Ge became even more certain of his idea.
The teacher was drooling just now; she must be hungry.
Back in the Buena Village, Teacher Roxy would come out to eat leftovers every night in the middle of the night.
She's the type who's extremely frugal with food; if she eats during the day, she'll sneak into the kitchen at night and rummage through things.
He caught them in the act once.
She still had half a piece of bread stuffed in her mouth, her cheeks bulging out, and her eyes wide open; he still remembers that look on her face.
Luo Ge didn't rush to ask what had happened, but instead told her to wait for him there.
Not long after... Luo Ge hunted a few small animals, snow hares, on the mountain.
He skinned and gutted the prey with swift movements, then found some branches to set up a makeshift grill. Using fire magic, he started a fire, cleaned the prey, and placed it on the grill to roast.
He was completely absorbed in making the food... he had no time to think about anything else.
As for what the Hitogami said... whether or not Professor Roxy was an apostle of the Dragon God, Luo Ge had long since forgotten about it.
after all.
Roxy is the Dragon God's apostle, so it wouldn't be a bad idea for her to defect to the enemy; why bother with schemes and tricks?
Although that's what he said, Luo Ge quickly sensed that something was amiss.
Is this blue-haired demon girl really my teacher, Roxy?
In his memory, although Teacher Roxy was very kind to him, she always maintained a faint... a sense of boundary between teacher and student.
But what about the teacher in front of me?
Hmm... how should I put it?
She has absolutely no sense of boundaries.
And unusually, he likes to... touch her inappropriately.
After finishing their meal, the two began planning their descent from the mountain... and time passed little by little.
Night falls early on the Red Dragon's lower jaw.
The two had just reached the halfway point of the mountain when it got dark. Not only was the wind and snow heavy and difficult to walk at night, but there were also cliffs all around.
One wrong step and you could fall off a cliff and be smashed to pieces.
therefore.
Luo Ge didn't rush down the mountain. Instead, he took Lara to a sheltered spot halfway up the mountain and skillfully built two fortresses using earth magic.
Although it was small and simple, it was just enough to shelter us from the wind and rain.
He originally planned to stay in a separate room, sleep comfortably for one night, and then continue to think of a way to get down the mountain after the snow stopped the next day.
But just as he was about to crawl into his fortress, he discovered something soft and squishy inside.
Luo Ge reached out and picked it up, only to be shocked to find it was a teacher named Roxy curled up all over.
Because of her small stature, Luo Ge easily lifted her up with one hand, discovering that she was clutching a wand called "The Arrogant Water Dragon King."
Luo Ge no longer cared why his teacher had come to crawl into his bed in the middle of the night; instead, he finally realized something was amiss.
"Eh? Teacher... isn't that Rudeus's wand, the Arrogant Water Dragon King? By the way... how did it end up with you?"
You mean this?
"This wand, despite its resemblance, is not the arrogant water dragon king at all..."
Lara gestured with her wand, then said earnestly, "You can see for yourself. This wand looks like it's been used for decades. Rudeus's is new, mine is old..."
"And his is male... mine is female..."
Although Luo Ge checked it and found that there was nothing wrong with it.
However, his doubts did not dissipate; instead, they intensified. He tentatively looked at the other person.
"Speaking of which... teacher, do you remember what happened when we first met?"
Lara's eyes darted around for a moment, then she mumbled something vague, "Um... of course I remember, it's... in Buena Village."
"Then what?"
"And then... you were very young back then."
"Be more specific? What was I doing at the time?"
A flicker of panic flashed in Lara's eyes just as Luo Ge's suspicions were growing.
But Lara's prank seemed to have succeeded.
She quipped, "Hehe, of course it's because I saw my silly old... apprentice eating pufferfish and almost getting poisoned!"
"..."
Luo Ge.
Just as Luo Ge's doubts were largely dispelled by this answer, but not completely eliminated...
He was about to ask something else.
But Lara had already leaned close to his ear, her tone full of intrigue. "Silly apprentice... you don't want anyone to know you ate pufferfish, do you?"