Chapter 46
“Roy…? P-Please calm down.”
“I-I want to go home… huuuaaa!”
“U-Um… Roy? Hmm…”
If I clung to him crying like this, he’d normally freak out and bolt. I knew I should look him in the eye and explain everything calmly and logically—but I couldn’t stop the flood of emotions.
I buried my face even deeper into Altair’s chest to keep him from escaping. He flinched and awkwardly patted my back in a stiff rhythm.
“Is it the coordinates? Even with the formula I sent, I could’ve reduced the margin of error for the coordinates and timeframe of the star you were trying to reach.”
“…C-Coordinates?”
You nerdy bastard, is that your idea of comfort right now?
I screamed.
“You think it’s the coordinates?! I’m going to die! Me! Dying is horrible enough, but I’m also losing my memory like I have dementia!
Even if I used all the highest-grade magic stones in this world, I still can’t escape this godforsaken romance fantasy! Do you really think it’s just a coordinate problem?!”
“Ah.”
Through his round glasses, Altair’s wide brown eyes quaked like an earthquake.
“Then… how can I help you?”
“…”
I huffed, turning my head to glance at Tessarion. That monster—the root cause of this curse—was practically burning blue flames of fury. Behind him, Madam Mores looked pale and trembling.
Tessarion gestured with both hands for us to put distance between each other. And then… drew his thumb across his throat.
H-He wants to kill me…?
Shit.
I quickly let go of Altair and backed away.
Tessarion signaled again to move back even more. Grinding my teeth, I reluctantly stepped out from under the rose arbor.
Altair leaned forward and whispered in my ear:
“Shall I get you out of here?”
His soft and sweet voice sent shivers down my spine. And at the same time, a big, fat death flag shot up over my head. I quickly waved both hands.
“No no no! If I run away, Tessarion will kill my siblings back home and burn the Dover estate to the ground!”
“I can stop the Duke.”
“No, it’s not just that—I still have something I must do here.”
“You mean that marriage?”
I froze and looked at Altair again. He gave me a bitter smile and asked,
“Do you really need a spell to fall in love at first sight?”
The spring breeze scattered fully bloomed rose petals around us. But no matter how many glittery magical hearts and flower particles swirled in the air, it wasn’t a warm spring—it was the chill of a late frost.
Yes, that spell could work.
A spell to make the main characters fall in true love. That was exactly what I needed.
But I couldn’t let Altair break a taboo just for that.
I had to refuse. Tell him I didn’t need it. That I was okay.
I opened my mouth, then bit down and muttered softly,
“You said magic that manipulates human emotions is forbidden…”
“I’ll make it for you. Whatever you need.”
“N-No! Really! I’m fine! Honestly?!”
“Fine? Do you know how exhausted you look right now? Why haven’t you used the sleep magic I sent you?”
“…”
“I’ll find a way. There are always ways to bypass taboos.”
“People always think that, and then they make one tiny mistake and end up cursed by the goddess for life! You can’t live like that!”
Altair gave me a quiet smile, then pulled a crumpled paper from my coat pocket.
“Isn’t it ironic? Someone who knows all that is secretly trying to bypass the rules on their own?”
My face burned. To a non-mage, it looked like a scribbled mess, but to a mage, it was a clear set of magical formulas. Including formulas for increasing stamina… and treating erectile dysfunction.
“Altair!!”
I lunged to snatch it, but Altair was as tall and long-armed as Tessarion.
“G-Give it! Don’t read it!”
He calmly read my notes.
“…An interesting premise. ‘By wearing a magical accessory and targeting a specific partner… how? Increase heart rate and achieve erection.’ Roy, do you have erectile dysfunction?”
“Hell no!!”
“If you don’t, then why are you using such magic to forget someone you love? Do you want to become promiscuous? Won’t it just hurt more later?
In my opinion, we need to define what ‘love’ is first. Then we can look for ways to bypass the taboo.”
He pushed up his glasses and his eyes sparkled.
“Roy, what is love?”
“….”
The emotional tsunami from meeting Altair had completely wrecked my brain in less than an hour. And now, this little sub male lead who only knew unrequited love was asking me to define love?
“H-Hnnng…”
I covered my face with both hands.
I suddenly missed my mom—whose name and face I couldn’t even remember.
Do you know how I died in the 6th life?
Because of this guy.
I was worked to death as Altair’s research assistant (slave #1), endlessly toiling in his lab after he became the youngest-ever professor at the Academy. The PTSD from that was resurfacing now.
If Tessarion had no empathy, Altair had no flexibility. He hated hearing, “Professor, can’t we just skip this part?”
When developing teleportation magic, he spent the entire 5th life just trying to define “time” and “space.”
Now I had to define something even more abstract—love.
I wanted to curse out loud, but what could I say? He wasn’t wrong. Magic was a discipline built on strict definitions. If I really wanted to bypass the taboo, I’d have to define it precisely.
“Ugh, s-sniff… L-Love is… a primal instinct for human flourishing, maybe?
It’s when someone seems beautiful, precious, when you want to be patient, understand them, help them, miss them when they’re gone, sometimes even sacrifice yourself…
Through that mutual connection, we gain emotional stability, develop personality and socialization, and… and it’s the driving force for future growth.”
“Hmm.”
Altair, the professor who had held many titles across my lifetimes, stroked his chin in thought. Then, like he’d just solved the mystery of the universe, he clapped his fist into his palm and beamed.
“Ah! If we go by your definition… then I must be in love with you, Roy!”
“…Huh?”
What the hell kind of romance fantasy is this?!
I stared at Sub Male Lead #2, dumbfounded, with tears and snot still clinging to me. Altair, now delighted, continued as if he’d made some groundbreaking realization.
“Why didn’t you come to the Academy in the 8th round? While researching time regression, I thought of you constantly. I wondered how Roy would’ve approached it.
I sent you letters every day, hoping you’d reply. When nothing came, I met with the Duke in the 9th round and even visited your hometown.
But your family didn’t know where you were. I missed you dearly. I had to meet you again.”
“…”
So… you just wanted your hardworking research slave back.
“You were the source of my stability, my emotional support, my development—everything. I want to help you. No matter what.”
“…”
In a few lifetimes, thanks to you, my mental health deteriorated, I became socially stunted, and I haven’t had a peaceful night’s sleep in years…
“And… I can’t deny that you look more beautiful now than ever.”
“Ah, I used beauty magic. The whole garden has romantic filters on it. That’s why everything looks all sparkly and shalala. Even you look sparkly and shalala to me right now, Professor.”
“O-Oh! I-I see!”
Altair blushed and touched his red cheeks, smiling shyly.
