“None, but could you please stop calling me Miss Borbeck? Here, everyone calls me Professor Kotifen.”
“Then I shall also address you as Professor Kotifen.”
I picked up the teapot from the nearby sink, washed it, used the small stove beside it to boil some water, made tea, and poured a cup for Professor Kotifen.
“Gulp, gulp.”
“Careful, it’s hot.”
“Mmm—so fragrant.”
The Elven professor took the teacup, sat down in her plush-looking armchair, and nodded. “Your tea-making skills are quite good. Would you be interested in being a teaching assistant? We just hired a new one, but she’s practically useless.”
The new teaching assistant must be Cielciel.
I’m sorry to hear more disparaging remarks about Cielciel again. Whether they’re disparaging or not is another matter.
“Is it that Succubus?”
“Exactly. I’m writing a thesis on the relationship between Succubi and Elves, so I hired her. But that child is a bit strange, different from ordinary Succubi… she seems a bit slow.”
I can probably imagine how Cielciel got hired as a teaching assistant here.
Come to think of it, Kotifen is currently in charge of teaching the Elven Index course. She is also a member of the Elven race, and her bloodline is likely quite pure.
“Professor Kotifen, do you know what the Half-Elf race is?”
“Half-Elf?”
“Yes, things like racial characteristics, or unique advantages and disadvantages. There should be some defining features, right?”
“Half-Elves… I think I read about them in a paper somewhere before. But why do you ask?”
Professor Kotifen’s question made it seem like options appeared before the girl’s eyes—confess to being a Half-Elf / make up some random excuse.
“Because I am a Half-Elf.”
“Pfft!”
The mouthful of tea Professor Kotifen had been holding sprayed out violently. The Blue Falcon, which had been quietly perched on the tea stand, was startled and flapped its wings, escaping through the open window.
This time, however, Kotifen seemed completely unconcerned that her precious pet had escaped yet again. She casually grabbed a nearby scroll of parchment, wiped her mouth haphazardly, and asked urgently:
“You said you’re a Half-Elf? Is that true?”
The reaction was unexpectedly intense. But what’s the big deal?
Erika was startled by her reaction, which was like Satania seeing a melon bread. She instinctively took a step back, her thigh bumping into a chair with a screeching sound.
Professor Kotifen stood up abruptly, leaning forward, tightly grabbing the girl’s shoulders, her gaze burning as she stared at her. She looked her over from head to toe again, but to Erika, it looked exactly like the expression a big bad wolf would have when looking at Little Red Riding Hood.
This Great Lady of the Borbeck family was already a tall, beautiful woman, nearly a head taller than Erika. The aura erupting from her now was truly astonishing.
“Tell me the truth! Is it really true or not?!”
“Y-yes… it’s true, it’s really true.”
“Wow! A mysterious existence has come to me personally! It seems this world hasn’t abandoned me, Kotifen! This is no time to be spacing out, I need to collect samples immediately! Come, come, sit here!”
Kotifen practically forced the girl to sit on an old sofa, then began rummaging through cabinets and drawers, pulling out scissors, syringes… and even a saw?!
This scene is way too creepy! No matter how you look at it, it’s terrifying!
Perhaps I shouldn’t have revealed my Half-Elf identity so easily… A hint of regret welled up in Erika’s heart.
“May I ask what exactly is going on? Is there a problem with Half-Elves?”
“You’re a Half-Elf! If I can dissect your existence, finding a way to increase the numbers of the endangered Fairies and Elves will only be a matter of time! This year’s Annual Paper Award will definitely be mine! As long as I win the award, I can…”
Professor Kotifen was panting heavily, acting like a crazy woman who had tied her lover up in The Cellar, ready to do this and that.
Only then did the terrified Erika remember—Borbeck was the boss during the transitional phase leading into the second act, after Evelyn was executed.
The Skull Hunter Borbeck… Erika didn’t really want to understand the meaning of that title.
Thinking about it this way, the specimens and models that should have seemed commonplace in the girl’s eyes now appeared particularly sinister and terrifying.
“Rustle, rustle.”
“…No.”
Professor Kotifen, who had been gathering various ominous tools, put them all back into the drawer, then shook her head despondently. “If I lay a hand on a student, I wouldn’t be worthy of being a professor anymore. If I get driven out of here too, I’ll truly have nothing left…”
Kotifen Borbeck let out a soft sigh. Erika breathed a long sigh of relief, but then furrowed her delicate brows and softly asked the downcast woman, “I heard you were driven out of the Borbeck Merchant Guild. Is that true?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“I’m Noelle’s Secretary, so I have good sources of information.”
Actually, I read it in the novel. I heard she lost in a power struggle over shares with the board of directors and was stripped of various rights.
“Yes, that’s right. I was driven out. Until I prove that qualification, I can no longer return to the Family.”
Hmm… So she wants to win some paper award or something to prove her talent, right?
Although I don’t know the specifics, the ‘Annual Paper Award’ sounds quite prestigious, carrying a weighty sense of honor and recognition.
“So, you want to write a thesis on Half-Elf research?”
“That’s right. However, using a student as a research subject without the student’s consent is strictly prohibited by the Ethics Committee. Doing so without permission could be reported… Actually, I’ve already received two yellow card warnings. If I get one more, I might really be driven out.”
“What if you had the student’s consent?…”
“Consent? You mean you would agree, right?”
A light began to shine in Kotifen’s amber eyes… no, that light was somewhat unsettling.
Erika couldn’t help but shiver, pulling her jacket tighter, but she forced herself to endure the fear. “But there’s a condition! You have to guarantee I get an A in the course you’re responsible for. Also, we need to meet once a week in the research lab.”
“Thank you!” Professor Kotifen pulled the girl into a tight hug. Compared to the older Elf, Erika was far too petite.
Consequently, her face was completely buried in the professor’s chest vest, rubbing against the Elf big sister’s body with the other’s movements.
Immediately, a fragrant, pleasant, sweet scent assailed her nose, and… it was soft, smooth… and did it carry a hint of wine aroma?
Has this woman already started her Half-Elf experimental research with zero-distance physical contact?
Erika’s face felt a bit hot. Her flustered little hands didn’t know where to go, flailing about for a moment before finally settling on her skirt over her knees.
Just then, someone knocked on the door of this research lab, which she thought no one ever visited.
“Professor Kotifen, the scheduled time is almost here. You should head to the conference room.”
“I really am swamped and dizzy with work. I truly have no time today, let’s talk another day. Oh, I’ll contact you via Twitty first, okay? Ah! Here, this is for you! A Blue Repair Feather! It’s high-grade material!” Kotifen hastily gathered her things and turned to leave the room.
Hmm… Weird. So weird.
Although caught off guard, establishing a connection with the Borbeck Family is always a good thing.
It’s rare for things to progress much more smoothly than imagined, to the point where Erika wondered if she had fallen into some trap.
Well, anyway, how to deal with the Borbeck Family requires careful consideration.