TPC | Chapter 1.1

How do you explain that a man has a womb inside him?

── .✦

“Hmm…”

A bored glance swept over Larry. It was a look of indifference, as if it didn’t matter who was standing there. It was late August, just a few days before the new semester started. Larry had been suddenly summoned by the dean. It was something that had never happened in his years at the academy, so he rushed over, but he had no clue why he was called.

Understanding his feelings, the dean greeted Larry with a smile.

“Are you Laurencio? I imagine you were surprised by the sudden call. Thank you for coming early. I’m Dean Frederick Baldichi.”

“Uh? Y-Yes… N-Nice to meet you. I’m L-Laurencio, but why…?”

Larry stammered, his nervous habit showing as he struggled to respond. The dean’s well-groomed eyebrows twitched slightly, but Larry didn’t notice. It wasn’t that he lacked observation skills; he was just too focused on the man standing behind the dean.

A man who seemed a head and a half taller than others, with long limbs and a body made entirely of muscle. Most striking were his royal blue eyes, “Elliga,” that made Larry feel like a petty thief caught red-handed.

Whether this was good or bad, Larry already knew who he was without an introduction from the dean.

Euchales Tezztan. The prince of this country.

He also knew that Euchales was one of the rarest individuals in the world, one of only three archmages on the continent. But to Larry, he was simply “the prince.”

“Prince Euchales…”

Just as he murmured to himself, the dean patted Larry on the shoulder.

“Haha! Judging by your eyes, you seem to know who this is! That’s right. His Highness the Prince has graced ‘our’ university with his presence. As a student in the Department of Magic, no less.”

“…What?”

Magic… what?

Larry’s eyes shook with confusion. It was simple enough, but he couldn’t understand.

An archmage as a student in the Department of Magic…?

“Why?”

It would have been easier to understand if he were staying temporarily as a professor or research advisor. After all, there was no magic professor in this country superior to Prince Euchales.

In short, he was someone who should be teaching, not learning.

Even so, it was hard to connect this with the reason Larry was called. Larry was in the Department of Magical Engineering, not the Department of Magic, and his connection with the prince had long been severed.

―Don’t ever… ever come back here. Don’t even acknowledge me.

―P-Prince. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Prince!

―We’re done. Get lost!

It was a time when he was a bit younger, on the cusp of boyhood and manhood. After that fiery outburst, he hadn’t seen the prince up close again. It had been almost six years since then.

Recalling that old memory, Larry shrank back, feeling the cold, indifferent gaze that made him realize their relationship was truly over.

“―So, I hope you can help.”

“Uh? I’m s-sorry, could you say that again?”

Lost in thought, Larry hurriedly asked to catch up on the dean’s instructions he had missed. The dean cleared his throat loudly, as if displeased.

“Don’t make a mistake next time. So, His Highness has newly transferred, and I hope you can help him adjust to the school atmosphere.”

“…”

“As a ‘sunbae.'”

“S-S-Sunbae…”

Larry’s eyes widened. A sunbae to the prince?

This school, being a prestigious academic institution, treated everyone as equals regardless of their external status or age. If you were a student, those in higher grades were “sunbae,” and those in lower grades were “hoobae.”

And Larry was now in his final year, with only his thesis left to submit. If his research project passed next semester, he would leave the school by mid-next year.

“Wh-What year is the prince…?”

“Third year―”

“Euchales.”

A deep, low voice suddenly interrupted. The dean and Larry closed their mouths and looked at the owner of the voice.

He continued nonchalantly.

“Euchales Tezztan, transferred as a third-year in the Department of Magic. Please call me Euchales.”

“…”

“Laurencio Sunbae.”

Gasp…!

Larry momentarily forgot who was in front of him and jumped. He felt like every hole in his body was opening. His pupils widened, and his jaw dropped to the floor.

…Did he just hear a voice of contempt?

The dean seemed deeply moved. It was as if he was touched by the noble royal and one of the continent’s top three powers not asserting his authority and following the rules.

On the other hand, Larry, seeing the prince’s cold eyes, quickly came to his senses and adjusted his foolishly open mouth.

“I must have looked like a fool.”

He felt embarrassed. Whether the prince had spoken aloud or not, Larry understood the meaning behind his gaze.

A cold stare at something contemptible.

“I dislike this. But I am with this now.”

That was exactly the look.

Even in the past, when Larry did something foolish, he often received that kind of look, so he couldn’t fail to recognize it.

“That habit hasn’t changed.”

“Uh, th-then how about your accommodation… Are you staying in the dormitory?”

“Yes.”

“Have you received directions…?”

“No.”

“T-Then we need to go to the department office to check the room number.”

“Yes.”

His curt tone made him seem more like a soldier. Even looking back at the past, it was a new impression, so Larry found himself glancing at him repeatedly.

Then their eyes met, and Larry quickly looked down as if his feet were burning. He was worried that the prince might suddenly leave, unable to tolerate his foolishness any longer.

“Oh, my. Look at my mind. Your Highness’s accommodation is assigned to the fifth floor of Omega Hall. Here’s the key.”

“Ah! Th-Thank you.”

Larry carefully wrapped the key that fell into his hands. He never thought he’d touch the key to Omega Hall in this way.

‘Omega Hall’ was mainly for professors with outstanding achievements or specially invited external personnel. It was said to be a suite with all single rooms and even a small research lab.

Students, regardless of status or grade, stayed in ‘Beta Hall,’ so Larry had only heard rumors about Omega Hall. For reference, ‘Alpha Hall’ was the research building.

Anyway, for a student prince to stay there… He wasn’t going to be just an ordinary student, was he? Perhaps he had something to investigate as a student?

“…”

Larry glanced at the key, the dean, and the prince’s feet alternately, then bowed deeply.

Ahem. The dean cleared his throat loudly, interpreting the look in his own way.

“You may leave now if you’re busy. And Your Highness, if you need anything, please feel free to ask. I will assist to the best of my ability.”

“Very well.”

Euchales nodded his chin and left the dean’s office first. Larry, who had jumped up, hurriedly followed the prince, barely managing to say goodbye to the dean.

The dean, watching the door for a while, clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“Why on earth did His Highness choose such a useless person…?”

“Huff, huff…”

How long had they walked after leaving the dean’s office?

Despite the talk of treating him as a sunbae, Euchales treated Larry as if he didn’t exist. His long strides showed no sign of consideration.

Larry, surprised by the prince’s willingness to even pretend to treat him as a sunbae, followed him without complaint, even while gasping for breath. Moreover, the prince seemed to know the way, so Larry’s mind was filled with the determination not to lose sight of him rather than the thought of guiding him.

After walking for a while, Euchales suddenly stopped. Larry, who had been running while only looking at the prince’s back, was taken aback. It was only then that he noticed the surroundings. There were no familiar buildings, only trees densely packed like a forest.

“Was there such a forest on campus?”

Of course, just because he didn’t remember it didn’t mean it wasn’t part of the campus. His usual routes were limited, so even as a final-year student, he knew fewer places than he didn’t.

Lecture halls, research labs, practice rooms, the cafeteria, occasionally the main building. And home. Larry had spent the last five years almost exclusively within these six places.

The prince remained silent, his back turned to Larry. Larry soon became afraid. He feared realizing again that the prince disliked him.

Because he…

“Prince, I missed you…”

Still liked him.

Admiration and longing. Respect and love. His feelings for the prince had always been like that. Since he first saw the prince at the royal palace, holding his adoptive father’s hand at the age of eight.

―From today, you’ll be the prince’s new playmate.

He remembered the moment his adoptive father gently pushed his shoulder. He had heard there wasn’t much of an age difference, but the prince already seemed like a teenager.

And the light particles and fragrant texture that surrounded him…

It was the phenomenon of an archmage’s mana not fully contained in the body. Specifically, it was the process of the body adapting as a conduit for mana in the atmosphere. An archmage was someone who claimed the atmosphere as their own, not born with mana.

So it was natural that such vast mana couldn’t be contained in the body. It was merely stored appropriately, like carrying only the necessary money in a pocket.

Anyway, being able to see it and smell it made Larry realize he had some mana. He also understood why things visible to him weren’t visible to others.

“The duke must have known I had mana, which is why he sent me as the prince’s playmate…”

Now he knew what “playmate” really meant. It was a guise for being the prince’s attendant and mana supplement. It was to cushion and replenish the prince’s massive mana, preventing it from disappearing or exploding.

But when the prince was overwhelmed by his vast mana, unable to sleep, whining, or burning with fever, relying on Larry’s meager sleep magic to get through the day, Larry felt pity and sympathy.

Perhaps because he had seen such vulnerability countless times, even when the grown prince got angry, cursed, or looked at him with contempt, his feelings remained unchanged.

This was likely an eternal one-sided love.

Yet, Euchales Tezztan, Larry’s prince, was someone he was willing to cherish.