I don't want to go back to the academy.
I don't want to see that voyeuristic professor.
I want to curl up in my little garden and slack off to my heart's content—
Pessimistic thoughts flooded my mind like a surging, icy tide, and I would rather sink to the bottom of the deep sea than grasp at that drifting duckweed.
Sighing, after dawdling for half a day, I finally couldn't stand Hikari's footsteps passing by the door from time to time and her gaze peeking through the crack in the door. I simply pulled open a small door and escaped from the miniature garden.
I know this kind-hearted fool is worried about me, but at times like this, I'd rather have a space that's just for me, to clear my head, and then open the door to deal with those slightly tricky problems.
For example, when facing my mentor.
But where can I hide?
I circled the beautiful lake outside the academy several times, then rushed to the nearby food street to soothe my empty stomach, but I still couldn't come up with a single clue. Finally, I shrank back, closed my eyes, and pretended to pull up the hood of my academy-issue cloak before stepping through the long-awaited academy gates.
Good afternoon, Yumi.
The gargoyle, completely embedded in the outer stone wall of the courtyard, opened one eye, looked me up and down to confirm my identity, and then curiously bent down and asked, "It's been a while. What brings you to the academy today? Are you here for further studies, to submit assignments, or to visit your advisor?"
"It's been almost a month since we last met, Teacher Gulu. My mentor summoned me today because he has something to discuss."
I glanced at the other person, who was now depicted as a huge half-woman, and nodded politely in response. After thinking for a moment, I stood still and started chatting with the other person about our recent situations.
According to rumors passed down from previous students and conversations with the other party, the gargoyle that calls itself Gollum can be traced back to the very beginning of the academy's establishment.
Back then, the various city-states were still under a large system called kingdoms, and their interactions with each other were far more frequent and enthusiastic than they are now. The monsters that roamed outside were mostly native demons and their subordinate races. Then there was a little unlucky one who happened to be caught by a passing archmage while preparing a prank and was shoved into a stone wall.
The people living nearby immediately became anxious.
Catching the gargoyle is a good thing, right? Yes, for those ordinary villagers who are just weaklings who rely on farming for a living, it's indeed a fantastic thing. But what's with slamming it into the wall? That's a gargoyle! No matter how well sealed, it'll live like it's at home inside the stone wall. Except for not being able to leave, it's completely unaffected! Besides, it only wanted to play some pranks in the first place. Now that it can't do anything, its words are still incredibly annoying!
The high priest was also annoyed by the noise. He had only been passing by and had helped catch the animals, so why were they still nagging him incessantly? Even the talkative stone ghost hadn't bothered the villagers, and he was about to get angry.
Just then, an envoy from the kingdom, who was inspecting various places and preparing to find a suitable piece of land to build a special building, passed by and heard the commotion. He stopped in his tracks, sent someone to inquire about the whole story, and was immediately shocked. He was so shocked that he almost slid down to his knees and hugged the high mage's leg, calling him "ancestor."
Finally, the two men pulled together a village representative, and the three parties discussed it and agreed. Since one side was too lazy to bother with any more thankless work, and the other side was worried that the gargoyle's nighttime singing would seriously disturb the villagers—which is exactly what they did, belting out a song like a funeral late at night. The archmage cast a silencing barrier on himself and wasn't affected much, leaving him and the troublesome villagers to torment each other, with the archmage getting hit on the head with hoes and shovels several times without feeling at ease—the kingdom decided to lend a hand, take over the entire land, establish a dedicated academy for teaching magic, and hire the wandering archmage as a sinecure dean. After a few years, he could retire and receive a substantial salary from the kingdom.
Despite some complaints from the villagers, who said things like "we can't leave our ancestral land" and "people and land are one," most people ultimately chose money against their will, given the choice between the shiny gold coins and the annoying gargoyles, and then happily went to the city to pursue their dreams.
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of years have passed since the kingdoms, large and small, fell under the impact of the Black Tide. The academy has changed heads countless times, yet the academy and this expanded stone wall still stand in the same place, safe and sound, welcoming generation after generation of new students to enroll and old students to leave.
When I first entered school, I thought these rumors were just jokes. Later, in my second year, I got to know the other person better because I had been skipping classes and slacking off for too long. When I got curious, I thought of asking the other person about it, but it turned into a long conversation.
I especially love hearing people call it "Teacher Gulu," and its very first words made me burst out laughing.
"Although at first I thought I would escape sooner or later and pluck the beard of the guy who sealed me here, later, even though I was able to break through most of the seals that had become ineffective, seeing you little brats coming and going, seeing everyone respectfully calling me teacher, and then like this, occasionally talking to you and listening to your troubles... I think, now, I am willing to stay here."
This thing used to look like a gargoyle, but when it recalled the past, a shy and bright light seemed to shine in the depths of its stone eyes for a moment, which was truly terrifying.
I don't know if I had a screw loose, but I stepped back and glanced at the other person's shy expression. After a long silence, I suddenly blurted out from the depths of my throat, "Teacher Gulu, you don't have a little woman living in your heart, do you?" Then I was waved away thoughtfully by the other person.
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