The Absolute Beings Obsessed with My Defeat Addiction

“M-my disciple…”

“……”

“Disciple, can you not hear me?”

From beside me, I heard Meiko’s voice mumbling.

“D-disciples?”

“……”

“W-what do you mean by staying like this?”

As Meiko’s voice continued, I turned my head.

When I turned, I saw Meiko kneeling with both hands raised.

Whether her knees were numb or her arms were sore, she looked at me with teary eyes, glistening with tears.

“C-can I lower my arms now?”

“No. Keep them up straight.”

“But disciple, treating your master like this is…”

“Isn’t it too much?”

Meiko nodded vigorously.

“Considering the money the master spent, it’s definitely not too much, so just keep holding them up.”

“……”

Once again, Meiko, who had become powerless at the mention of money, pouted and raised her arms again.

“I’m sorry…”

With a gloomy expression, she raised her hands again, unable to hide her pouting lips.

“I-I was just trying to do well… A-and it’s necessary for alchemy… To procure local materials there…”

Still, it seemed she was aware of her mistake, as she didn’t openly express her dissatisfaction.

If she were an ordinary person, she might have just ignored it, but she couldn’t escape the ears of a mage like me, whose physical abilities had been enhanced.

Her whispering tone was somewhat different from her usual mature manner of speaking.

It was closer to that of a whiny child.

“Now that the equipment is all set up, I thought I wouldn’t have to rely on my disciple to make money there. I had my own thoughts…”

Hearing that voice, I thought, indeed, she was a younger mage after all.

I called out to Meiko, who was trying to lower her arms while glancing at me.

“Master.”

“Uh, yes? W-what is it?”

“You can spend a lot of money for research. Most of the funds that come as grants are used for research anyway.”

The way of spending money wasn’t bad.

It wasn’t spent on luxury goods.

Should I say it was a proper use for a mage?

But…

“However, you went overboard.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t know the market prices for magical items.

If she had just set up basic equipment, it could have been resolved within 30 gold.

Yet, she set up equipment for a total of 80 gold, combining the 40 gold I supported and the 40 gold grant budget.

That was why I was blaming her for setting up equipment at a price 2.5 times higher than the market rate.

“No matter how you look at it, spending that much money to install alchemical equipment in the Witch’s Forest is excessive.”

“But if the witches were to buy equipment, it would cost a lot in labor…”

“Don’t those people also have alchemical equipment? Then they should just rent it.”

That would have solved it for under 10 gold.

“But if it’s not my stuff, I can’t concentrate.”

“That’s the part I’m pointing out, Master.”

“……”

“Your intentions were good, but you spent nearly a year’s budget when there were other options. That’s why you came all the way back here.”

“……”

Meiko couldn’t refute that.

“Even without money, what will you do if you spend the entire budget there?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Meiko lowered her head with an expression that looked like she might cry at any moment.

I couldn’t let my sympathy weaken me.

“Master, you need to feel the weight of the money you’ve wasted.”

“……”

I sat her beside me and thought of ways to make up for this serious deficit.

‘Should I contact more nobles to have them come to the shop?’

I could receive a considerable amount of money just for showing a video once, so I could make up for some of the losses.

Of course, that would mean I’d have to exhaust myself using mana to avoid using mana stones.

‘If it’s to cover the deficit…’

My eyes turned to the glasses Helen had gifted me.

“This won’t do.”

What a crazy idea.

Selling a gift to make money?

Am I out of my mind?

Of course, if I sold one, I could easily get 50 gold.

But still, that’s not right.

It’s not polite.

I shook my head, trying to dispel the thoughts that had crept in.

‘If I just work a bit harder on alchemy and take on external requests, I should be able to earn money somehow.’

I’d have to tighten my belt a bit.

‘I might have to survive on a piece of bread until next month.’

Just then, Meiko, who had been kneeling with her hands raised, glanced at me and slowly approached.

“Um, disciple.”

“Yes, Master.”

“I thought of another way to atone for my sins.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about the magic circle research you’re doing. I, your master, will help you directly. Haven’t you always avoided me showing you directly?”

“It’s not that I avoided it, but you refused because of the laws of the Goddess Church or something.”

“T-that’s because you kept touching my hand and forearm inappropriately, saying it was for research!”

“When did I ever touch you inappropriately, Master?”

“Y-you did! You said that pinching the flesh of my forearm felt similar to the sensation of a breast…”

Ah.

So that’s what she was talking about.

“It was for data collection. And I didn’t touch you inappropriately; it was on a perfectly normal part, wasn’t it?”

“B-but! Y-you touched my thigh too!”

“……”

I couldn’t deny that.

I had received a lot of help from my master for data collection on female bodies during the initial research.

“I-I only touched your belly and your navel for a moment for research.”

“So you didn’t see the magic circle.”

“……”

What to do?

If my master sees the inside of the magic circle, she will definitely catch on.

That it’s not just a simple illusion.

But I couldn’t refuse either.

‘Then if I turn off some of the automatic calculation functions of the magic circle, I might be able to show a somewhat mitigated scene.’

If I remove all the keywords related to sexual desire, there shouldn’t be a problem.

My master wouldn’t be the type to dig into elements that weren’t functioning anyway.

“Understood. Then let’s take a look for a moment. That doesn’t mean the fact that I wasted money will disappear.”

“Ah, I know. I’ll work hard there to make up for the lacking funds.”

“Alright. I’ll set it up for a moment, so please lower your hands.”

“I’ll help with the setup too.”

That won’t do.

If she, a mage of a much higher level than me, touches the setup, she’ll catch on quickly.

That it’s not just showing a lewd illusion.

“Done. Your arms must be tired, so take a little break.”

“……Disciple.”

I flicked Meiko’s forehead, who looked touched.

“Ouch!”

“Just because I did that doesn’t mean I forgive you, so don’t cling too much.”

“Eek, my disciple has become a family-less person.”

“It’s because I’ve become more worried about money.”

Just then, while we were in the middle of setting up…

“Oh, right. Disciple.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Before I entered the shop earlier, I saw that woman who left your shop in a huff. Is she your girlfriend?”

“……What?”

She saw Helen?

I looked at her.

Meiko’s eyes were piercing through me.

The gaze felt strangely obsessive and was incredibly intense.

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yes. She was a customer.”

“So there really was a customer looking for that kind of illusion.”

“Then how could I send you money, Master?”

“Indeed, my disciple. You’ve grown splendidly.”

“I’m two years older than you, Master.”

“But I learned magic five years earlier than you.”

She kept talking to me while I was setting up.

“She looked like a noble lady. Do you have feelings for her?”

“…Why do you ask that?”

“Isn’t it natural for a master to take an interest in their disciple’s love life?”

“……I don’t.”

“You hesitated a bit there?”

“Don’t say unnecessary things. I can’t concentrate.”

Do I have feelings for Helen?

I don’t know.

Until recently, we were just a customer and a shopkeeper.

Helen might think a bit differently.

‘She wouldn’t just give me such expensive glasses.’

They might look like trash, but I still think it’s too early to have any special feelings.

If you think about it, we’re still in a phase where we’re just enjoying each other’s company.

I finished the setup.

I minimized the automatic calculations and excluded the keyword ‘sexual desire’ as much as possible.

That would increase my burden, but I had to do this to deceive my master.

“Done.”

“Ugh, I’m nervous.”

“Don’t be too nervous. I’ve removed as many strange elements as possible.”

“Is that so… Thank goodness.”

Meiko, who had been mumbling nervously, stood in the center of the magic circle.

“I’ll go in with you.”

“You, the caster, want to enter the illusion together? Isn’t that a bit too much?”

“If you’re going to feel it properly, I need feedback too.”

“I see. Understood. Then let’s start quickly.”

“Right.”

I cast the spell.

Then the magic circle began to shine.

[User: Meiko]

[Projecting the user’s desires.]

An illusion began to unfold centered around Meiko.

“Oh, it’s an illusion that projects desires.”

It seemed Meiko had also seen the message I had seen.

Seeing a user message visible only to the caster meant she was a mage of a higher level than me.

‘Am I still lacking to surpass Meiko?’

“Yes, it’s an illusion that shows the desires the other party wants the most.”

“I see.”

“If it’s the desire Master wants, it will probably show the scene of using the Bretilia flower.”

Meiko fell silent.

The space created by the magic circle was the professor’s office.

“Oooh… It’s really exquisite. Your skill and imagination in creating illusions are a level above mine.”

As Meiko surveyed the professor’s office, she looked at me with a voice mixed with admiration.

“…Huh? Disciple?”

Meiko, who turned to look at me, asked in a surprised voice.

Huh?

It seems like Meiko’s height suddenly increased significantly.

I was clearly looking down at her, but as the illusion activated in earnest, my perspective changed.

Her height increased, and I found myself looking up at her.

‘No.’

It wasn’t that her height increased.

My height decreased.

Just enough to slightly alter the angle of all the perspectives I had been looking at straight on.

It was the most tangible evidence that I was slightly looking up at Meiko, who was originally in the upper 160s.

She seemed to have shrunk to the mid-160s.

[The caster’s appearance changes according to the user’s desires.]

“……Master? What is this…?”

I couldn’t forget the words I said while looking at Meiko.

“Wow, wow…”

Meiko’s face, looking at me, was so red that it couldn’t possibly get any redder.

“Master?”