Chapter 57 - Mandragora

When I woke up and opened my eyes, I saw a classroom.

There was a group of 4 around me who had fought with me until just now.

Judging from the fact that Yuri's face was also visible, the mock battle must have ended completely.

"Jetto... That at the end..."

Yuri, who was standing next to her, approached me and said in a somewhat worried voice.

Yuri was talking about the 2 cards he had cut off his teammates.

[It could have been cut, but it didn't... It must have been the intention to finish second like this from the beginning. ]

Following Yuri, Sierra's voice with narrowed eyes echoed in her head.

When dealing with the 4th group, unlike the 1st group, the distance was close and they were not scattered, so the time for the 2nd chapter was surplus.

Of course, it could have cut through the glass, but it didn't.

Because she was aiming for second place.

Rather, in order to get more severe side effects, I deliberately used it over time.

In the end, it went the way I wanted to direct it.

My sword stopped at Yuri's neck, and then I spurted blood.

Yuri's face hardened.

After the attack, he collapsed bleeding alone, so it seemed that he did not understand and was worried.

Plus, it spewed more blood than I expected.

"Considering that it's fantasy magic, I overdid it, so you don't have to worry too much."

I smiled at Yuri and said it was nothing.

"..."

"First place, congratulations."

"Yes..."

My heartfelt congratulations were followed by Yuri's shy reply.

I had to go through a process that was as natural and beneficial as possible.

Thanks to that, I was able to practice Chapter 2... I was able to figure out what would happen if I overdo it when my recovery didn't work properly.

"It was quite astonishing speed. I thought I would use the skills I showed in the previous sparring, but..."

Orpheel, who was standing next to Yuri, spoke to me.

Orpheel had a skill that could respond to the speed he had earlier, so maybe he could say it.

It was a magic in which several shields made of water and ice orbited around the body, and it was a magic with good defensive power that automatically blocked attacks independently of the caster's will.

Because I hadn't used Orpheel as a ally much, I couldn't even remember the name of the magic.

Of course, since I had Dispel, I don't know if that magic will work for me too.

Even during the previous fight, Orpheel and Yuri's magic showed weakness.

"...Everyone will be waiting for you, so let's go back to our seats."

I said that to Yuri and Orphel, who were dumbfounded, and went back to where the cadets were.

"Here, Jetto!"

Then Crank, who was holding some bread, calls me.

Amon, Crank, and even Lucia were eating bread as a group.

Guided by Crank's call, I sat down.

As soon as I sit down, Crank hands me something wrapped in a paper bag.

I accepted it and opened my mouth.

"What is this? It smells delicious."

"Bread, aren't you hungry?"

"Ah, thank you. I'll eat well."

When did you buy the bread again?

It was hard to overcome the pressure from Crank, who gave out bread and showed a friendly smile.

Seeing that Amon is also eating bread, he couldn't overcome the crank either.

"Miss Zeto... I'm sorry... If it wasn't just me..."

Lucia took a bite of the bread and cried.

"It's okay. Everyone worked hard."

I said that and patted Lucia on the back.

Thank you for being Lucia.

Thanks to her, she was able to take second place much more naturally. Still, I don't want to be in the same group next time.

'Anyway, even if I leave Lucia alone, she'll be active once in a while...'

As I was thinking about Lucia's future, Amon spoke to me.

"How did you lead Lucia to second place?

"No, I should have conducted a little better as a leader."

I answered Amon in a calm voice.

'The play seems to have finished well.'

Looking back on the situation...

...Amon had 0 kills.

Crank died before the battle, so an exception.

Lucia kills 1 of her allies ... She somehow killed one member of the 4th group right before she died, so she has 2 kills in total.

Amon recklessly attacked Orpheel and died.

As a result, the only thing Amon did during the mock battle was to make 'Bung-Boong'.

Laughter leaked out naturally in an absurd situation.

I naturally looked at the faces of the other cadets while having small conversations with the members.

Yuri's face was the same as before.

She should have spurted a fair amount of blood.

I feel like I've been worried for nothing.

Eisel, who was with Team 3, remained motionless with her head lowered.

Suddenly, Edward opens his mouth and draws the attention of the cadets who were chatting with his teammates.

"Okay, that's the end of the small mock battle. The battle wasn't as easy as I thought, right? The 4th group who won first place of glory will be given a chance to choose a weapon from the arsenal as scheduled! Today's class ends with this... Unfortunately, the leader of Group 2, who placed second, should come here and receive the reward. Group 4, please stay in the classroom for a while."

Edward's class, which was exceptionally long, comes to an end like this.

Cadets not related to the reward start to leave the classroom individually.

"..."

Among those leaving the classroom was Eisel.

Didn't she decide to go to her cafe with Yuri?

Whatever she is, Eisel must have been tired after fighting her mysterious foe.

Since Yuri is going to go to the arsenal soon, she might be going off to rest.

Eisel's expression was as sullen as she always was, and she couldn't figure out what she was thinking.

I stopped glancing at Eisel as he left the classroom and went over to Edward.

Then Edward handed me a mandragora and said, 'It sounds like a pretty dangerous technique.' He said something like that and told me to pay more attention to usage.

Mandragora, which was wrapped in cloth, was all four roots.

There were four members in all, so it was one per person.

Even judging from the strength in his body, it seems that he has leveled up.

I immediately opened the status window to check.

I went up 1 level and was level 27.

It was a number that made me smile.

It was a much better ending.

***

[...Did you ask if you couldn't strengthen your body while writing Chapter 2? ...It's possible, but the casting time will be reduced by that much. However, with your current skills, it seems impossible. ]

At my question, Sierra smiled as if it was a funny story, followed by a rather firm answer.

I returned to the dorm right after class and was talking to Sierra.

It was about the second chapter of Yeokcheon.

Anyway, Chapter 2 is a skill that increases the speed of the body by 10 times.

I thought that by strengthening the body with normal mana, a greater effect could be seen if the speed of the body itself became faster.

However, in order to write reverse, the flow of mana had to be twisted.

This time, while writing Chapter 2, I felt that strengthening the body was impossible with the mana flow reversed, so I asked this question.

However, given that Sierra said it was possible, I think it might be a matter of skill level.

In other words, lack of skill.

The cadets were still in their early stages, so they were just going through growth, and it was the first time they were hit, so I couldn't react properly, but the enemies I had to deal with in the future were a different story.

Among them, there were guys who could react to the speed of the two chapters.

It is speculated that even when he made Yeokcheon, he made this technique to keep up with the speed of the Sword Saint.

In particular, it must have been paying attention to the grotesque swordsmanship unique to the swordsman's swordsmanship.

There was never a scene where the swordsman fought in the game, but I was able to see a scene where Kaen, who was a student, used the swordsmanship of the swordsman... I could vaguely guess how much it was.

Well, the sword castle is a story of the distant future.

Right now, my goal was to have a body, grow up, and be able to write chapter 1 or chapter 2 freely without burden.

[By the way... Can you really eat all three...? ]

Mandragora Sierra placed on her desk. She looked at the three and sighed.

Mandragora was able to get as many as three.

'As I said beforehand, you take it.'

Amon gave me one.

'It was obtained thanks to Mr. Zeto, please accept it...!'

Lucia gave me one too.

'I don't think I deserve it either...'

Even the crank tried to hand over the mandraragora to me, but I didn't get it.

She advised him that it would make a lot of money if she sold her on the weekend at the auction house outside the academy.

Although Amon and Lucia were bombs, they were gift bombs to me.

"...Doesn't it taste that good?"

I covered my nose while asking.

In fact... I could tell just by smelling it.

Could it be that it just smells bad?

Sierra opened her mouth, frowning at her foolish question.

[Yup... It's hard to express the taste. Don't ask her mother-in-law, try it yourself. ]

Sierra hated that she even remembered her taste of Mandragora.

She once picked up Mandragora.

It looked bizarre, but it didn't look good at all.

Before long, Mandragora lands on her tongue.

The taste of Mandragora wasn't just bitter and astringent, it was just as nasty as the smell.

Still, I chewed on it, thinking only that the time for Chapter 2 would increase.

[That, your grit is not normal...! To say that I won't vomit once...]

Sierra, who was touching her chin, looked at me with her serious face.

Nausea was just holding back.

How did you get it and spit it out?

Still, it was fortunate that the texture was normal, unlike the eyeballs of the lycanthrope.

I should say it was fortunate, but from the second time I ate mandragora, I couldn't taste any taste, as if my tongue was paralyzed.

Finally, when all three mandragora went down his throat, his body was exhausted.

I didn't feel the sense of increased physical strength or mana yet.

"Did it work...?"

The thoughts running through her head came out of her mouth.

[Well, you want to feel better? ]

Sierra scratched her head and she responded in a soft voice.

"What happens when the energy turns around?"

[The fever is boiling... You will want to consume the remaining energy in your body... But if you consume the energy, the effect will decrease, so stay still. ]

As soon as Sierra finished speaking, sweat began to form on her forehead.

Heat was rising in her body.

I was told to get some rest, so I laid down on the bed right away.

Even though I wanted to be still, it didn't seem like it would be easy for my body to start itching.

Besides, she was so hot that she ended up taking off her shirt.

Anyway, since Sierra was there, I couldn't even take off her pants.

Sierra, who was watching me like that, came slowly to me with a nonchalant expression and lay down on her shoulder.

She always lay down like this when I lay down.

Then Sierra raises her index finger and runs it through her skin.

"Master, it's tickling, but..."

[She is just her teacher, looking after her disciple's body...]

Saying that, Sierra's face looked slightly red for some reason.

It was me, not Sierra, who ate Mandragora.

'I wonder if I can sleep...'

Since I met Sierra, every night seems longer.

***

Mandragora was able to absorb it completely.

In the game, eating it simply increased her health and mana, and that was the end, so if Sierra hadn't told her not to consume her energy, she would have been unable to see the effect properly.

There were no noticeable changes in her body, but for some reason, I could feel that it had gotten a little more toned.

The results were also satisfactory.

The limit of Chapter 2 has been greatly increased to 9 seconds.

It was a figure that could be used three times even if it was used every three seconds.

Even though she lost her mind trying to figure out her limits, it allowed her to experience Sierra's soft lap pillow again.

As a bonus, mana also increased, so I was able to use one chapter more leisurely.

It was fortunate that all of this was over before the field trip.

At this rate, it was safe until the second boss.

As well as the existence of Barsium, who did not know about it.

Time passed like that, and the day before the field trip.

I was waiting for someone in a deep alley where people couldn't see well.

[Seriously, why do I have to wait in a place like this...]

Sierra's grumbling continues, and at the same time, a woman enters the alley.

Well, she thought it was a place she would be very happy with, considering the relationship between her and me.

With each step she took, her pink pigtails fluttered together.

It was Caen.

Before long, Kaen, who was leaning against the opposite wall, opened her mouth.

"What's going on? Again... Did you need my body..."

As she continued her words, Kaen's cheeks turned red.

'It's a job that requires a body.'

Kaen was asking if she had a case to solve as she walked out of the academy.

I don't have to force myself to express it like that, but was it accepted as a kind of password?

"Haha, I don't need a body. Tomorrow is a field trip. ...It's nothing else, this."

I held out her thing to Kaen.

Soon after, Kaen accepts her items and raises her question.

"Gloves...?"

"Should I say payback for what happened last time... It will be helpful when handling the sword. I don't know if you'll like the design. As you can see, I can't see anything. The material is good."

The gloves that Kaen received were stylishly designed and dark in color.

'Gloves covered with darkness.'

It is an item that increases defense and attack power in a balanced way.

As a bonus, it has the effect of slightly amplifying attack power at night.

When I go out of the academy, there will be many times at night, so it could be seen as more effective.

Since she's a swordsman like me, it's a bit disappointing that she has overlapping useful items, but what can I do?

If you want to continue to work hard, it would be better to give them a reward.

"Hmm..."

Kaen immediately tries on her gloves and examines her hands.

She was drooling at the moment, but her face was clearly satisfied.

"It's a reward... I'll take it without hesitation. Thank you."

Kaen, who was examining her gloves, spoke softly.

Even if she said it carelessly like that, her face showed it.

Kaen couldn't take her eyes off her gloves. She was like her if she looked good anyway.

"More than that..."

She tried to end the conversation abruptly, but Kaen slurred her words.

As I tilt my head, Kaen approaches me and whispers in my ear.

"Has the informant received any information...? Information about the enemy in the northern part of the field trip this time..."

"Ah, information... I'm trying to find out about the North. But... I guess we'll know before we get on the airship."

I roughly looked around.

She was completely immersed in the 'setting' I had made up.

There was no such thing as an informant in the first place.

'Should I try using it on this field trip?'

When Kaen actively came out, it was good for me.

I'll see if she needs anything before I get on her airship.

"Then, call me whenever you need my body. Or I'll pick it up on the airship. ...Well paid."

After that whisper, Kaen leaves her alley.

She was acting like a member of a secret organization operating behind the scenes.

...As long as Kaen wasn't suspicious, that was enough.

'Fortress Fallwyn.'

It is the place where you will go on a field trip, and the place where the second boss is hiding.

A lich frozen in the northern cold is waiting for me.

It seems to be busy again.