Chapter 33
I didn't think there'd be this little trouble.
Karnaroff muttered, sounding even more exhausted.
“Then does that mean all the trouble up to now was entirely improvised..."
“Wouldn’t you be asking where I’m from instead?”
“Why bother asking that? It’d be outside the Empire anyway. It’s meaningless. What matters is only one thing—whether you’re an enemy of humanity and the Empire.”
“Of course not.”
“That’s right.”
Karnaroff removed the barrier.
“So the grand spell I prepared ended up being useless.”
Hmm.
It seemed Karnaroff also had to go through some kind of preparation to use magic at this level.
Even so, Karnaroff’s expression didn’t look bad.
‘Phew.’
I really thought I’d have to run for it.
“As for the eye...”
“I don’t know either.”
I don’t really know what this is either, so I have to ask Adrian.
Though I’m making pretty good use of it.
Karnaroff thought for a moment and said,
“Would you perhaps be interested in working as an errand runner for House Karnaroff...”
“Huh?”
“No, never mind.”
Karnaroff shook his head.
“There’s no way someone that young would already have individual combat ability.”
Hm?
It felt like a recruitment offer had just come and gone.
As for combat, that’s my main thing anyway.
But if I open my mouth, he’ll probably make me work, so I’d better keep quiet.
“I can go now, right?”
“You may go.”
I quietly made my escape from there.
I don’t want to work right now.
At the very least, I want to put work off as long as I can.
I’ll have to work someday, but at least that day won’t be today.
* * *
“Phew. Still, I’m glad the last part ended on a decent note.”
“That’s true.”
Of course, that didn’t mean Karnaroff’s assignment was over.
Rather, after I’d finished Chapter 1 of Magic Circle Studies, Karnaroff tossed me the Chapter 2 practice problems to solve.
Still, it had been worth taking Basic Offensive Magic class.
The second chapter, which dealt with magic circle transformation patterns, was manageable enough to study.
Still, it’s a pain no matter what.
And then there was Isabel’s assignment.
Memorizing all the attraction and repulsion combinations among herbs.
Rather than mixing herbs and trying to control the repulsion, the best approach was to keep herbs that repelled each other from touching in the first place.
So memorizing the repulsion combinations was essential for making good potions.
I had to do this until the final exam...
“Ugh, I’ll just memorize them as I make them.”
I can see the ones that repel with my own eyes anyway.
Then it’s easier just to throw everything in and memorize the combinations that repel.
“So now it’s the holiday. What will Yumia do on her day off?”
I had no schedule from tomorrow through the weekend.
I’d have to go to class next week, but at least this week was free.
‘Maybe I should quickly climb the tower and head back.’
Before that.
There was somewhere I needed to go.
* * *
I went to the western forest and unleashed the Dragon Eye’s mana.
Then someone sprang out from somewhere.
“Sis!”
“Mm-hm, yes, yes, it’s your big sis.”
Though mentally speaking, I couldn’t help feeling it was a little different.
“Why are you so late!”
Adrian ran straight at me the moment she saw me.
Her dark blue gothic dress fluttered through the air.
With a soft poof, the dress’s luxurious fabric pressed against me.
A tail was wrapped around my leg.
“Hm? A tail?”
Come to think of it, she even had small wings out.
They were beautiful wings like dark blue silk.
“Ah, this is more convenient to keep out like this. What do you think?”
“Yeah, yeah, cute, cute.”
“Right! You really know what’s up, Sis! If people see me, they all run away!”
“Why would that be? No idea.”
“Mm-hm. But... what’s with that mana?”
She smiled, stared into my eyes, and said as if she’d noticed something.
Those eyes are dangerous.
Her vertically slit pupils were staring straight at me.
“I smell another woman.”
“I didn’t meet anyone!”
No, I did meet someone.
I met Aris and Isera too.
Though that probably wasn’t what she meant.
“There’s another woman’s mana in your eyes. What is this?”
[The Dragon Eye contains dragon mana.]
I recalled the tower’s message.
There was nothing to hide, so I told her the truth.
“Someone gave it to me, so I took it. I don’t know what it is, though.”
“Well, whatever. In the end, I’ll be the first one anyway.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Because I was the one who gave you your first vessel. Sis, you’ve become one of the Winged King’s subjects! More precisely, a subject favored by the king!”
“How many people are in that kingdom?”
“It’s just you and me, isn’t it? Under one person, above ten thousand! Isn’t that great?”
“Isn’t that an unfair contract?”
“Would you normally call a contract that only benefits the other party an unfair contract?”
“Well, no.”
“Then it isn’t an unfair contract!”
“Does that really work that way?”
I casually took out some soju and had a drink.
“What, you’re drinking that liquor again? It wasn’t bad, but... this time let’s drink this!”
Adrian took out a bottle that looked luxurious at a glance.
Wait.
That looks vaguely familiar.
“Where did you get that?”
“I bought it from Karnaroff’s mage tower!”
More precisely, she probably swiped it from House Karnaroff.
“…Is it okay to drink that?”
“If they find out, I feel like we’d be hung upside down.”
“Hmm? Why?”
She opened the cap and poured the liquor into a white glass.
I could feel pure, refined energy from the five-colored liquor.
Its seductive aroma hit me right in the head.
Wouldn’t it be okay to drink it once and die?
“Screw it, I’ll drink it and die!”
“Good thinking! Besides, we paid a proper price to get it, you know? You won’t regret it.”
“What was the proper price?”
“Three of my scales.”
…?
You can cover liquor that looks this expensive with that?
“Why?”
“No, I just thought it’d be nice if I could sell the stuff I shed.”
“Huh?”
Adrian, not understanding me, tilted her head.
If she just stayed like that, she’d be really cute.
I took the glass Adrian offered and drank.
A fragrant aroma I’d never experienced before filled my nostrils.
No, I think this even boosts mana a little.
Well, everything Adrian brings is like that.
In the end, it’s all elixir-type stuff.
That was also why I didn’t bother using my stat enhancement tickets on mana.
Now I should take mine out too.
I took out both seasoned chicken and fried chicken.
It had cooled a little, but by inventory standards, not even a day had passed.
For the record, I had already taken some out and eaten it while studying for the exam with Aris.
So if Adrian and I pushed ourselves a little, the two of us could probably finish it all.
“What’s all this?”
“Seasoned chicken. Try some.”
Around here, seasoned chicken was the kind that tasted better when cold.
That moment when the crispy coating hardened just a little and soaked up the sauce.
Adrian tore into the seasoned chicken.
Then she looked at me with wide eyes.
“Hmm... what’s this now? You brought another ridiculously delicious thing, didn’t you?”
Adrian polished off three pieces right then.
“Um... but...”
Adrian made a truly disappointed expression.
“Why?”
“It feels like it doesn’t go with this liquor. Do you have anything else?”
Come to think of it, fragrant liquor and seasoned chicken don’t really go together.
The seasoning would cover up the liquor’s aroma.
But I wouldn’t be me if I hadn’t prepared for that.
My finger swept through the air.
An icebox and two glasses appeared in midair.
“What’s all this?”
“Heh, go on and open it.”
Adrian’s expression darkened slightly when she opened the icebox.
“Sis, is this by any chance beer?”
“Yeah? So what?”
“Hmm... beer is a little...”
Wait.
“Are you by any chance thinking this beer is the same as the beer here?”
“Huh? Isn’t there hardly any difference?”
“How blasphemous!”
“Try it first, then talk.”
I opened a bottle of beer and handed it to Adrian.
“This... this is beer? It’s completely different. It was this clean and delicious?”
“Just where on earth did you even drink beer...?”
“Obviously on the street. Of course, I hid my identity.”
“Hah. Don’t compare it to that low-grade beer.”
I said, deliberately imitating Robert.
Beer here isn’t very developed, but we make liquor on an industrial scale.
I don’t know about beer made on the street, but the beer at Restaurant B was definitely not fit to drink.
Naturally, the quality has to be better.
“This is definitely good. It goes well with the chicken too!”
We set Karnaroff’s liquor aside and started tearing into the chicken.
“Give me another bottle.”
Adrian, having finished off the beer bottle, asked for another one.
I handed her the bottle together with the opener, but Adrian only took the bottle.
“Ah, if it’s that, I think it’ll be fine.”
Adrian slipped a fingernail under the cap and popped the beer bottle open.
…How does she do that?
Wouldn’t a fingernail usually break?
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
If Adrian and Karnaroff fought, who would win?
If they ever did clash, I’d better run away first because it’d be scary.
Adrian and I more or less took care of the chicken-and-beer combo.
Then we laid some cheese out on the floor and started drinking Karnaroff’s liquor.
Honestly, it was tasty, but since I usually only drink cheap liquor, I couldn’t really tell how good this was.
But I could feel my mana increasing with every sip.
“By the way, is dragon mana really that rare?”
“Hm? If it’s rare, then it’s extremely rare. Of course, I can give you as much as you want, Sis.”
“Can’t you use dragon mana to cast magic?”
“Hmm... let me see your eyes.”
“Hm. It definitely increased.”
“What increased?”
“The vessel.”