Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: What the Hell Was That?
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What the hell was that?
The request was flatly rejected.
They say prolonged favors make people think you're a pushover, and here I was, fitting the bill perfectly.
Thinking it over, in the original story, Aren had offered first, and Elier had never directly asked to be tucked in.
I'd crossed the line.
'But was it really something to be that embarrassed about?'
What bothered me was Aren's attitude when turning down the request.
The expression on his face as he refused seemed more embarrassed than troubled.
Well, it was only natural, considering we'd barely seen each other's faces a few times before I made such a request.
Still, just agreeing to go see the sea together was a huge win.
'In the end, do I have to find separate lodging? Guess I'll sell more shards to Richard.'
I shook off the stray thoughts and hurried with my hands.
After the no-skill basics class ended, I was picking herbs on the back mountain of the Louidel Academy branch.
This was part of the herbology class, and herbs gathered by students themselves could be taken out.
In the original, they gave random herbs as rewards after class, but now I could pick exactly what I needed. In that sense, it was way better than the original.
The downside was fewer chances at the rare permanent stat-boosting herbs that popped up randomly.
Either way, hustling now would pay off big in future dungeon runs.
In my basket were Frost Herbs, Antidote Herbs, and Flame Herbs—I'd targeted only those that cured status ailments.
Now that I knew status ailments existed, preparing countermeasures was top priority.
As I diligently sorted my basket, a shadow fell over my head.
I looked up to see a girl with purple hair holding out a herb with a gentle smile.
"Here, this is Zephyr Grass."
"Ah, thank you. Saintess."
Mine, the only playable character who'd chosen herbology.
Since we were already acquainted, I'd asked her to grab some Zephyr Grass, which could dispel fear status.
"But... why do you need Zephyr Grass?"
Mine looked at me with a bitter expression.
Unlike other herbs, Zephyr Grass's effects weren't straightforward. The original story didn't even have fear status to begin with.
So what was Zephyr Grass originally for?
It was the hallucinogenic herb soldiers smoked before entering dungeons to forget their tension and fear.
No addiction, so not quite a drug, but it cleared the mind pleasantly. Like harmless cigarettes, if I had to compare.
I wasn't even sure if I could take it out. The instructor might block it at checkout.
No wonder Mine, who knew its effects, looked worried when I asked for it.
But no choice.
I couldn't repeat the Barhatan mistake.
"When tackling the magic beast dungeon boss, I nearly died from fear."
No, I actually died.
If not for Rene, I'd have ended there.
"Fear... you say."
"Yeah. Its roar froze my body solid."
"Your body... froze? Even you, Haribal?"
"Couldn't move a muscle and ate a big hit because of it."
She quietly crouched beside me, her eyes dark as she asked.
"So... all the herbs you've picked are for dungeon runs, right?"
"Yes."
"And you chose herbology... for that too."
I nodded, and her gaze shifted to the students picking flowers in the distance.
A few girls on the hillside gathering violas, her signature flower.
"...I'm scared of going into dungeons."
Right now, Mine was steeped in past trauma.
In the original, she failed her first dungeon practical. She had followers, but hadn't entered a dungeon once in a month.
Even in her soldier days, the most was tagging along briefly with Adelrin into the magic beast dungeon entrance I'd already cleared.
That was probably forced because civilians got caught up.
Normally, she'd overcome her dungeon fear by tackling them with Aren—that was her scenario.
But with the original derailed, the job of healing Mine's trauma had fallen to me.
Followers weren't a one-and-done choice.
Once Cecilia's follower period ended, the next had to be from a different class.
I'd already planned to pick Mine next.
"How... do you overcome fear?"
"Beats me."
Mine stared at me in surprise.
I knew why she made that face.
Even back in the army, she'd look at me like that sometimes.
Someone superior, blazing trails she could never touch.
Deep down, she'd wonder who the hell does that, but she never denied it.
If it helped her conquer her trauma, that was enough.
But this time, even I had nothing to say.
Hell, I hadn't overcome fear myself. That's why I was farming smokes in class.
I shook the Zephyr Grass in my hand.
"Without stuff like this, I don't have the confidence either."
"If even you feel that way... what am I supposed to do? When I close my eyes, I see the faces of those soldiers who threw their lives away to save someone like me..."
Mine's story was already well-known.
It was how she got revealed as the key, so no secret to hide.
In the original, time alone healed her trauma.
Watching other students get hurt and fall, she eventually threw herself into a dungeon and awakened.
So right now, I had no words for her.
But silence would make the mood too heavy.
I tore off a piece of Zephyr Grass and handed it to her.
"How do you use this?"
"Huh?"
"Do you chew and swallow it like other herbs?"
"Oh, no! Zephyr Grass is potent—you're supposed to chew it slowly. Like... this."
Mine put a leaf between her lips and chewed gently.
I copied her.
"Kehk!"
"Ha-Haribal?!"
Fucking bitter.
Does the bitter fear jolt your senses to forget fear or something?
"Saintess, you okay? I can't swallow even a bite."
"Yeah... it's bitter in my mouth too..."
Even muttering that, Mine kept chewing the Zephyr Grass.
She looked like a purple hamster.
"I can barely choke down one bite... how do you eat it like it's nothing?"
"Huh...? It's just an herb..."
"Of course. What seems impossible for me is natural for you. Same with everything else."
Right now, all I could offer was mirror therapy.
'You think I'm amazing? I think you're amazing too.'
As I said it, Mine's eyes wavered, then dropped to the Zephyr Grass in her hand.
The moment she opened her mouth to speak, the instructor called the students.
Five minutes to class end.
"Thanks for the help with the herbs. Can I ask again next time?"
I offered my hand as I stood. Mine hesitated, then took it and rose.
"No... thank you."
Her other hand still clutched the Zephyr Grass tightly.
⁎⁎⁎
On the way to the last morning class, Basic Fitness, an announcement blared through the hallway.
[Starting now, freshmen, your Abyss Core communication function is activated. You can now contact each other directly via your cores. Check announcements and boards for usage details and precautions.]
The hallway buzzed instantly.
"Ah... this is..."
Mine, walking beside me, murmured in surprise.
The academy's Abyss Cores weren't just stat boosters.
Like opening treasure chests in dungeons, they offered conveniences.
One was this newly unlocked call function.
A magic-based network covered the academy grounds and Naveil city, letting students call freely via cores.
Not as versatile as smartphones, though.
Voice only, and it cut out in dungeons or outside Naveil.
Plus, you had to physically link cores to register unique numbers first.
Meaning only those who'd met face-to-face could connect.
Still, super useful for students.
Later in the original, Elier even upgraded the function.
Anyway, today's announcement meant the freshmen cores from yesterday were just registered on the network.
I pulled out Rene and held it to Mine.
"Saintess, better exchange contacts just in case."
I had to link with all playable characters anyway, and Mine was right there—perfect.
"M-Me as your first contact... is that okay?"
"? Sure."
Mine shyly extended her core.
When the cores touched, a message appeared.
[Connection Complete: New Number Registered - Raphael]
'Nice.'
Raphael was Mine's Abyss Core name.
Special cores often showed names instead of numbers.
"Now we can call anytime."
"Y-Yeah... anytime..."
After exchanging, I saw her off—she'd frozen like a statue for some reason.
Now she'd call if issues arose.
Heading to the Basic Fitness field—
Kwarung!!
'What the hell was that?'
A massive boom shook the whole hallway, and I saw one wall of the training ground explode.
"What?! What happened...?!"
"The wall just flew off!"
"No one's hurt?!"
I racked my hazy memories.
Was there an event like this on day two?
Definitely not.
No, the first month at the academy had barely any internal events.
An explosion that blew a wall?
Some variable I didn't know?
I turned toward the training ground.
Then students started strolling out from there, looking way too casual.
"...A fight?"
Asking around got a surprising answer.
"Yeah. Two students fought in the training ground. They were followers."
"Arts are banned, but they used them anyway. Wall blew from the aftermath."
"No one got hurt, luckily."
'...A fight.'
I'd overlooked that.
In the game, the academy revolved around the player—no such noise.
But this was reality.
The follower system wasn't fair for everyone.
Low scores or bad picks meant unwanted partners, breeding resentment inevitably.
If it tanked your grades, the penalty hit the student full force.
That explosion was probably extras' grudges glossed over in-game, now bursting into real conflict.
At least fights between students were everyday stuff anywhere.
I'd tensed thinking some big academy raid scenario pulled forward, but sighed inwardly in relief.
'As long as it's just a normal fight, the academy will handle it.'
Turning back toward the field—
"But the two major houses' ladies fighting? That's unexpected."
"Rumors say they never got along."
"Causing incidents on day two? Noble blood really is different."
I whipped around 180 degrees again.