Chapter 194: Summer Vacation (3)
Chapter 194: Summer Vacation (3)
“So, so. The last dragon who barely survived the Great War created a secret organization, and the last descendant and master of all those arrangements is Student Yandel?”
“Exactly.”
“I can’t tell if he’s lucky or unlucky, but anyway, it wasn’t just a coincidence that he thwarted the cultists’ plans—he knew everything and stepped in to stop them?”
“Mhm. Based on the information he gathered, I suspect he made predictions bordering on precognition. With a dragon’s intelligence and magic, it would be well within the realm of possibility.”
“And on top of that, he inherited the dragon’s fortune, so he’s loaded?”
“Just in case, let me ask… if you’re planning on fleecing a snot-nosed brat of his pocket money…”
“No, no! I have plenty of money too, okay?! And that’s way too much to be called ‘pocket money’! Besides, do you really think of your own master as a child?!”
“Compared to you or me, he is quite young.”
“Compared to a long-lived species, even the Emperor of the Empire is a child!”
Iona continued to jump in surprise at every word Iris spoke. It was understandable. I was pretty shocked myself…
I mean, what exactly was going on inside Iris’s head for her to flesh out the story with such plausible detail?
“Anyway, anyway. Now that I know the circumstances, I think I understand. So Student Yandel’s ultimate goal is to prevent the descent of the Evil God?”
“To be more precise, it’s to prevent the end of the world.”
“Or to become the second Hero?”
“When you put it like that, it sounds way too grand… I just want to live a long, happy life of leisure.”
“Well, that’s a difficult goal in its own right!”
Iona nodded, giggling.
“Uh… Professor Iona, do you actually believe all of this? Even I think it sounds a bit far-fetched.”
“Well, well. Isn’t it also strange that a freshman who only knew a single useful spell like Wind Cutter became an Intermediate Magician in just a few months?”
“Ah.”
Back in H&A, the player character grew at a record-breaking, genius pace, as befitting a protagonist.
However, the current me was growing more than twice as fast as I did during my gaming days.
Since Iona herself was someone hailed as a genius, she probably couldn't wrap her head around the idea that this was possible through talent alone.
That was likely why she was able to believe such an absurd story.
…Or maybe it was because Iris had added so much consistency to my crude lies.
As I stood there awkwardly scratching the back of my head, Iona patted my shoulder as if to reassure me.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. Just as Student Yandel helped me, I, Professor Iona, intend to help Student Yandel too! How about it? Don’t I seem reliable, beautiful, and just… kissable?”
“Hoo…”
I gave a light kiss to Iona, who was blatantly licking her lips.
Mwah.
Naturally, I also gave one to Iris, who looked a bit pouting, and to the other women who were watching from a distance.
Whether it was because they had just finished a meal or for some other reason, the women all looked satisfied. Amidst them, Iona suddenly raised her hand.
“Hey, hey! Student Yandel, you’ve been learning various things from those around you, right? Like Carla’s mana breathing or Iris’s element combination.”
“Well… I suppose so?”
Besides those, I was receiving a lot of help, such as learning chant shortening from Elisha and getting various special potions from Fay.
“I’m also learning about a mage’s combat style from you, Professor Iona.”
“Yeah, yeah. But that’s just a regular Academy class, right? I want to teach Student Yandel something a bit more special, just like the others. What do you think? Interested?”
“Something special? But your specialty is Blood Magic, Professor. It would be difficult for me to learn…”
Blood Magic involves manipulating blood itself or using blood as fuel to increase the power of other spells. Either way, it requires blood.
Unless one was a vampire with blood to spare, they would have to chug a recovery potion every time they cast a spell. For high-output magic, they’d likely collapse from shock mid-cast.
However, upon hearing the reason for my hesitation, Iona shook her head.
“It is Blood Magic, but the current Student Yandel should be able to handle it.”
“What? Me?”
“Yes, yes. You’re receiving a powerful blessing from the Righteous Light, aren’t you? I know it well because I receive a blessing from the same god, though mine is much weaker and different in nature!”
“Oh…?”
Vampires who stood on the side of humanity and signed the treaty were granted the ability to walk under the sun in exchange.
The principle was simple. The Righteous Light, who was also the Sun God, bestowed a blessing upon the vampires.
It didn't grant power like mine did; it was more like a marker that said, ‘Don’t shoot, this one’s an ally.’ But regardless, a blessing was a blessing.
Just as Helena had recognized the blessing dwelling within me, Iona must have vaguely sensed its existence.
“They say the blessing of the Righteous Light prevents you from getting tired while the sun is up! Is that true?”
“It’s not so much that I don’t get tired, but rather that my regeneration increases significantly. Plus, all types of light-attribute attacks are enhanced.”
“I knew it, I knew it! So that’s how it works! When Blood Magic is used for body strengthening, it consumes blood slowly rather than detonating it all at once. If it’s that, wouldn’t Student Yandel be able to use it without much burden? If you’re running low, you can just cover it by drinking a continuous recovery potion!”
“That… sounds like it might work. Hold on.”
I pulled the Shining Lion Dagger from my inventory.
Perhaps I had been too caught up in the prejudice that mages were glass cannons.
My current Endurance stat was 17, a stat that directly influenced regeneration.
Considering that a Magic stat of 18 was roughly the level of a typical Academy senior, this was by no means a negligible figure.
Furthermore, what about the bonus regeneration from my titles and traits?
The Blessing of All Gods increased it by 50%, and the Sun God’s Blessing increased it by a staggering 350% while the sun was up.
At this level, it might not be enough to completely abandon defense and rely solely on regeneration like a vampire, but small wounds would certainly heal in an instant.
I swallowed hard and lightly cut the tip of my finger.
Drip.
The skin parted, and a single red drop of blood fell from the gap.
…Iona quickly reached out and snatched the falling drop to lick it, so it didn't hit the floor, but a wound deep enough to bleed had definitely been made.
But that was it.
No more blood flowed from the wound, which had already closed.
When I examined the area, the flesh had knit back together in that short span of time.
Only a single thin red line remained to show that a wound had been there. Even this would likely disappear in a few hours.
“…Student Yandel, you are human, right?”
“Probably?”
“Hey, hey. If you became a vampire in this state, wouldn't you survive even if your heart was pierced? What do you think? Want to enjoy eternal life with me?”
“Then you wouldn't be able to drink my blood anymore, would you?”
Vampires can drink the blood of humans, various demi-humans, and even beasts… but they cannot drink the blood of their own kind.
There were occasionally madmen who absorbed the True Blood of other vampires to increase their power, but even then, they didn't drink it; they injected it directly into their veins.
This was a fact Iona surely knew.
Iona, looking momentarily dazed as if she’d been hit in the back of the head, spoke after a long moment of contemplation.
“That, that… what I said just now was a joke….”
“Let’s go with that. Anyway, would this level of regeneration be sufficient?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Right, right. Internal applications like body strengthening have relatively low consumption.”
It was said that the fundamental reason Iona could hold her own even in close-quarters combat was the explosive improvement in physical ability through Blood Magic.
While it enhanced the power of all magic, it was exceptionally efficient for spells acting on the body, perhaps because it used blood as a medium.
“If you try to exert too much power, a large amount of blood will be consumed instantly, so you have to be careful about that. Conversely, there aren't really any other problems… so, want to try learning it?”
“Of course.”
Because they lived for a long time and possessed superior bodies and mana as a baseline, every vampire was a powerful knight and mage.
Among them, Iona was a Lord-class vampire who had reached the pinnacle of individual martial prowess.
Body strengthening through Blood Magic was the core spell of Iona’s combat style. Of course I had to learn it.
When I nodded, the corners of Iona’s mouth curled up into a grin.
“Good, good. Since we’re talking about it, shall we start right away?”
“…Right now?”
“Yeah, yeah. Do you have other plans?”
“It’s not that, but…”
I glanced around at the others. Carla and Elisha. Even Iris nodded, though she looked a bit disappointed.
Fay… seemed to be interested only in my regeneration, regardless of magic. When I shifted my finger slightly, Fay’s gaze followed it.
I felt a strange sense of foreboding, but since there was no reason to refuse, I nodded for now.
“Alright. Let’s start then. There’s a training ground outside; shall we go there?”
“Is the material there sturdy?”
“No. But it’s spacious. And it’s made of materials that can be quickly restored even if broken. …But why is that important for learning a body strengthening spell?”
Isn't it more of a… static spell? It’s not like things are going to be blowing up.
Even if I succeeded, I’d just need to run a few laps around the training ground or throw some punches into the air to get a feel for it.
At my question, the smile on Iona’s face deepened.
“That’s because while learning through practical experience, Student Yandel is going to be bouncing all over the place, right? Since you’ll be stronger, it’ll be troublesome if the space is too narrow.”
“…….”
Ah.
I had forgotten.
Unlike the others who taught me step-by-step starting from theory, Iona was an extreme pragmatist.
I squeezed my eyes shut as the memory of the pain from our previous sparring sessions came rushing back.
It was pitch black.
Just like my future.