Chapter 73: Snowball (6)
Chapter 73: Snowball (6)
I grabbed Fay by the ankles as she flailed her limbs in an attempt to escape, hoisting her upside down.
They were white.
“Let go! Let me goooo...!”
“I can’t do that. I need to see exactly where you spent all my money, Senior. I need to check if it was really worth making you worry about how to make cheap black bread taste good.”
“If you’re going to say that, at least look me in the eye! You’ve been staring at my panties this whole time!”
“Your chest is blocking your face, so I can only see your eyes. Besides, this is just instinct... hmm...”
My brow furrowed slightly without me realizing it.
Fay, who had been shrieking at the top of her lungs, asked in a trembling, anxious voice.
“W-what? Why are you making such a serious face while looking at my underwear...?!”
“Senior. You... do wash these properly, right?”
“......”
“They look a bit... dingy.”
It wasn’t that they were discolored or anything; they just looked a little grubby.
As I tilted my head in thought, Fay’s face turned a shade of red that looked like it might explode, and she began to shake violently.
“I...”
“You?”
“I changed them today! You want to smell them and see?!”
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
When I made a motion to lean my head in, Fay freaked out and started thrashing wildly.
She was flopping around like a freshly caught fish.
“You’re crazy! You’re insane! Why would you actually try to smell them?!”
“You told me to.”
“I meant it as a figure of speech because I was so offended! And how long are you going to keep looking! I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything I bought! So just let me down!”
“Fine then.”
I’d acted on impulse because I was annoyed, but thinking about it calmly, this was a pretty dangerous situation.
As I slowly lowered her, Fay scrambled away on all fours the moment her hands touched the floor, retreating into a corner.
Her hair was a mess from being hung upside down, and her disheveled uniform looked a bit pitiful.
Finally managing to press her skirt down, Fay glared at me and snapped.
“Junior, you’re a pervert! You’re the kind of pervert who’d get arrested if I reported you!”
I mean, saying a line like that while looking like that...
It just makes things more fun.
“Heh heh...”
Surrendering to my rising mischievous streak, I let the corners of my mouth curl into a smirk.
“Report me, huh? If I get hauled away, what are you going to do about your research, Senior?”
“Huh...?”
“Think about it. I, of course, have unwavering faith that you’ll succeed... but will others feel the same?”
Putting on the most villainous expression and voice I could muster, I took a step toward Fay.
“Eek! Y-you’ve finally shown your true colors...! I knew it ever since you made me play dog in front of the workshop! You were after my body all along, weren't you?!”
“Well, who knows? Maybe I was. Maybe I wasn't.”
Thump. Thump.
As the distance closed, anxiety began to cloud Fay’s eyes with every footstep that echoed.
“Um... Junior? This is a joke, right? It’s a joke, isn’t it...? Please say it is... I’ve never had friends before, so I’m really bad at handling jokes or pranks like this...”
“Ha! It’s too late to try and appeal to my sympathy. I’ll take this opportunity to show you exactly what I want from you.”
I placed my hand on Fay’s shaggy, unkempt hair.
“Hieeek...! I trusted you... I really trusted you...!”
Even though I hadn't said anything yet, Fay was already jumping to conclusions and tearing up from the perceived betrayal. I leaned in and whispered softly.
“What I want from you... is the Philosopher’s Stone you’ll create one day!”
“...Eh?”
I gave the stunned Fay a bright smile and repeated myself.
“The Philosopher’s Stone. The path you’re pursuing is ultimately one that delves deep into 'Change,' which is one of the core essences of alchemy, isn't it?”
A realm where one can create anything through alchemy alone? That was no different from reaching the pinnacle of Change.
“So, surely, once you reach the level you desire, you’ll be able to create the Philosopher’s Stone, right?”
“Isn't what you want a bit too extreme?!”
As Fay said, the Philosopher’s Stone was no ordinary item.
The process of obtaining it was equally difficult.
In the story of H&A, the player had to complete all sorts of high-difficulty quests for Fay.
Things like special materials found only in specific dungeons, or samples from a Chimera that had destroyed an ancient kingdom long before the Great War.
And finally, raiding the hidden workshop of the first great alchemist, Paracelsus, and handing over his research journal.
Perhaps because it was the quest line for the ultimate alchemy item, the Philosopher’s Stone, it was incredibly grueling for a production-class heroine’s quest.
In exchange, the Philosopher’s Stone was worth all that trouble.
And a fully grown Fay was worth even more than that.
I spent a moment reminiscing about Fay’s tear-jerking growth story I’d seen back on Earth.
Fay, who had been staring at me blankly, spoke up cautiously.
“Junior... just what are you...?”
Feeling a bit embarrassed by her gaze, which was filled with confusion, I abruptly changed the subject.
“That’s why you need to take better care of yourself, Senior.”
“Huh?”
“Setting up equipment and buying materials? That’s fine. But it’s unacceptable for you, the future Great Alchemist, to be walking around poorly fed for such reasons.”
“That’s heavy! Your trust is too heavy, Junior! A Great Alchemist... Me...?”
“Yes. Are you not confident?”
“...Of course, I believe my theory is feasible. But I don’t know if that leads to becoming a Great Alchemist... You don't learn magic thinking you'll definitely become an Archmage, do you?”
“I do, though?”
“???”
Considering what I had to do in the future, 'Archmage' was the bare minimum level I needed to reach.
Did she sense the sincerity in my nonchalant answer? Fay looked at me as if she were looking at a madman.
How rude.
Feeling a bit slighted, I flicked the tip of Fay’s nose with my finger.
“Ouch!”
“How dare you look at your heaven-sent sponsor with such impious eyes? And don’t worry too much. Both you and I will be called Archmage and Great Alchemist before we even graduate.”
“Before graduation...? Isn't that completely unrealistic?!”
Fay was horrified by the sudden time limit. But it couldn't be helped. By then, everything would have reached an ending of some sort.
Of course, I couldn't tell her that, so I just shrugged and gave a vague excuse.
“It’s fine. If you don’t become a Great Alchemist and fail to produce the Philosopher’s Stone by then... well, then you can really pay me back with your body.”
“I-I knew it! That was your goal from the start...!”
Fay looked relieved, as if everything finally made sense.
Hey. I told you, it’s really not like that.
*
After the commotion settled.
In a much softer atmosphere, Fay began to show me the new tools and materials she had bought, as well as the results she had produced, explaining the cost of each item one by one.
Since she hadn't kept separate receipts, it was hard to verify... but the prices matched up roughly with what I remembered, so she probably wasn't lying.
Fay wasn't the type to do that anyway.
“Phew... You really only bought the essentials, so I can’t even complain.”
“Right? I told you I bought everything according to a plan.”
“The problem is that 'Fay the Senior' wasn't part of that plan.”
“Ugh...”
Fay shriveled up again. Watching her, I let out a sigh—I’d lost count of how many I’d exhaled today.
“Sigh... Anyway, I see you didn't waste the money. I’ll give you some extra for living expenses this time.”
“Really?! Thank goodness... At this rate, I might have had to eat at the cafeteria...”
“......”
Wait. Come to think of it, the Academy provides basic meals for free, right?
And I heard the quality is quite high.
The problem was likely that Fay avoided crowded places because she had been bullied for so long.
I should try taking Fay to the cafeteria sometime. She’ll get used to it after eating there a few times.
If that still doesn't work... well, I’ll just give her more living expenses.
...Saying it like this makes it feel like I’m supporting her, which is... a certain kind of feeling.
Shaking my head, I took 20 gold out of my inventory and handed it to Fay.
This should be more than enough to last until the next sponsorship payment.
Fay looked ecstatic as she stared at the glittering gold coins, so I warned her in a stern voice.
“Just so we’re clear, you must use all of that for your living expenses, okay? I mean use it to eat proper food and change your clothes.”
“I told you I changed! ...But okay. I’ll really only use this for myself.”
Fay nodded and hugged the gold to her chest.
Watching her large Truth Pockets naturally get squished in the process, I suddenly remembered something else I wanted to ask her.
“Oh, right. Senior. As your sponsor, I have one request.”
“Hmm? What is it, Junior? Do you want me to make more of that spray-type support potion I made last time?”
“In addition to that, I’d like you to handle these.”
I pulled out the Bleached Mana Herb, the hidden piece from the practice dungeon, and Iona’s Refined Blood, which I had received this morning, from my inventory.
“......”
Fay’s jaw dropped as she looked at the pure white herb emitting an extraordinary amount of mana and the blood-red bead radiating an ominous aura.
“Please use these two to make an Elixir.”
“Where on earth did you get these...? A Bleached Mana Herb is a mid-to-low grade spirit herb, so it’s not impossible to find if you look, but isn't this a Vampire’s Refined Blood? And it looks like it’s from a very high-level one at that...”
“It’s Professor Iona’s Refined Blood, so of course it is.”
“...Hic!”
Fay looked at me as if wondering what kind of crazy thing I’d done this time.
“It’s not like that, okay? I just received it as a sort of reward for the recent incident. It would be effective if consumed as is, but it’ll be even better if made into an Elixir, so I brought it to you.”
“Y-yeah. I’m sure. It’s not like you asked the professor how much it would cost to buy her blood, right?”
“......”
What exactly is my reputation...?
When I narrowed my eyes and glared at Fay, she quickly took the materials, seemingly feeling guilty.
“A-anyway! An Elixir, right? With the new equipment I bought, I should definitely be able to make it.”
“How long will it take?”
“Um... about a week? The Mana Herb is raw, but the Refined Blood has already been purified once, so it should be easy to process.”
“Great. Then I’ll stop by again next weekend.”
“Okay! Leave it to me!”
Fay nodded with a cheerful expression, seemingly in a good mood after seeing such rare materials.
Next weekend is the last day of the class cancellation period, so the timing is perfect.
After that, we chatted for a bit, and I parted ways with Fay around the time lunch ended.
Fay still had her next lecture to attend.
After meeting Iona, Helena, and finally Fay, I returned to the dormitory.
I’ll rest well today, and starting tomorrow, I’ll go back to learning magic from Carla.
There were more than a few things I felt I was lacking while fighting Edmerec.
And so, for a few days, I spent my days training in the personal training room in my room and my nights rolling around with Carla in bed.
Before I knew it, the weekend I’d promised Fay arrived.
Suddenly, news that the Sylvan Magic Tower had been caught attempting Spirit Summoning set the Academy ablaze.
To be more precise, the news was that Elisha, who happened to be at the Sylvan Magic Tower, had also been taken into custody.
“This is a mess.”
How did it turn out like this?