Chapter 71: Baron Ashro’s Estate 2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 71: Baron Ashro’s Estate 2
"When does the mission start?"
"What exactly are we supposed to do?"
As soon as I tossed a question at Professor Elicia, the other students jumped at the chance to fire off their own burning inquiries.
"The mission begins tomorrow. I will provide the specific details then," Professor Elicia replied.
The students reacted with visible surprise at the news that the mission would start so soon. I was caught off guard as well; I hadn't expected things to move this quickly.
"Since the mission starts tomorrow, just take it easy this morning," Professor Elicia said, before adding, "And..."
"Loki, get back to your seat."
I had been stealthily creeping toward Professor Elicia, but I immediately dispelled my illusion and revealed myself.
"Oops. Caught me, did you?"
As I suddenly materialized, the students stared at the desk where I had been sitting just moments ago. The doppelganger I had left behind was currently fading into nothingness.
The students stared at me, looks of utter disbelief on their faces.
Tsk. I almost had her today.
"Then what should we do until lunchtime?" Lucas asked Professor Elicia after I returned to my seat.
The other students looked at her expectantly, equally curious. Usually, the entire class would spend their time sparring with Professor Elicia until an hour before lunch. Then, they’d spend the remaining hour chatting or resting.
But since we weren't fighting her today, we suddenly had about four hours of free time.
"Just rest. You can read books, or you can chat. You can go to the training grounds to practice, or go back to the dormitory and sleep. Just don't cause any trouble."
Lucas looked stunned by her incredibly liberal teaching style. However, he didn't voice any complaints. He knew that complaining would only result in being forced to fight Professor Elicia.
Of course, everyone had grown stronger through those beatings, but...
That’s one thing, and being physically exhausted is another.
Confirming there were no more questions, Professor Elicia began walking out of the classroom.
"Loki, follow me for a moment."
She glanced back at me before leaving.
"Hey, Pushover. What’d you screw up this time?" Sepia teased.
"Miss Sepia, people will think I go around causing trouble if you put it like that."
With that, I followed Professor Elicia out of the classroom. Her office was in the basement, just like the Special Class, but located on the exact opposite side of the hall.
"Shall I carry the attendance book for you?"
"Why do you want to carry this?"
"I'm just curious, and I figured I'd try to earn some brownie points while I'm at it."
Professor Elicia let out a small smirk at my words and handed me the book.
"Can I open it?"
"I don't care. It's just blank pages anyway."
I opened the attendance book as she said, and indeed, there was nothing but blank white paper inside.
"Then why do you even carry it?"
"Idra told me that if one is a professor, one must always carry an attendance book."
Professor Elicia spoke with a dead serious expression. Neither Professor Idra, who told her to do it, nor Professor Elicia, who actually did it, were entirely sane.
She opened the door to her office and stepped inside, and I followed.
"So, why did you call for me?"
"How many elixirs have you consumed recently?"
It was a sudden question, but assuming she had a reason, I recalled the elixirs I had taken.
Two highest-grade elixirs from the Emperor, and one high-grade elixir from Professor Idra. And this morning, I had consumed the highest-grade elixir I received from Duke Freya.
Looking at it now, I really had consumed a lot in a very short period.
"I've had three highest-grade elixirs and one high-grade elixir."
"You've certainly had a lot."
Even after hearing 'three highest-grade elixirs,' Professor Elicia didn't look surprised at all. Well, her dragon lair probably had mountains of treasures far better than those.
"Loki, don't take any more elixirs for a while."
"May I ask why?"
I didn't have any elixirs left anyway, but I was curious about the reason.
"You should know that you shouldn't keep taking the same kind of elixir, right?"
Of course, I knew that much. Taking the same elixir repeatedly not only diminishes the effect but also has negative impacts on the body.
"But the elixirs I took were all different."
None of the elixirs I had consumed were the same.
"I can tell that much just by looking at you. But did you just consume them without doing anything to them?"
I hadn't done nothing. I had consumed them after strengthening them with my Pocket Dimension.
"Uh... I did strengthen them using a special method before taking them."
"What exactly is this special method?"
Professor Idra had told me not to talk about the Pocket Dimension that could enhance items placed inside, but I figured it was okay to tell Professor Elicia. I explained the Mythic Grade Pocket Dimension I possessed to her.
"So that's how it was."
Professor Elicia looked surprised for a moment after hearing about the Pocket Dimension, but she immediately identified the problem.
"It seems that by strengthening them with that peculiar Pocket Dimension, the elixirs ended up sharing similar properties."
"Then what should I do?"
"Excuse me for a moment."
Professor Elicia channeled her mana into my body.
"There, that should do it."
"...Is that it?"
"That's it. Now go and rest."
".....Thank you. Goodbye."
Professor Elicia gave a half-hearted wave as I bowed and left. I knew it already, but dragons really are a cheat race.
What should I do now?
Stepping out of the office, I debated whether to go back to the dormitory and sleep until lunch or spend time chatting with the other Special Class students.
* * *
Usually, in the time remaining after fighting Professor Elicia, the students would either rush to eat or have a quick chat before heading to lunch.
Entering the classroom, I walked toward Lucas, who was talking to Kuran.
"What are you guys talking about?"
"I was telling Kuran about the Phantom Thief Cardinal."
"When Professor Elicia asked us to raise our hands earlier, didn't you raise yours too, Kuran?"
Earlier, Professor Elicia had asked those who knew about the Phantom Thief Cardinal to raise their hands, and every student had done so.
"He knew the name, but he was curious if he'd only heard of it in passing. So I was giving him the details."
"Loki! Why don't you join us and listen too?"
There was probably no one here who knew more about the Phantom Thief Cardinal than I did.
"I'm actually quite well-acquainted with the Phantom Thief Cardinal, so I'm fine."
"Suit yourself then," Lucas said.
I moved on to Clara, who was reading a book alone. The classroom was noisy, but Clara's red eyes were fixed on her book with incredible focus.
"Miss Clara, what do you plan to do for the next four hours?"
"Why should I tell you that?"
"If you don't tell me, I'm just going to keep talking to you. Is that okay?"
"Sigh..."
Clara let out a heavy sigh and looked at me. Her red eyes were filled with annoyance, but if she had truly hated it, she would have told me to get lost in the first place.
"I'm going to the library after I finish this. Happy?"
"Come to think of it, I've never been to the library. How is it?"
"It's just a normal library."
"Maybe I should check it out too."
At my words, Clara gave me a look that clearly said, 'You?'
"You know you have to be quiet in the library, right?"
"Who do you take me for? Of course I know that. I just can't guarantee I'll follow the rules."
I chatted with Clara for a bit longer after that. At first, she only gave short answers while looking at her book, but eventually, she closed it and actually engaged in the conversation.
After finishing my talk with Clara, I headed toward Sepia, who was getting ready to leave.
"Miss Sepia, where are you going?"
"The spirits have been sensing something strange nearby for a while, so I'm going to check it out."
Oh. Is she getting 'that' now?
This wasn't something I could really help with.
"By the way, why did the professor call you?"
"She said the attendance book was heavy and asked me to carry it for her."
"Good grief... Anyway, I'm heading out."
"Be careful."
"It's inside the Academy; what is there to be careful of?"
"It never hurts to be cautious."
After Sepia left the classroom with her spirits, Lucas approached me.
"Kuran, Ren, and Frederick disappeared in the meantime?"
Ren was the name of the muscular priest.
"Ren and Kuran took Frederick to go work out."
I could easily picture Frederick being dragged away to exercise by Ren and Kuran. Thanks to their rigorous training, Frederick's posture, which was always hunched, had improved quite a bit.
Since I have nothing else to do, should I just go back to the dorm and take a nap?
Just then, Lucas made a suggestion.
"Loki, if you're bored, do you want to walk around the Academy with me?"
To be honest, it wasn't a particularly appealing offer, but a fun idea popped into my head.
"Ho? Are you suggesting we go watch the other students working hard in their classes while we relax and eat snacks?"
"I didn't go that far..."
"While the others are listening to lectures with sleepy eyes, we can mock them and show off our freedom, right?"
"Sigh..."
I had originally planned to sleep in the dorm to see if I'd have any more nightmares, but...
"That doesn't sound bad. Let's go right now."
"......Sure."
This seemed much more entertaining.