Congratulations on the 3-Circle, You Fool
Eltemia. ...It's cold.
Even though I clearly remembered falling asleep in my room, a chill crept over my entire body. Forcing my heavy eyelids open, the first thing I felt was the cool night air. That explained the cold, at least.
The real question was why I was feeling it in the first place.
Before I could find the answer, pain slammed into me as if I'd been beaten all over. With my vision still blurry and unfocused, I turned my head. The window stood wide open.
What is this? Why is the window open?
Could the shockwave from opening my circles have blown it open? I thought hard, but my memories were too fragmented to piece it together properly.
I remembered recklessly stuffing Dragon Blood Grass into my mouth, surviving the brink of death by the skin of my teeth, and finally engraving the 3-Circle mana ring into my heart...
And when I opened my eyes, the window was open and the room was a complete disaster.
Actually, now that I thought about it, the room had already been a mess before I fell asleep.
I don't know anymore.
Just as I was about to drop my head again, weighed down by exhaustion—
"...Huh?"
My downward gaze landed on someone's toes.
I lifted my head. Someone was sitting on the edge of the bed, quietly looking down at me.
"Who..."
Realizing there was another person in the room, I opened my eyes wide. In the moonlight streaming through the window, the first thing I saw was a blue tail swaying gently.
Sway. Sway. ...A tail?
Legs, knees, hands, face. And the tail.
Eltemia sat with her knees drawn to her chest, staring down at me.
"You really are crazy."
She looked at me with complete disgust, as if she were staring at something truly horrific, her words dripping with condemnation.
...Oh. A reward.
That was the first thought that popped into my head the moment I faced this absurd situation and her gaze. My body was a wreck, and before I could even collect my thoughts, that single idea surfaced.
Of course, it wasn't that her current appearance suited my tastes or anything like that. I simply thought that this sight might count as a reward for someone.
Then, realizing she was still glaring at me with those scolding eyes, I shook my head to clear the thought.
Is that what's important right now?
The actual problem was why the noble daughter from another country was sitting bold as brass on the bed in the dormitory room of a man who was the subject of unsavory rumors, in the dead of night... looking down at me.
"Why are you here?"
I barely managed to ask with my cracked voice. Eltemia's brows furrowed. She clicked her tongue irritably and spoke.
"Ha, seriously. After what you did... I came to warn you about what might happen next, but..."
"...Ah."
She pointed at me, her eyes full of disbelief.
"I never imagined you'd be doing something this insane all by yourself in your room. You do realize you nearly died, right?"
"...Well. It's not like I wasn't aware."
"Are you in your right mind? Have you gone mad?!"
Eltemia raised her voice, genuinely furious, and berated me.
Why? Why was she this angry?
I couldn't understand her rage at all. I'd staked my own life on consuming the Dragon Blood Grass, so why was she the one getting worked up? Honestly, what business was it of hers?
"No, I was the one who almost died. Why are you getting angry?"
The words came out curt. I was already exhausted to the point of death; a lecture wasn't going to bring out any pleasant responses.
Eltemia seemed momentarily at a loss, her lips twitching. Unable to hide her flustered state, she floundered before her face flushed red and she shouted.
"Ha, it's because it's pathetic! Pathetic! Not even knowing how precious your life is...! What would you have done if you died?"
After fuming by herself, she took a deep breath.
"Anyone listening would think I was worried."
"...What?!"
"I have nothing to say since I risked my life too. But that doesn't give the noble daughter a reason to get angry at me, does it?"
"..."
"And do you think it's reasonable to barge into my room without permission—through the window, no less—and lecture me?"
"...O-of course it is! You almost died!"
"No, that's why I..."
Seeing her turn her head, it was clear a proper conversation wasn't happening, so I gave up. She was the self-willed noble daughter from the start. No matter what I said, it wouldn't get through.
I sighed and tried to look away when her gaze softened. She looked at me with much gentler eyes.
"Still... congratulations on reaching 3-Circle. I don't know how you did it, but for a human, you endured it well."
...She criticizes me for being 'merely human' and congratulates me at the same time.
In a way, if that was a talent, it was one. Being able to criticize and congratulate simultaneously—I felt like I should learn from her.
"It's true."
"...What is?"
"A normal human would have definitely died."
"I suppose I'm not normal, then."
"Correct."
...Looking at her face, it seemed like praise. But listening to it, it didn't feel like a pure compliment.
"Now, excluding the current graduating class... there probably aren't more than about ten wizards in the entire academy better than you."
Oh, this was definitely praise. Her objective assessment brought me some relief. At the very least, it meant my life-or-death gamble had succeeded. A compliment on skill from this noble daughter was never light in meaning.
Still, accepting it directly felt awkward, so I replied in a deliberately lukewarm tone.
"Well, I'll take it as a compliment then. Thank you."
As I turned my head, I finally saw the state I was in. My whole body was sticky with cold sweat and dried blood, and the unpleasant odor stung my nose.
I tried to force myself up, but I immediately collapsed. All strength had left me; I could barely even clench my fingers.
Eltemia, who had been watching silently, clicked her tongue again.
"Tsk. Humans really are idiots. That's the problem."
Her wrist flicked lightly, and something flew over, landing on my chest. It was a small wooden box engraved with elaborate patterns, like an ornate jewelry case.
I'd seen that pattern somewhere before. I looked up at her with a questioning gaze.
She crossed her arms and explained curtly.
"There are occasionally fools in our family who do crazy things like you."
"Ah, I see."
"It's a medicinal pill prepared for those situations."
"A pill?"
"Originally... it's meant to be taken when the mana circuits are twisted beyond repair and the blood vessels are about to burst, right before death. But seeing how you look now, it wouldn't hurt to take it immediately. Hurry up and eat it."
Aha. So that's what it was—an insurance policy the family had created in case a hot-tempered idiot overdosed on Dragon Blood Grass.
Listening to her, I felt it was too precious to use. It was a secret elixir made to save the lives of the family's direct descendants. It had to be immensely valuable, perhaps on par with the Dragon Blood Grass itself.
And she wanted me to eat it now?
Am I crazy? It's too valuable to waste.
Naturally, I planned to save it for when I was truly on death's door later. It was a very obvious and rational judgment. Or rather, a beautiful plan—to set aside the emergency item for my own future emergencies.
As I struggled to move my hand and tuck the box away...
"It's a waste to eat it right now, so... hey!"
With an expression of utter disbelief, Eltemia approached me. In one swift motion she snatched the box, opened it, took out the pill, forced my jaw open, and shoved it inside.
"No, wait! Mmph!"
Despite my fierce willpower, my jaw was no match for a dragonkin's grip. I struggled desperately, but it was useless. The pill melted and slid down my throat. My grand plan was completely derailed by the noble daughter's forceful hand.
"When I give you something, eat it obediently. Does a human even have two lives to spare?!"
While her nagging poured out, the forcibly consumed pill began to take effect immediately. The residual mana from the Dragon Blood Grass still inside me started to calm down as if by magic, following the pill's energy. It flowed slowly along my mana circuits.
At the same time, changes occurred throughout the blood vessels where mana flowed. Along with a refreshing sensation like passages opening, the residual mana was absorbed into the 3-Circle ring.
"...Oh."
An exclamation escaped before I could stop it. I was just starting to feel good from how refreshing it was when a foul odor suddenly rose from deep inside my body. Black, sticky substances began seeping out through my pores.
As the impurities were expelled, an indescribably horrible stench filled the room.
"Ugh...!"
Eltemia could no longer lecture—she turned deathly pale and was rendered speechless. She hastily pinched her nose and glared at me with pure contempt.
Was it my fault? You're the one who made me take it.
Unable to endure it, she hurriedly retreated toward the window.
Is she stupid? The smell's going to drift right toward the window.
"Go wash up right now! Just how much have you been accumulating?!"
"...Let's not even talk about it."
Eltemia stood with one foot on the windowsill and glanced back. With a strange expression, she spoke in a calm voice.
"...Thank you for keeping your promise. I didn't expect you to shoulder everything alone."
"...There was no other way."
"You must take it all on yourself like this every time. I see you in a slightly different light now."
...Hmm?
"I'm leaving."
With those words, Eltemia threw herself out the window.
It sounded like she had misunderstood something, but I didn't bother correcting her. I simply chuckled softly in disbelief.
"Is that supposed to be thanks or contempt for the smell? Pick one. Just one."
Then, without thinking, I tried to rub my nose on my shoulder and recoiled in horror.
"Argh, damn it. The smell is really bad."
No matter what, falling asleep again in this stench was impossible. Forcing myself up and opening the door, I found Lise still standing guard.
You really are stubbornly inflexible. Have you been standing there this whole time?
I was clicking my tongue at her obstinacy when—
"Hup!"
Lise flinched, then quickly covered her nose and mouth with both hands, holding her breath. Her brows even furrowed. Even she couldn't help but react honestly to the smell.
...I admit it smells bad, so I have nothing to say.
Waving awkwardly at Lise, who stood at a distance still covering her nose, I said, "You should go sleep now too. You must be tired. I'll wash up and sleep as well."
Lise nodded while still covering her nose. I hurried into the bathroom.
I lathered every inch thoroughly and rinsed with hot water. Just as I finished drying my hair roughly with a towel and stepped out—
"...Eh?"
The dormitory room had a simple layout: bedroom, living room, and bathroom connected. When exiting the bathroom, the bedroom door was directly ahead.
The door was open. Through it, I could see the room.
And... the room that had been an absolute mess before I entered the bathroom was now perfectly tidy. The space filled with sweat, waste, and blood was spotlessly clean, and even the bed sheets looked freshly changed.
Staring blankly, I thought of the ash-gray-haired woman who had been standing there covering her nose.
"She cleaned everything in the short time I was showering."
She had no problem casually mentioning a 'desire-relief maid' in front of others and unintentionally driving me into the ground. Yet here she was, acting for my sake like this. Deep in my heart, confusion swirled.