Everyone Values Things Differently
"The value of things differs from person to person," right?
A condition? No wonder it looked so ridiculously high-end.
"Yeah, a condition. I picked this out after agonizing over it at a magic tool shop in the capital, you know?"
It definitely looked great. Did I want it? Hell yeah, I wanted it bad. Artifacts like this weren't exactly common.
In modern times, even potion bottles went for insane prices. Hardly any companies could make them anymore, and most were just recycled ones from towers or abysses.
"What's the condition?"
"Come to our lab, pick a potion studies topic, and spend the whole day researching..."
"Goodbye!! Ugh."
I spun around to bolt, but she grabbed me by the scruff of my neck. Isabel's staff was glowing.
"Ahaha, no need for that. What would I even have a kid with no basics do?"
Was that a joke?
"But what if I'd said yes?"
"Then I'd let you in and start with some training. Plenty of second-years do it, actually."
So she was just testing me. Scary, scary.
"Anyway, there's just one thing for you to do. Head to the Western Forest and fill these up with mana."
"...Huh?"
That sounded ridiculously easy. If I went with Isabel, I wouldn't get in trouble.
"Using this gear I just gave you, of course."
"What!? Professor Karnaroph said that place is dangerous..."
"Hm? It's fine. Someone like me can harvest mana without it noticing."
It wouldn't matter even if she got caught.
"Then don't I need to come?"
Honestly, she seemed plenty capable on her own.
"Not quite. Doing it solo means watching out for a ton of stuff. And..."
"And?"
"It's also to teach you how to condense natural mana into the test tubes."
Ah. So it's like extra lessons from Karnaroph. I thought I'd been kidnapped to the lab.
"Cool. When do we go?"
"Right now!"
"Huh?"
* * *
This was my first time visiting the Western Forest during the day. At night, it was mysteriously beautiful, nothing like the Eastern Forest. But daytime? Pretty much the same as the Eastern Forest.
I trailed after Isabel, lugging the set I'd been given. No inventory in front of her, so heavy or not, I had to carry it.
"Hmm? No magic beasts. Normally, they'd show up once I hid my mana..."
"Yeah."
Probably thanks to Adrian. Magic beasts in the school always slunk away from me—even the ones that looked stronger.
"Eh, whatever. Easier for us."
We reached the spot. Even in the Western Forest, this place had a nice concentration of natural mana. Though the clearing where Adrian and I drank was the absolute best. But that was his territory.
"So, how do you gather the mana?"
"Pull out a test tube?"
I took one from the leather pouch.
"This is the magic circle for gathering mana." She pointed and explained each part. "Runes for absorption, compression, amplification. You learned these from Karnaroph, right?"
"Yep."
"And how to activate a real magic circle?"
"Haven't gotten there yet."
"Makes sense. It's pretty much like regular spells, anyway."
Isabel picked up a test tube. It had a magic circle for mana gathering—way more complex than mine.
"The difference is whether you channel mana through your staff or directly into the drawn circle."
She gripped the test tube in her signature pose and tapped the circle's start with her fingernail.
"This time, hold it between your index and middle finger, and press the circle with your thumb."
I activated the magic circle like that. Channeling mana into the glass test tube took way more focus than I'd expected. One slip, and it'd crack.
"Mm. Good, just like that."
After a bit, the circle started greedily sucking in surrounding natural mana. Liquefied natural mana began filling it up drop by drop.
A few minutes later, it was pretty full.
"Close the cork when it's about eighty percent."
I followed her instructions and sealed it. One test tube down.
"You don't get many chances to enter the Western Forest, so fill 'em all while you're here! It's not like you can normally even get close."
"Uh... yeah. Guess so."
I filled the rest. Once done, I looked at Isabel—she was concentrating on her own tubes.
"Done?"
"Yep."
Mana test tubes full. Time to head back.
On the way, I asked Isabel, "So how do you get the other ingredients?"
"Hm?"
"For mana potions."
"Mana's the key for mana or stamina potions... The rest you can grab at the school market."
School market again, huh. Gotta stock up on silver coins. Time to dump 'that stuff' on the market soon!
But first, ingredients were low.
"Can you fill mana test tubes in the Eastern Forest?"
"You can, but... animals get in the way, and the mana density's too low."
She said that, but compared to modern mountains, the Eastern Forest's density was high. The Western Forest was just insane.
Still, going there meant getting chewed out. By Karnaroph, Aris, everyone.
"Filling your set would take a full day at least."
Ugh. Screw it, just go and take the scolding. Forgiveness is easier than permission, right?
"Plus, the Western Forest has super pure natural mana. Lowers potion failure rates."
"Why?"
"A dragon lives there."
Ah. Dragons and mana, yeah.
"Reinhart-sourced mana test tubes sell for a fortune."
Hmm. Rice-muncher potential here too. Potions were rarer in modern times. Mana potion recipes were monopolized by a few companies. Stamina potions? Priceless.
Make potions, sell in modern world. Fill mana tubes here, sell those. Perfect.
"The absolute best is dragon mana, though."
Isabel said casually, hands clasped behind her head.
"Can you make potions with that?"
Isn't that personal mana?
"Dragon's own mana matches natural mana perfectly. Potions made with it jump at least one or two grades, no side effects."
"Eh, impossible for humans like us to get."
"Why?"
"Elder dragons guard the trials super strictly, from what I hear."
"Huh."
"Fail the trial, no mana. Pass, and you get a ton, though."
Isabel sighed.
"Ahh, I'd love to research with a comfy supply of dragon mana."
"I see."
"Ah, but with your talent, you might get a shot at a dragon trial someday."
Trial, huh. Didn't need that.
'Ah, chugging booze counts as a trial, maybe?'
Hmm. Got some already, though. Make a potion with it? Dragon mana test tube.
* * *
—Gulp...
In my ordinary daily life, I was napping in the sunlight as usual.
Warm...
Then a voice rang out.
"Yumia! Student Yumia!"
"Ha, huh?"
"Do you have any intention of respecting our empire's history!?"
"Pardon?"
"No basics at all. Typical commoner... Minus three points."
Empire history professor Georgia clicked her tongue and returned to her seat.
She just doesn't like me. Never had a great view of me or other commoner students, from the start.
I skip class entirely, so yeah, targeted. But post-werewolf incident, she was openly hostile.
This time, though, I had a countermeasure.
After class, I planted a bean under where Georgia would walk. A super fragile regular test tube filled with condensed natural mana.
She stepped right on it.
—Crack.
She tripped over the sudden bump and faceplanted.
"Argh! What the—?!"
"Pffft."
"That's what you get for bullying people."
Aris had told me Georgia once reamed out a commoner student over nothing. Oh, and that she was a noble faction parachute hire.
Real professor material would've spotted the trap. Karnaroph would've hunted me down instead.
Anyway, ordinary—blissfully ordinary—happy days.
'Would be twice as happy without assignments.'
Time flew. Winter's chill faded.
In math class, Karnaroph grinned his creepy grin during review hour.
"Gentlemen. Starting next week: midterms."
Midterm season had begun.