Read the Flow
Read the flow. Arie's spine-chilling interrogation continued.
"Hehe, it seems you know quite a bit about Transcendence."
"Huh? No way… This is my first time even facing a Transcendent. Meeting the dean after enrolling at the Academy was the first time too."
"Was meeting Sir Paern also your first time?"
"I don't understand why his name is coming up… I have no memory of it."
Though we did meet once while hiding our identities…
Arie narrowed her eyes slightly, scribbled something in a small notebook, and pressed on with her questions.
"Hmm… Then what is your opinion of the dean?"
"I think he's a good person."
"What sort of accessories do you prefer? For example, a necklace or…"
"I haven't really thought about it, so I'm not sure."
"Your favorite color?"
"Pink…?"
No matter how many questions she fired off, I only chose answers that had zero connection to that identity. By skillfully mixing truth and lies to make things even more confusing, I ensured it would be harder for someone in Arie's position to reach any clear conclusion.
When I refused to bite any of the bait she had so carefully cast, she finally let out a sigh and shook her head.
"It seems I was mistaken…"
"Excuse me, Boss… Just what were all those questions about?"
"…Just think of it as a simple preference survey. Hehe…"
Arie laughed in a low voice, sounding a little disappointed as she brushed it off. The way she dropped her suspicions so quickly it felt almost anticlimactic told me she hadn't been seriously suspicious. It was more of a just-in-case probe.
After all, logically speaking, why would a Transcendent bother disguising themselves just to pretend to be a student at the Academy…?
I put on the face of someone who had no idea what was going on and smiled awkwardly, as if asking why is she acting like this?
Had I shown myself too much lately? It seemed I'd managed to arouse some suspicion after all. I tensed for a brief moment, but fortunately it looked like I'd gotten through it safely.
Besides, I wasn't Elisha. There was no way I'd be sloppy enough to fall for such simple questioning.
I was inwardly mocking her when a familiar voice called out from behind us.
"So this is where you were, Saintess."
"Oh my, you're already here?"
The owner of the voice was Yulia, wearing an expression that clearly said she was irritated. It was obvious… I had wondered why Yulia was nowhere to be seen. It seemed Arie had ditched her again and come looking for me.
"Haa… Please at least give me a heads-up before you go somewhere."
"Then you'd just follow me, wouldn't you?"
"Well, of course. I am your escort, so…"
"Hehe. No one can interfere with my work."
"……"
You really do have it rough. I felt a pang of sympathy, but that was separate from the fact that I didn't want any stray sparks flying my way. This was the perfect chance to slip away.
"Oh, since Yulia's here too, why don't you have a quick chat with the practical combat instructor?"
"……"
If only the Saintess—who somehow only showed sharp senses at times like these—hadn't grabbed me.
Has she actually become a Transcendent?
Yulia, who had been staring blankly while listening to Arie, finally seemed to notice me and gave a hurried greeting.
"…Ah. It's been a while."
"Yes, it's been a while for you too, Miss Yulia."
Unlike the last time we'd met, I didn't sense any negative emotions—no dislike, no wariness. It seemed Arie had done a good job persuading her and raising my favorability while I wasn't around.
"Teacher…? Ah! The practical combat teacher…?!"
…Or maybe not? She couldn't have completely forgotten me, right? Of course, that was exactly the kind of effect my power was meant to have… No, never mind.
I stopped my useless thoughts and clapped my hands to draw their attention.
"Since we're all gathered like this, I'll give you some homework to work on during the school break."
"Homework…?"
"Hehe, I'm looking forward to it."
Completely opposite reactions. Yulia looked like she was wondering why I was making them do something like this, while Arie seemed genuinely interested and listened with sparkling eyes.
This time it really was something simple, so getting her hopes up would only lead to disappointment… It was a shame I couldn't live up to Arie's expectations, but the two of them still lacked fundamentals. I had no choice but to start with the basics.
Grade: Basic Training Tool
Effect: Perfect sphere that maintains flawless shape and circulation even after mana supply is cut off. Teaches the user how to read and control flow.
- Whoosh!
I brought my hands together and created a single orb of condensed mana above my palms.
"This is…"
"A plain mana orb."
For now, anyway.
As I slowly poured more mana into it, the orb that had been glowing elegantly in my palm began to swell little by little. It simply looked bigger. Arie and Yulia still wore puzzled expressions. This was a simple level of mana manipulation that they could both create easily.
Of course, I had no intention of stopping here.
- Flash!
Suddenly the mana orb emitted a faint light. Arie and Yulia frowned for a moment but kept watching. Soon they noticed the orb maintained a perfect spherical shape, and their puzzled expressions changed to a different kind of bewilderment.
"Huh?"
"This is… strange."
Both of them spoke at the same time. Since I'd expected exactly this reaction, I was ready for any questions they might throw at me.
"Did you… stop supplying mana to it?"
"Correct."
"Then how is the shape staying perfectly maintained?"
"I simply made it with care."
To explain in more detail, I had aligned the flow and circulation perfectly so that not a single drop of mana could leak. Reading the flow was an extremely important skill even for Transcendents… I planned to get them familiar with the concept before they reached that stage.
After giving a rough explanation while carefully avoiding anything directly related to Transcendents, Yulia spoke with a serious face.
"This is genuinely useful information. I didn't expect much, but…"
"What was that?"
"Ah, nothing at all."
Yulia desperately avoided my eyes, apparently realizing she'd made a verbal slip.
…Didn't she decide to trust me now? I thought Arie had persuaded her properly…
I almost made a dumbfounded face but decided to let it slide. I didn't want to nitpick over something so small, and more than that, it was only natural that Yulia still couldn't fully trust me yet.
Thinking about it now, I hadn't properly shown her what I was capable of as a practical instructor. After that single tasting session, I hadn't managed to hold any real classes… Honestly, it was a miracle I hadn't been fired yet. Part of it was because Arie wanted me here so badly, but it was also thanks to Yulia enduring it all.
I was a little worried she might collapse from stress after holding it in for so long, but…
"Still, she's healthy, so…"
"Yes?"
"It's nothing. Anyway, the homework I'm assigning is this."
Changing the subject, I held out the mana orb that still maintained its perfect shape without scattering and said,
"Practice until you can create mana in a form similar to this orb."
" "
"……?"
" "
" "
"???"
"The deadline is before the break ends."
" "
"???"
Watching the stunned Arie and Yulia, I thought to myself, If they can do at least this much easily, the road ahead will be much smoother…
After sending Arie and Yulia off, I was walking alone when Elisha found me. The moment she spotted me, she pressed a blue orb into my hand.
"Here."
"…An orb? What is this?"
"Nothing special. Just keep it on you. If anything dangerous happens, don't hesitate—smash it immediately."
It was clearly no ordinary object. Before I could even speak, Elisha wrapped both her hands around mine that held the orb, cradling it as if it were something precious. Her warm body heat seeped through my slightly cold fingers.
Her actions made it very clear she would not accept any refusal. As I stood there frozen with a flustered expression, unable to say a word, she smiled at me.
"I'll head out first, so have a good break. Take care of yourself…"
"Ah, yes… You take care too, Miss Elisha."
With that, Elisha left, leaving behind only the small orb and the lingering warmth in my hand. Alone, I stood there for a while before carefully tucking the orb into my pocket. Even if I didn't need it, I didn't want to treat something she had prepared for me irresponsibly.
While various thoughts swirled through my mind, the last person to find me was Hestia.
"Have a good break, sir."
"You too, Lady Hestia."
"……"
"……"
"……"
"If you have something to say, feel free to speak comfortably."
"Ah, yes, then…"
After fidgeting for a moment, Hestia cleared her throat and asked carefully, as though trying to extract an important secret.
"By any chance… where do you plan to stay during the break?"
"I'll remain at the Academy."
"You don't have any other plans?"
"No. I'll have plenty of free time for a while."
Elisha would be busy running around everywhere, and Arie had returned to the Holy Kingdom… Unless I secretly followed them, there was nothing in particular I needed to worry about during the break.
The moment she heard my answer, a faint hint of joy colored Hestia's face.
"By any chance… during the break, would you be willing to spend time with me?"
"Spend time?"
I had caught that subtle change in her expression but pretended not to notice and waited for her to continue.
"Lately, I've come to feel that the power I've been training is insufficient."
"Come now, if someone like you, Lady Hestia, says that, what does that make ordinary students like me?"
"Ah, that's…"
"I'm joking, just joking… So what about it?"
"…For the time being, I plan to take on mercenary work outside the Academy."
In other words, Hestia had no intention of resting even during the break. She didn't explain in detail, but after thinking about the opponents she'd faced recently, I could guess why she'd made that decision.
Elisha, who was far too strong to be considered an ordinary student. Pascal Myers, who—with the core's help—had endured a brief joint attack from both Elisha and Hestia. And Karl Myers, who would have met a horrific end if not for Arie's intervention…
In a world that had suddenly grown much wider, Hestia had felt her own inadequacy. Others might have called it an unlucky complaint. Well, no one would be brave enough to say something like that openly in front of the Hero.
"However, I'm quite unfamiliar with worldly affairs… Above all, this is my first time doing mercenary work that isn't an imperial order, so I believe I will be quite lost on my own."
"So you need a companion, right?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Mercenary work often involves sleeping outdoors. Wouldn't it be better to go with a friend of the same gender?"
"The others said they were busy and declined…"
That made sense. Elisha was even busier during the break, so it couldn't be helped.
"Would you accompany me? I will pay you properly."
"Hmm…"
"Of course, you may refuse comfortably. If you feel the amount is insufficient…"
Hehe, keep your money. It's not like I'm short on cash… And besides.
"Sure, why not."
"Really…?"
"Yes. I was wondering what I should do during the break anyway."
"Then… I'll be in your care…!"
"I'm in your care too, Lady Hestia."
I had no intention of refusing in the first place.