Unexpected Harvest
Not long after the incident caused by Nero's curse, word reached me about the duel with Zenovia.
"Tomorrow in the First Auditorium."
They were using the largest auditorium by size, so did that mean they were that confident? ...No, I couldn't rule out the possibility that Skaya just thought it would be fun.
"Shall I try to procure some spirit medicine by tomorrow, then?"
"No, ordinary spirit medicine would just be poison in the long run at this point."
Spirit medicine was akin to a kind of poison that forcibly awakened the body's mana or physical strength. Overuse built up tolerance, so one high-quality spirit medicine was far more efficient than ten mediocre ones. And right now was about the time one would appear inside the academy anyway.
"Rain, you have time this evening too, right?"
"Yes, Young Master. If you call for me, I'll come running even if I have an appointment."
"No need to go that far..."
I gave a wry smile at Rain's extreme words and chomped down on my sandwich.
Come to think of it, I'd gotten a new skill last time but forgotten to check it because I'd been busy sucking up all that curse.
Harvest
Reaps the harvest.
• Extreme correction to actions using a sickle.
• Sharpness correction for weapons used when severing necks, both arms, or both legs.
• Increases harvest proficiency when farming.
"Why'd they add that last one?"
Well, maybe it meant after graduating the academy, I should retire to a quiet rural village and live out my days farming leisurely... It didn't sound half bad, actually? And it suited me perfectly as someone who used a sickle as a sub-weapon.
It had its drawbacks, but a skill was a skill—nothing wrong with having one. The action correction was nice, but the weapon sharpness boost was even better. The limitation to specific actions was a real shame, though.
"What are you muttering about, Lian?"
"Oh, Minel. You're... here. Huh."
"Yeah, I heard the young lady wanted to come today, so we came together. No problem, right?"
"Yeah... no problem."
I suppressed the writhing emotions at the sight of Ceres—blonde hair and golden eyes just like Minel's, enough to mistake them for twins—and quietly donned my mask over them.
"Long time no see, Ceres."
"Oh, yeah... long time no see, Lian."
Her subtle reaction sparked a momentary suspicion that, like Prin, she'd regained her memories. But no, I was certain she hadn't. If she had, she wouldn't have approached me at all, or she'd have said something outright. Assuming the Ceres I knew was still in there.
"I'm really sorry about the engagement thing... I heard about it out of nowhere too, so I couldn't do anything to stop it."
"Ah, that's what this is about."
That explained her reaction. From her perspective—or mine before regaining memories—we were a tragic couple torn apart by one family's political scheming in the midst of our love. I looked like the clear victim no matter how you sliced it.
"It's fine. Don't sweat it. These things happen."
"But!!... Yeah, okay."
Yeah, these things happen. Just like the words she'd spat at me when she fell for the Second Prince.
"It's unavoidable. Regrettable, but we have to accept it."
"Yeah, unavoidable, huh..."
So very Ceres. She accepted my words with surprising speed. Watching her, I was struck anew by how fleeting our relationship had been—like a midsummer daydream. I just exchanged a glance with Minel as I popped the last sandwich into my mouth.
"What are you planning to do today, Young Master?"
The spirit medicine we were after today was a flower that grew in the academy. Between Nero and having Skaya as principal, incidents never seemed to stop happening here. It wasn't that our generation was special; the academy's theme was less "growth" and more "survival," so deaths were commonplace.
"Corpse hunting."
"A corpse?"
"It was around... the Second Auditorium, for sure."
She hadn't become a spirit like Nero, but she'd died without her body being recovered, leaving her as a ghost. The spirit medicine we needed was a single flower that devoured the grudge, blood, and mana from her corpse.
"It's called the Demon Blood Flower."
"A sinister name."
"It is a pretty sinister flower, yeah."
Luckily, it parasitized corpses. In truth, the Demon Blood Flower could latch onto any ordinary human and suck their blood and mana dry in seconds—a mad plant.
"But how did its seeds end up in the academy?"
"That? Skaya brought it because she was bored and wanted to grow it, then dropped some."
"...Pardon?"
Rain stared at me like she'd misheard, but I hadn't said anything wrong.
"She brought it because she was bored and dropped some."
"Isn't that an insanely dangerous plant?"
"Obviously insanely dangerous."
If it grew on something like this—fed well on grudges, blood, and mana—it became prime spirit medicine. But a seed in an ordinary person would drain their blood and mana, turning them into a ghoul. With a strong grudge, it might create a grudge-bound spirit like the Second Auditorium ghost, but that was rare. Cases like Nero or this corpse were the exceptions.
"We just need to grab the flower from the corpse?"
"If we can, let's bury the body too."
The least we could do was give her some comfort. Walking the night streets with Rain, she'd appear just like in my previous life.
Thud, thud...
How should I exorcise her this time? I wanted to do it painlessly...
Thud, thud...
This time without borrowing Prin's power. Should I have brought holy water? Nah, a normal slash would probably do it.
KIIIIIEEEEEEK!!!
"...Huh?"
What was that sound just now?
"Young Master, something over there is fading away."
"What!?"
A familiar curse hung in the air as a pitch-black soul ascended to the sky in the direction Rain pointed.
No, why though?
"Nero?"
...Thinking about it, every time she met me, she'd unleashed her curse, and even without fully awakening as a hero, my body had some resistance, letting me endure and talk before finding her spot. I'd guessed roughly where she was buried, but for her to vanish completely...
"Nero, can you track down more curses like that one you just killed?"
Yeah, never mind then. No need.
I ignored the gods' comedy show and followed Nero.
"It really came out."
"Yeah, you did great."
There it was: a single vivid crimson blood flower blooming atop pristine white bones.
It was good spirit medicine anyway. I could just eat it raw without any special prep...
"... "
Hold it in. Nero's right there. I barely swallowed the profanity rising to my throat and handed the Demon Blood Flower to Rain, explaining how to handle it.
"Its staples are blood, souls, and mana. Feed it blood and mana daily to keep it; no other preservation method."
Without a soul, enhancing it was impossible, but maintaining its current state should work.
"Understood. Where do I source the blood?"
"I'll use mine."
"...Are you serious, Young Master?"
Rain looked at me like I was crazy. Fair enough—most nobles prized their blood highly. Even as the daughter of an earldom, Rain wouldn't be different.
"Blood regenerates slowly."
But in my wars, I'd never seen miserly nobles with their blood conservation survive long.
"Missing out on something over mere blood would be too wasteful."
My blood was top-quality, rich in mana thanks to Skaya's infiltration. Limited quantity since I only had one body, but quality-wise, it was fine. That's Skaya for you.
"...Understood."
With Rain's confirmation, the next day arrived. Zenovia showed up with a single sword.
"...Goddamn it."