161. Upheaval

"It's sweat."

"Sure, sure."

"Sweat and... I mean, you know... when you take an Elixir and circulate Mana, impurities get expelled from your acupoints, right? This is, um... that's what this is. Sweat mixed with impurities... the kind of thing you see all the time."

"Got it."

"Then why do you keep making that face?"

"What face am I making?"

Leona, who had been wiping the blood from my face and body in my place since I couldn't move, grinned.

Was she only smiling now? No. She'd been wearing that expression for a while. Those two eyes glinting with mischief, the stretched philtrum, one corner of her mouth twitching upward.

A face I genuinely want to punch, hard.

"Anyway, that's what it was. I'm just telling you in case you misunderstood."

"Well, that could happen."

"What do you mean, 'that could happen'?"

"Because when I first came here and used the dragon's Mana, I leaked all over the place just like you."

"Leaked what? All I leaked was sweat, impurities, and blood. I didn't leak anything else."

"Sure, sure."

"Answer me properly."

"Now you're even getting annoyed at your teacher's way of talking?"

I didn't answer and just glared at Leona.

Leona smiled even more infuriatingly and shook her shoulders.

Then she rummaged through her clothes and pulled out a small magic scroll.

"...What's that?"

"A Cleanse Scroll."

"Hmm... since I leaked a ton of sweat and blood, it'll be worth using. Don't tell me... you brought it knowing this would happen?"

"How should I take that 'knowing this would happen'?"

Leona's gaze flicked downward, again and again.

"...I meant, did you know sweat and blood would pour out like a waterfall."

I squeezed my legs together and clenched my fists.

"Aiya, of course I knew. I was exactly the same as you... no, I guess I wasn't exactly the same. Nyahahahaha!"

"...Stop laughing."

"We couldn't be exactly the same. We're different species, after all! Beastkin have an easier time holding in those... hmm, pee, ahem. Urine... hmm... bodily functions than humans!"

"I'm sure. But I didn't piss myself. Really. Look. See whether or not there's pee on the floor."

I.

Couldn't hold it.

Actually, rather than not being able to hold it, my body... lost control over those things.

Drool dripped, snot dripped, tears dripped, sweat dripped—everything just leaked out. Fortunately, I clenched my butt. In that moment, I focused more sharply than when I'd encountered the Demon King, and I prayed desperately.

Pleasepleaseplease. Please, just not this!

But everything else just... flowed out on its own.

Still, that, it flowed, and in that moment when my crotch grew warm... and the floor and my thighs grew damp.

I moved the dragon's Mana remaining in my body to its limit and blasted away everything that had pooled. The smell, even the traces that it had happened—all gone.

Therefore... since there's no evidence.

I didn't piss myself.

Still, the results were... the results were incredible.

The dragon's Mana seeped into Purgatory.

It seems to have gone in properly. Even now, exhausted to the point where I can't so much as twitch a finger, I can feel an immense power inside my left hand.

And, in the process of... blasting away that urine, my control over the dragon's Mana increased.

The trigger was a bit... absurd, but... anyway, the fact that my control increased means that when I open the Gates of Purgatory, I'll be able to do far better than now.

With my slowly recovering body, I wiggled my fingers. The presence of the ferocious Mana that had burrowed into my body earlier is vivid.

That doesn't mean that Mana swallowed everything in Purgatory. Rather, the things trapped inside Purgatory are trying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to absorb the dragon's Mana.

Is that all I gained?

No way.

My acupoints and Dantian have changed to a completely different dimension than before.

To begin with, the capacity of what I can store inside Purgatory has also grown.

My acupoints are the same. They've gained elasticity and feel smoother than before.

Of course, right now I don't have a single speck of Mana left, so I can't confirm the finer details, but once I go outside and accumulate Mana, I'll definitely feel it.

A grin spread across my face all on its own.

At this rate, my Upper Dantian will open naturally without me having to force it.

I'd planned to force it open if I couldn't reach Tier 6 before vacation, but now I'll reach it just by breathing.

But today wasn't going to be my last visit.

I plan to keep coming here tomorrow, the day after, and on and on.

Leona would probably let me if I pestered her, so should I just skip all my lectures and stay here to eat, shit, and sleep...? Well, maybe not shit, but should I even eat and sleep here?

...That might be a bit difficult.

If my grades hit rock bottom, I'll be held back a year, and then that girl Stella won't leave me alone.

If it comes to that, I'd rather just die.

"Seeing you smile, I guess you feel refreshed?"

"Refreshed, my ass. Stop saying weird things. I didn't piss myself."

I gently grabbed Leona's tail, which had been swaying softly and tickling my arm.

"And stop moving this thing. It tickles like crazy."

"Looks like you've mostly recovered. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Let's just peel the blood scabs off your face and head out."

"Hngh..."

I, who had been lying down, groaned and pushed myself upright. Plop, plop—I peeled the blood scabs stuck to my face and roughly tidied my disheveled hair.

"Use the scroll."

"...Wait a moment."

"...Why?"

Leona's voice sank.

Rip—her bright, sparkling golden eyes split vertically, and a ferocious aura leaked out.

"What is it?"

And she tilted her head. Why? Did she somehow notice Purgatory's existence?

I stealthily hid my left hand behind my back. I don't think hiding it like this will actually conceal anything. It's just a reflexive action.

"The Mana in the Mana Vein... is a bit short?"

"What do you mean, short?"

"The total amount of Mana in your body. And the total amount of Mana that seeped into my body. The total amount of Mana spread through this Mana Vein. Even if you add it all up... it's different from before. It's decreased. Noticeably decreased. The amount you absorbed was certainly large, but it can't be empty. As long as the Dragon Heart is up ahead, the Mana that was circulated and used should eventually flow back and gather again."

Swish—Leona's gaze fixed on me.

"Eliarnes."

"...Yes?"

"It's you."

"What is?"

"You ate it!"

"Ate wha—"

"Hey! What do you think you're doing, just shoving anything into your mouth like that!"

"Mmph?! Bmmph!"

Leona shot up from her seat and shoved her fingers into my mouth! This crazy Beastkin!!

"Spit it out! You can't eat this kind of thing! It's yucky! Spit it out!"

"Bmmph! Mmph!!"

Leona's slender fingers pinched my soft tongue. Salty and sweet. Why is there sweetness? I don't know! Is this the time to care about that? That damn senile Beastkin's fingers are violating my tongue?!

"Spit it out, now!!"

"Mmmphmphmph!"

*****

"Eat this, quickly."

Leona, who had carried me and sprinted like mad to her office, handed me a bizarre Potion.

"...What is this?"

I rolled my still-tingling tongue around and glared at Leona.

"A Potion that draws the dragon's Mana out of your body."

Still huffing and puffing, Leona strode over to me.

"No, I said I didn't eat anything."

"Even if you didn't, just drink it! It might draw out something you absorbed without realizing! And it's good for your body too!"

"Ugh... fine. Got it."

I took the Potion from Leona, popped the cork, and downed it in one go.

The Potion sliding down my throat felt like it was squirming. Then it circulated once through the acupoints in my body, giving me a subtle sense of refreshment.

"What the... there really is nothing?"

Leona, who had been examining me with her predator's pupils gleaming, tilted her head.

"I said there's nothing! I said it! Why don't you listen to what people say, huh? Why do you go around touching my tongue like that? Is... is that something you can just touch? Huh?"

Actually, there is something. It's in my left hand.

But the Potion couldn't invade my left hand either.

A natural result. Even the Demon Legion Commanders had pulled all sorts of shit trying to completely seal my Purgatory.

Yujen of Pride. Even that bastard failed.

There's no way security like that could be breached by a Potion like this.

"Just because I touched your tongue a little, what kind of way is that to talk to your teacher?"

Leona ignored my grumbling and plopped down in her seat.

"So, how are the results?"

"...The results are, well, good."

"Just good?"

"...Really good."

"Really good" doesn't even begin to cover it.

It's insane. It's crazy. Why was she keeping this to herself? If she'd brought me here earlier, I'd have reached Tier 6 and then some by now.

Training in the dragon's Mana Vein had produced gains crazy enough to make me think that.

Among them, the growth of my Dantian and acupoints is especially tangible.

When I circulate the slowly rising Mana, I can feel a firmer cohesion and stronger output than before.

Of course, it hasn't changed dramatically.

But considering it was just one day—and less than five hours at that—it's an absurd result.

Therefore.

"Can I go in by myself starting tomorrow?"

"That's not allowed."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠uneasy about sending you alone."

"What, am I a child? Would I go there and die?"

"You are, in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fact, a child who hasn't even turned twenty. And... the decrease in the Mana Vein's Mana is suspicious no matter how I look at it."

Leona's eyes narrowed. I felt a sting inside, but I didn't let it show on my face.

"So I can only go to that wonderful place once a week? You're always busy, Master, so you can't pay attention to me."

Instead, I pouted and looked at Leona with subtle eyes. When I grumbled with this kind of expression, nine times out of ten it worked.

"It's not that I can't pay attention to you... but, hmm..."

Leona, who had been tapping the desk with her fingers, nodded.

"For the time being... I'll be free. My adorable disciple brought in some big shot, so it seems my workload is going to decrease."

"You mean the Flame Emperor?"

"Of course, I'll only be free on the assumption that the Flame Emperor takes over my work..."

Leona trailed off.

She seems to know that, somehow, if I ask, the Flame Emperor will agree.

"I'd need to hear what kind of work it is first."

Still, I won't just accept it outright.

No matter how blinded I am by getting stronger, I don't want to recklessly push around the Flame Emperor, who has helped me several times.

Still... the Flame Emperor seems to take me pretty seriously, so I should try taking her a little more seriously too.

"It's nothing much. It's not even related to the political situation. It's just... going out west and dealing with a few Monsters coming into the Imperial Capital?"

"You've been doing that kind of work every time you left the academy?"

"Well, mostly."

"Hmm..."

If it's the west... that's where the Holy Kingdom is.

And if Monsters are flowing in from there, that means they're Monsters dwelling in the Catacombs between the Holy Kingdom and the Imperial Capital...

"Are there a lot?"

"Numbers don't matter to the Flame Emperor."

"That's... true."

I only asked because I was curious.

The Monsters in the Catacombs... aren't that numerous.

But Leona went out extremely often.

She seemed to go out five days a week.

"If it's just that much... well, I think the Flame Emperor would agree, don't you?"

"If so, I'll be free, and that means more days for you to go into the Mana Vein and train. The more work the Flame Emperor does, the freer I'll be, so if things go well, you could live there all week."

"Oh."

*****

"Flame Emperor. We're friends, right?"

"Hm?! Th-that's right. This Flame Emperor and... you are friends."

"Then you'd welcome your friend getting stronger, wouldn't you? I mean... we agreed to explore the Demon World together, didn't we? If that gets faster, wouldn't you be happier too?"

"That is... true. But seeing you suddenly bring that up, it seems you want something from this Flame Emperor?"

"Well, you see... do you know the Catacombs at the western edge? That place is now... four hundred years ago, before the Heroes departed for the Demon World, they stayed there for a long—"