Tenkomori Chapter 66

Archive for chapter 666

Chapter 66. The First Year at the Academy - Elphimia's Request

Chapter 66. The First Year at the Academy - Elphimia's Request

The last thing that remained was an exam on mixing.

The test was to create a healing potion.

For some reason, I had a bottle of Cisrus grass on hand, so I concentrated on mixing the potion to relieve my frustration.

The result was the first high-quality one.

After completing the potion, I realized that even using Cassis grass, the probability of achieving a high quality was zero. I wonder if I can make 100 of them. According to "Appraisal", high quality requires not only the nectar of the Cisrus grass, but it's necessary to have the tail of Saras butterfly for high quality or higher. I've never seen a wild species of Cisrus grass, so I wonder when I'll see a Saras butterfly.

Whatever the case, I don't think we will ever be able to produce high quality again with just Cisrus grass.

Abandoning the frenzied Rackendale, I look at the potion and left the alchemy room, feeling avenged.

The exam time was not over, but no one stopped me.

They were all so astonished by my feat.

By no means did I hesitate to follow the trail of tears.

◇◇◇◇

It's been a few days since I finished the first term exam of such joy and sorrow. I was relaxing in the backyard.

The season was late summer.

It was as hot as midsummer today, I think I got resistant to the oncoming autumn.

After the first semester exams, the academy was closed for about half a month. The reason must be similar to my previous life since there are no air-conditioning magical devices.

I look up at the cloth that blocks the sunlight.

At this rate, it's not likely to come off yet.

With the onset of summer, the backyard became sweltering hot. Ted and his friends would come in at any hour of the day and work out on their own, even when I wasn't home. I didn't want them to collapse from heat stroke, so I made a simple awning out of a large piece of cloth to keep them out of the sun, and also bought a small table and chairs and set them up under it.

I had taught them about the dangers of heatstroke, so they seemed to be taking a rest without me.

I sat in the chair and watched Ted and the others fight over a cup of General's iced tea.

Ted steps in and swings his sword at Nails.

Gemma intervenes and defends with his shield.

Since a few moments ago, the battle has been going back and forth.

They seemed to have a lot on their minds, and now they were fighting Ted versus Gemma and Nails Gemma concentrated on playing the tank role and only defending. This makes it difficult for Ted to attack, and Nails is too afraid to attack for fear of a counterattack.

It seems that Nails was the inventor of the idea. The old man liked Lily. So she was appointed as the chief of staff Lily also taught Nails to collect herbs. He was pleased to have recently received a passing grade from Aunt Lime.

Ted's slash dodged through Gemma's defenses and struck Nails.

So the mock battle was over.

The water is poured into cups for the number of people in the room.

Inside the jug was ice created by "Ice Bolt," a short arrow of icicles. My abundance of magical power allows for such a luxury.

Ted and the others gathered at the table and drank from their cups, shouting, "It's cold!"

"Ice magic next, Nails!"

"Impossible. I can't do it. I can't even use "Pure Water" yet. Besides, I don't think I can remember the fire attribute."

Nails waved his hand and appealed.

People can learn life magic naturally. It was Meredy who said that.

People can learn as long as they had magic qualities and are related to everyday life. Lily, who has been helping in the family business since she was a child, should be able to learn it soon, but Nails has no connection to water. It will take him a while. And since his magical power is not high, he should probably aim to become a magic swordsman like Danil, rather than a magician in his own right.

After the break, I gave each of them a lesson.

Ted has settled on a shortsword, Gemma a mace, and Nails a smallsword. They are thinking about shields at some point, but they can't keep them on hand unless they have durable magical shields or can afford to replace them frequently. I think it's a practical decision.

Also, I'm starting to teach everyone taijutsu. People could fight with their bare hands gives them more options, and taijutsu eliminates the gaps in each weapon skill. Gemma and Ted have a talent for it, in that order. Nails - unfortunately, don't have talent. In the meantime, it helps to improve stamina, so I'll let the training continue.

After a short break when the training was over, they began the mock battle again.

They are enthusiastic.

I lean back and watch them.

In the not-too-distant future, Ted and his friends will become adventurers.

I'll have to go with them then. I'm sure there will be walls standing in our way.

Come to think of it, I hadn't visited the Adventurers' Guild since before the field training.

Rumor in town had it that while I was busy practicing my dancing, a team had been dispatched to a goblin village to take down a goblin tribe. I would have gone there if the test results had been good, but it was too late.

Besides, it seems that most of the goblins were those I encountered during the field training, and the number of goblins was small for the size of the area. I heard no rumors of a particularly strong monster, so it must have been the head of the village.

Would I take on a normal request?

I'm still at E rank because of the events at the academy, but if I get to D rank, I'll be a full-fledged adventurer. Since the reward will increase, I can also use it for savings, and if that happens, I can do various things.

I was thinking about it.

At the same time I became aware of it, I heard a voice from the alley surrounding the backyard.

"It is just as I've heard, isn't it?"

A disproportionately large girl looked around my house in dismay.

Oh, I see. I forgot about this one.

At the sound of her voice, Ted and the others stopped, and said, "It's an elf" "I've never seen one before" "She's so beautiful" and so on.

In response, Elphimia plucked at her skirt and bowed gracefully.

"I'm Elphimia Claulette, a first-year student at Cartilard High Academy of Advanced Studies. Pleased to meet you."

After a pause, the teddies rushed in and introduced themselves.

Elphimia responded without a trace of disgust.

The court magician is the highest rank of wizards along with the executives of the magic guild. And they are of the same rank as counts.

But if she were the daughter of a court magician, she would be considered a very high-born woman.

Lambert, who seems to be a good match for them, is no good, and Elphimia, who doesn't seem to be compatible with them, doesn't care, huh?

You never really know people.

"I'd love to chat, but I need to talk to Alter for a minute. Do you mind if I borrow him?"

"Oh, take it!"

Since when do I belong to you?

I gave Ted a slight shove and invited Elphimia into the house.

"Have a seat at your appropriate table."

Elphimia looked at me suspiciously as I offered him a cup of tea.

"Do you have a fever?"

"Suddenly? I'm sorry it was cheap. I'm out of the finest tea leaf, forever."

"No, I mean. That's General grass, isn't it?"

"General grass." "General ......?"

What's that? I've heard of it somewhere.

Suddenly I remembered and clapped his hands.

"That's right. It was such an honorable name, General-sama."

To me, it's a pseudonym, I'm afraid I can't call you by my real name. It also had an antipyretic effect. I was too weak to forget.

"General tea is my source of energy. Would you like some too?"

"I don't want it. It's so bitter. I told you I would call you! Why are you leaving without telling me how to contact you!"

Elphimia tapped the table.

Well, I left before the mixing exam was over.

I forgot then, I promised.

"I looked around for you, but you were nowhere to be found, and when I asked the academy, they wouldn't tell me. It was only after asking your idiot friend that I finally found this place."

"Sorry about that. You've come out here to run around, is that what you owe me?"

"Yes, I did."

Elphimia cut off her speech and looked sideways into the backyard while sipping his tea.

She could hear the sound of wooden swords being struck against each other.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       It sounds like some kind of trouble.

Elphimia returns my gaze. Her first words startled me.

"You're an adventurer, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I saw you leaving town with an adventurer's card. It's not forbidden, and you don't have to deny it. Oh, you don't want your parents to know?"

"Nah, what are you talking about?"

"...... Enough already."

Elphimia sighed heavily.

"Alter Les Reedwald. I'll hire you."

"Is that--as an adventurer?"

'I doubt it will be. You'll keep your client's secret, won't you? If you're an adventurer."

"Depends on what it is. If the contract imposes a duty of secrecy. I have to report to the guild depending on the situation."

Adventurers were obligated to report crises.

There was no obligation of confidentiality, but Ovech's case fell into that category.

"If possible, I'd ask you to keep this to yourself, but it sounds like it's the same no matter who I hire ....... Then you're fine."

Elphimia shook her head as if in resignation.

Then she turns her ever more serious gaze on me.

"The request is simple. I want you to accompany me to the invisible mansion."

I was at a loss for a response, unsure of the meaning of her words.

I know the invisible mansion. It is one of the Seven Wonders.

A ghost story that the students were having fun while skipping the lookout during the exercise.

"You want me to look for it?"

Elphimia nodded.

She didn't look like I was joking.

"It was there? You think you found it?"

"Maybe."

According to her, there is a hidden ward in the southwestern forest.

She didn't state it clearly because she hadn't gone inside yet.

It would be interesting if it existed.

"Well, we met outside once. Were you looking for an invisible mansion?"

"Half right."

Elphimia's face fell somewhat painfully.

"I--I'm looking for my grandmother."

◇◇◇◇

Forty-six years ago, Elphimia's grandmother Celteres disappeared, sometime after giving birth to her son.

"It looks like this. Since I was a little girl, I wanted to know about my grandmother. I wanted to know why she left and what happened to her, then I found my grandfather's diary."

It was the recollection of a husband looking for his missing wife.

Elphimia read it over and over again, determined to find her grandmother.

"From my grandfather's diary, I knew she left the imperial capital and headed south. So I did some research on what happened back then. What events took place, and could they be related to my grandmother? Of course, she might have disappeared for no good reason. But I have a vague idea. Something happened to my grandmother."

"So why did you turn your attention to Selene? What does the invisible mansion have to do with it?"

"You know about the disagreement between the Emperor and the Duke of Veerleer, don't you?"

I looked around unintentionally.

She's said the most outrageous things, haven't you?

The Emperor faction versus the duke faction, the conflict between them had a great impact on the entire Arsis Empire. The nobles are fighting each other as they please, which is an extension of that.

"There are many reasons for the disagreement, but one of them is said to be the Prost affair."

"I've never heard of it before--is it famous?"

"In part, yes. It's not something you learn about in history."

Elphimia explained the Prost case in a few words.

The vampire Prost was a legendary vampire who was vanquished long ago.

The magic stone was called the treasure of Veriates, but the superpower collapsed. The magic stone was obtained by the Baromat Kingdom, which rose to prominence after that. However, Baromat was defeated by the Arsis Empire, known as the Kingdom of Arsis, and abandoned the capital Verua.

The magic stone and many other treasures passed into the hands of the Kingdom of Arsis, and when the king's brother was knighted as the Duke of Verua, they gave him the magic stone of Prost.

That was about 700 years ago.

"And it was stolen forty-six years ago?"

"Yes. The duke's side searched and found the culprit who had escaped to Selene. But Selene was under his jurisdiction, and he could not bypass it. So they asked the previous emperor for permission to search, but he refused without proof."

"It is indeed a valuable magical stone. But that's not all..."

"There is more. I was talking to people who might have known about the time, and a merchant who knew my father told me about it. At that time, through a certain merchant. There was an order for rare material and a higher level of the spirit of darkness magic stone. A high-level spirit, and a dark one at that, is a rare item, right? But they had no idea who had received them, let alone what they used them for. If this were in another town, it could be considered a collection. But this is Selene. It's natural to assume it has a purpose."

"Indeed. So the merchant can't be traced?"

"Yes. He was a peddler, but his origins are unknown."

Vampires and spirits of darkness. What a disgusting combination.

What are they going to do, summon a demon lord?

"And what about the invisible mansion?"

"Elves are born with the ability to see magic. I was born with it."

That's it, "Magic Eyes: Magic Sight".

"I see. So, whether or not there is an invisible mansion, you can see the wards. And you can see your pure-blood grandmother."

"That's right, probably more than me. When I heard the rumor about the invisible mansion in Selene, I thought. If people going to do something they don't want people to know, you should do it alone or in a few, and even in the city."

Hearing that much, I pondered.

Something may have happened in the city when Elphimia's grandmother disappeared. However, they were not directly connected to the disappearance of her grandmother. She went south from the imperial capital to the south where Selene is, and then there may be an invisible mansion on the outskirts of the city that an elf could detect, or even exist. That's all. From an objective point of view, she was trying to forcefully complete the puzzle by gathering only different kinds of pieces.

But she was also brilliant.

After years of research, she must have eliminated meaningless information. And if all that remained were these pieces, I would not be able to laugh it off as conjecture.

Elphimia was waiting for my response.

Her expression was the same as usual, but I sensed a slight shadow.

I sighed, trying not to be heard.

"Okay, I'll take care of it. And I swear I won't tell anyone."

The shadow disappeared, and relief washed over Elphimia.

I owe her a big favor, and I can't ignore her after hearing all this.

It would be fun to end it all with, "I've run out of love for my husband."