Chapter – 09
Mikhail nodded readily toward Lloyd.
“Yeah, go ahead.”
Lloyd smiled faintly at Mikhail.
In truth, he’d been itching to ask about the circumstances. The more he mulled over the sequence of events, the less sense they made.
‘Everything fit together too perfectly.’
The first day they met at the windmill.
Mikhail had been preparing to make a wind mushroom potion.
Right after the potion was completed, a sudden chaos erupted, and the potion he happened to have became the key to resolving the accident.
‘Too much for it to be a coincidental alignment.’
…It felt almost reasonable to think Mikhail had predicted this would happen.
He became curious about the full story.
To dig into the inner workings, the right starting point was getting clues from Mikhail, who was connected to the most crucial information.
‘For now, I plan to gather as much information as possible from this question, but if Mikhail’s answer is unsatisfactory…’
…Then he’d have no choice but to find out separately.
Lloyd took a moment before opening his mouth.
“What was your reason for making the wind mushroom potion?”
“…Mm.”
Rather than answering immediately, Mikhail lowered his eyes. It wasn’t because Lloyd’s question was unexpected.
‘Rather, it’s exactly what I hoped he’d ask.’
Having watched the whole process, Lloyd would’ve realized the incident and his preparations aligned excessively.
‘I’ve already organized what to say. …Of course, including content to support my future actions.’
All that remained was telling the story with a trustworthy attitude.
Mikhail soon slowly opened his mouth.
“Actually, it was a potion I made for myself.”
“For yourself?”
“My natural enemies. A weapon to defeat monotony and boredom.”
When Lloyd tilted his head as if he didn’t understand, Mikhail met his gaze with a mischievous smile at his lips.
What he was about to tellā
‘The first lie.’
The state of being magic incompetent and being from a great northern mage family.
He fabricated a motive for making the wind mushroom potion using those two points.
“As you know, I’m from the north. A land where blizzards rage year-round and magic beasts break down the palisades every other day.”
“…”
“The outside is a bundle of danger. So in the north, there aren’t many forms of entertainment. …At best, playing chess or card games with servants.”
When Lloyd nodded as if listening, Mikhail tilted his head back like someone recalling memories.
“But even that doesn’t last long. Once you reach a certain age, the servants deliberately lose. To avoid going against their master’s mood. There’s no point telling them to play for real. They’ll only think about how to lose more naturally.”
“…”
“Then it just becomes boring. Unless you flip the board, no variables will appear.”
Mikhail shrugged his shoulders and looked at Lloyd.
“So this time, I tried flipping the board. Because this isn’t the north. Because people can knock me to the ground here.”
“…Don’t tell me, you.”
Lloyd’s eyes widened, and his questioning voice trembled faintly. Mikhail answered in a calm tone.
“That’s right. As you saw, the real function of the wind mushroom potion is to instantly deplete the mana of whoever uses it.”
“…”
“Originally, what I was controlling with that potion was my own mana. For a while, I put some strain on my body forcibly eliminating my mana.”
Silence descended. Lloyd’s face became like someone who’d picked and eaten an unripe bean from a vineyard.
Mikhail smiled faintly with his eyes curled.
“Surprised?”
Having told an unexpected story, it was now time to act familiar with a casual attitude.
He had no intention of losing control of the atmosphere.
Unfamiliarity and familiarity. Expectation and unexpectedness. He intended to hold Lloyd’s attention by showing these contrasting aspects.
“Anyway, after receiving the incompetence verdict like that, well… the situation did become interesting, didn’t it?”
“…”
“I got beaten up, heard people curse openly. Everything was a novel experience anyway.”
“Hah.”
Lloyd covered his eyes with his hand and lowered his head.
His shoulders began to shake and snickering sounds leaked out between his lips. After doing this several times.
Lloyd raised his head while suppressing the laughter escaping him.
“Sorry, but can I ask just one more question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Then by any chance, how did you know about the commotion earlier? You told me to come out to the square yesterday.”
“That was half coincidence. Half deduction.”
Mikhail spoke calmly and looked at empty air.
The story he was conveying this timeā
‘The second lie.’
The state of the square including the current situation, his background…
And he fabricated the circumstances of how he’d guessed the trouble by adding a bit of coincidence.
Mikhail pointed to the fountain across the square and opened his mouth.
“You probably know roughly, but recently the fountain near the square broke down… It’s a facility that had no problems for five years and passed regular inspections every six months without issue.”
When Lloyd nodded, Mikhail continued speaking.
“In cases like this, typical causes would be malfunction of inspection equipment or durability issues with parts… But in the north, we consider a different angle. Mana rampage phenomenon.”
“Mana rampage phenomenon…?”
“Yeah, when mana becomes rapidly distorted due to magic beasts, anomalies, or severe cold. Because of that, magic and magic tools sometimes run wild on their own.”
Mikhail shifted his gaze toward the shop displays at the front.
A newspaper issued under the joint guild’s supervision had letters as large as a door plastered on it.
[Magic beast appearances and anomaly occurrence frequency rapidly rising, measures needed…]
When Mikhail turned his head to the side again, he saw Lloyd likewise staring at the newspaper.
Mikhail continued the story.
“Abnormal phenomena are becoming more frequent across the entire continent, right? So I made a guess. Maybe, like in the north, a mana rampage phenomenon could be the cause.”
“…”
“That was half the deduction, so the remaining half is coincidence. I thought if someone operated sensitive magic tools in a place where mana is unstable, a mana rampage phenomenon might occur, and it happened to fit perfectly. …Magic tools used for combat are designed especially more complexly than other types.”
After the story he conveyed, a brief silence flowed. Lloyd nodded with a faint smile.
“…I see. I understand what you’re saying.”
Silence settled between them again.
Lloyd eventually stuck his hand in his pocket and stood up. His expression was much more relieved than before.
“Thanks for explaining at length.”
“Nothing else you want to ask?”
“Nope, this is enough.”
Mikhail glanced at Lloyd’s profile.
His face showed not a trace of suspicion.
Step.
After taking a couple of steps forward.
Lloyd, who’d been walking calmly, suddenly stopped and turned his head. He smiled and stared at Mikhail.
“By the way.”
Sky-blue eyes that deepened even more with added shadow.
Mikhail stared at him silently. What overlapped with the scene before his eyes was a moment from the game.
[Narration][Eyes resembling the early summer sea. The shadow cast over them grew a bit darker. Lloyd Cloelle, with a leisurely gaze, wore a smile whose true meaning was unclear.]
‘That was his way of showing curiosity and interest.’
A brief gap passed between them.
Eventually, it was Lloyd who broke the silence first.
“Will we be able to see each other next semester too?”
Mikhail looked up at Lloyd and paused for a moment, but soon opened his mouth casually.
“Probably.”
“Yeah? That’s good.”
Lloyd answered readily and turned his body.
Resuming the steps he’d paused, he waved his hand loosely toward Mikhail behind him.
It wasn’t an unfamiliar scene. It was Lloyd’s characteristic languid way of greeting that had been described quite often in the original work.
“Then prepare well until the new semester. See you next semester.”
Mikhail nodded silently in response.
Before long, Lloyd’s back disappeared from view.
Cawā!
Crows flew toward the nearby forest.
Mikhail, who’d been staring blankly at the sunset, soon stood up from the bench.
A relieved sigh burst from his lips.
‘Good. Everything went exactly as I hoped.’
Successfully handling the magic tool rampage incident.
Securing as much money and items as he wanted.
And blocking Lloyd’s potentially troublesome actions.
‘Should I head back now?’
Mikhail moved toward the school with light steps.
It seemed best to finish today’s schedule and stop by the armory early tomorrow to complete the item that would raise his stats.
‘…And I need to continue the sky fox quest too.’
A day later, late morning.
Mikhail stopped by the bank to withdraw some gold coins, then entered the nearby armory.
He needed to purchase a ring to insert the mana stone he’d obtained from Kobi.
Click.
The moment he stepped inside, what stabbed at his ears was noisily bickering voices.
Mikhail frowned and looked at the counter.
“That sword is mine! 5 gold and 7 silver!”
“What, what kind of line-cutting is this? I saw that item first!”
“Hmph, if you didn’t put down a reservation, what’s all this about seeing it first? If you have a complaint, raise the price. Isn’t that right?”
“Exactly, Sir Edwin is correct! That bastard’s poor, so he’s throwing a fit.”
“P-poor? Did you really say that? I’ll pay 6 gold! 6 gold!”
Mikhail clicked his tongue watching the growling merchants.
Seven in total, all guys who believed their terrible grades were because of their equipment.
And among them…
“Tsk tsk, is that the best you can do? I’ll pay 8 gold!”
“Wow, as expected of Sir Edwin! So bold!”
There was also the boy who’d punched him the moment he possessed this body, Edwin Lowell.
‘That sucker anyway… I’d like to pay back the debt right away, but that’s not the priority now.’
Mikhail rubbed his cheek with a displeased look, then shifted his gaze to the side.
There was someone sitting at a table near the window, pretending to organize ledgers while cleverly dozing off.
Someone who would quickly complete the transaction so he wouldn’t be late for the next quest.
“Krrr…”
A girl with blonde hair tied up high, Ada Flon.
The armory owner’s granddaughter and, according to the setting, working part-time to save spending money for watching performances.
When Mikhail approached Ada and lightly tapped the table in front, Ada jumped with a start and raised her head.
“Krr, huh?”
Their gazes met.
Just as Ada was about to utter a yelp, Mikhail quickly brought his finger to his lips and stated his business.
“…I came to get a specially stocked item. The brass ring on the far right of the shelf…”
“Ah, if that’s what you want, no. You came to the wrong place.”
Ada stretched and yawned languidly, then pointed to the old man at the counter and mumbled indifferently.
“If it’s a transaction, go to Grandpa. I don’t have selling authority, and my policy is to work only as much as my salary…”
“Unfortunately, I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
Mikhail smiled brightly and rummaged in his clothes. A common saying came to mind at this point.
There’s nothing money can’t do.
If there is something it can’t do, it’s just that the amount is insufficient.
…He smoothly pulled out a single gold coin.
“!”
Ada’s eyes changed instantly. Her fervent gaze stuck to the glittering golden surface.
Mikhail slid the gold coin forward, pretending not to notice.
“It’s a favor, but could you make an exception just once?”
“Oh my, of course!”
The atmosphere changed in an instant.
Ada answered with a beaming smile right away, then picked up the gold coin and slipped it into her pocket.
“Since you have circumstances. Then there’s no choice.”
“Thank you.”
“Wait here for a moment. I’ll be right back.”
Ada grabbed the ledger and swiftly approached the shelf.
The old man’s gaze followed the back of Ada’s head, but Ada pretended to check inventory and counted items in front of the shelf.
Even humming a tune, it wasn’t her first time doing this.
And when the old man’s eyes briefly looked awayā
Clink.
With lightning-fast hand movements, Ada grabbed the ring and slipped it into her sleeve.
“Ahem.”
Ada hurried back to the table and smugly held out the ring.
“Here. 3 gold.”
“Thanks for your hard work.”
When Mikhail handed over the gold coins without complaint, Ada readily accepted them.
She didn’t forget to write down the sales record in the ledger either.
Scratch, scratch.
The sound of the pen nib sliding across paper rang pleasantly.
Meanwhile, Mikhail rolled the brass ring to check the groove carved in it. He inserted the mana stone he’d obtained there.
The mana stone fit perfectly into the groove as if made for it.
Click.
Mikhail slipped the glowing ring onto his finger.
The pattern engraved on the surface gradually became clearer, and a message immediately appeared before his eyes.
ćNotice: Item Acquisition Completeć
[Hermit’s Brass Ring]
[A ring left by the sage Kelix, who shook the world with his groundbreaking magical theories, to his youngest disciple. When possessed mana capacity is E grade or lower, tremendous mana capacity increase effects can be obtained.]
ćNotice: Effect applied upon successful item collection.ć
ćNotice: Mana capacity stat greatly increased.ć
