Chapter 17: Suddenly my mouth started watering

Originally, wizards not only master magic but also study pharmacy and alchemy extensively.  

Only by doing so can they brew and consume mana potions to increase their total mana capacity, beyond just relying on natural breathing.  

While many wizards, struggling to make a living with what they currently have, often don’t get the chance to learn these skills, those aiming for the rank of high wizard diligently study these fundamentals before moving on.  

Ignorant people might think that the heirs of noble families just gulp down these resources effortlessly.  

However, the more prestigious the family, the more thoroughly its members were taught how to survive independently in the distant future, considering it the foundation of their strength.  

To soar higher and avoid crashing to the ground in the most dangerous moments.  

As a child, Sephine Alabard memorized the names, shapes, and effects of herbs not for honor or foundation, but simply because she liked being praised by others.  

Knowing these intricate details well was a small joy and source of pride for Sephine Alabard.  

“Oh, jackpot. This time it’s a cluster of blue star nettle.”  

“…Uh.”  

But for some reason,  

“Ah, that’s—”  

“Whoa, this is a mana domain mushroom!”  

Every time she wandered through the forest and spotted a rare herb,  

“Wow, look at that! Someone planted purple hawkflowers in the school forest? Man, this one looks like it’s been growing for at least ten years!”  

“Hero, Shin Yuseong’s reactions are way faster.”  

“Wait, what?”  

Not only did this guy know the names perfectly, but he also had some kind of knack for sniffing out rare herbs like he was catching mice.  

Last time, she felt overwhelmed by his swordsmanship, but today, it was more like a strange sense of deflation.  

How could she be outdone even in herbology, the specialty of a wizard…?  

“Wow, there’s even a honeycomb!”  

Feeling like a mediocre person in front of someone she admired, Sephine Alabard could only purse her lips and sniffle quietly.  

“Hmm, so you just went around gathering stuff in the forest like that?”  

After Shin Arin’s lecture ended, the next class was “Experiencing and Creating Magic Games.”  

Another session with the Hero.  

This fact made Sephine Alabard both delighted and dizzy.  

Drained of energy, she buried her head on the desk and mumbled absentmindedly.  

“…Yes, I’m just an idiot who watched from behind.”  

“Good grief, you’ve turned into a zombie.”  

Before the class started, Shin Yuseong and Imir hadn’t arrived at the classroom yet, so the only one sharing her desk was Maho from the Magic Research Department.  

Twirling her pink hair with a broad smile, Maho said,  

“You can’t even handle romance properly anymore. Kids these days are really hopeless.”  

“…Maho, you sound like my grandma all of a sudden.”  

“Haha, ‘grandma’? That stings a little, you know?”  

“…Yes, I’m sorry for everything.”  

During the first class, she had to run off due to unavoidable circumstances, but in the second class, the four members of their group gathered and proceeded with the lesson-game.  

As a result, the girls in the group grew comfortable enough to drop formalities with each other.  

Yet, with the Hero she actually wanted to get closer to, she remained stuck in an awkward acquaintanceship.  

For Sephine, it was utterly maddening.  

In the last class, she could only steal glances at him, and the previous session yielded no progress either.  

At this rate, wasn’t the problem clearly with her?  

“Hmm, stammering like that is definitely an issue.”  

“Ugh, I knew it…”  

Sephine groaned, clutching her head with her eyes squeezed shut.  

I used to be good with words, didn’t I?  

I never got so distracted by other things, so why am I acting like such an idiot now?  

I was totally a cool, elite lady!  

‘Come back to me, my cynical self…!’  

But if people’s hearts worked as they wished, everyone would live happily.  

<Super Jackpot!>  

<‘6’!>  

<A great fortune has appeared on the Magic Dice.>  

<Party formation complete!>  

<You’ve met a shrine maiden as your companion.>  

“Oh.”  

“Ughhh.”  

And when things didn’t align, no matter how someone felt, nothing worked out.  

Instead of teaming up with the Hero (Shin Yuseong), Sephine ended up with the shrine maiden (Maho) as her companion.  

She smacked her forehead.  

It seemed today’s game would involve exploring a labyrinth in pairs rather than a group of four.  

“Pushing you forward sure is tough,” Maho muttered leisurely, hands behind her back, gazing up at the blue sky.  

***

[The Goddess scowls and grumbles about the Hero.]  

“Huh? All of a sudden?”  

Truth be told, even I was like, “Oops,” after saying it.  

Our darn Goddess always blames the Hero first, no questions asked…!  

It’s not exactly surprising—just her usual routine of starting with insults.  

After 20 years of knowing each other, we’d gotten pretty comfortable.  

“So, does that mean I can start cursing too?”  

[The Goddess says, “Please hold back, considering we’re still Goddess and Hero.”]  

“Oh, so the Hero isn’t allowed to curse at the Goddess?”  

[……]  

With this newfound realization, I set the Goddess aside for now and focused on what I was doing.  

It was a crucial moment, after all.  

Click, tap, clack—following my commands, the berserker on the monitor swung his greatsword, spinning into a whirlwind and slashing all the enemies around him.  

Crunch, crunch, crunch!  

With insanely strong gear and a greatsword, the enemies melted like butter.  

<Solo Kill!>  

<Double Kill!>  

<Triple Kill!>  

<‘Stardust’ is going absolutely wild!>  

<Ruler of the Battlefield!>  

“Yes, this is it!”  

In the game, I was the only one left standing tall.  

Oh, could even a simple Gren with a basic skill set stop my victory?  

Truly, no one could hold me back.  

After that, I demolished the enemy base and secured a perfect win.  

Bit by bit, I racked up points, climbing the ranks until I reached the heights I’d once dreamed of.  

“That’s right, already Master tier?”  

Back in high school, I desperately wanted to get here, but now it’s a piece of cake.  

The judgment, reflexes, and finger speed of a superhuman who once sliced through a star were more than enough to take down the entire enemy team.  

Now, before the air here starts feeling stale, shall I climb higher and breathe fresher air?  

[The Goddess shakes her head with a pitiful look at the Hero massacring civilians in the game.]  

“Hey, hey, can’t I just relax with some games on the weekend? And it’s just a game, so I’m slaughtering civilians here! I’d get arrested if I did it in real life!”  

[The Goddess, with a benevolent smile, asks if having an active hobby might be nice.]  

An active hobby? For someone who loves their room and bed more than anything?  

What even is that?  

Our darn Goddess is making unreasonable demands again today.  

And the saddest part of all?  

“I don’t have any friends to hang out with outside.”  

Surprisingly, at school, I’m the ultra-popular, handsome guy with top grades, living the high life.  

But I prefer the shut-in, borderline-otaku lifestyle.  

No, it’s not intentional—it’s just that making friends is really hard.  

[“I wanna lick that hot guy’s shoulders.”]  

[“Please, someone sue the creep above and send him to jail for 14 years.”]  

[“LOL, I’m scared Yuseong might see this.”]  

[“Who? Our? Yuseong?”]  

Every time I check the school community board, I can practically smell the teenage boys who used to drool over girls back in the day.  

Even though more than 90% of the students I see on my way to school are girls.  

Huh, isn’t that kind of weird?  

Who’s throwing this nonsense at me?  

“I’m not planning to sue or anything, though.”  

Anyway, there’s this subtle mix of familiarity and alienation.  

It’s hard to get close to a bunch of random people whose eyes are brimming with all sorts of greed.  

The magic board game group, on the other hand, is full of decent folks, but I still hesitate to call them up casually.  

So what am I supposed to do?  

Guess I’ll just hop into some solo queue this weekend for some healing.  

To the battlefield!  

“Here we go, here we go again.”  

Half the characters I used to play had turned into female ones.  

There was a slight disconnect with the character designs from the old world, but if I thought of them as brand-new characters, it wasn’t so bad, and I was enjoying it well enough.  

<‘Stardust’ is going absolutely wild!>  

Above all, my own control skills were so insane, even I was impressed—that’s the real thrill.  

Hmm, after graduating, if I’m bored with nothing to do, should I try going pro?  

“Wait, that might be a bit too unfair.”  

Thinking it over, as someone who can split a second into 0.001 seconds, I’d feel guilty as a serious gamer.  

So I decided against going pro and just stuck to slaughtering civilians in casual games.  

<‘Stardust’ is going absolutely wild!>  

[IceIcicle: “Ugh, this game sucks, I’m done.”]  

The enemy team’s screams echoed in the process, but that’s just an unavoidable sacrifice.  

If it bothers you that much, you should’ve been on my team, punk.  

I picked off the guy who cursed at me even more, then blew up their base and clenched my fist in victory.  

[IceIcicle: “Let’s meet IRL, you little sh*t.”]  

Maybe the loss stung that bad, because the guy I’d personally killed over ten times wouldn’t shut up.  

“The loser’s whining is pathetic.”  

Wait, why me?  

What’s the point of meeting IRL?  

I’m not gonna get beat up and extort money, nor do I want to beat someone up and pay a settlement.  

“Huh? Wait? Ohhh?”  

That is, unless the address he suddenly threw out wasn’t my apartment complex.  

I double-checked, thinking I misread it, but it was definitely my apartment’s address.  

No, wait—it’s the building right next door!  

“Wait, is this for real?”  

Even though I’d never lose in a real fight, I was startled and glanced upward.  

Could this be some trick—or event—cooked up by that darn Goddess?  

[The Goddess protests with an aggrieved expression.]  

Well, she says it’s not her, so okay.  

She’s not exactly the most trustworthy, but I decided to believe her this once.  

If it were farther away, I wouldn’t bother, but since it’s literally the same neighborhood, I got curious.  

[Stardust: “Wait right there.”]  

[IceIcicle: “LOL, bring it.”]  

Hmm, suddenly my mouth’s watering.