Cloud Beanstalk

,Hey, kid. You here to die again?”

At Rakunta’s provocative words, I gave a faint smile.

,Sorry, but today the trial ends.”

Rakunta’s eyes gleamed at my confident voice.

,Ho, so you’ve found a way?”

Rakunta bared his teeth and aimed his spear at me, and I silently took a pouch out of my spatial storage.

Rakunta looked puzzled that I had taken out a pouch instead of the Spear of Destruction as usual, and I smiled.

I took a seed out of the pouch, placed it on my palm, showed it to Rakunta, and asked.

,Do you know what this is?”

,…A seed?”

,That’s right, it’s a cloud beanstalk seed that only grows in the south.”

,What’s so…”

Before Rakunta could finish speaking, I imbued the beanstalk seed with magic power and threw it.

The magic power condensed in the seed spread out as soon as it left my hand.

Kwaaaang-!

The beanstalk exploded in mid-air as it flew, engulfing Rakunta as it grew.

***

The moment Rakunta saw the seed, he felt a strong survival instinct. He glared and watched Ross throw the seed, and when he saw the giant beanstalk growing towards him, he threw himself forward without hesitation.

Rakunta rolled his body and barely avoided the beanstalk, but explosively growing beanstalks rained down on him.

Rakunta used his spear and tail to dodge the beanstalks with nimble movements, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he immediately guarded against Ross, but Ross was already hiding among the beanstalks that filled the room.

,Are you planning to play assassin again?”

Rakunta said provocatively, but there was no voice in response.

No, instead of words, a spear flew from behind.

He twisted his body to avoid the attack and immediately thrust his spear into the place where the spear had come from.

Rakunta had experienced this attack pattern several times, so he raised one corner of his mouth in a sneer, baring his teeth.

,You have no ability to learn-“

The gate to the abyss-like dimension disappeared, and the spear Rakunta was holding was suddenly cut off.

As Rakunta stared at the spear rolling on the floor with a dumbfounded expression, he hurriedly rolled his body backward to avoid another spear that suddenly appeared above his head.

,Two spears…?’

On closer inspection, both spears looked different from the weapons Ross used. Unlike the attractive, high-quality spear he had before, the current spears were of such low quality that they could be found anywhere.

There was no time to think about what scheme he was plotting, and the attack started again immediately.

Now, spears were flying from both sides at once. Rakunta, who had lost his weapon, had no choice but to keep moving backward to avoid the attacks.

Teok-

Rakunta was flustered when the beanstalk touched his heel. When he looked back, the indiscriminately grown beanstalks had made the room smaller than usual, and he could no longer retreat.

Rakunta’s face contorted as he sensed the danger. Rakunta realized that he had been lured here and rushed forward to get out of the place.

At that moment, a sense of death flashed through Rakunta’s mind.

All his senses reacted violently. Only then did Rakunta notice the state of the room.

The beanstalks were not thrown indiscriminately. They were intentionally used to fill the room, creating a straight path.

Before Rakunta’s fallen foot could touch the ground, a red flash burst forth.

At the same time as he felt something pierce his flesh, Rakunta heard a belated explosion.

Kwaaaaaang―――!

The shockwave was so strong that the entire room shook. The space distorted, and a red spear that appeared through it pierced Rakunta’s body.

***

I had been challenging Rakunta for days and kept losing, so I desperately racked my brains and found a way to beat Rakunta in the magic book Rotten had left behind.

At first, I planned to grow vines like Rotten to bind Rakunta, but when I actually practiced, I didn’t have enough ability, or so it seemed. The vines didn’t grow fast enough to bind Rakunta.

Even if the vines did grow, they weren’t big enough to be used as terrain.

If I imprinted the magic on my brain by repeating it thousands of times like spatial magic, I would be able to use vines freely like Rotten, but that method took too much time.

So, I found the cloud beanstalk as a substitute for vines. It was a beanstalk that grew so tall that it touched the clouds, like in some fairy tale.

I bought the cloud beanstalk seeds from a merchant in the capital through Modest and immediately tested them.

If I imprinted amplification magic on the seeds in advance, they would grow to an enormous size just by condensing magic power.

Just throwing the seeds like throwing stones, a giant tree swept across the entire front.

The basis of combat is to take advantage of one’s strengths. I used the giant beanstalks to fill the sides of the narrow room with beanstalks, leaving only a straight path.

As a result, Rakunta was put in a situation where he could not avoid dimensional leaps.

I can’t control it freely, but its destructive power is powerful enough to kill an Archmage.

A straight-line rush of destruction. The power to destroy all terrain. The speed of a flash that even sound cannot keep up with.

As planned, Rakunta was pierced by the Spear of Destruction.

Even with the blow containing the power of destruction, Rakunta’s body did not explode.

However, Rakunta disappeared like smoke, and a wall that had been empty opened up, creating a new door.

I opened the door and went inside without hesitation.

***

Luna finished her training today and was doing rehabilitation training alone in the club room.

While she was struggling to lift the dumbbells that Lacar had left in the club room to strengthen her left arm, someone knocked on the door.

Few people knocked on the club room door, so Luna wondered if Flavia had come to visit after a long time and opened the door eagerly, only to see a beautiful woman with unfamiliar golden eyes.

,Hello.”

Luna knew the name of the beautiful woman who greeted her gently.

She had never spoken to her, but she was such a famous person.

Kraine La Bella.

She was the Crown Princess of Transcendence Academy and the top student in the Department of Magicology in her second year.

Luna’s face stiffened at the deep, dark energy that suddenly emerged from behind her beautiful appearance, like an abyss.

But as if it had never happened, the energy disappeared immediately, and Luna tilted her head, wondering if she had been mistaken.

,H-Hello. Senior-nim.”

When Luna greeted her cautiously, Bella gave a captivating smile.

,You know me?”

,Yes… I’m also in the Department of Magicology…”

When Luna answered in a faltering voice, Bella took a step closer and placed her hand on Luna’s shoulder.

,Actually, I already know you’re in the Department of Magicology. I came here to meet you.”

Luna flinched greatly at Bella’s words. Luna asked back in a slightly expectant voice at Bella’s words, as if she already knew her.

,Y-You…?”

,I heard there’s an outstanding magicologist among the juniors, so I thought I’d have a conversation with you when I have time… Was it too much to ask?”

When Bella asked with a gentle smile, Luna quickly shook her head with a happy heart.

,N-No. Would you like to come inside?”

At Luna’s suggestion, Bella shook her head gently.

,This place is nice, but I think it would be better to have a cup of tea and talk in my lab… What do you think?”

As she asked, Bella gently stroked Luna’s shoulder, and Luna fidgeted with her fingers and nodded.

,T-Then, like that…”

Luna, who couldn’t refuse Bella’s suggestion, followed Bella to her lab.

Luna, who had heard rumors that she had earned the top spot in the Department of Magicology with her pure skills and even obtained a personal lab, looked around the lab with curious eyes.

,Sit down when you’re done looking around.”

Bella, who was sitting in a shining golden chair, said that, and Luna felt embarrassed and sat in the chair opposite her.

Bella took out a gold-decorated staff from her arms and used magic to make a cup of warm tea appear on the table.

Luna didn’t know what to do and expressed her gratitude when Bella handed her the cup.

,T-Thank you.”

Luna took the cup of warm tea and felt the tension ease a little with the sweet scent of the tea.

,I’ve done some research on you. I apologize if you feel bad, but as you know, I’m the Crown Princess before I’m a student. I had to check in advance if you were someone who could help me.”

Luna’s heart pounded at Bella’s words. She never thought that she would catch the eye of the Crown Princess.

,I’ve heard a lot about the Grace family. They say it’s a honorable family that protects the East.”

Luna was happy that her family had been recognized by the Crown Princess, and she unconsciously pursed her lips.

When she was thinking that her parents would be happy if she told them this fact, she hurriedly came to her senses at Bella’s gaze, who was staring at her, and answered.

,T-Thank you. Our family has always been loyal to the Imperial Family…”

,That’s enough. I didn’t call you here to talk about such stiff political matters.”

At Bella’s words, Luna closed her mouth and touched the cup of tea, glancing at her.

Bella was silently fixing her hair, as if waiting for someone, and Luna’s lips dried up again with tension.

Bella stared at Luna silently for a long time. Because of that, Luna didn’t know where to look, so she met her gaze, but soon lowered her gaze again.

When Luna was just touching the cup of tea in the frozen atmosphere, someone knocked and entered the lab.

,Hello.”

The woman, who approached with a frown and a voice full of hostility, sighed and sat in the empty chair.

Luna raised her lowered gaze slightly and was a little surprised to see the woman’s face.

Black eyes that shone like obsidian and short black hair. Even her beautiful features.

She was definitely Ross’s dance partner at the ball.