Ch.108108 – How Great Is This

<108 – How Good Is This>

Dragons are commonly regarded as the wisest creatures in the world.

A lifespan spanning thousands of years.

Transcendental power and intelligence.

The ability to freely create or destroy entire nations if they so desire.

Few beings could compare to the wisdom of dragons except for immortal gods or demons who challenge the gods.

When such a dragon uses magic to find hidden entities, no secret can escape detection.

<The Eye of Entelecheia That Observes All Things>

<Conatus-based Complete Reinterpretation of Reality Space>

Dazzling particles of light flood the lecture hall, scanning the entire space and dismantling all kinds of hidden, distorted, and perception-deceiving structures, imprinting them in the Principal’s mind.

Before the manifestation of such harshly advanced magic, Oknodie hiding in Giselle’s cloak was instantly detected.

As a bonus, even the mana spore sac being digested in her stomach was discovered!

-This little rat. Whether it’s stones or spore sacs, you’ll nibble away at anything containing mana!

How was I caught?

Surely he won’t make me spit out what I’ve already eaten, right?

…Though I have a feeling he might actually do that?

Oknodie’s gaze was filled with such wariness.

The Dragon Principal was even more exasperated when he read those impudent inner thoughts.

This ill-mannered child from the foundation showed not even a speck of respect toward an educator.

-Do you think that mouse-tail sized bit of mana would even register in this body of mine? I have no intention of extracting it, so stop looking at me with those impudent eyes.

Students sometimes make mistaken assumptions.

That Gift Academy is a realm of inhuman magic and the Principal is some sort of hidden Demon Lord.

What started as a money-making scheme has somehow continued for 981 years, but unlike the early days, he’s now genuinely dedicated to teaching.

Having his capabilities as an educator doubted is unpleasant, even if it’s due to the ignorant prejudice of insignificant beings.

-Today I shall see respect in your eyes, without fail.

-I will show you the most excellent way to prepare mushroom dishes in the world!

As the Dragon Principal gestured, several Red Fang Mushrooms floated into the air.

Squawk!

The mushrooms were instantly killed with a gentle neck twist.

The spores, which are the most problematic aspect when dealing with mushroom monsters, weren’t even allowed to be released.

-The first step in cooking mushroom monsters is to apply a mana coating over the entire mushroom monster while it’s completely subdued.

-With the mushroom sealed so not a single spore can escape, you can cleanly dispatch it by twisting its neck or inserting a knife.

The students’ expressions crumbled unpleasantly.

Either because they felt queasy.

Or because they lost confidence from the first step.

-The cooking method varies depending on the color and shape of mushroom monsters.

-Yellow Fang Mushrooms are used for savory broths, while Blue Fang Mushrooms are added last to stews and stir-fries to preserve their texture.

-Green Fang Mushrooms with their good texture are often used as meat substitutes or for frying.

-The grand Red Fang Mushroom is a nutritious and texturally rich dish used as a main course. Today I’ll make Red Fang Mushroom Stew and Red Fang Mushroom Soup.

As the mushrooms began to emit an appetizing aroma similar to grilling meat, the students started to salivate.

“Are you all crazy? Those are monsters.”

“Right. And those infamous mushroom monsters at that.”

This was a dangerous dish that average adventurers could never prepare, and one that shouldn’t be casually treated as an ingredient without a mushroom monster cooking license.

As notorious as Red Fang Mushrooms were, the wariness toward the Principal’s cooking increased significantly.

-There, it’s complete.

The Principal’s cooking skills were truly impressive.

His ability to produce various cooking utensils from thin air was remarkable, and his skill in controlling water and fire through magic was equally impressive.

However, the students were reluctant to eat the resulting dishes.

-Now, I’ll allow the first volunteer to taste it.

-Why is no one coming forward? Are you doubting this Principal’s cooking skills?

The students’ faces had already fallen.

So this was why the Principal was cooking.

No wonder the malicious Principal seemed unusually docile today; he was setting them up for this dangerous lecture assignment.

Their thoughts, which were all being read, were all along the same lines.

‘If I eat that and get infected by spores, he’ll criticize me for not trying hard enough to eat without getting infected.’

‘As experienced second-year students, we might get points deducted for being foolish enough to eat suspicious food when told to.’

‘It’s a dish made by that Principal. Who knows what trap is hidden in it.’

As resentment grew in response to the students’ suspicious thoughts…

“Then I’ll eat it!”

The fearless little rat.

The ill-mannered child of the foundation.

Oknodie stepped forward with a bright face.

* *

“Oknodie! How could you volunteer to eat such dangerous food? I’ll cook for you as much as you want later, so please apologize to the Principal!”

“Please listen to Isabelle. No matter how curious you are about trying new food, that’s too reckless.”

“Listen to the adults, little mouse.”

As soon as she expressed her willingness to taste the food, her first companions in this world—Isabelle, Giselle, and Son Ocheon—immediately tried to dissuade her.

“It’s okay. I won’t die from eating that!”

“You might not die, but you’ll be parasitized by spores.”

“Even if you receive treatment, if even a tiny spore remains, you’ll need long-term intensive care.”

“Listen to the smart ones.”

Their concern was understandable but unnecessary.

The Dragon Principal didn’t seem like someone who would cook poorly.

That Principal was surprisingly serious about cooking.

Though she felt sorry for the mushrooms, mushroom dishes were delicious.

Above all, opportunities to collect mushroom dishes for her catalog were rare, given how difficult they were to prepare.

“Really, it’s fine. It’s not the first time I’ve eaten dangerous food!”

Later on, I’ll need to build up immunity by eating 1,000 types of poisonous dishes to drink Hydra Poison Soup, so a mushroom dish that won’t cause problems is nothing!

She meant to reassure them, but for some reason, the students started sniffling.

“Why is she so pitiful?”

“Is food so scarce in the borderlands that they eat such harmful products…?”

“Oh, it’s a misunderstanding! Even in our borderlands, cases this severe are uncommon. Unless there’s a great famine or you’re extremely poor with difficulty finding food…”

“They don’t necessarily have to be extremely poor.”

Zhang remarked casually.

“Assassins typically consume small amounts of poison or harmful foods from a young age for immunity training. Oknodie’s school of training must be particularly harsh.”

Tears welled up in the students’ eyes and rolled down their cheeks.

“Waaah! Poor Oknodie!”

“…I feel somewhat sorry now. Even in our maritime nation of Florence, we’ve only thought of assassins as unpleasant people, but to think they grew up enduring such hardships…”

“At least she won’t get arteriosclerosis.”

All eyes turned to the student who made this awkward comment amid the emotional display.

The student was even more flustered by the attention.

“What? Red Fang Mushrooms contain ergosterol, which is good for preventing arteriosclerosis. You need to consume an appropriate amount to keep your blood vessels healthy.”

Honer FriedChicken, as a member of one of the Empire’s three great meritorious families, had accumulated extensive knowledge about mana refinement methods for maintaining bodily health.

The knowledge accumulated through generations in the FriedChicken family helped maintain even vascular health meticulously.

Red Fang Mushrooms could be used medicinally in small amounts.

As one advances to higher levels of physical training, the process of ‘refinement’ becomes important.

In the process of improving a polluted and diseased body to a healthy state, using various rare ingredients for health maintenance naturally leads to accumulating such miscellaneous knowledge.

The accumulation of such knowledge differences becomes a family’s secret techniques.

Honer FriedChicken had inadvertently revealed one of his family’s secrets.

However, there weren’t many who would appreciate or utilize this information.

“Do Imperial people have no blood or tears? How can you say such things in this atmosphere?”

“Don’t assume all nobles are like that. The FriedChicken family tends to be that way. It has nothing to do with our CharcoalBBQ family.”

To those who didn’t properly understand the medicinal effects of Red Fang Mushrooms, it seemed like a heartless comment from someone who didn’t understand the feelings of a pitiful borderland-born assassin.

Suddenly, a new rumor spread among the upper classes.

The cold-blooded FriedChicken family who doesn’t understand human emotions!

The FriedChicken family are psychopaths who slaughter the chicks they’ve raised themselves when they become chickens, removing feathers and entrails before frying them in oil!

It was an unfair reputation for the person concerned, but it was all the same to me.

━━━

[You have eaten Red Fang Mushroom Stew.]

[You have eaten Red Fang Mushroom Soup.]

━━━

[Food Catalog <Rare><Mushroom Dish> stack increases.]

[Rare Dish Collection increases by 2.]

[Mushroom Dish Collection increases by 2.]

━━━

Rare Dish [Red Fang Mushroom Stew] Collection – Spore Resistance +1%.

Rare Dish [Red Fang Mushroom Soup] Collection – Spore Resistance +1%.

━━━

[You have boldly volunteered to take on the reckless yet brave challenge of consuming mushroom dishes on behalf of the frightened students.]

[Boldness Experience +3]

[Good Child Experience +1]

Many students were looking on with astonished expressions, but I was happy to have collected rare dishes!

As I put the last spoonful of soup into my mouth and thoroughly cleaned up every last drop, Son Ocheon approached and silently patted my head.

I didn’t know why, but it made me feel good, so I grinned happily and entrusted my head to Son Ocheon’s rough, rugged hand.