Chapter 159: Roasted Sweet Potato

Several months after hearing about Euclid’s family situation from Nana, the scorching heat of summer had passed. The season of high skies and plump horses had arrived.

However, I wasn’t able to appreciate the lofty skies or admire the colorful autumn leaves adorning the trees. Instead, I was experiencing winter’s chill earlier than most.

In a closed training hall devoid of sunlight, white snow swirled around me like autumn leaves caught in the wind. This snow, far from autumnal, slowly sapped my body heat and gradually drained my stamina.

It wasn’t just snow surrounding me. A giant made of ice, nearly transparent enough to see through, encircled me without leaving a single gap. Standing about 3-4 meters tall, it was nowhere near as imposing as the true giants from the original story, but it was still quite intimidating.

‘Damn… When are they going to strike?’

This extreme cold training was designed to dull the body and deplete stamina through intense cold, then test one’s ability to quickly respond to enemy attacks.

At first, the cold wasn’t too severe and I could handle it, but after several hours, it was starting to wear me down.

‘I asked them to keep the attack timing unpredictable, but I didn’t mean for them to just stand there doing nothing for ages.’

Just as I was considering calling it quits, I sensed something behind me. I turned to see the ice giant bringing its raised hands down towards me.

I swiftly drew Jinta and intercepted the attack, slicing off the giant’s arms and sending them crashing to the ground. As if they’d been waiting for this moment, the remaining giants launched a coordinated assault.

Before obtaining Jinta, I would’ve had to retreat to buy time for a Baldo. But now, with Jinta in hand, that weakness was practically nonexistent.

I instantly repositioned Jinta for an ultra-fast draw. As five fists came flying towards me, I executed my Baldo.

The shockwave that erupted as I unsheathed Jinta was amplified by my energy manipulation, thoroughly demolishing the giants surrounding me.

The ice giants shattered, their fragments scattering across the floor, blending with the swirling snow until no trace of their original forms remained.

The snow that had tormented me for hours gradually subsided, eventually settling completely. All that remained were frozen patches on the floor and walls.

“How long has it been?” I asked.

“About fourteen hours,” Marina replied. “Most people would’ve frozen to death within an hour in that cold. Seeing you so unaffected makes me doubt my own abilities.”

“You can’t compare me to people who haven’t learned Baldo techniques.”

“Where does this boundless faith in your swordsmanship come from…?”

For months after that day, I’d endured grueling training sessions with Marina to ensure I’d be ready to face the Possessed at any time.

At first, I remained constantly vigilant, never letting my guard down. But as months passed without any sign of an attack, my grip on that tension began to loosen.

No matter how hard I tried to stay alert, after so many months of inaction, I started to entertain the seemingly rational thought that perhaps they’d realized the greatness of Baldo techniques.

“I’m sorry for making you assist with my training when you must be busy with work,” I said.

“It’s no trouble. Today’s a holiday, so I have no work. As a teacher, I’m glad to contribute to a student’s growth,” Marina replied.

“It’s a holiday? Don’t you have any plans?”

“…”

After training together on weekends and weekday nights for so long, Marina had grown accustomed to brushing off my light teasing.

“Anyway, you haven’t eaten for hours. You must be starving. Shall we go to the dining hall? I’ve asked them to stay open…”

“No, there’s something specific I want to eat…”

“You mean those sweet potatoes and potatoes you left outside?”

The autumn season had stirred memories of roasting sweet potatoes and potatoes in fallen leaves. Though it was a bit of a hassle, I suddenly craved that nostalgic taste.

Plus, with my body chilled from training, warm food would surely taste even better than usual.

“You’re not a commoner. Why bother cooking them yourself when you could just order the servants to do it?” Marina asked.

“Until a few months ago, I was practically a commoner, just a low-ranking noble,” I replied. “Besides, these taste best when you roast them yourself.”

“Well… I suppose it’s better than suddenly becoming arrogant after your promotion. By the way, have you heard anything from Elaine? Rain mentioned that you two correspond frequently.”

“Ah, that? I actually received a letter from her the day before yesterday.”

I pulled out a small piece of paper from my pocket, barely larger than my palm.

“What is this…?”

Marina peered over my shoulder, her face contorting as she read the letter.

Her reaction was understandable. The letter, reflecting Elaine’s taciturn nature, consisted of less than ten characters – more a collection of words than a proper sentence.

[Demon sword search. Progressing well.]

To an outsider, it might look like a hastily scribbled note from someone on the run.

Most of Elaine’s letters were like this.

Far from the flowery language expected in noble correspondence, her missives were more like game chat or instant messaging – just the bare essentials without any unnecessary embellishments.

The handwriting was quite delicate, and I couldn’t help but smile imagining Elaine crouched down, diligently writing this brief message.

‘At least it seems she’s making good progress,’ I thought.

Until now, her letters had only contained negative words like “difficult” or “bleak,” but today’s letter was the first to include a positive update on her demon sword search.

After realizing the limitations of her current sword in our fight, Elaine had set off on a journey to find a new demon sword.

I thought it might be better to create one, like I did, but finding a magic beast on Lobo’s level wasn’t easy. So Elaine had been scouring old texts, searching for an unclaimed demon sword.

At first, I worried that setting out without any solid leads was too reckless, but it seemed she was making progress.

‘If things are going well, she might find a new demon sword by winter at the latest.’

With no news from the Possessed, my attention naturally shifted to the potential arrival of the Sword Saint.

I didn’t underestimate Elaine’s skills, but she was still developing as a swordsman. She couldn’t possibly defeat a fully-fledged Sword Saint. Inevitably, the Sword Saint would come for me.

To prepare for that day, I needed to become even stronger than I was now.

“If it’s progressing well, things must be looking up. That’s truly wonderful–!”

Marina’s words were interrupted by a loud growl from her stomach.

Of course, she hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for hours while assisting with my training, so it was no wonder her stomach was protesting.

“…You should go eat something,” I said.

“…Yes,” she replied, clearly embarrassed. She used a teleportation spell to make a hasty retreat, leaving me alone in the still-frigid training hall.

“I should head out too…”

I picked up the bag full of sweet potatoes and potatoes I’d left outside and stepped into the sunlight. The brightness made me squint.

“Feels like I’m getting out of the slammer,” I muttered.

Shielding my eyes with my hand, I waited for them to adjust to the light before searching for a spot with plenty of fallen leaves.

The academy grounds had many trees, so fallen leaves carpeted the ground in places the cleaners hadn’t swept yet.

‘I wonder if there’s a broom around? Wait, is it even allowed to roast sweet potatoes in the garden?’

Marina hadn’t said anything when I mentioned it earlier, so there probably wasn’t a rule against it.

After all, this academy, though it had some commoner students, was primarily for nobles. It was unlikely they’d have made rules with outdoor cooking in mind.

‘I guess I’ll do it around here,’ I thought.

I was about to use my Baldo to start a fire after sweeping leaves into a pile with my foot when I heard two familiar sets of footsteps approaching.

I turned to see Euclid and Nana waving at me, despite it being a holiday.

“Ian!” Euclid called out, waving with a bright expression reminiscent of an excited puppy.

He’d always been cheerful, but since his mother’s passing, he seemed even more upbeat – though that might have been my imagination.

“What are you up to?” he asked.

“I’m about to roast some sweet potatoes. I skipped breakfast and lunch for this.”

“…Roast them yourself?”

There was no malice in his tone, but Euclid looked at me as if I were some kind of caveman. Nana just sighed.

“You lunatic… Why on earth are you roasting them yourself at the academy? This isn’t a camping trip,” she said.

“It’s all about the experience,” I replied. “I brought plenty. Want to join us, Euclid?”

Euclid seemed surprised by the offer.

“Me too?!”

“Yeah, sweet potatoes are already sweet this time of year, but roasting makes them even sweeter – almost as good as cake.”

“That’s true. I’ve had them outdoors around this time of year before, and they were delicious,” Nana chimed in.

With Nana’s endorsement, Euclid swallowed hard before speaking.

“Really? Then… is it okay if Nana and I join you?”

“Of course it is.”

It would’ve been ridiculous to refuse after I’d invited him.

Hearing my enthusiastic approval, Euclid’s eyes lit up. He and Nana gathered around the pile of leaves, eagerly waiting for the fire to start.

“We’re cooking them here, right? It feels a bit strange eating outside like this for the first time,” Euclid said.

“Well, being royalty, you probably don’t get many chances. I guess you’ve never been to a food stall either?”

“No… Mother said they were dirty and told me not to eat from them. Plus, there were always people watching…”

“Well, you can eat from them now.”

“Huh?”

Euclid’s mother had died from a fall down the stairs, and he was now far from the throne. There was no need to worry about appearances anymore.

“You don’t have to worry about what people think anymore, right? During the winter ball, if you’re free later in the evening, want to check out the food stalls together?”

Euclid stared at me with misty eyes, looking like he might cry at any moment.

I was taken aback by his reaction. I’d only suggested visiting some food stalls together, and I couldn’t understand why he was responding this way.

Wondering if he had some bad memory associated with food stalls, I was about to backtrack when Euclid nodded slightly and spoke in a soft voice.

“…Yeah. I’d like that.”