Chapter 34: To the Sage’s Forest (1)

“This one.”

When I handed over the paper, Otar’s face twisted in displeasure.

“Are you insane?”

“Just like when we first met, I’m perfectly sane.”

“…Right. You were a madman from the very beginning.”

In typical fantasy novels, dragons were depicted as one of the most powerful creatures in the world, and it was the same in the Royal Academy of Swordsmanship. Even a young dragon was so strong that a swordsman below the rank of Swordmaster couldn’t even lift their head against it.

Of course, even a Swordmaster would find fighting a young dragon suicidal unless they were among the strongest Swordmasters.

A being equivalent to a young dragon was not something an individual adventurer could handle. It required the organized force of a territory, with both quantity and quality.

‘So, if I defeat this monster….’

It would prove that I, who mastered Baldo, was stronger than the entire knight order, including Peter.

Having set my goal, I told Otar that I was ready to head to the Sage’s Forest immediately.

“Anyway, I’ve made up my mind. Please lend me two suitable katanas.”

The reverse-blade sword Otar made was an excellent weapon, incomparable to those made by ordinary smiths, but it was still a reverse-blade sword.

With my current skills, it was impossible to handle a monster comparable to a young dragon with a reverse-blade sword.

“…I have two suitable ones. Their craftsmanship is similar to Shadowstrike at your waist.”

“Then please lend me those. I can’t promise to return them in perfect condition, though.”

“…It doesn’t matter if you break them all. I made them during my free time. But is it really necessary to go that far?”

“Pardon?”

Confused, I tilted my head, and Otar continued.

“Your purpose in coming here today is to find a katana to face strong opponents like Peter, right?”

“…Yes?”

“Then why go through all that trouble when you already have a sword as good as Shadowstrike?”

Otar said, adding that an academy student facing enemies stronger than the Royal Knight Commander was unlikely.

Indeed, he was right. There was no immediate reason to risk my life to create such a powerful katana.

At least, that was the surface reasoning.

I knew this academy well and that demons or demon worshippers would invade within a few months.

Though I couldn’t explain that, I needed to become stronger as soon as possible to survive in this academy and to execute more satisfying Baldo.

And, for a more personal reason, I wanted to test my Baldo skills on a powerful monster, as I had little experience fighting them.

“My actions might seem strange to you, but I have rational reasons for them.”

“I doubt your actions will ever seem rational to me, but… fine.”

Otar sighed in exasperation but agreed to my request.

“I’ll have them ready at the new forge by tonight, so prepare to head to the Sage’s Forest.”

Since there wouldn’t be any inns in a place infested with monsters comparable to young dragons, I’d have to camp for several days.

“The most important things are food…”

I needed to prepare preserved food for a few weeks, spare clothes, and potions for emergencies.

Since these were all things easily bought with money, I felt reassured.

“Then I’ll come back tonight.”

Leaving the forge, I immediately went to the general store where I had bought stationery to send a letter to Jessica.

This city was full of commoners and impoverished nobles like me, who embarked on adventures in their spare time to earn a living.

Because of this, even general stores sold food that could last for several days.

The store owner seemed curious about why a student was out so early in the morning.

But he only found it odd and handed over the food without saying much.

‘Now the rest….’

I had the food, and clothes were back in the dormitory, so I just needed potions for emergencies.

‘Should I ask Hori for a few?’

It wasn’t that I was stingy with money, but I was curious about the potions her father researched, and since I’d be gone for a few weeks, I should at least say goodbye.

After returning to the dormitory with a lot of food, I packed my clothes and food into a bag.

Seeing the bulging backpack, similar to the one Hori had carried the day before, it really hit me that I was about to leave the academy for a while.

‘So, the Sage’s Forest….’

I knew the approximate location from the simple map in the information, but nothing beyond that.

Since it wasn’t mentioned in the original story, it could have been added or altered, like the next Sword Saint.

‘I guess I’ll know when I get there.’

It was strange that there was no uproar despite the presence of a monster comparable to a young dragon, but I would find out once I arrived.

Given the name Sage’s Forest, I wondered if it had any historical ties to wizards.

I wanted to investigate in the library, but since I was on probation, I couldn’t use any academy facilities except the dormitory.

That’s why I had to eat outside yesterday, as I couldn’t enter the academy’s dining hall.

‘Well, thinking about it won’t change anything.’

It wasn’t something I could solve by myself, so I set aside thoughts of the Sage’s Forest and focused on the potions.

To get potions, I had to go to Hori, but since I was unfairly put on probation, I couldn’t access academy facilities.

Having no choice, I headed towards the girls’ dormitory where Hori’s room was.

If I waited in Hori’s room, she would return after classes ended.

With that decided, I moved stealthily towards the girls’ dormitory, where there were fewer people now.

Since there was a rule prohibiting entry into the opposite gender’s dormitory, I had to sneak in.

‘There were commoner rooms near mine….’

If the girls’ dormitory was similar, Hori’s room would be near the rooms for barons or baronets.

After sneaking around, I found Hori’s nameplate in a secluded, sunless spot.

I tried turning the doorknob, but it was locked, as expected.

I could break it down, but that would reveal someone had broken in.

Having no choice, I left the dormitory and went around to stand in front of Hori’s room window.

Clinging to small cracks in the wall, I climbed up to the window.

If the window was closed, there would be nothing I could do.

Hoping Hori was careless, I tried the window and, as if reading my mind, it opened smoothly.

Once inside, I quickly closed the window and stood on the relatively clean floor, avoiding empty bottles and research materials.

‘Is Hori in the same league as Otar….’

From the desk, crumpled papers rolled around like tumbleweeds in a western movie.

The trash bin was overflowing, and while the bed was relatively clean, the rest of the room was a mess.

‘She keeps animals too.’

Looking around Hori’s room, I found a white mouse in a cage on the desk.

Was it a lab animal or a pet? Given the hamster wheel, it was likely the latter.

While watching the white mouse run on its wheel, I noticed a research document on the desk and picked it up.

I hadn’t studied alchemy, so I couldn’t understand the detailed content, but it seemed to be an experiment on the changes in properties when a certain alchemical ingredient was heated with magic.

As I skimmed through the documents, one name caught my eye.

‘Pascoatamin?’

Even though I hadn’t studied alchemy, I knew that name because it appeared in the original novel.

Pascoatamin.

In the original work, it was described as a red herb-like poisonous plant that caused extreme pain when ingested.

It was used to torture someone in the original novel.

‘Why is she researching something like this?’

I knew Hori’s family researched potions to enhance physical abilities.

“Hmm….”

It seemed suspicious, but then again, poisonous plants could be used as medicinal herbs.

Halcathis, for example, could repel enemies if used correctly. I had used it that way a few times.

Maybe there was a way to use Pascoatamin differently as well.

I put the research paper back and waited for a while. As the sun began to set, students started returning to the dormitory.

-Thud, thud.

Soon, I heard footsteps approaching Hori’s room and hid behind the door to avoid startling her.

A moment later, Hori entered the room with a deep sigh, looking exhausted.

As she stepped in, I lunged and covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming.

“Mmph…!!”

Startled by the sudden attack, Hori struggled to break free, but it was futile.

There was no way Hori could overpower someone trained in Baldo.

“Hori…! It’s me…!”

Whispering in her ear, I tried to calm her down.

Finally, she stopped struggling and turned, trembling.

“…Calm down. I’m going to let go now, but don’t scream. Okay?”

Slowly, I released my hand, and Hori exhaled heavily and asked.

“Ian? What are you doing here…!!”

“I need a favor. I wanted to come here normally, but I’m on probation and can’t enter academy facilities….”

Hori seemed to understand and nodded.

“What… what do you need? I’ll help if I can.”

“Do you have any good potions?”

“What?”

I need them because I’m going to fight a monster comparable to a young dragon.