Chapter 64

Chapter : 64

“How is it today?”

“I think the eye makeup is too heavy. That... the thing you paint on with that brush.”

“Shadow?”

“Yes. That. Let us leave that out.”

“I looked in the mirror too and wondered if I had put too much force into it, but since it is only for one day, would it not be all right?”

“Hmm... Yes, you would know more about that side than I do. I will leave it to you.”

“No, I will try changing the brush once, so let us check again then. Right now, we are only setting the mood, and on the day itself, I will leave it to a professional....”

Navier and I prepared for the festival. There were still nearly two months left, but the faster one prepared, the better. The plan was for Navier to give Kartea a special flower during the Flower Festival, then hint for him to confess and draw the confession out of him. For that day, we prepared many things.

First was the flower that would trigger the incident on the day itself. The flower Navier would give was a variety called Kalsia, and while its cultivation method was simple, its beauty meant the Imperial Family monopolized its seeds in order to preserve its rarity.

The flowers released into the market were an improved breed incapable of reproduction.

Kalsia was beautiful enough to be strictly managed solely for its appearance. Even without using spray, the color of its petals changed in various ways depending on the amount of sunlight, and that change was intense, yet harmonious with the flower’s feather-like, fluttering leaves. Countless petals surrounded the pistil and stamens. The leaves closer to the stamens were red, while the leaves farther away from them were blue.

We looked down at the Kalsia and spoke.

“The Crown Prince’s mother, the late Empress, gained strength from looking at this flower when she was suffering from illness.”

Kartea’s memories of his mother were nothing but painful.

The Empress’s health had rapidly deteriorated after giving birth, and while ill, she suffered day by day, groaning in pain. The Empress Kartea saw was either lying asleep in bed or moaning in agony.

But the Empress sometimes smiled while looking at this Kalsia. She enjoyed watching the Kalsia by the window bask in sunlight and change the color of its petals. For that reason, Kartea liked Kalsia as well. It was not that he liked flowers, and he was indifferent to Kalsia’s beauty, but his mother had smiled. That alone was enough.

To Kartea, Kalsia remained an embarrassing childhood memory to speak of to others.

“How did you know that?”

“Hm?”

“I mean, it is fascinating. You said it yourself, did you not? That it is a story His Highness the Crown Prince has not told anyone. So how did you know? When I look at you, you truly are strange. How do you know these things so neatly?”

“There is such a thing.”

I held out the bundle of Kalsia I had prepared. Since it was a gift, the wrapping mattered. One was a bouquet using commonly used kraft paper, and the other was a bouquet using silk and ramie for a more luxurious feel.

“If we think in terms of common sensibility, I think silk is right rather than kraft paper, but what do you think?”

Navier touched the wrapping of each bouquet once, then clapped her hands.

“Hmm. Rather than that, how about putting it in a vase and gifting it that way?”

When I tilted my head, Navier added an explanation.

“I do not think making the flower look pretty is the important part. We have to draw out nostalgia from His Highness the Crown Prince’s memories, so I think it would be better to gift it in a form familiar to him.”

I gave Navier a thumbs-up.

“Good. Let us decide on the bouquet that way. Is there anything else we should pay additional attention to? How was it during the last festival? Something you felt would have been good to have.”

“Hmm.... Both His Highness the Crown Prince and I were a little bothered by how artificial the conversation topics felt. We spent a long time on everyday matters, so it gave a strong impression of a meeting between noble and noble, which felt burdensome. If there had been more things to see, we would have talked about those.”

“Really? Then shall we invite a performance troupe this time?”

“How?”

“With money.”

That was how we prepared the festival.

---

After the Academy’s new semester began, Leo sparred every day.

In order to accurately grasp his own level, score his own possibilities, and abuse himself, he challenged opponents he could not defeat. That opponent was usually me, and sometimes Jefrin. Leo did not win even once and lost every match.

His defeats were miserable.

Rather than competing in swordsmanship, Leo came at us as though he had a reason he absolutely had to win. He used every trick to win. With me, he would stab with his Wooden Sword out of nowhere while talking, and with Jefrin, he even kicked the ground during practice sparring and sprayed dirt. To create variables however he could, he even committed acts people would usually call filthy.

Even so, Leo lost every time.

The gap in skill between him and his opponents was absolute, and he was not allowed a single victory. Then, the moment he exploded, it was after losing not to me or Jefrin, but to an upperclassman.

An upperclassman challenged Leo after Leo was sent flying by Jefrin’s strike, and Leo accepted. Had he said his father was from a famous knight order? It seemed he had built up his skill steadily since childhood. After a close fight, he won against Leo.

Leo lost again.

He slammed his head against the ground and screamed. When he lifted his face, which had been buried in the dirt, clumps of earth fell away with a patter. His two eyes emitted light.

It was Berserk.

Curious about Leo’s level in a Berserk state, I approached him and urged him to fight Jefrin again. Then an astonishing result occurred.

BOOM—!

Leo stamped his foot, kicked off the ground, and charged at Jefrin.

At that speed, my eyes widened. Even if Berserk had taken effect, it was not a power Leo should have been able to produce with his body and mana. Leo swung his sword down from above with all his might.

Jefrin hurriedly bent his body backward and inserted his sword between himself and Leo.

It was a perilous reaction, and Jefrin fell backward from that one blow, landing on his rear.

What?

Just as I wondered whether Leo would defeat Jefrin like this, it became obvious. Needless to say, it was because Jefrin was going easy on him. It was the result created because Jefrin had not used Sword Aura.

Even so, Leo defeating Jefrin? It was impossible.

But his luck ended there.

Leo rushed at Jefrin like a madman, but unable to control his own strength, he slammed his torso into the back of Jefrin’s blade and collapsed from the impact, groaning.

In the end, he lost again, but it had its own significance. Berserk strengthened existing power; it did not create power that was not there. I had thought Ian’s Berserk produced such great strength because its user was Ian.

That might not be the case.

Even in Leo’s hands, Berserk displayed its proper power. It seemed usable.

---

“Hey. Do you have any money?”

“Hmm.... I have more than enough for next semester’s Academy tuition. It is not as though I have none.”

“That is all you have? That will not be enough.”

“Did something happen?”

After possessing Raphael’s body and coming to the Academy, there was something I had done for a while.

Buying mana with money.

I had purchased and consumed Elixirs and the like that could increase mana.

Elixirs usually contained high-concentration mana energy and were used for various things. They were mainly used to make Artifacts or as materials for Magic Tools, but sometimes, people consumed them to increase their own mana.

The problem was that the mana gained when consumed was infinitely small compared to the amount ingested. The efficiency was so poor that unless one was extremely wealthy or desperate for mana, it was not something one did.

The reason Leo could not use Berserk properly was because the mana he possessed was too meager for him to divide the flow. If he could solve the mana shortage, it would be possible for him to use Berserk freely, like Ian.

When I explained that, Leo smiled brightly.

“Ah, so the reason I cannot handle that power is because I lack mana? If that is the case, it is fine. Time will solve it.”

Leo seemed satisfied simply knowing the solution to the problem he was suffering from. That was not good enough.

“How long do you think that will take, for you to smile like that? It could take years. Do you not want to bring that time forward?”

“If I could, of course I would. But there is no method, is there?”

“Should I lend you some money?”

“Pardon?”

I thought Leo was a fairly decent guy. He was quite diligent and steady. He was sociable too, and his character was upright.

But investing a vast sum of money was separate from friendship. This was not a matter of one or two coins. No matter how much money I had, I had no choice but to be cautious.

I made this decision because Leo had learned Berserk.

The power that, through a single Power-Up Event, fixed Ian in the line of strong characters until the latter part of the story. If one considered only its potential, the fact that Leo was somewhat weak now could be passed over without issue.

“If I borrow money and consume Elixirs... how am I supposed to repay that debt?”

“By working?”

Purchasing Elixirs required a vast amount of money. Buying them through ordinary labor was unthinkable, and even if Leo grew well from here and entered a prestigious knight order to receive a salary, it would be impossible. He would need the kind of sum that would require him to become the owner of a sizeable territory and ruthlessly extract taxes for several years.

“Then what should I do?”

“There will be times when I need your strength in the future. Every time that happens, if you accept my request, I will deduct a certain amount. How about it?”

“Hmm.... All right! I will definitely repay it.”

Turning a citizen into a slave was illegal under any circumstances, but at this point, I wondered whether I had essentially taken him as one. Leo would likely have difficulty repaying the debt he owed me for several decades.

Leo was a commoner, and he was rather ignorant in fields outside swordsmanship, so he knew nothing about the kinds and prices of Elixirs. Every time he heard the price of an Elixir I intended to purchase, his face turned pale, and he only nodded.

“Then I will be in your care.”

“Yes. Take care of your body and wait.”

After parting from Leo, I immediately organized the Elixirs I would buy. How far would Leo grow after consuming these? I did not know. Even if he could use Berserk freely, he still had to reach Expert through his own power. If he could not use Sword Aura, he could never face a Sword Aura user.

But Berserk was an attractive enough power to accept that risk. It would be beneficial to make him my ally in advance.