Don't look at me like that!?
Since there wasn’t much time before afternoon classes started after lunch, I gave a quick rundown of what happened over the weekend.
"…… You were just supposed to pass down the banquet menu. How did it turn into this?"
Sei looked at me like he couldn't comprehend what he was hearing.
Yeah, I’m wondering the same thing—how did this even happen!?
"Before even holding the banquet, you managed to resolve a diplomatic issue and even gain the upper hand?"
Alicia-sama looked at me in exasperation.
Well, yes, somehow…
Strange, the banquet is supposed to be in a few days, isn’t it?
"Uh, wait, does this mean our family’s (Mayor’s) trading company is about to get really busy again…?"
Mariel-chan's face twitched.
Sorry, Mariel-chan……
I'll make sure my father arranges it so that the Mayor Company makes a hefty profit!
"””……”””
All three of them were looking at me with expressions like Tibetan foxes.
Can you guys stop looking at me like that!?
Even I know it sounds suspicious when I explain it myself!
"Somehow, Ojou always ends up in interesting situations."
"Indeed. What’s more surprising is that things never seem to turn out badly in the end."
Byakko-sama and Suzaku-sama laughed in amusement.
No, but listen, I just want a peaceful and uneventful life. I don’t wish for things to get "interesting."
"My Lord has a tendency to be a bit meddlesome and careless, which often leads to trouble. Well, as long as I am here, I will ensure nothing causes you harm."
"No matter what happens to Cristea, I will protect her. If bad guys come, I’ll squash them, so no problem."
Kurogane and Mashiro are always completely on my side…
Wait, hold on.
Kurogane, are you subtly insulting me by calling me meddlesome and careless!?
And Mashiro, what do you mean by "squash"!?
You're not planning to literally squash them, are you!?
In the end, everyone reached the conclusion of "It’s surprising, but well, it’s Cristea, so…" which I cannot accept.
But since they all praised me with "You did well," I’ll let it slide.
I thrive on praise—Cristea at your service.
Since I could still make it to afternoon classes, I entrusted Miria with notifying the salon building and organizing my belongings before heading out of the special dorm with everyone.
The afternoon class was a lecture on magic potions.
Magic potions are made by boiling herbs, infusing them with mana, and following specific recipes based on their intended effect.
I’m good at chopping and simmering herbs.
After all, it’s not much different from cooking.
However, I struggle with adding the right amount of mana.
If I’m not focused, I tend to pour in too much at once, overwhelming the ingredients and either nullifying or weakening the potion's effects.
On the other hand, if the materials are of high quality and durable, the potion sometimes ends up being even stronger than intended.
I thought I had improved quite a bit compared to when I first started, but today, I kept failing because I was over-infusing mana.
"Hmm, why is this happening……?"
I thought I was adding the usual amount, but it kept turning out to be more than expected.
"That’s unusual for you, Cristea-san. Your success rate has been improving lately, hasn’t it?"
Mariel-chan looked at my hands curiously.
"Exactly……"
Even during my usual morning yoga and mana circulation training, I had felt like the amount of mana flowing inside me was greater than usual.
That’s strange.
Wait a minute, no way—did I become mana-overloaded again?
I worked so hard to regulate my diet and train my mana circulation just to live a normal life, even with a slightly higher-than-average mana pool.
… Huh? Wait.
Diet improvement…… ah!
"... It’s the chocolate!"
"Huh? Chocolate? You have some!?"
Mariel-chan started scanning my desk.
When I was explaining earlier, she had already reacted like, "Chocolate!? Eeeeh, I wanna eat some!"
Alicia-sama had to scold her, blushing, "Mariel-san? It's improper to openly say you want to consume an aphrodisiac!"
The stuff is known as some kind of scandalous drug that makes people feel all lovey-dovey.
Why would I have it sitting on my desk?
… Though, I do have some in my inventory!
"Of course not. Listen, I did taste-test it, but I didn’t feel any immediate effects. However, considering my current condition, I don’t think I was completely unaffected either."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I think my failures just now were due to over-infusing mana, but I was pouring the amount I normally do. Yet, it turns out my mana has increased, so I ended up injecting too much. I guess I have some resistance to the chocolate, but it still affected me slightly without me realizing it."
"Wait, C-Cristea-san, are you saying the aphrodisiac is working on you right now?"
Mariel-chan whispered with a conspiratorial tone.
"What are you even saying!? I told you, the chocolate has a mana-boosting effect! I don’t know if I have resistance to it, but it must be affecting me slightly."
"Oh, that’s what you meant… I just thought a delayed-effect aphrodisiac would make for a great scenario…"
Mariel-chan gave me a disappointed look.
What do you mean, "great scenario"?
"Cristea-kun…… I’d like to hear more about this conversation in detail."
"Eh? … Ah, Teacher…"
Oh no, I got overheard!?
What do you think about this chapter?
