Chapter 729

I Got Hauled Away!?
The next day, I consulted Sei as well, and he said it'd be better to get Teacher Neil's permission first. So after S-Class homeroom ended, I caught Teacher Neil and negotiated to obtain permission to use part of the special dormitory grounds.

“Hm? Grow mushrooms inside the dormitory? Whatever for?”

Teacher Neil looked at us with a puzzled expression.

“Well... there's something I'd like to research a bit... and the dormitory grounds would be the perfect place to observe them up close.”

Honestly, I didn't want to consult Teacher Neil.

I mean, if we told him, "We're going to cultivate mushrooms by using monster corpses," there was no way someone like him wouldn't be interested.

… Then again, maybe if he thought of it as just medicinal herbs, he wouldn't care?

… No, the moment monsters are involved, that's definitely not happening.

In any case, since Teacher Neil also served as the warden of the special dormitory, it might become troublesome later if we started without permission. So this application was officially just for "mushroom cultivation."

Well, that was exactly what we were doing.

The problem wasn't that the objective was mushrooms, Magic Amplification Grass, but that the cultivation method involved using monster corpses as the growing medium.

“Hmmm. Well, if it's for research, I don't mind... just make sure the dormitory doesn't end up covered in mushrooms, all right?”

“Yes! Of course!”

“Have you decided where you'll do it?”

“Umm, not yet, but one of the candidates is near the butchering area.”

The butchering area...

If possible, I'd rather not go anywhere near it, but as far as cultivation conditions went, it was an excellent location.

“Ah, I see.”

Teacher Neil nodded as if he understood, and I flinched, wondering if he'd figured out what we were really after.

“You see, I'm not very good with Clean Magic, so I just blast the place clean with Water Magic. That area stays pretty damp, so it might actually be good for growing mushrooms.”

“H-haha... I see.”

Wait, this is the first I've heard that he washes the butchering area with Water Magic.

If he isn't using Clean Magic, doesn't that mean the smell never actually goes away...?

“But you can't have mushrooms growing right in the butchering area, so make sure it's a little ways away from it.”

“Y-yes. We'll do that...”

I gave an awkward smile and was just about to make a quick escape when someone called out from behind me.

“Heeey, Miss Cristea. Come over here for a bit.”

“Geh, Mas… Teacher Marlen. W-What is it?”

He beckoned me with a crook of his finger, so I reluctantly walked over. Then he simply said, “Just come with me,” and left the classroom.

Mariel-chan and the others followed along with me.

Our destination was the laboratory assigned to Master Marlen. At his urging, we gathered up the chairs and benches scattered around the room and everyone took a seat.

“Hmmm... my throat's gotten rather dry. An old man like me won't be able to talk properly like this.”

Master Marlen deliberately coughed a few times.

Good grief...

Thinking that, I took out some tea and sweets for him.

“Ho ho ho. It's been quite a while since I've had sweets made by Miss Cristea. Mm, delicious.”

Watching Master Marlen happily stuff his cheeks with yokan, I realized that was true... and added some dorayaki as well.

“So, Master Marlen, what did you want to see me about?”

When I asked him that as he contentedly enjoyed the sweets and green tea…

“Oh!”

He made that kind of face, took a sip of his green tea, and then looked back at me as though nothing had happened.

… You completely forgot because of the snacks, didn't you?

I glared at Master Marlen with half-lidded eyes, but he paid it no mind whatsoever.

Grrr...

“Well now, I saw you asking that fellow Neil for permission to cultivate mushrooms earlier, didn't I? It piqued my curiosity.”

“Yes, I did get permission... was there something wrong with that?”

“Mhm. You are aware that the special dormitory where you all live is surrounded by a barrier, are you not?”

“Yes. It's to keep suspicious people from sneaking in and targeting the Sacred Beasts-sama or their contractors, right?”

“Indeed. It also serves to keep the rare Sacred Beasts-sama and their contractors healthy in both body and mind.”

Ah, I get it.

We didn't have to deal with people chasing after us or constantly staring at us, and everyone in the special dormitory already knew one another well. At this point, if someone suddenly told us to leave the special dormitory, it'd be a real problem because we'd gotten so comfortable living there.

“It's certainly been a great help. But what about it?”

“At present, the area within that barrier is overflowing with mana to a degree unmatched anywhere else in the academy.”

“... What?”

“Well, naturally. Never before have so many Sacred Beasts-sama gathered together in one place, not merely monsters.”

“... Really?”

Without thinking, I turned to Kurogane, who had moved his chair behind mine and was sitting there.

“We ourselves do not particularly notice it... however, compared to when we first moved into the dormitory, the mana has increased considerably, has it not? The barrier only becomes stronger as a result, so I see no issue with it.”

“... It has!?”

I had no idea.

Now that he mentioned it, maybe the mana inside those grounds really was denser...

“So then? Mushrooms or medicinal herbs grown in such soil would naturally contain more mana than those grown elsewhere. Even if you conduct your research there, I doubt you would obtain the same results in other locations.”

“Ah.”

I see.

So that was what Master Marlen had been worried about when he warned me.

And the reason he hadn't pointed it out back there was probably because if the students researching medicinal herbs found out, they'd all come demanding, "Let us cultivate herbs there too!"

… If anything, even the teachers might come swarming over.

I'm glad our dorm warden is the oblivious Teacher Neil.

What do you think about this chapter?