The Academy’s Crude Pink-Haired Martial Artist

“It’s sweat.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“So, you know, if you take… that potion and use mana, impurities come out of the blood path, right? This is, um… it’s like that. It’s a mixture of sweat and impurities… something you commonly see.”
“Got it.”
“But why do you keep making that face?”
“What’s wrong with my face?”

Leona, who was wiping the blood from my face and body instead of me moving, grinned.

Has she just smiled now? No, she’s been looking like that since earlier. Those sinister eyes, the droopy philtrum, and the one corner of her mouth stubbornly quivering up.

I really want to smack that face hard.
“Anyway, that’s it. I’m just saying this in case you misunderstand.”
“Sure, I guess that’s possible.”
“What do you mean ‘that’s possible’?”
“I mean, when I first came here and used dragon mana, I was sweating like you.”
“What are you talking about? What I’ve let out is sweat, impurities, and blood. I haven’t let out anything else.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Please answer me properly.”
“Are you getting annoyed now by your teacher’s tone?”

I glared at Leona without answering.
Leona chuckled even more mischievously and shook her shoulders.
Then she rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a small magic scroll.

“…What is that?”
“Cleansing Scroll.”
“Hmm… Since I’ve spilled a lot of sweat and blood, I guess it’ll be useful. You didn’t bring this just in case, did you?”
“How should I take that ‘just in case’?”

Leona’s gaze flickered downwards.
“…Did you think sweat and blood would flow like a waterfall?”

I closed my legs and clenched my fists.
“Of course I knew. I’m just… not quite like you. Hahhahaha!”
“…Don’t laugh.”
“It can’t be the same. After all, we’re different races! Beastmen have it easier when it comes to those… uh, urine, um… bodily functions!”
“Sure, I guess. But I didn’t wet myself. It’s for real. Take a look. Did any urine spill on the floor?”

I couldn’t hold it back.
Actually, it wasn’t that I couldn’t hold it back, but my body… lost control over those things.
Drool dripped, snot too, tears, sweat, everything just spilled out. Luckily, I squeezed my butt. At that moment, I was more focused than when I faced the Demon King, and I desperately hoped.
Please, please, please. Anything but this!

But other things just… flowed out.
Still, when that happened, and my crotch got warm, and the floor and thighs became damp, I maximized the dragon’s mana left inside and blew everything away. The smell, and even the traces left behind disappeared.

So… with no proof,
I didn’t wet myself.
But the results… the results were huge.
Dragon mana seeped into purgatory.
It felt like it went in properly. Even in this exhausted state where I couldn’t even lift a finger, I felt immense power within my left finger.
And, during that… urination process, my control over dragon mana increased.
The trigger might be a bit bizarre, but… nonetheless, increased control means I could handle things much better when opening the purgatory door compared to now.

I slowly began to move my fingers again as my body gradually recovered. The presence of that ferocious mana that had crawled inside earlier was sharp.
That said, that mana didn’t engulf everything in purgatory. Instead, those trapped in purgatory are trying to absorb the dragon’s mana.

Is that all I got?
That can’t be.

The blood path and dantian had transformed to a whole new dimension.
In the first place, the capacity for what could be placed in purgatory has significantly increased.
The blood path was the same. It seemed to be more elastic and smoother than before.
Of course, right now, since there’s not even a speck of mana left, precise checks aren’t possible, but if I go out and gather mana, I will definitely feel it.

Grin– My mouth involuntarily curled upwards.
With this much, it’s bound to open the merchant association naturally without any effort.
If I can’t rise to the 6th rank by the time the semester ends, I would have forced it, but now, I could simply breathe and rise.

But? Coming here isn’t going to end today.
I plan to keep coming here tomorrow, the day after, and continuously.
If I push Leona, she might let me go, so should I just skip all my classes and stay here to eat, sleep… well, besides the bathroom breaks?

… That might be a bit problematic.
If my grades tank, I’ll be held back a year, and that Stella girl won’t let me off easily.
I’d rather just die.

“Seeing you laugh, I guess you felt refreshed.”
“Refresh? Don’t say weird things. I didn’t go!”
I gently grabbed Leona’s tail that was tickling my arm.
“And stop moving this! It’s ticklish!”
“I think the recovery is about done. Let’s just get the blood clots off your face and get outside.”
“Huff…”

Laying down, I grunted and raised my upper body. I removed the blood clots stuck to my face with a thud and roughly brushed my messy hair.
“Use the scroll.”
“…Wait a moment.”
“… Why?”
Leona’s voice sank.
Slosh – Her sparkling golden eyes split vertically, and a vicious aura flowed out.
“What is it?”

Then she tilted her head. Why? Did she notice the existence of purgatory?
I slowly hid my left hand behind my back. I didn’t think it would be hidden like this. It was merely a reflexive action.
“The mana of the spiritual vein… is a bit lacking?”
“What do you mean lacking?”
“The total amount of mana in your body. And the total amount of mana that seeped into my body. The total amount of mana spread in this spiritual vein. Even when I add them up… it’s different from before. It noticeably decreased. You did absorb a lot, but it can’t be empty. As long as the Dragon Heart is here, any mana used will eventually flow back and accumulate.”

Swish – Leona’s gaze locked onto me.
“Eliaernes.”
“… Yes?”
“You!”
“What about me?”
“You ate it!”
“What did I eat—”
“Hey! You can’t just eat anything like that!”
Blergh?! Bleh!
Leona jumped up and shoved her finger into my mouth! This crazy beastman!!

“Spit it out! You can’t eat this! It’s poison! Spit it out!”
“Bweghgh! Uh, ugh!!”
Leona’s slender finger fiercely grabbed my squishy tongue. It tastes salty and sweet. Why does it taste sweet? I don’t know! Should I care about that now? That crazy beastman’s finger is trampling over my tongue?!

“Spit it out already!!”
“Ughgugh!!”

*

“Quick, take this.”
Leona, who had crazily rushed me into her office, handed over a bizarre potion.
“… What is this?”
I still rolled my tongue around, feeling the lingering taste, while giving a sidelong glance at Leona.
“It’s a potion that draws out the dragon’s mana from your body.”

Still panting heavily, Leona took a step closer to me.
“No, I told you I didn’t eat it!”
“Even if you didn’t eat it, just drink it! There’s a chance it might draw out something you unknowingly absorbed! And it’s good for your body!”
“Ugh… fine. I get it.”
I accepted the potion from Leona and pop opened the lid and downed it in one go.
The potion slid down my throat, feeling like it wiggled inside me. It gave a subtle refreshing sensation while circulating through my blood path.
“What… there’s really nothing?”

Leona, her eyes glowing like a predator, tilted her head.
“There’s none! I told you! I said NO! Why aren’t you listening to what people say and why are you messing with your tongue like that? Is it okay to be doing that? Huh?”

Honestly, there’s something. It’s in my left hand.
But the potion hadn’t even invaded my left finger.
That’s obviously the result. The demon race’s Legion Commanders had gone through tremendous lengths to completely close my purgatory.
Even the overconfident Yujen failed.
Such security couldn’t be breached with this kind of potion.
“You were just messing around with your tongue, so what’s with that attitude towards your teacher?”

Ignoring my grumbling, Leona plopped down into a chair.
“So, what’s the outcome?”
“… The outcome, well, it’s good.”
“Just good?”
“… Very good.”

It isn’t just ‘good.’
It’s insane. It’s unbelievable. Why did I enjoy doing this alone? If I’d come here sooner, I would’ve already moved up to the 6th rank.
I feel that way, as the training in the spiritual vein yielded insane results.
Especially the growth of my dantian and blood path is very palpable.
When I cycle the mana gently, I can feel the strengthened binding power and increased output.
Of course, it hasn’t dramatically changed.
But considering it’s only been a single day, and that not even five hours have passed, it’s an absurd achievement.

So.
“Can I go in alone starting tomorrow?”
“Not happening.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t let you go alone. I feel uneasy.”
“Come on, I’m not a kid. I wouldn’t die in there!”
“You’re not even 20 yet. And… the decrease in the mana of the spiritual vein is also suspicious.”

Leona’s eyes narrowed. Though I was taken aback inside, I didn’t show it on the outside.
“So I can only go to that good place once a week? You’re busy all the time and don’t pay attention to me.”
Instead, I pouted and gazed at Leona with a subtle look. I’ve found that this expression works about 9 out of 10 times.
“I don’t not pay attention… but hmm…”

Tuk – tapping her fingers on the desk, Leona nodded.
“For the time being… I will be free. My adorable student is probably bringing in someone influential, so my workload should decrease.”
“Flame Sovereign?”
“Of course, assuming that the Flame Sovereign will take over my work, I’ll be free…”

Leona let her words drift off.
I don’t know how she did it, but it seems she knows the Flame Sovereign would grant my requests.
“I need to hear what kind of work it is.”
Still, I won’t just accept it without question.
No matter how blinded I am by strength, I don’t want to recklessly wield the Flame Sovereign, who has helped me multiple times.
But… it seems the Flame Sovereign truly thinks of me seriously, so I’ll think about it a little.
“It’s nothing major. It’s not related to the political situation. Just… you know, go to the west and take care of some monsters coming into the islands?”
“Were you doing that every time you went out of the academy?”
“Well, mostly, yes.”
“Hmmm…”

If it’s to the west… that’s where the Holy Kingdom is.
And the monsters flowing in from there should be the ones residing in the catacombs between the Holy Kingdom and the islands…
“Are there many?”
“Numbers aren’t important to the Flame Sovereign.”
“Well, that’s true.”

I was just curious.
There aren’t that many monsters in the catacombs…
But Leona seemed to go out pretty often.
It seems she went out at least five times a week.
“If that’s the case… the Flame Sovereign would probably agree to that, huh?”
“If so, I’ll be free, which means you’ll have more days to train in the spiritual vein. The more work the Flame Sovereign takes on, the freer I will become, so if all goes well, you might even be able to live there for a week.”
“Oh.”

*

“Flame Sovereign. We’re friends, right?”
“Huh?! Y-Yeah. The Flame Sovereign and you are friends.”
“Then you’d welcome a friend’s growth, right? I mean… we agreed to explore the demon realm together. If that speeds up, it’d be better for you too, right?”
“Well, that’s… true, but. The way you suddenly brought it up, it sounds like you have something you want from the Flame Sovereign?”

“Um, well, there’s something… You know about the catacombs at the far west? That’s where… many heroes stayed before heading to the demon realm 400 years ago—”

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