Chapter 44 (2/2)

Her mouth pressed against the edge of the vial.

She slowly tilted the vial and the liquid inside entered her mouth.

This is somehow erotic.

A milf’s erotic eating and drinking scene.

At that moment, I could see Lydia-san’s face became distorted.

At the same time, it seemed as if she was choking.

She spat up the liquid she tried to swallow onto the floor.

“*cough**cough*t-this is.”

As expected.

The taste was terrible.

“I’m sorry. I was testing something and it doesn’t seem to have worked.”

There’s no point in trying to come up with an excuse.

I’ll open up with a preemptive strike.

“I-Is this.no way, pessari grass?”

“Yes. I tried to use ingredients I recognized to make the potion but it seems like that was a mistake.”

It’s clear that it would be impossible for anyone to drink this if they actually needed a mana potion. I don’t know if there were any effects that came with drinking the potion but I doubt it actually managed to increase her mana recovery rate. Based purely on her reaction, there’s no doubt that I failed.

I decided to prepare myself for her judgment.

“O-Oooeeeeeee!”

Lydia-san began to suddenly cough up the remainder of the potion.

Was it really so terrible?

“W-What!? Are you okay!?”

Ester-chan cried out to Lydia-san in a panic.

And Lydia-san replied to her while she was still down on the ground.

“Such a dirty thingthat pessari grass actually went in my mouth.”

Apparently, this grass wasn’t fit for a noble.

The name ‘Poor People’s Salad’ is rather fitting.

It seems that her body just rejected the grass.

“Y-Youyou put pessari grass in the potion?”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

Rather than just put some in, it was the main ingredient.

“Well, th-this isit’s something that can be used as a reagent, but it’s not something a person would ever eat out of choice. Even a commoner would rarely eat something like that. It’s hardly ever even used as food for livestock. In fact, the only time I think a person would consume it is if they’re a beggar that’s starving to death.”

“Why did you use something like that?”

“Because it is highly resistant to magic and it can be used as a cheap reagent. I also read that it grows in abundance in most places. The book I read said this was common knowledge. M-Maybe I was wrong.”

“What book did you read this in? It sounds completely different than what I know of the plant.”

Edita Sensei, how much were you struggling for money when you wrote that book?

She still has yet to finish writing one complete book.

I want to hug Edita Sensei. It seems she was so desperate when she was writing that book that she was forced to eat something so disgusting just to survive.

“Lydia-san, I’m sorry. I’m very sorry. Please, if you’d like I can compensate you in any way you want.”

“N-No, this is wellwell it’s.”

Lydia-san stood up with a pale face.

She looked as if she was unsure of what to say.

“However, as you might expect, I can’t allow you to pass with this potion.”

“I know. I tried to create something new. I’m sorry.”

“A student that doesn’t pass this exam will fail the class. Are you okay with that?”

“I’m fine with that. Please, discipline me as you see fit.”

“I understand.”

I’ll have to spend another year at this school.

It’s not that bad when I consider the fact that I can live together with Sophia-chan for another year. I feel bad for not being able to live up to the noble mage’s recommendation, but there’s no point worrying about that now. I’ve already failed.

Alright.

“Well, t-today’s exam is finished.”

Conveniently, I was the last student that Lydia-san had to grade and, following Lydia-san’s instructions, the exam was now over.

[Sophia-chan’s point of view]

Earlier, I was called to the main administration building by my boss Sabrina-san. She gave me some delicious sweets and I was even able to take some with me when I left. I was now returning to the dormitory.

As I was walking through the corridor, surprisingly, I could hear someone’s voice.

I could tell the voice was coming from ahead of me, so I instinctively stopped walking.

“This isthis is amazing! If I’m the one to make this announcement I could aim as high as the Organization Director! Even after being separated from my husband it’s still possible for me to come out on top! I’ll leap far ahead of his position as baron.”

I walked through the corridor and found a door that was slightly open.

Apparently, it didn’t close properly.

The rooms in this building have a magic on them that make them soundproof. As long as the door is closed, nothing can be heard from the outside. Or at least that’s what Sabrina-san told me.

The owner of this voice seems to be a woman slightly older than me.

She’s maybe a couple years older than me at most.

“I don’t know if I’ll need the Chief director’s endorsement or not. After all, he is just a commoner. Even if he were to say anything against me nobody would believe him. If I’m the first one to announce this, I will have the power to do anything I please.”

I don’t want to hear this.

I should just keep walking.

Lately, it seems that I’ve been overhearing a lot of people plotting things.

If someone were to find out that a maid was listening in on the conversation of someone in their dorm room, Im almost certain Id be executed on the spot. The other day I was able to get out of that situation thanks to Ester-sama but if anything like that happens again I know Ill have no chance of getting out.

Ah, Im so unhappy.

“That potion must have been even stronger than a mid-grade potion. Not to mention the amount of mana he was able to infuse in that potion. It’s no surprise he received a recommendation from that man.”

She’s talking about something interesting.

I’m starting to feel good eavesdropping on her.

I feel the same way as when I mix my blood in with Tanaka-san’s food.

“Fufu, that’s all there is to it. Still, to think that he’d accept the failing grade with no complaints whatsoever when he made such an amazing potion. When I think back on his miserable face I can’t hold back my laughter. I’m still quite the actor.”

I want to keep going but to get back to the dorm I have to go past here. The only other way I can go is down a hallway that leads to a dead end. I have no choice. I’ll just have to wait here for a while. If she were to hear me walking away I’d be punished horribly.

“To think that the pigment of the pessari grass would hold so much potential. I’m sure that even the commoners that have no choice but to eat that stuff have no idea of its uses. After all, a commoner’s thoughts are just as pathetic as their existence.”

I had planned on taking in the laundry as quickly as possible, but this conversation is hard to ignore. I don’t know what this woman is planning but it’s clearly nothing good.

I wanted to take in the laundry before the sun goes down.

“No matter how you look at it, that’s that. I’ll claim that potion as my own. The only issue with it is that horrendous taste. It reminds me of the taste of my husbands thing. He would always try to force me to drink it.”

This is hard to listen to.

Listening to someone I don’t know while they talk about their sex life.

I wonder what a man’s thing tastes like?

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.

“That’s the least of my worries. With the amazing effects this potion provides, I don’t care how bad it tastes. What should be given priority is the presentation I’ll make at the academic conference. I only have a few days left to prepare everything.”

I’ve heard rumours about that academic conference.

Its some kind of meeting thats held every year by the teachers of this school. It’s a major focus for them. They’ll each do their own individual research throughout the year and present their new findings during the conference.

The teachers are also evaluated based on what they present during this conference. It seems that some teachers have been fired if the research they present isn’t good enough. All of the teachers are required to participate.

I’ve also been told that students are allowed to participate but this is rather uncommon.

“Fufu, I’ll put this reagent to great use.”

It seems that the woman talking to herself is a noblewoman.

This school is a scary place.

I can’t do anything but listen.

I shouldn’t get involved with this woman.

Well, I am one of the few commoners here, I should at least know the name of this person. I decided to check the nameplate on the door. I confirmed there was nobody near the door and looked at the nameplate.

It read ‘Lydia Nannuzzi.’

This floor of the building is restricted to office use for teachers and some senior staff. I’m sure that the person laughing is named Lydia.

Well, it’s not like Id recognize that name.

Would Ester-sama know her?

But it would be rather rude to ask her about something like this.

“Fufu, ufufufu. With this, I can aim for an even higher position.”

The soliloquy of the noblewoman ended shortly after that.