Chapter 33 — Potion Crafting [1]
"Entrance exam… How should I do this?"
After leaving the cafeteria, I stepped outside the building and sat on a nearby bench.
"…Seriously, what should I do?"
I watched the slowly setting sun, trying to find an answer.
But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't come up with a good idea.
"How am I supposed to block Eleanor's strike?"
The entrance exam for the Disciplinary Committee was, in fact, very simple.
You just had to block one attack from Eleanor.
All you had to do was endure a single strike.
When you heard it like that, it sounded easy enough, but…
'There's no one in this academy who can withstand the sword of House Blackwell. Yeah, definitely no one.'
I'd seen it in the game, and it was officially stated in the setting materials too.
It was nearly impossible to withstand Eleanor's attack through normal means.
And that was because…
'The Blackwell family uses swordsmanship that relies purely on brute force.'
Since they wielded greatswords, the Blackwell style was generally on the slower side.
But they overcame that weakness with sheer overwhelming strength.
Their power was so dominant that, if a blow landed properly, most opponents went down in one hit.
Simply put, it was swordsmanship that aimed for a "one-hit kill."
'I've raised a character from the Blackwell family before, so I know it well.'
It felt sluggish and frustrating at times, but that one powerful strike was incredibly satisfying.
And now, I had to block that very strike.
'Is it even realistically possible for me to block it?'
When I played through the Disciplinary Committee route, I always blocked it as if it were nothing.
The character I controlled just withstood Eleanor's sword without any preparation.
'While everyone else failed and gave up, my character blocked Eleanor's greatsword thanks to protagonist correction.'
In the Disciplinary Committee storyline, they said it was blocked through sheer willpower.
No further explanation, completely ignoring logic.
It was simply written off as "the protagonist was special."
When I played the game, I never questioned it, but now that I was actually in this situation, it was absurd.
'Damn it, how the hell did he block it?'
I wanted to call over the person who wrote that story and ask if they'd thrown logic out the window.
But right now, there wasn't much I could do.
'I did choose the Disciplinary Committee route… but actually doing it feels impossible.'
The Disciplinary Committee route was the fastest and simplest path to becoming a knight.
That's why I'd chosen it, but remembering how all the other students got knocked out made me reconsider.
I was starting to doubt if this was really the easiest route.
'No, it is the easiest route. If I can just get into the Disciplinary Committee, it'll be the simplest path forward.'
The problem was that getting in itself was extremely difficult right now.
I sighed and tried to reorganize my thoughts.
'In the game, I passed the entrance exam easily thanks to protagonist correction. But do I even have something like that now?'
Maybe I did, but maybe I didn't.
Betting everything on the chance that I had protagonist correction and showing up unprepared… that was reckless.
I needed a better plan.
'Thursday. That means I have two days to find a realistic way to block Eleanor's attack.'
There was no way I could massively increase my strength in two days.
Unless I took some kind of drug—no, even with one, my strength wouldn't skyrocket overnight…
"…Wait a second. Actually, it is possible right now."
If I used drugs to increase my strength, then yes, it was possible.
Because Strength Enhancement Potions could temporarily raise physical power.
'And if I also take a Defense Enhancement Potion, I can probably lessen the shock from Eleanor's strike.'
A Strength Enhancement Potion and a Defense Enhancement Potion.
If I had both, maybe—just maybe—I could withstand Eleanor's attack.
But that brought up another problem.
'How do I even get those potions?'
This world had surprisingly strict regulations on drugs and potions. Academy students couldn't just buy them freely.
There were no potion shops inside the Academy, and places to make them were even more restricted.
'I know the ingredients and recipes for both Strength and Defense Enhancement Potions. I've made them plenty of times before, so I remember everything…'
So, ingredients weren't the problem.
I could buy them in Daigon Village.
But to make potions, I needed a special cauldron designed for potion brewing.
And that cauldron wasn't easy to find.
'Should I sneak into the magic classroom and steal one? Or maybe from the Potion Brewing Club?'
Stealing seemed like the best option, but that idea had a lot of issues too.
If I got caught stealing, I'd be in huge trouble—forget about the Disciplinary Committee.
There had to be another way…
"Alex. What are you doing here?"
"…Lady Layla?"
"Why are you sitting here alone, looking so serious?"
The blonde girl smiled brightly and sat beside me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Is something wrong?"
"Nothing in particular. I was just thinking for a bit."
"Thinking about what?"
"It's nothing important. More importantly, why are you here by yourself, Lady Layla?"
"Hmm… because I had nothing to do? Eleanor, Cedric, and Sara went to the training grounds, so I was bored. Then I saw you walking around."
"I see."
"Yeah. But still, why the gloomy face?"
"Well, it's just that…"
I was about to brush it off with some random excuse, but then something struck me.
Come to think of it, Layla's club was…
"…Lady Layla."
"Yeah? What is it?"
"Would it be all right if I made a request—if I asked you for a favor?"
"Huh? You mean, you want to ask me for something?"
Layla looked at me with genuine surprise.
I waited quietly for her response.
Normally, royalty would've ignored my request outright.
Or worse, taken offense at the very idea that someone dared to ask them for something.
So under normal circumstances, I never would have even considered it.
With normal royalty, that is.
"Oh, what kind of favor? What is it? Is it something I can help you with?"
Layla was different from the usual royalty.
When I said I wanted to ask her for a favor, her eyes sparkled with excitement.
As if she was genuinely touched that someone wanted to ask her for help.
'Right. Layla was this kind of person.'
Someone who sought genuine, ordinary interactions—not the treatment of a royal.
A princess who longed for normal human relationships—that was Layla.
[To be Continue]