Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyou Survival [WN] - Chapter 27.2

To handle the Taijutsu, Sera also had me fight a mock battle with Theo, who was of similar size to me.

“Oh, Aria, you can’t use kicks or anything like that!”

“I know.”

For some reason, Theo seemed to be interested in my skirt. Sera also told me that I should use kicking techniques and the like as a backup to take advantage of the fact that my skirt hid my feet.

Theo was apparently one year younger than me, at 6 years old, and he was tall for a 6-year-old, but like me, he was probably growing faster all because of his magical powers.

I lacked the skills to fight against people. It’s not surprising that I lacked them, since I’d only been training for about a month and a half, but when it came to exchanging techniques head-on, I’d been repeatedly beaten to the dirt by Theo, who had received formal training from his mother.

“It’s time to end the morning training. Now, I’ll get rid of the smell of sweat and dust, so come here, both of you.”

“…?”

I wondered. She began to chant something, and light magical particles began to gather in her hands.

“–[Clean]–“

As I received the light, the smell of sweat disappeared from my body, and the slight dust on my maid’s uniform was gone as well.

“This is…”

“This is Level 2 Light Magic, [Clean]. Originally, this magic is for purification of obstacles and the like, but it can also remove minute dirt and odors from the body in this way. It’s not possible to remove large dirt and stains, but… how did you like it?”

“I want to learn…”

“I would also love to teach you. We don’t have many people at work who can use it, so I expect a little more from you, with your light attribute.”

Level 2 of Light Magic is [Clean] and [Treatment].

I’d never seen it before, but [Clean] erased visible dirt and [Treatment] erased microscopic foreign substances in the body, and from my point of view, it was pretty effective magic.

However, Sera told me that both spells required the practitioner to understand the dirt, and that the obstacle must be understood to be an actual obstacle, and that the detoxification could not be done unless the practitioner knew what the poison was. It was said that only healers could use it because it was difficult to use.

There were medicinal herbs that could lightly detoxify the body, and it took specialized knowledge to master them, which may be why there were so few high-level Light Magic practitioners.

“And from now on, drink this every morning.”

At the end of the training, Sera handed me a potion in a ceramic bottle.

“…what’s this?”

“It’s Poison”

It’s a weak poison specially formulated to cause no pain, but it’s said to leave you with a 10% decrease in your strength value for a whole day.

I wondered why we had to use such a poison, but it seemed that by continuing to use it, there is a possibility of gaining [Pain Resistance].

…After all, this individual was very strict with her subordinates.

After the morning workout, it was breakfast, and I had to eat with Theo.

I heard that there used to be other child apprentices besides us, but they had quit. I didn’t know if that’s why they reacted that way, but I got many scowling looks from some maids.

But I didn’t mind that level of attention now. I would care if they were at least as murderous as hobgoblins… but when I turned to look at them, they all looked away for some reason.

“…Aria, you have a bad look in your eyes, you know?”

“I know.”

After breakfast, we parted, as Theo had an apprenticeship as a butler.

When we said goodbye, he said something with a red face again, but I wondered if it involved a job. 

In the morning, I followed Minna to collect sheets and helped with laundry. There were some things to keep in mind when cleaning and washing clothes, so I simply followed Minna’s example, as my knowledge helped a little.

It was not useful in combat, but I would finish what I had been taught slowly but carefully. It was the same as training in martial arts. The first thing was to learn carefully, and the speed and power would improve after that.

Lunch was almost the same as breakfast. Minna told me that the stew was made all at once in a large pot, and that they wouldn’t be able to make a different menu until it was finished, but that wasn’t enough to bother me, who had been eating snakes and rabbits for months now.

In the afternoon, I spent time with Sera, my direct supervisor, not Minna, and was given some security precautions inside the compound and around the mansion. I even met Castro once on the way there, but he just frowned at me and left without saying anything.

“Even that person reacts that way, I feel bad for you.” (Sera)

“Hmmm…”

I didn’t really care.

It’s evening, and I was eating again. I was reasonably hungry, as if my body was beginning to grow again with increased magical power.

In the evening, I stayed with Sera to learn her etiquette. She corrected my walking style, posture, and the angle of my bow. In my case, I seemed to be able to remember things to some extent because of my knowledge, but more than that, I was carefully drilled into the manners and language of the nobility. After hearing the “six bells” ringing every four hours, I was made to learn how to write in the dark and to memorize the names of the nobles and their territories in this northern region.

Night came, and I had my own personal work to do.

That was my grasp of [Dark Magic]. I had inadvertently learned [Dark Magic] instead of dark sorcery, but perhaps as a result, I could use the magic of [Shadow Noise], which I could not use before.

Shadow Noise’s… or rather, level 1 magic consumes around 10 Magic Power. When I tried to reproduce the same thing with Dark Magic, it consumed over 20 Magic Power.

Unlike magic, sorcery could be applied in various ways, but it was difficult to use. After all, there was a reason sorcery was abandoned in favor of magic.

In short, it was like eating stew at a food stall is cheaper than preparing a stew for one person with all the ingredients, as long as you didn’t mind the taste.

Still, there were recipes that are much cheaper and easier to make if you skipped the meat and spices, right? 

It was not necessary to have both strong power and effect. I didn’t even need to make something perfect for dark illusion magic.

What did that person mean by “Cheat”?

There was magic to fool the eyes and ears. What else was there besides sight and hearing? Smell? Taste? 

Touch?

I mutter, chewing off a bit of dried herb that had medicinal properties, both for drowsiness and to practice Pain Resistance.

I continued practicing Dark Magic at my temporary base in the forest until I reached the limit of light-headedness, preparing for the encounter with the [nobleman] that was gradually approaching.