Chapter 11

The protagonist, suffering from a hangover, was troubled by the situation. This time, it's all explanatory text.

Maybe the mask is starting to slip a bit...

Holding her throbbing head, Kena ate breakfast quietly when a fellow guest at the inn gave her some hangover medicine.

No matter how skilled Kena was, she still got drunk when she drank.

It was because the "Constant Skill: Poison Resistance" couldn't completely prevent it. This was also the result of a strong backlash from the majority of players in the Ria Dale game.

In Ria Dale, player killers could only operate during war periods, and even then, the experience points gained were minimal, which made low-level players desperate.

As a result, they would band together to target those who had broken the limits.

Skills that initially made abnormal statuses ineffective became abnormal status resistances, and eventually, they were categorized into final classifications such as "Poison Resistance," "Paralysis Resistance," and "Silence Resistance."

While some of the higher-ups thought it was unnecessary to go that far, it was welcomed by the majority of low-level players. For someone like Kena, who focused on magic, she had been defeated several times when outnumbered in strategic battles. She thought, "There's no such thing as perfect," but for a while, when limit breakers, skill masters, and high-level players concentrated in one country, the official site was quite chaotic.

Such a history and the current situation are probably why alcohol affects Kena.

In the virtual world, whether poison worked or not depended on probability and programming, but now that Kena is in a physical form, mental preconceptions like "alcohol is for those over twenty" or "underage" have reduced the effectiveness of "Poison Resistance."

Moreover, according to Malel, "Getting a hangover is part of enjoying alcohol," and she was forbidden from using "Poison Purification," so Kena had to accept her hangover honestly. The reason she followed the advice so readily was that Malel held a motherly position in Kena's heart in this world.

(Hmm, why did I come here again? Even if I say I'm looking for a tower, will saying "Guardian's Tower" make sense?)

Early in the morning, she went to the market to buy Kirina grass and a Coltbird's heart, ate breakfast at the inn, and then headed to the guild.

On the way, she wished people would stop calling her "the girl who walks on water."

(Am I a water strider or something?)

Since it was a magic that couldn't be denied, there was nothing she could do about it.

The more people there were, the faster rumors spread. Often, they became distorted through the grapevine, but...

(Maybe people who travel outside the city, like Aeline and her caravan, know more about the frontier? I'll go to the carriage stop and ask them first.)

Just before reaching the guild, she changed direction and headed to the carriage stop.

Aeline's caravan was still there, and after exchanging greetings with the familiar faces, Aeline came out immediately and said,

"I heard, Kena-sama, that you split a river?"

"Who spread that rumor!?"

"Just kidding."

Realizing she was being teased, Kena slumped to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she crawled closer.

"Aaah, Aeline-san~"

"I understand, I understand, please cheer up."

"Sniff..."

Thinking that her benefactor was seen as such a forceful person made her want to cry. Wiping away her tears, she faced Aeline again.

"So, what's the matter? It doesn't seem like you're here to be hired as a bodyguard..."

Without mentioning the skill master, she used the example of the "Silver Tower" near the frontier village (she realized she hadn't asked for the village's name) and asked if there was any information about similar structures.

"I see. So, Kena-sama, your goal is to find it?"

"Maybe, it's my ultimate goal. I don't have anything else that feels right now."

"That's true. In the northern Helshper Kingdom, there's a beautiful castle on a lake that no one can enter, but there's nothing else special."

"The northern kingdom, huh..."

The northern kingdom used to be the purple kingdom of Helbeer to the northeast of the white kingdom, and the black kingdom of Riplas to the west. Every month, the three countries would clash in a fierce battle.

Especially in the black kingdom, where Kena and her mischievous friends belonged, the clashes between skill masters using powerful magic and combat skills often resulted in significant collateral damage. Although the game world's land wasn't affected, if the same thing happened now, this capital would turn into a crater in an instant. There were no limit breakers or skill masters with such personality disorders (there were plenty of odd characters, though).

Thinking about this, she realized how difficult it was to use her power. If she used it without thinking, people would die easily.

"Kena-sama?"

"Ah, yes, ... sorry."

"Is it something from the past? If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to hear about the world you came from."

"Ah, well, it was a world of constant war and violence."

After securing a promise to inform her if any relevant information was found, Kena parted ways with Aeline. This time, it was a free service, but she was told that the next time she needed information, there would be a fee. Considering that the topic of fees wasn't brought up at the beginning, it seemed she was being given some leeway.

Heading to the adventurer's guild, her original destination, she was called to the counter just as she was about to go to the request board.

"Ah, Kena-san, could you come here for a moment?"

"Yes?"

Approaching the counter, she was handed a piece of paper with a gold border, a smaller version of a certificate. Since it was in the local language, she found it troublesome to decipher and asked straightforwardly.

"What is this?"

"It's a named request, or rather, a summons from the academy. They want to talk to you about the potion incident the other day."

"The academy, the one in the central island?"

"Yes, the royal academy. There's no deadline, but they said to come when you have time."

Since it was an academy, there was a chance to meet Mai Mai, and Kena, who had only attended elementary school, was looking forward to a different school in a different world.

When she crossed to the central island, people at the dock asked her, "Aren't you walking across today?" but she pretended not to hear and took a shared sailboat. It was a bit of a shock to realize she had become a local celebrity at the dock.

Showing the summons to the gatekeeper at the academy, he spoke into a crystal ball and opened the gate for her. He said someone would come to guide her, so she waited for a few minutes. Then, a familiar figure came running from the school building.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I was summoned... Kena-san!?"

"Hey, Ronti. It's been a day, hasn't it? You're a student here?"

Unlike the previous day, Ronti, without her staff and wearing a green robe, caught her breath and bowed.

"Thank you for yesterday. The knights were surprised by how fast you were."

"Den can't help it. If I find you in the city again, can I capture you without asking?"

"Ah, yes, please do. But what's the summons about?"

"Hmm, I came to find out. Can you show me around first?"

"Yes, I was told to take you to the principal's office, this way."

Ronti led her into the school building, explaining along the way. She was in the Practical Magic Department and registered with the adventurer's guild as part of her coursework. There were also the Sacred Department, which studied healing and purification magic, and the Alchemy Department, which made potions. Anyone with magical aptitude could enroll, and the minimum cost was covered by the state.

"Mixing? Not combining?"

"What? When making potions, grinding and mixing is the mainstream. Is it different in the High Elf race?"

"...Ah, I see. Skills used by players haven't been passed down to NPCs in this world."

"...Huh?"

While it was hard to be certain without seeing it in action, she suspected that the skills used by players in the past were lost in this world. If that was the case, Ronti's surprise at seeing her use "Levitation" yesterday made sense.

"Kena-san, this is the principal's office."

Before she could think about it, she was standing in front of a grand door different from the others. After knocking and hearing "Come in" from a woman's voice, Ronti opened the door and went in. Kena followed and met the eyes of a red-robed elf woman sitting behind a large desk with a big window behind it.

Before she could identify the woman, she was enveloped in a soft embrace.

"...Ah, Mai Mai...?"

"Aaah, it's been so long, Mother!"

"Wh-What!?"

The sweet voice from above and Ronti's shock from the side were overwhelming.

(Why am I so small? She's tall, soft, and has a slim waist.)

The drawbacks of character creation were inevitable. Pinching Mai Mai's cheek, which was within reach, she pulled away.

"Ugh, Mother, that's mean. It's been two hundred years since we last met!"

"Principal, what are you doing in front of people...? Ronti, are you okay?"

"......Huh."

Waving her hand in front of Ronti, whose eyes were unfocused, she brought her back to her senses. Fortunately, her soul hadn't left, and she quickly recovered. However, she immediately approached.

"Ah, that, that, is Kena-san the principal's mother!?"

"Yes, that's right. I'm over two hundred years old, you know." (Big lie)

"Yay, Mother~"

The principal (with dog ears and a tail) clung to Kena, displaying a big child-like demeanor, leaving Ronti speechless.

Feeling that she had been too harsh, Kena created a small lightning bolt in her hand. Mai Mai, who quickly backed away, straightened up, cleared her throat, and addressed Ronti.

"Sorry, Albarest. You can return to class now."

"A, ah... Yes, I'll, I'll be going..."

Ronti, who seemed to be caught between reality and fantasy, bowed and left the principal's office. Mai Mai, about to cling to her mother's back again, froze when she noticed the dark aura (Intimidation and Glare) emanating from her mother.

"Hey, Mai Mai?"

"Y-Yes! What is it, Mother...?"

"Why was I summoned here? Was it just to hug me?"

"N-No! I have a serious matter to discuss!"

"I'm not saying you can't be affectionate, but do it in private. You have a responsible position, don't you?"

"Ugh, yes, I understand."

She tried to give her a motherly lecture, but it didn't feel right.

Mai Mai's image of a real mother had become quite vague. Feeling sorry for her dejected look, Kena let her off.

"Hey, Mai Mai?"

"Y-Yes, Mother?"

"Do you know of any other Guardian's Towers?"

"Guardian's Towers? Like the Silver Tower you own?"

"Yes, exactly. There are twelve of them in the world."

After thinking for a moment, Mai Mai shook her head and said she had never heard of them.

"I see. Thank you."

Even Mai Mai, who knew the era when many players existed, didn't know about them.

Back then, sub-characters weren't just used as storage; they could be given certain behavior patterns to follow, like ducklings, and gain some combat experience. They could be used like party members in a console RPG, and she remembered leveling them up to three hundred.

During the leveling process, she recalled visiting someone's tower and using summoning magic to call monsters to gain experience. However, Mai Mai didn't remember this, which made her wonder. Without any information or proof, she decided to delete it from her mind.

The only thing left to do was to check with Skullgo and Cartatsu.

While thinking about this, Kena was led to a classroom where a lesson was in progress.

Without hesitation, her daughter opened the door and said, "I brought her," and entered.

Inside, several wide tables were lined up, and a strong herbal scent filled the air. About twenty students were grinding and mixing materials. They glanced at the sudden arrival of Mai Mai but didn't stop their work.

The person her daughter called out to was a male teacher standing at the lectern, dressed in a rather disheveled manner. He told the students to continue their work and then, with Mai Mai, came out to the corridor where Kena was waiting.

"Wow, I didn't expect the one who came to be such a girl, really?"

"By the way, why does everyone call me 'girl' as soon as they see me?"

The scruffy man, with messy hair and a beard, called her a "girl," which made Kena a bit irritated. Sensing this from her expression, Mai Mai scolded him.

"Hey, Rops, don't say things like that. She's my mother."

"W-What?"

The male teacher, Rops, was speechless at the sudden revelation.

"And this is Rops Harvey, a professor in the Alchemy Department and my husband."

"......Huh?"

Kena almost wanted to create a special effect of an ice field but held back.

Mai Mai, who had let it slip, giggled and sprinkled hearts and musical notes, while her mother and husband exchanged exasperated looks.

"Sorry, my parenting wasn't thorough. You must be having a hard time with her, right?"

"No... Her carefree attitude has saved me at times, so I can't say one way or the other."

They exchanged glances and smiled wryly.

"You're a good person. I'll leave that girl in your hands, Rops."

"Not 'girl'... Kena-sama is fine. I can't call you mother-in-law, it's too embarrassing."

"Hey, why are you two shaking hands and looking at me with warm eyes!?"

Unaware that her actions had brought her husband and mother closer, Mai Mai ground her teeth in frustration.

"So, what is this...?"

Ignoring the principal, who was crying and making a river of tears in the corridor, they got to the main topic. Rops handed the red liquid bottle to Kena.

"I gave it to you because it was a potion request, but is this bad?"

"If this were to circulate, it would颠覆现有的炼金术体系。请不要公开。”

她确信，这与当今世界的制作方法不同。从刚才的课堂情况来看，她所掌握的技能并不需要如此繁琐的步骤。

“……迈迈”

“是！有什么事吗，母亲？”

被叫到名字后，迈迈立刻露出笑容，像巴甫洛夫的狗一样跑了过来，但凯娜感到无奈，还是提出了疑问。

“你学过‘制作药剂I’之类的技能吗？”

“啊？没有，我没有学过。”

“哦？那这个可能是卡塔茨的吗？”

“嗯？我不知道。卡塔茨制作的东西我从没见过。”

凯娜认为可能是误会，但罗普斯似乎对母女的对话很感兴趣，插话道：

“凯娜大人，既然如此，您能展示一下制作方法吗？”

“什么？”

不等她回答，罗普斯已经回到教室，打开门，催促凯娜：“来吧。”她回头看向女儿，罗普斯则不容分说地将她推进教室。

“罗普斯说可以的。”

学生们对这对公认的酒鬼情侣已经见怪，但看到一个和他们年龄相仿的女性一起行动，还是露出了怀疑的神情。桌子上除了炼金器具，还有装着茶色液体的小瓶，数量与学生人数相同。看来课程的主要部分已经结束，罗普斯告诉学生们将成品稍后提交，然后请凯娜到讲台前。

“接下来，我要你们好好看看这位女士的示范。”

（等一下，罗普斯先生！你刚才不是说这东西不能公开吗？）

凯娜内心的吐槽当然没人听见。罗普斯无视她责备的目光，将课堂上使用的材料摆到讲台上。他首先向学生们介绍了这位女士。

“这位是魔导士凯娜大人，那边的校长的母亲。”

突如其来的真相让在场的所有人都石化了，片刻后，学生们和伦蒂一样发出惊呼：“什么！？”罗普斯挥挥手让他们安静，然后说：

“请开始吧。”

“等一下，这些材料我的配方里没有……这是什么？”

“卡朱的根和基里纳草的球茎，不够吗？”

凯娜看到桌上的材料和炼金器具，意识到制作方法根本不同，看着困惑的学生们，她决定放手一搏。从物品箱中取出三株基里纳草