Chapter 9 Part 1

Translator: Michiko

Before the joint exercise.

Renatus handed Mark, the second-rank student of the magic department, a handmade magic tool and potions for protection.

“Amulet and potions?”

“Yes. I was worried about you, Mark…”

“Renatus-sama…! I’m so happy. I’ll never take it off!”

He is adorable as he hangs the amulet around his neck and fidgets with it to convey his happiness.

He is wearing a full face mask, so the image of his face is a black circle. Since his face is not visible, he seems to express his emotions through his gestures and has a tendency to overreact.

“I know Mark’s portions are of high quality.”

“No! Other people’s portions are better!”

“I-Is that so…?”

Renatus turned his head. Is it something like, “Tea made by someone else tastes better”?

Mark is passionate about researching healing magic. That’s why he is also good at making potions.

However, Renatus’ potion has a slightly faster heating rate, perhaps due to the difference in the amount of magic power poured into it.

Since this small difference could mean the difference between life and death, Renatus made potions for him as well.

I was afraid that he would not like it, but I was relieved to see that he didn’t seem to.

“I’m worried about Renatus-sama. The first course is difficult.”

“Don’t worry. Bradley is strong.”

“Aren’t you afraid of Bradley-sama…?”

“Eh.”

I was surprised to hear Mark’s impression of Bradley.

“It’s just a rumor because it’s about the knight department, but it’s said that he gets into fist fights…”

Mark mumbles. He seems to be struggling to say it to me.

I see. If it is a rumor, it could be from when Bradley was bullied and fought back. It seems that the amount of information that comes through as a rumor makes him seem like a delinquent student.

“…Hehe. He’s not scary. He’s very kind. I liked him right away and we became friends.”

“Is that so? Rumors are so unreliable.”

Mark nods in understanding.

In the novel, Mark first appears at the joint exercise. When they first met, Mark was distant from Bradley, but there was no particular explanation as to why.

I interpreted that as being for the sake of the story. I thought it was “lowering expectations” so that they would gradually become friends and build up to Mark’s death, which would come later.

It never occurred to me that he was freaking out because he thought he was a delinquent.

(It’s interesting to see the parts that aren’t in the book.)

Renatus chuckled.

◇◇◇

Mad Bear fell with a thud.

Today was the first day of the joint exercise, and this was the fifth monster we had killed.

The number of monsters was still low because we were still in the shallow part of the forest. Even though we used luring incense to get the battle points, this is the best we can get.

“Awesome. Bradley’s knocking them all down, so there’s no room for me to fight.”

“This is just the first day. Renatus, save your magic.”

Looking sideways at Bradley, who coolly puts away his sword, Renatus picks shiitake mushrooms and stores them in his magic bag.

All I did today was gather ingredients. Today, I picked up a large shiitake mushroom and couldn’t help but look into the distance.

“Storing…”

“Securing food is also a great job.”

Bradley’s hand lands on the head of a crouching Renatus.

Even if he were told to conserve, Renatus’ magic wouldn’t be depleted by a small matter. He has a lot of magic, typical of a villain.

I have told Bradley that he also has a large amount of magic, but he may not fully understand it. He has no intention of letting Renatus use magic in the shallow part of the Demon Forest.

There are formulas for the utilization of mages in the conquest of the Demon Forest

In the shallow areas, conserve your magic thoroughly.

As you approach the depths, freely use buffs on allies and debuffs on monsters to aid in battle.

Then, when fighting powerful monsters in the depths, use offensive magic – that’s the gist.

(Although we use offensive magic thoughtlessly in the school’s magic exercises, the joint exercise is like a marathon.)

Offensive magic uses a large amount of magic. It is fatal for a mage to run out of magic in a joint exercise that takes about seven days of marching.

The academy also instructs the students to ‘take as much rest as possible’. This is because every year, there will be teams that are so desperate to score points that they end up needing to be rescued.

If you’re ‘rescued’, your battle points will be significantly reduced, so it’s never a good idea to overdo it.

“I think it’s time to make camp.”

“Yes. A bit back, but I found a place that looks good.”

“Okay, let’s go there then.”

TN: They are gonna be together for seven days but it’s a dangerous exam so I am worried.

Last time, I talked about conscription. Thank you for your support here and on my kofi. There was a coup in my country a few years back and now there is civil war throughout the country. Getting conscripted is pretty bad. I am a woman so my turn will come later. That’s why I am searching for jobs abroad. I am pretty hopeful even though there’s no actual result yet.

Have a nice day. Enjoy reading.