Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Trap (3)

“So... this is that paper, Gracie.”

“Yes! This time it’s a paper I can guarantee is truly a masterpiece!”

Three weeks since the Saintess and Paladin stayed at the Magic Tower.

Gracie took the draft of the paper organizing the facts she learned through observations so far and her own thoughts to the Magic Tower Lord Brooks Besilja.

The completion of a paper is not something done in a short time.

Even so, there are limits to doing it alone, and the topic Gracie was currently taking as her subject, an exception among exceptions, was even harder.

After finishing the walks and observations of the slime, Gracie, who concentrated on writing the paper without missing a day, brought the results of her efforts and requested advice from the Magic Tower Lord.

Because for Gracie, Brooks Besilja was in a position of supporting her, and additionally held the position of Magic Tower Lord.

If she carelessly sought advice from other old fogey natural mage professors, she could only be ridiculed and ignored.

In severe cases, there might be those trying to steal the credit of her paper.

But Brooks Besilja is the Magic Tower Lord.

The pinnacle of the Magic Tower and one with nowhere higher to climb.

Therefore, Gracie thought there was no way Brooks Besilja would steal her paper.

“Yes, let me take a look.”

Meanwhile, Brooks Besilja received Gracie’s paper without much expectation.

He thought at best the topic would be a paper on the magic tool applications he usually did.

If it’s just that level, it’s the level of barely scraping by to receive support funds, so Gracie, the descendant of Ventus Frail, would be anxious.

‘Kehehet, I’m looking forward to how stupid an expression she’ll make.’

Brooks Besilja was expecting that scene as one of the enjoyments, a twisted delight.

‘Hmm?’

But the topic written in the paper was completely different from what he thought.

[Consideration on Monsters’ Use of Magic Tools and the Possibility of a Peculiar Slime.]

“Gracie, this is...”

The words of monsters using magic tools were already absurd, but it was suddenly a topic like a research paper on a peculiar slime.

Since Gracie, who usually only concentrated on magic tools, suddenly put out a research paper that mages researching monsters would do, he couldn’t help but be puzzled.

“Magic Tower Lord, you may not believe it, but please read it first.”

“...I shall.”

Brooks first opened the paper and started reading.

‘What is this...’

The more Brooks read the paper, the more he couldn’t help but doubt his own eyes.

A paper written thinking there is a slime that uses magic tools, to the point where he suspected if her mind had gone weird from stress while writing the paper.

Originally, he would have thought that and put the paper down without reading further.

But the slime Gracie took as the paper topic was a slime Brooks had also seen directly.

The slime brought together by none other than the Saintess and Paladin.

Not assuming that if it were an imaginary slime this could happen, but content that a slime that actually exists really used magic tools.

It seemed like a lie, but it was hard to think of it as a lie.

To confirm that what was written in the paper was the truth, he just needed to go to where the Saintess and Paladin were and check.

There was no way she would write a paper with a lie that would be so easily exposed unless she was crazy.

‘Does that slime really can use magic tools? And that without magic stones for magic tools that need magic stones?’

Most of the paper’s content was speculation and consideration.

Originally in research papers, based on facts, it should first have certainty, but the topic of this paper was an unknown that had not been revealed so far and no one had seen.

Therefore, it was indicating that speculation and consideration had to be the majority.

The first half of the paper was mainly consideration on how the slime uses magic tools and by what principle it came to use them.

And the latter half was content on how peculiar this slime is and what special power it has, as the title says.

In other words, consideration on the slime’s possibilities.

Of course, to ease the boundaries as much as possible, it also wrote how friendly this slime is to people, and emphasized that none other than the ‘Saintess’ is accompanying it, indirectly saying that not interfering unnecessarily is good for one’s body.

‘A slime that uses tools with tentacles, can even communicate intentions, and even exercises on its own?’

Unbelievable content.

However, if true, it was content that could overturn the perception of slimes so far.

Could such a slime really have been born as a product of coincidence?

Originally, the fact that that coincidence happened in reality was the most important.

Just with that, this paper boasted tremendous value.

‘If this paper is recognized...’

It would surely be evaluated as a discovery of the ages, and the Frail family would be confirmed to receive support funds for a long period again.

‘No! That won’t do!’

Brooks Besilja, who betrayed Ventus Frail by disguising it as a magic accident, but the inferiority complex toward the Heavenly Law mage still remained.

His twisted heart wanted to see the Frail family, those who inherit the blood of the Heavenly Law mage, always barely scraping by and continuing an anxious life.

There is no logical or rational reason for that desire.

Even if there is no outstanding talent in the Frail family besides Ventus Frail.

‘That guy’s descendant must struggle and suffer! Within the range my eyes reach! Continuously! She must show me that ridiculous appearance!’

Brooks Besilja wanted that scene.

But at the same time he thought.

As a mage, he wanted to grasp the reality of whether this paper was truly the truth.

Having finished reading the paper, Brooks put the paper down and said.

“Gracie, first, you also know how absurd the content of this paper looks, right?”

“Yes. But it’s the truth.”

“Then there will be a need to confirm.”

‘As expected, I knew the Magic Tower Lord would be different!’

She thought that if it were another professor, they would scold her asking if she had gone crazy enough to write such nonsense.

However, the Magic Tower Lord who didn’t unconditionally deny and wanted to confirm the truth. Truly a true mage, respect welled up inside Gracie.

+++

The city of duels and gambling, Tartan.

After finishing the preliminaries, the main rounds finally started a few days later.

Godric, Hawein, Sgol, Dep all were able to pass the round of 32.

The four who had trained by facing Nellin usually had improved their skills that much and were able to poke at the opponent’s openings without much difficulty.

But from the round of 16, it wasn’t so easy.

In the round of 16, Sgol was eliminated.

The opponent was precisely the girl called Snow Flower Fist.

Sgol tried to find openings, but faster than that, the Snow Flower Fist’s attacks fiercely pressured Sgol.

“Ack! Aaaack!”

Sgol prided himself as the fastest among Godric’s party.

And he could follow the Snow Flower Fist’s attacks with his eyes.

Because he had been hit by Nellin’s wooden sword, which was even faster, several times.

But seeing with the eyes and dodging it were different stories.

“I surrender! Ack! I surrender!”

Having experienced fights with the strong several times, Sgol, who judged that it wasn’t possible with his skill, declared surrender first.

Dep and Hawein were also eliminated in the round of 8.

Dep fought a contestant of the same large build as himself.

Kaaang!

Kaang!

“Iyaaat!”

“The strength is good and you know well when to dig in. But... still far!”

Dep fought hard and excited the audience.

But the opponent was a vanguard famous as a B-rank adventurer.

No matter how much he was trained by Nellin, he couldn’t win against an opponent who had the experience of overcoming dangerous requests.

And Hawein’s opponent was the girl of Snow Flower Fist who beat Sgol.

Slower than Sgol, but confident in finding the opponent’s openings, Hawein entered the fight with the heart of feeding her one hit even if he couldn’t win.

‘Huhu, I’ll show my eye for things.’

“Sgol... I’ll avenge you.”

“I, I’m not dead though!”

But.

Puk! Puk! Pupupuk!

“Ack! Aaaack! Ack!”

Even if he could find openings, Hawein’s swung sword couldn’t dig into those openings and land attacks.

Godric, who went the highest, won up to the round of 8 but unfortunately lost in the semifinals.

“Keuk!”

In the end, Godric’s party where no one won.

But for Godric’s party, who passed the free-for-all of the preliminaries on their first appearance and had the skill for all party members to advance to the round of 16, the audience’s interest was gathering.

“Those four who came out together are pretty good.”

“I thought they luckily came to the main rounds, but they have skill.”

“From the round of 16 the opponents were bad.”

“Those guys are definitely a party, right? Does anyone know what party?”

“Don’t know, at least they’re not guys from around here.”

‘Good good, it went well.’

Hearing the people’s whispering from the stands, Nellin was convinced she had achieved her goal.

‘Now I just need to start distributing flyers in earnest. Of course, before that...’

“Today drink! Drink! You worked hard! Especially Godric! Congratulations on going to the semifinals!”

“Thank you, Marin noona.”

“Congratulations, hyung!”

“Thanks, Dep.”

“Huhu, I knew hyung would do it.”

“Yeah?”

“You said hyung would drop in the round of 8.”

“Huhu. Sgol, don’t say unnecessary things!”

“I knew it.”

In a harmonious atmosphere, Godric’s party and Nellin started the meal while toasting.

While eating, Godric’s party brought up talk about the winner of the Black Dragon Festival.

“But in the end that kid called Snow Flower Fist won.”

“Huhu, since she beat me, of course she should win.”

“Yes, during the preliminaries I blocked that kid’s fist with the axe. The power was amazing.”

“That guy’s name was definitely...”

When Godric was trying to recall.

“Claire.”

A dry girl’s voice announced the name of Snow Flower Fist.

“Yeah, right. Claire...What?!”

Godric was surprised and looked to the side.

There stood precisely this Black Dragon Festival’s champion.

Snow Flower Fist.

A beastman girl with wolf ears and tail, white silver hair and yellow eyes.

“Hmm!?”

“Huh!?”

“Huh?”

“Huh? What. Why are you here?”

While Godric’s party was surprised, Nellin calmly looked at the girl while tearing meat.

At Nellin’s question, the girl answered.

“I looked for you.”

“Us? Why?”

“Because the eyes were good.”

“Eyes were good?”

“Huhu, my eye shape is charming after all.”

“Don’t say nonsense at times like this, Hawein.”

“Even during the preliminaries, and when we fought directly. The body was slow. Still, the eyes were following me. Proof that you’ve seen many attacks faster than me.”

“Oh.”

‘She was a kid whose head turns a bit?’

At the girl’s words of grasping the opponent’s gaze and even analyzing, Nellin was impressed.

The girl’s gaze turned toward Nellin.

“Is it you? The strong person.”

“Well, I did train these kids.”

“How strong?”

“How strong? Well, what...”

Smirking, Nellin pointed the meat she was holding toward the girl and said.

“Much stronger than you.”

“...Really?”

Fighting spirit along with the menacing killing intent she always held in her body settled in the girl’s eyes.

‘Tsk. She can’t even properly contain the killing intent.’

“Then let’s compete.”

“No. Why would I?”

Bringing back the meat she pointed and tearing it to eat, Nellin said.

“What benefit is there for me~ Don’t touch me while I’m eating and go go.”

Nellin waved her hand swish swish trying to send the girl away.

And the girl.

“...If you beat me, I’ll give you all the prize money.”

Bet money.

“Shall we do it after we eat? Come come, sit next to me.”

The effect was amazing!