Bonus chapter thanks to @Tracy Hughes and @Sage, the ascended outer from Ko-fi!
Rumors about Frondier had now reached almost every student.
This was partly due to the ripple effect of the rumors themselves, but there was definitely someone driving them.
Frondier did not respond to any of the rumors surrounding him.
His languid face and taciturn mouth remained the same, and he continued to summon and work Pielott relentlessly.
Of course, this only added fuel to the fire, but Frondier himself didn’t seem to care.
Because Frondier didn’t respond, those around him remained silent as well.
Therefore, the students wanted to know the truth behind the rumors.
If it were just him, the students would have quickly believed the rumors and insulted Frondier, but because those around him treated him as usual, the other students were confused.
─We need to know Frondier’s true strength.
The students’ thoughts converged on one point. And in fact, this thought was already a major concern for students who knew Frondier before the rumors spread.
Ultimately, whether they believed the rumors or not, the common thought was curiosity about Frondier’s power.
As if responding to the students’ hearts, a suitable event arrived at Constel.
“A joint mission, huh.”
Frondier muttered, looking at the schedule on the classroom bulletin board.
“One person from each grade, three people forming a team to carry out a simple mission. We did it last year too, right?”
Elodie said.
In last year’s joint mission, Frondier had worked with Edwin and Quinie. He was now a sophomore, and Quinie had graduated. He would have to meet new freshmen and juniors to carry out the mission.
“What do you think, Frondier? I think it’s a good opportunity to silence the rumors in Constel.”
“It’s not a problem that can be solved by simply showing off skills.”
Frondier said.
The main point of contention in the rumors was whether or not Frondier had taken Mana injections.
Of course, Frondier didn’t show any of the symptoms typical of someone who had taken the injections, but the rumors included the explanation that he had repeatedly taken them and developed a resistance.
The considerable growth in his Mana capacity was also attributed to this.
“If I just keep working hard like this, it will only add fuel to the rumors. The interpretation will be that I’m only strong because I took Mana injections.”
“Then what do we do? If we keep ignoring it, the rumors will become uncontrollable. You know that too, right? This isn’t something that will just go away if we ignore it.”
Frondier nodded at Elodie’s words.
The main purpose of these rumors was ultimately the Mana injections.
Whoever was obtaining and offering them, the more Frondier’s rumors spread, the more people would become interested in the injections.
‘The case has already been reported to the police, and I heard Aten informed the Imperial Palace. I also heard that Azier participated in a pro mission.’
Frondier already knew the gist of the outside information.
Even if he left it alone, the Imperial Palace, the pros, and Constel would cooperate and quickly catch the ringleader and bring them down.
Frondier’s role was to prevent students from recklessly taking the injections until then. Because it was still unknown whether or not treatment was possible after taking the injections.
“There’s only one way.”
Frondier’s sigh deepened.
Elodie tilted her head. She couldn’t think of a good solution, was there really a way?
“What is it?”
“I have to complete the mission without using Mana.”
“……?!”
Elodie’s mouth fell open at those words.
What did he just say? Not using Mana in the joint mission?
“You, you know what that means, right?”
“And if possible, I need to finish it as quickly as possible. I need to appeal to the students, after all.”
Frondier then said something even more absurd. Elodie repeatedly opened her mouth to say something but stopped.
Completing the mission without using Mana and quickly enough to appeal to the students. There was no need to explain how difficult that was.
Moreover, this year’s sophomore class was packed with Constel’s promising students, including Elodie.
In their freshman year, they were all learning, so they held back somewhat, but as sophomores, they were in a position to lead and guide the freshmen.
Surpassing them and completing the mission quickly without Mana was virtually impossible.
…But if it were Frondier.
When that thought crossed her mind, a smile formed on Elodie’s lips. A challenging smile.
“I won’t go easy on you.”
Frondier smiled at Elodie’s words.
“I’d be disappointed if you did.”
He had decided what to do, and now it was time to take the steps to achieve it.
First, Mana. The restriction of not using Mana was important, but to appeal to the students, he had to hide his Mana even more than simply not using it.
Frondier didn’t originally have a lot of Mana, and the Helheim Mana he had received this time was controlled like his own limbs and was relatively well-contained, but this alone wasn’t enough.
Most mages had already figured out how much Mana Frondier had.
‘I need to hide it better.’
And if there was someone who could do that…
‘I hope he believes me honestly.’
Thinking of that person, Frondier couldn’t help but smile wryly.