At the end of the day, Hulim Heyerar hadn’t come to Manacos to make friends. This kind of ostracism might be unbearable for others, but for her, it was actually a relief.
It saved her from countless pointless social interactions, allowing her to focus more on studying and mastering magic.
She also didn’t need to worry too much about them doing something outrageous. The academy wouldn’t interfere much in students’ personal matters, but if anyone used power beyond that scope to threaten students’ safety, Manacos wouldn’t stand idly by.
Though Manacos Magic Academy was located in Langard, it had never been under imperial control—nor did the empire have the ability to control it. The two had always maintained a state of equal dialogue.
Under normal circumstances, Manacos wouldn’t interfere in imperial internal affairs. For example, during the uprising three hundred years ago, since it originated within the empire, Manacos remained a bystander and didn’t intervene. Meanwhile, the rebels weren’t foolish enough to provoke the academy.
By the same token, Manacos didn’t meddle in the empire, and the empire didn’t meddle in Manacos. If any noble was foolish enough to act against the academy, Manacos would make them understand what it meant to be equal to the empire......
Hulim Heyerar was merely caught in the crossfire, and the impact on her was minimal. Even many of her fellow Special Class students didn’t notice she was being ostracized. The person whose situation changed the most was someone else entirely.
The Ninth Princess of the Parasa Empire—Alicia Serions.
After all, this was all targeting her.
When she first enrolled, many people didn’t know the ins and outs of the imperial upper-class power struggles, so they treated the Ninth Princess with respect.
Now, however, after the opposing faction made its move, more and more people learned—or were forced to learn—the stakes. In the end, they chose to keep their distance from the Ninth Princess.
After all, she was of noble status; it was better not to approach her casually to avoid being disrespectful. In short, the noble boys and girls who had flattered Alicia on the first day awkwardly made excuses like this.
The result?
Alicia Serions was ostracized.
......
......
"Hulim, are you going out?"
Inside the dormitory, Miko asked.
"Yeah, I have something to take care of outside the academy."
Hulim had a backpack slung over her shoulder, her sword strapped to her back, and her wand in her hand—clearly ready to leave.
Even though Hulim was being ostracized, Miko wasn’t part of it. After all, the imperial nobles would struggle to influence a beastfolk from a nation equal in status to the empire through underhanded means.
After telling Miko she might be back late that night, Hulim left the dormitory and headed outside the academy.
......
The Lower District.
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"......I picked up the money my father deposited yesterday. Let me calculate—this should be enough to repay the elf shopkeeper and repair the Mithril Sword."
When she took down the underground organization, Hulim had tried to find a place where they kept money to compensate for the loss of the Dragon’s Sleep Incense.
Unfortunately, these underground organizations had strict rules for managing money. They never kept large sums in strongholds where many members came and went—after all, none of the underground organization’s members had clean hands......
And perhaps this habit extended to every individual. The members only carried the necessary amount of money on them, storing any excess in places only they knew.
As a result, even though Hulim had searched the scene after cleaning up, the amount of money she found was disappointing.
Of course, the weapons and props these people used were also valuable, but Hulim had no intention of touching them.
Items used in the underground world could be identified. If she tried to sell them for money, she would immediately expose herself......
While the spoils of that battle were disappointing, combined with her own savings, she could finally repay the elf shopkeeper. However, the Mithril Sword had been badly damaged during the fight, and repairs would definitely cost a lot.
......
After some time, Hulim arrived at the inconspicuous magic shop again.
"Jingle~!"
She pushed the door open.
"You’re here. Did you gather the money?"
The same elusive voice as before echoed in her ears.
But Hulim was prepared this time. She looked calmly to her right.
"Yes. I picked up the money my father deposited in Langard yesterday."
"Oh, I see——"
The elf said, then walked into the shop’s inner area.
"Come inside and sit. We can talk about repaying the money later. More importantly, I want to hear—what did you do at the docks that day?"
"......"
So she had figured it out. After all, if she knew about Dragon’s Sleep Incense, she would certainly recognize its poisoning symptoms. The authorities hadn’t concealed the fact that the rescued illegal slaves had slept for a full day and night.
When they couldn’t wake them up, they’d thought they were all dead and even summoned many famous potioners from the city.
As a potioner, it wasn’t surprising that the elf shopkeeper knew about this. And it was only natural that she’d immediately guessed Hulim was involved based on the symptoms.
So...... what should she do now?
Tell her the truth——
Wouldn’t that expose the fact that she had Omni-Attribute magic?
But if she brushed her off...... could she get away with it?
The elf held all the cards. If she realized Hulim was lying, what if she threatened her?
"You seem to be thinking something rude?"
"No matter what you’re imagining, I can tell you now—I won’t do that. So you can rest easy."
"......"
"How do I know what you’re thinking? Your expression hasn’t changed, but your eyes give you away. You still have a lot to learn, little one~!"
"......I see. Thank you for the advice."
"You’re welcome~!"
The elf smiled, then pulled out a teapot from nowhere.
"Flower tea. My secret recipe. Would you like some?"
"Thank you. Can I have it with sugar?"
Hulim sat down on the chair in front of the counter.
The elf shopkeeper clearly hadn’t expected that response. She froze for a moment, then smiled even wider.
"You’re quite straightforward. But don’t worry—it has nectar, so it’s already sweet."
She placed a teacup in front of Hulim and poured her a cup.
Hulim picked up the cup, took a sip, and immediately widened her eyes.
Across from her, the elf shopkeeper watched her with a grin, seemingly waiting for her reaction.
"Well~? Is it good?"
"......"
Hulim set down the cup.
"It’s not a matter of being good or bad...... I don’t know how to describe it. It just feels incredible...... What kind of tea is this?"
Somehow, after drinking the flower tea, Hulim felt her mind clear up significantly. Even the magic within her body became more active, and her total magic capacity even increased slightly.
It was unbelievable. She’d never heard of any tea with such effects!
"——Right? Isn’t it amazing~!"
The elf shopkeeper was pleased with Hulim’s reaction.
"The secret to this flower tea is that it’s infused with Nectar of the World Tree~!"
"..............................................."
