Episode 40: Potion

 

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We moved to the training grounds within the premises, led by Mr. Jean.

 

The training grounds were an open area with no trees, spacious enough to withstand even full-scale battles assuming actual combat scenarios.

 

Although a few knights were visible, they were not staring at us as they were on duty, but were occasionally glancing in our direction.

 

It might be rare to see the deputy commander himself fighting.

 

"Sorry for the trouble. Mr. Jean almost completely believes my story, but..."

 

"It'll be over soon, no problem."

 

I conveyed this to Mr. Grave, who looked slightly uneasy, and then faced Mr. Jean.

 

He wanted to check each person's strength individually, but probably the most mysterious one for Mr. Jean was me. If I showed my strength, it would expedite the matter.

 

I am a healer and am not expected to have much combat ability. On the contrary, if I demonstrate combat strength here, it would change how I am perceived.

 

Mr. Jean drew a high-quality silver sword, looking ready at any moment.

 

Hmm... a swordsman. I could use magic, but since my opponent is a swordsman, it would be easier to convey my ability if I also used a sword. I'll go with a sword today.

 

"Millia, can I borrow your sword for a bit?"

 

"Here you go."

 

"Thank you."

 

Since I didn't have a sword, I decided to borrow one from Millia again.

 

With the proceeds from selling the 'Red Dragon', I have plenty of money now, so I should probably get my own sword soon. Although, I might not use it often.

 

"Wha... weren't you a healer, Rain?"

 

Mr. Jean seemed surprised that I was holding a sword.

 

Well, it's no wonder.

 

In this world, where people usually have only one attribute and all classes before full attribute unlocking, it's not common for a healer to use a sword. Healers typically use attack magic because it has common points with healing magic.

 

"Well, yeah. I can use a sword too."

 

I answered concisely and took a stance with the sword.

 

"Alright then, here I come."

 

After announcing, Mr. Jean attacked.

 

He seemed to be around forty years old, but his quick movements showed no signs of physical decline. With minimal movement to avoid detection until the last moment, he closed the distance in an instant.

 

Hmm... as expected of the deputy commander of the kingdom's knights. I knew from the start he wasn't an ordinary person, but he's quite strong.

 

However, Mr. Jean seems to be holding back a lot. He's likely being careful not to accidentally kill me.

 

Good grief.

 

Well, whatever the reason, I just need to show my strength.

 

Clang!!

 

"Wha- what!? You parried my sword!?"

 

To me, his movements were far too slow.

 

Even though my swordsmanship skills can't compare to his, with his techniques looking almost frozen, I can calmly think and respond.

 

Alright, time to counterattack.

 

"Damn...! So fast...!"

 

Before parrying Mr. Jean's attack, I had already prepared my movements for a counterattack.

 

Since Mr. Jean didn't expect his attack to be parried, his response was delayed. This decided the outcome.

 

I quickly moved behind Mr. Jean, spun around while reducing momentum, and succeeded in pointing my sword at his neck when he turned around.

 

"Damn... I give up."

 

Mr. Jean acknowledged his defeat, sweating profusely, raising both hands.

 

Immediately, there was a stir among the knights who had been watching the 'sparring' between Mr. Jean and me.

 

"Mr. Jean lost...!?"

 

"Is that the rumored one...? No way."

 

"To move like that at that age... unreal."

 

Hmm, I feel somewhat misunderstood.

 

From my perspective, it wasn't a victory based on pure strength. Mr. Jean had a bit of a lapse, and that made the difference. I wasn't overwhelmingly stronger.

 

I just took advantage of a chance I had, without letting it slip away, which led to Mr. Jean's surrender.

 

If it were a serious duel, I can assure you the match wouldn't have ended so quickly, whether I won or not.

 

This is something Mr. Jean, having crossed swords, should naturally understand.

 

"Sorry. With this kind of approach—"

 

As I was about to apologize for causing him to look bad in front of his subordinates,

 

"I concede defeat."

 

Mr. Jean, having sheathed his sword, bowed his head to me.

 

"Uh, no... it was just a sparring session..."

 

"I honestly underestimated you, Shion. I thought there was no way a young healer, fresh out of the adventurer academy, could beat me. But, making excuses about being careless doesn't cut it."

 

"Well, that's not really—"

 

"If this were a battle with an enemy, I'd have lost my life. Besides, I've been training with the sword for twenty years. Letting my guard down or not, it's not acceptable to have my back taken by a healer."

 

Well, that's certainly true. Even so, it must be incredibly difficult to admit defeat so straightforwardly at this age and in this position after being humiliated.

 

"Actually, I asked for this sparring to verify your group's abilities, based on what I had heard. I'm sorry for doubting you. I didn't expect you to be this skilled."

 

"As long as you understand, that's all that matters. It'd help if you raised your head."

 

I knew from the start that we were being doubted, and there's no need to apologize.

 

More than that, the glances from the knights around us were getting uncomfortable.

 

When Mr. Jean finally raised his head, I returned the borrowed sword to Millia.

 

"Next, it's my turn, right?"

 

Since the sparring between Mr. Jean and I was over, the plan was for Millia or Lisha to have a sparring match next.

 

However—

 

"No, after sparring with Rain, I have a good understanding now. The fact that Rain trusts you is enough to vouch for your reliability. If you wish, you can join us for a rehearsal later, but for now, I’d like to focus on our specific strategy."

 

"Is that so..."

 

Millia seemed disappointed.

 

She was all fired up, so she seemed a bit let down.

 

If I had another sword, I could spar with Millia instead, but... well, planning the strategy is more important now.

 

"We're planning to raid when Jildo is present, using the dark slave information Rain's group provided as a pretext. The issue is the timing... how long do you think it will take to bring in the remaining executives aside from Raven and Lugas?"

 

"Yesterday, we managed to win over Brown. We should be able to get everyone on board today or tomorrow."

 

"What!? That quickly!? Impressive... not only strong but also efficient."

 

This success is thanks to Raven and the others, not just us... but, well, that's a minor detail.

 

"We'll need to hurry with the potion preparations..."

 

"Potions?"

 

Millia reacted to Mr. Jean's words.

 

She probably thought of healing potions when she heard 'potions'.

 

"It's for the Jildo countermeasure. Unlike healing potions, mass-producing status ailment recovery potions takes time. They require rare ingredients, and their production volume is low to begin with."

 

Lisha accurately explained.

 

"Clan master Jildo has a triple job: 'swordsman', 'mage', and 'enchanter'. All of them are top-notch and troublesome, but with a large number of people, we can handle his sword and magic. The problem is his enchantment. Poison, paralysis, bleeding... without enough status ailment recovery potions, it will be tough."

 

"I see... that's why they're necessary."

 

Indeed, this was the direct reason why the kingdom struggled in 'Sieg's' scenario and Lisha sacrificed herself. Even knowing the problem, countermeasures are difficult. Thus, the brute-force solution of preparing a large number of potions.

 

However, as Lisha said, with the low production volume, it's hard to mass-produce them in a short time. Well, normally—that is.

 

"Can we move as soon as the potions are ready?"

 

I asked Mr. Jean.

 

"Yes. We've already gathered enough information about Jildo's abilities, and we want to act before the situation changes. If we rush, we can be ready in about ten days..."

 

"I see. I can get them ready immediately."

 

"...What?"

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[Translator Note]
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