TTND 23

Chapter 23

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“Urgh!?”

Just as she finished the extraction work and was moving the harvested herbs…

Idnia dropped her wand and clutched her arm.

Some of the herbs floating midair, being drawn into the vials, spilled to the ground.

“Ah—what a waste! Wait, no—are you alright? Student? I’m sure you’re… um…”

Nialy, who had been directing her magical sight toward the brooch acting as a student ID, flinched in surprise.

“Lady Betelgeuse?”

“Ah, yes. I-I’m fine. Just… tired.”

Idnia replied, looking down at her own hand.

For a brief moment, she saw an illusion—her hand growing larger.

I nearly lost control suppressing the Overlord’s Phase…
I must’ve kept it sealed too long.
Come to think of it, I’ve never suppressed it this long before.

In Betelgeuse’s capital, Orion, there had never been a need to suppress her Overlord Phase. Even when she walked around in her transformed state, the people of the territory welcomed and adored her.

Suppressing it alone wasn’t a problem before,
but using magic while it’s suppressed… this feels off.

She steadied her breathing and examined her hand again.

There had been a brief flare-up of the Overlord Phase, but it soon quieted down. Probably because she had used magic while forcibly keeping it under wraps…

Nialy approached and checked Idnia’s body.

“Hmm, that’s strange. I can’t detect a mana pulse… but your mana itself is surging. Ah, this must be what Baroness Byulem was referring to.”

There had been hints that Idnia might possess a pulse-type mana channeling system. Nialy had heard that before but had brushed it off.

“Hm… Lady Betelgeuse—”

“Please, just call me Idnia.”

“Alright, then. Idnia, may I take a look at your eyes, if you don’t mind?”

“My… eyes?”

“Yes.”

When Idnia nodded, Nialy activated a light spell and closely examined her eyes.

Like a physician checking pupil reflexes, she observed the dilation, the veins, and general condition of Idnia’s eyes.

“Hmm, pupil reflex is normal. Doesn’t seem to be any side effects from pulse-type mana flow… Health-wise, you appear fine.”

“I-Is that so?”

“If you feel anything strange later, don’t hesitate to head to the infirmary. Though… the one in charge there is a bit odd.”

You’re plenty odd yourself.

Every student thought that, though no one dared to say it aloud.

“Oh, by the way, that wraps up today’s lesson. We’ve used up all the willow bark. Hehe. I’ll have to bring a lot more next time!”

Cheerfully, Nialy began scooping the spilled herbs back into the vials.

“Alright, class dismissed!

And don’t misunderstand—I’m not making you extract herbs just to exploit you for money. It’s a training method that forces you to expend mana, which will help you develop as mages. Truly!

Hohoho~ now off you go!”

She floated the vials away with magic, visibly delighted. But then, remembering her duty as an academy instructor, she approached Idnia again with a light cough.

“Ahem. Idnia.

You seem fine now, but if anything feels off, please head to the infirmary. Got it?

I know the one in charge there is a bit eccentric, but… they’ll take care of you.”

“Ah, yes. I-I’m fine. I think it’s just my aura acting up a bit.”

“Well, if that’s the case, then fine. But still—I’m officially recommending you go to the infirmary.”

“…Pardon?”

“Just don’t forget I advised you, even if something happens later. That way, I’ll have fulfilled my duties as an instructor. Hohoho~”

With a laugh, Nialy happily collected her vials and left.

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“What kind of instructor even is she?”

“I swear I’m gonna die. I can’t even stand up.”

“Damn it! Where’s my sexy bromide as compensation!?”

Students suffering from mana burnout staggered and stumbled as they began exiting the classroom.

As Gibs had warned, the afternoon class was brutal.

“Alright, break time! Students,
The baths are open—go wash up! The library is currently closed!
Check the bulletin boards at your dorm entrances for the semester schedule and extra class options!”

Gibs’ voice rang through the hallway.

In short, this was free time before dinner: a chance to wash up, recover, and look into potential electives…

…but most students were too wiped out by mana burnout to even move.

“Ugh… oof…”

“Urrrrgh…”

“This pain… Is it muscle ache? No—it’s more like nerve pain. All tingly and sharp…”

“It itches. It hurts but it also itches.”

“Oh God, don’t say that! Now I feel itchy too!”

“This is worse than just pain! It’s maddening! I can’t even relax!”

It was like a horde of zombies.

Everyone was dragging their bodies around, unable to stand straight.

Some scratched at their skin, only to grow more frustrated. The itch wasn’t on the surface but deep beneath—no matter how hard they scratched, it didn’t relieve anything.

Mana burnout was wreaking havoc on their nerves.

“Urgh… still, gotta move… it’s free time…”

“But do what? There’s no food, no games…”

“There are other students. Time to flirt. I mean, this academy is my only shot at meeting a rich girl—I’m broke, and this is my chance.”

“…With your face, you’d be lucky if someone married you out of pity. If you’re asking for dowry on top of that, it’s practically a crime.
Unless you plan to kidnap her entire family and demand ransom at sea, who’d pay to marry you?”

“I’m an academy student! I’ve got an education.”

“Yeah, so will any girl you meet here. You might be educated, but you’re still delusional.”

“……”

Despite such brutally honest exchanges, once free time started, the students began to crawl around, enduring the agony of burnout.

On the other hand, Isolde Folchen had already recovered.

Her own burnout had been caused by a momentary lapse in concentration, and she still had plenty of mana reserves.

But the shock of being defeated by someone she never expected to lose to—in her best subject, no less—lingered painfully.

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Meanwhile, the very person who had unintentionally sparked Isolde’s first-ever taste of inferiority—Idnia—wasn’t thinking about any of that.

More than anything, she just wanted to release the suppression on her Overlord Phase.

Like loosening a belt that had been painfully cinched, she just wanted to breathe properly again.

So, in a secluded part of the dormitory garden, she lifted the suppression.

In her terrifying Overlord form, transformed into a hulking warrior, Idnia let out a deep breath of relief.

“Ahh… I can breathe again. Haa…”

She tried some stretching in her giant form.

Despite her size, she was unexpectedly flexible.

Her massive muscles cracked and shifted smoothly with every move.

“Ahhh… freedom. Sweet freedom…”

Just as she was enjoying this rare moment of liberation—

She sensed something.

Someone was approaching the garden.

“…Tch.”

Startled, Idnia quickly hid in the bushes.

But then she noticed something strange.

A huge wolf was standing at the edge of the garden’s forest—glaring at her.

 

It was the size of a calf, and it growled threateningly at Idnia.