『Lilith has reached level 18!』

『Lilith has reached level 19!』

『Lilith has reached level 20!』

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The next morning, at the campsite near the Witch's Forest after the Goblin Lord hunt.

Feeling unusually refreshed, I got up and immediately started packing up the tent with a joyful heart. It was impossible to hide my mood, even though I tried. After all, thanks to last night’s battle, I leveled up three times at once, reaching level 20.

The experience points from cutting down a few goblins that had come dangerously close. The experience from providing sharp blade buffs to the others, excluding Agnes, and getting a share of their experience. And, of course, the experience from defeating the boss monster, the Goblin Lord.

I even chased down the remaining goblins, who scattered in panic after the boss fell, and hunted them. In the end, I gathered every bit of experience I could.

It had been a long time since I leveled up, and it was my first time leveling up since summer vacation began. Boosting my level before the main event made me feel sweetly content.

“You seem to be in a good mood, Lily.”

“Hm? Does it show, Ed~?”

“Did something good happen?”

“Well~. If you consider traveling with you to distant places as a good thing, then sure, many good things have happened.”

“R-Really? Well, I do enjoy traveling with you too, Lily.”

“…Gross.”

Agnes, who was folding the tent next to us, made a disgusted face and stuck out her tongue, but I ignored her.

I couldn’t exactly use leveling up as an excuse for my good mood. It was better to be thought of as annoying than completely crazy.

‘I’d honestly love to just roam around hunting grounds with these two and farming experience.’

Ignoring the Academy and the hero party, traveling with just these two was by far the most efficient party.

Ethan was at the front, taking the lead. Agnes handled the smaller enemies, and I, the great mage Lilith, took down the final boss with a finishing blow.

…Well, I could only cast up to 3rd-circle spells for now, but my mana pool had already exceeded 4,000. Even though I couldn’t cast true grand magic yet, my Mana Blast was basically a 2nd-circle spell at max output, so that was close enough.

Of course, this was just wishful thinking. A three-person party like this wasn’t really possible. Agnes was already part of a prestigious party, and Ethan, being the only son of the Blackwood family, would hardly have time to adventure with me after he graduated from the Academy.

Once we finished packing up the tent and laid out a simple breakfast, Prince Antonio cautiously opened his mouth.

“You did well yesterday, Lord Ethan. And Lady Rosewood. I already knew about Lady Agnes's prowess, but after watching yesterday’s battle, it’s clear you two are also true Academy students.”

The Prince, who hadn’t performed as well during the battle, offered this quiet compliment. His expression, however, was a bit bitter.

He probably wanted to show off in front of Agnes, but instead, he ended up proving that he was the least skilled of the five of us. Though he wasn’t completely useless in the fight, he didn’t stand out much either.

“Your Highness, compared to your peers, you performed exceptionally well. There are still plenty of first-year Academy students who can’t even handle sand beetles, let alone goblins.”

“…Is that so? But I heard that two years ago, Lady Agnes was already using fire magic without hesitation against a pack of lake serpents. Comparing myself to her now, it’s clear…”

“Two years ago, I was already a 3rd-circle fire mage. Do you know how many years it took me to reach that level? And you think you can catch up to that in just two years? Am I a joke to you?”

“N-No, Lady Agnes! That’s not what I meant…”

How does he manage to step on every one of Agnes’s nerves with each comment?

Then again, Agnes has a difficult personality, so perhaps Antonio is actually the more normal one here.

The term "dragon's reverse scale" refers to the one scale on a dragon that grows in the opposite direction and shouldn’t be touched. But if Agnes were a dragon, half of her scales would be reversed. If you think about it, the dragon might be the one with the problem.

That’s probably why in the original story, Agnes only ended up with the hero. Anyone else would have ended up single, because no one but the reincarnated hero could handle her personality.

Even though it must feel unfair to him, Prince Antonio really had no choice but to adjust to Agnes. After all, in love, the one who falls first is always at a disadvantage.

‘Now that I’ve leveled up, I have 10 skill points to spend. Where should I invest them for maximum efficiency?’

The old me would have immediately put them all into offensive magic, but lately, I’ve been thinking that investing in support magic like Lilith’s standard build might not be a bad idea.

With Ethan by my side until graduation, it would be enough to just buff him and stay out of danger.

I’d already used various skills for battles like the Kraken subjugation and the evaluation match against Agnes, and as a result, I’d ended up investing more in support than offensive magic. If I started putting points back into offensive magic now, I’d risk becoming one of those so-called “ruined characters,” and as a former player of Luminor Academy, I couldn’t let that happen.

…Well, I could think about it later. If needed, I could always use all 10 points at once when the time came.

“Oh, Agnes?”

“Hm?”

“We’re heading into the Witch’s Forest soon. Did you remember to bring bug-repellent perfume?”

“Obviously, why would you ask?”

“I just thought I’d offer you some in case you needed it. I have an extra bottle, even after accounting for mine and Ed’s share.”

“Mind your own business.”

Well, of course, she had prepared. After all, we’d known for a week that we’d be heading to the Witch’s Forest.

“I’ve been to the Witch’s Forest before. I heard the witch here brews a mana-enhancing elixir, so I came prepared this time.”

“You’re talking about ‘Natia’s Mysterious Potion,’ right?”

“…Wait, you’ve taken it too? No wonder your mana pool is so huge…”

“No way. That potion’s too expensive, isn’t it? Doesn’t it cost at least ten gold coins?”

“It was five when I bought it.”

“Anyway, before I enrolled in the Academy, I was a poor noble’s maid, earning a single gold coin every six months. Most of that went to paying off debts, so I never had the chance to buy something like that.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. It doesn’t really bother me.”

In my case, I didn’t need any special potions. I’d chewed enough garlic to make even a bear jealous. If anything, I probably ate more garlic than the legendary Ungnyeo for a few days back then.

“Do you want me to buy it for you, Lily? I think I could afford five gold coins.”

“It’s okay. I’ve already got more than enough mana. Besides, that potion works better when taken at a younger age, and it wouldn’t be very effective for me now.”

Technically, it’s more efficient to take it at lower levels, but in this world, the concept is similar enough that it didn’t need further clarification.

“Hm, I see…”

“Oh, by the way, after this mission, would you be interested in buying some dried mandrake root?”

“Huh? Why?”

“I’ve heard it’s particularly good for men. I thought Ed could use it to boost his… stats.”

“…”

In Luminor Academy, dried mandrake root was an item that boosted male characters’ max health, attack power, and charm.

The max health boost might not be noticeable, but even a slight increase in attack and charm stats would provide a level-up bonus.

That’s why I thought it would be a good idea to give Ed some at his lower level, but for some reason, Ethan was giving me a weird look.

“Lady Rosewood?”

“Yes? What is it, Prince Antonio?”

“To my knowledge, dried mandrake root from the Witch’s Forest is used to enhance a man’s performance… in bed.”

“….”

…Wait.

So, in the game, when it said it boosted attack and charm… was that what it really meant…?

“T-That’s not what I meant! I was referring to general male vitality… I mean, vigor! I wasn’t implying anything about Ethan’s, um, stamina or anything like that! I just thought it’d be smart to get some while we’re here since we don’t visit often…”

“Alright, I get it. If we have the chance, we’ll get some. But you’re going to test its effects, right, Lily?”

“T-That’s not what I meant!!”

“Just stop embarrassing yourself, Lilith.”

This is seriously unfair.

How was I supposed to know that this item was good for… that? I never raised male party members in the game!

This time, I’m really innocent!