Chapter 157: Summer Fun

- Abelis Academy City, Miscalin River, Several Months Later - Rose's POV –

Several months passed, I went to school, trained with Love and my aspects, did further etiquette and political training with Auntie, did various tests with the Gnomish researchers, hung out with my friends and did Adventurer’s Guild Quests in the extra bits of time. If that sounds like a busy schedule... that’s because it is, I’m exhausted! Honestly, I kind of felt, to borrow a phrase from one of my favorite movie directors, like butter scraped over too much bread.

Putting aside Fellowship movie quotes however I was well outside my limits and all the extra work was driving me crazy! I’d never been particularly good at academics, most people that had known me for a long time knew that already, and still wasn’t, even in this new life. I was, luckily, given a massive leg up by the knowledge from my past life. It made the work here less tedious because of the relative simplicity. Although that was only at my present class level and age, and only for subjects with a parallel to Earth classes. For anything outside of that it was touch and go depending on the class. History? I love it! It’s basically fantasy book reading except historical facts. Sort of read like a certain book by someone that wrote about a Hobbit to be honest. Either way I was quite good at that class due to my interest.

Where I failed was in subjects with high complexity that also had no parallels to Earth. Namely, magic theory.

[Goddess why should I care about the rate Mana breaks down in different types of medium?!? Why does it matter?”] - Rose

Lamenting my plight to the heavens I grumpily stared at everyone else enjoying themselves in the river without me. I was now in my third year of schooling, the time that most people start to take classes on more advanced subjects. While I’d been ahead of the curve in my previous two years, I was about middle of the pack when it came to things that weren’t in my previous life, although, honestly, I was doing much better than I think I would have in my previous life, my brain in this one seemed to have a lot more going for it. It didn’t help in this case, however.

[It’s because it’s important to understand how difficult it is to draw in latent Mana depending on where you are. Temperature, humidity, and solar radiation all have an effect on the decomposition of Mana. After you finish this essay question, we’ll do one more on the possible products of such reactions and when we finish, you’ll be able to join everyone else in the water. Plus, it’s not that bad.] - Malaise

[You’re only saying that because you don’t like the sun, why else would you volunteer to tutor me?] - Rose

[I would think it had more to do with the fact that we’re friends. Although I certainly agree with the quip about the sun...] - Malaise

[A-Ah?!? I-I didn’t mean it like that Malaise! Of course, I think that we-we-] - Rose

Luckily, I wasn’t fully alone. With me was the always helpful Malaise. Over the last year she’d started taking extra classes with the local Gnomish delegation as a sort of transfer student alongside her normal classes in the Academy. These classes, not technically put forward by the Gnomish Academy, weren’t usable for any credits in said Academy but it was extremely useful for her to take them to catch up to the generally higher educated Gnomish people. As it was currently, she’d have been behind if she went to the Academy as is. Karen, despite her not having any intention to join that school after graduation, also attended some of those extra classes, her excitement at learning even more so evident to me that I was beginning to change my mind as to whether to go to the school in order for her to pursue what she loved. Hell, it was the only way she’d ever have gone in the first place. It actually made me feel a bit guilty...

Speaking of guilty consciences...

[I’m only joking! I know you’d never think that. Besides, you’re almost done right? I just think it would be more fun to play together rather than let you languish up here in misery while the rest of us have fun. Right guys?] - Malaise

[I agree, it’s boring without you with us.] - Veronica

[...boring.] - Shade

[What kind of knight would I be if I left my Mistress alone in her hour of need! N-Not that I’ll be much help, I’m kind of hopeless with Magic Theory...] - Argent

[M-M-Me too!] - Urz

[I’m here too, although I don’t want to interrupt your tutoring since you didn’t want my help...] - Karen

The words of encouragement from all of my friends, and the highly distracting bikini-clad slime, reassured me... a little. I did feel a bit guilty though seeing how much fun everyone else was having...

[Oho? I thought it was cute from where I’m watching honestly. Her face when she chose Malaise told me that she’d be too distracted by her lover to concentra- Ow! Waaahyyyy?!?] - Veronica

[Don’t spoil the flirting between a couple like that! It ruins the fun!] - Malaise

[...flirting.] - Shade

[W-W-W-Wait a minute, w-we're not a c-couple! J-Just friends! Friends.] - Rose

[Hmm....] - Everyone

The intense pressure from all the eyes on me nearly made me attempt to ostrich into the sand we had laid out our towels on, not that it would have done any good though since that’d have just made the teasing worse. Plus, it wasn’t like they were entirely wrong. While Karen and I hadn’t yet gotten together officially we went on dates several times a week at this point and she’d even k-k-kissed me! Ahem! Anyway, I needed to set the record straight so that they didn’t get the wrong idea!

[I-It's true! W-We haven’t even k-kissed except that one time!] - Rose

[Wait you two kissed each other?!? When?!? How?!? Who?!? Wait nevermind that last one!] - Argent

[Wasn’t that supposed to be a secret? Hmmm...? Since you revealed it yourself that must mean that you’re fine with more of them?] - Karen

[Gah! St-Stay away foul temptress!] - Rose

Realizing my mistake the second I opened my mouth, I immediately turned to escape the curious eyes of the young teenagers. We were nearly 8 after all and many of our classmates had already started pairing off, including the shy bundle of nerves that was Urz. Frustration at their own lack of significant others yet, was at an all-time high. Still though, were we truly not a couple unless we made it official? I mean yeah, Karen had said that was the case and she had a lot more experience in dating than I did but something about the current situation didn’t really feel all that different from being a couple...?

- Abelis Academy City, Miscalin River, An Hour Later - Rose's POV –

Finally. Finally! I finished my classwork. With the help of Malaise and the rest of my friends, I was able to finish everything from my Magic Theory class. Honestly, I was starting to regret taking that class in the first place, but the old man had recommended it to me because it would, and I quote, “Kick you in the ass and get you out of your complacency. Maybe even help you move past any bottlenecks...” Well fuck you old man! Just because I’ve been feeling like I’m spinning my wheels in my training recently you come out and say I need something hard to challenge me?!? Damn it... no he’s right.

Recently, despite the near constant training, I’d grown fairly comfortable with myself, at least as far as my power growth/scaling was concerned. As it was, my group was among the most powerful individuals in our generation, each in our own way but regardless none of the others had grown complacent, just me. It was probably a good thing that I was learning the deeper mysteries of magic, especially since I didn’t rely on chants so proper image training, along with a deep knowledge of the intricacies of magic, were the key to increasing my abilities. Lately, and in my fights since the... since the Arena, I’d started to primarily use physical attacks rather than being, as Gilgamesh once said, a living, breathing, fortress.

[Hey! You guys are finally free right?!? In that case fight me Arge- Gah! What are you wearing?!?] - Ogi

[I-I-It's called a bikini you lumbering oaf! Other classmates are wearing them too!] - Argent

[They are? Huh... Didn’t even notice until now. B-Besides that how can we fight with you wearing... that? Go change so we can fight without distractions!] - Ogi

Waiting for us in the water was the rest of S-Class, well most of the school too but because of both status and grades most classes tended to stick together rather than mingle outside of joint exercises. Still, some groups would intermingle for political gains, a problem that I’d not had to deal with since I showed off my power in the Arena fights. Honestly, looking at how people would react when I was nearby, most people would only have one of two reactions. Either worship as if they were looking at a saint, or absolute, abject fear. The second reaction was mostly contained to some of the human students who, while not explicitly connected to the Church, most certainly had some form of it. Either way both groups had the same conclusion drawn between them. Don’t interact with the snek.

Luckily, for my sanity and social well-being, I’d garnered quite a few close friends among my classmates who were already outcasts themselves. One of them that wasn’t close to me but rather one of my group, called out to Argent as we finally moved to enjoy the water like everyone else. The gigantic blue brute of an Ogre, Ogi, waved to the smaller, ojou-san type, human girl Argent only to immediately blanche when he realized that she was wearing so little clothing. The purple blush that crossed the gigantic specimen of masculinity was... oddly endearing? Huh...

[Pfft! Do you see the two of them? Flirting so casually like that. Maybe we should up our game so we can show off too?] - Karen

[W-What do yo-] - Rose

[Wait does this mean that flirting is now in open season?!? Malaise, I love you! Ow!] - Veronica

[K-K-Keep quiet! Also keep your hands to yourself, we’re in public!] - Malaise

[Oho? So, you’d be fine with it when we’re alone? In that case let’s a go- Ow! Wrrrrrry?!?] - Veronica

[S-Stop thinking with your... umm, anyways just calm down.] - Malaise

[Aww... I wanted to see more cuteness! Right, Rose?] - Karen

[Mmmhmm, the two of you would make an adorable couple. Despite how horny Veronica always is.] - Rose

[Exuuuuuse me (Princess), we make a good couple because of my hornyness!] - Veronica

[Ah-!] - Malaise

[Ah?] - Karen

[We’re noooooot a couple!] - Malaise

Just one after another recently, isn’t it? It seems like every time you look away, yet another classmate is getting intimate with another person. First, we have Argent, unknowingly (probably) using her feminine wiles to seduce the giant Ogre doing everything in his power to run away in fairly obvious embarrassment. Then we have the busty, and oblivious, Urz, wrapping her arms, and breasts, around the arm of the small goblin Yeetsil, all while completely ignorant to the effect her body was having on the basta- I mean unlucky boy. Finally, bringing up the last of the pack, was the nerdy, glasses wearing Foxgirl maid and her overly seductive, gal-type, Succubus mistress. Speaking of running....

[Hey come back, I want a kiss, Since we’re a couple apparently!] - Veronica

[And there they go... wonder how long it’ll be until they finally tie the knot?] - Rose

[Probably not too long, it’s been pretty obvious for a while now how they feel about each other. What do you think, Shade?] - Karen

[…in love. Jealous...] - Shade

[Wait you’re jealous?!? Really? W-Well I’m sure you can also find someone like that. Oh! And you can shapeshift on top of everything so you can even do some kinky stuff!] - Karen

[...kinky. Already found... someone...] - Shade

[Wait really?!? Who is it?!? Who?!?] - Karen

[…s-secret.] - Shade

[Aww, not fair! At least give us a little hint?] - Karen

[…] - Shade

[Hey, if she’s not comfortable with sharing yet we should leave her be, she’s our friend and when she feels comfortable sharing, she will. Let’s go Annabelle, Karen, Shade.] - Rose

[Yes, Young Miss. Shall I clear the way of... pests?] - Annabelle

That... Was a surprise. I’d known Shade for enough time to know that she wasn’t as emotionally dead as she let on with her blank expression and extreme lack of social dialogue, but I’d never viewed her as the innocent maiden type. To be honest I’d initially not even been sure of her actual age, since, as a shapeshifter, she could have been over 100 without those around her being any the wiser. Over the years, however, I’d come to know her personality, the things that she liked and disliked, her extreme hatred for her mother, the principal, among other things. But despite that knowledge the admission that she had a crush on someone had blind-sided me.

[It’s only those idiot boys from class. Leave them alone, unless they do something inappropriate. In that case... capital punishment.] - Rose

[Understood, I shall eliminate anyone who steps out of line.] - Annabelle

[…] - Shade

Levelling a flat stare at the perving boys of our class trying to look busy looking anywhere except in our direction I didn’t notice the fervent look that our cool beauty gave me, one that, even if I’d seen it, I’d likely not have realized the implications of.

- Abelis Academy City, Abelis Field, Several Months Later - Rose's POV –

It’s been 8 years since I was reincarnated, 16 if you’re using Earth time, and in that time, I’d gone from an adorable cute button of a child to what I was reluctantly willing to admit was the most beautiful young woman I’d ever seen, either in media or real life. It also didn’t help my instinct to hide myself that I was enormous. Like seriously, my race was generally extremely large what with our snake half being a couple dozen feet sometimes, but I was even beyond that. Perhaps connected with the Draconic ancestry of my Papa’s side or some other factor I wasn’t aware of, I’d grown beyond all but the largest individuals of my race. With an upper body that was just shy of 6 feet in height, it was my lower body that had grown beyond expectations with it growing longer than even Momma’s, only stopping at a massive 36 feet long. I’d long since grown used to handling my massive size but even so I’d outgrown my shared dormitory room with my friends and had to move to a single occupancy room.

My only real saving grace though was that I’d gained some sort of sixth sense for where my tail was in relation to both myself and the objects around me so I’d rarely had to worry about breaking anything. This extra sense had also seemed to apply to people as well as I’d moved myself out of the way of people passing by with barely any thought towards it. A good skill for someone of my body type.

Of course puberty had brought with it several new problems that I’d not had to deal with the last go around. Luckily, likely as a result of my reptilian heritage, menstrual cycles were not one of those problems. That one had instead been replaced with an intense heat that was even worse. Go figure. And before you get any idea that such a thing didn’t sound all that bad, imagine a fever that covers your entire body, one that gives you night sweats and dreams. An aching pain in my entire body that just got worse the longer I didn’t satisfy what my body was after. And don’t get me wrong, that was the worst part. During these times I was filled with intense sexual urges. Urges that specifically seemed to be centered on Karen luckily but they felt more like instinct rather than actually allowing me to have any control. I felt like a stranger in my body for the first time in years and it was terrifying. B-But I didn’t cry! No matter what anyone said, I was able to keep that urge in check!

[Manipulation of mana after it has left the body is one of the most important skills to prepare for large scale conflicts! Being able to spread an attack out to cover a large area is important! Even if it lowers the damage done to the individual, sometimes causing minor damage to a large number of aggressors is a better tactical decision. You had a question?] - Gilgamesh

[Yes sir. Wouldn’t it be better to use a large scale magic attack from the beginning rather than changing it after the fact?] - Robin

[Ah, yes. You are certainly correct, from an efficiency standpoint it would make more sense to choose the correct option right away rather than adjusting to the situation. Unfortunately, that mentality is naïve. The situation in battles can change in an instant and a fired spell meant for a single opponent can suddenly need to deal with several in a blink of an eye. The ability to change spells on the fly is important for anyone that will be in a life and death struggle where your plans won’t survive first contact. Anyone that cannot do this... will die.] - Gilgamesh

[…!] - Everyone

The shocked silence that followed our teachers sentence was deafening. Sure, we were all aware of the growing tension and many of the children had already gotten updates from their parents as to their expectations of when war would break out, but we were all still children with limited battle experience and much of the class hadn’t even fought with anything other than instinct driven monsters and animals. Even I, with my limited experience in the Arena and before that the war inside my mind, had only really seriously fought with single opponents or a small number of them at the most. The scale of a war where battle can come from any direction, and you’d have to adjust your tactics accordingly was a foreign thought to me.

Either way the reason we were out here, in the middle of a field of long grass in the middle of nowhere is that the old man had decided that we needed to experience battles with enemies that could come from any direction, something that apparently some of the monsters in this area regularly did. A monster called a Grass Prowler was known to hide itself in the long grass of this area and would attack randomly as a group. It wasn’t completely a death sentence for us immature students however as luckily, despite its aggressiveness, it was generally quite small and not able to kill larger prey.

[Now, before we get started and I let you folks go and do something that will get yourself killed, can one of you tell me what the limitations of changing a spell after it’s been cast are? Anyone? Ah, go ahead Karen.] - Gilgamesh

[It’s the nature of the spell, right? You can’t change a fireball to a lightning bolt or a wall of water into plants. You have to work within the confines of the spell itself.] - Karen

[A bit long winded but correct. So, if any of you idiots try to do something stupid not only will the spell not work, but you’re likely to get a backlash from the attempt. So, I repeat, DO NOT DO SOMETHING STUPID! Do I make myself clear?] - Gilgamesh

[Yes, sensei!] - Class

[Good, now have fun. Ah, and don’t go too far.] - Gilgamesh

Standing behind him, with a smug look on his face at Karen’s answer, was Kurata. As if to say, “That’s my mistress!” the loyal Samurai-looking warrior bowed slightly in my direction when Karen and I started wandering away from the majority of the class. Honestly, his extreme loyalty reminded me a bit of Argent just more hint of suicide pact involved if he was refused. Oh well...

Regardless this would be a good practice for what I was likely to be doing come the actual start of armed conflict. Something I knew to be approaching as I’d been told by Auntie and Papa that several spies had been captured that revealed the state of the preparations of the Church were close to being ready. I had no idea whether my grandfather would make it here first or the war though I sometimes felt like fate itself was involved somehow because of how close each was to each other...