Chương 42: Lealia’s First Mission

After a deep, dreamless slumber, I woke up feeling more refreshed than ever. Early morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, illuminating two cluttered desks piled with miscellaneous trinkets. My roommate, Han, was snoring away in the neighboring bed, his blanket and pillow kicked onto the floor. On my nightstand sat a full glass of water and a few herbal pills, likely prepared by Lealia while I was out cold. It was only now that the feeling of having truly survived the ordeal began to sink in.

My plan had been a resounding success. Fine, the middle part was a bit "clunky," to say the least. But that's life; you can't always guarantee everything will be executed with maximum efficiency. It's the result that counts. Success is success, right? I got out of bed, freshened up, and did some light stretching before checking my status window. Name Asher Griffin Race Human Health 73/90 Mana 46/??? Strength 75 Intelligence 382 Reputation 28 Rank / Skill Halunar's Eye (Lv.???) · Night Vision (Lv. Max) · Farsight (Lv. 25) · X-Ray Vision (Lv. 10) Mana Siphon (Lv. 28) Swordsmanship (Lv. 10) Martial Arts (Lv. 7) First Aid (Lv. 2) Cooking (Lv. 7) Strategy (Lv. 40) The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The names of two new sub-skills had appeared. Most surprisingly, my other stats had also increased in such a short window of time. For instance, my Mana Siphon skill had jumped by over twenty levels.

If this body were following real-time, meaning only a single day had passed, this would be virtually impossible. Could it be that my experiences aren't actually wiped clean after each time reset? Logically, this shouldn't happen. But then again, how can one argue logic in a world where people can fire off fireballs, leap three meters into the air, or heal wounds in the blink of an eye?

"Whoa, Asher, you feeling better?" Han had woken up and was rubbing his eyes as he looked at me.

"I'm good. I'm heading to class today." Once Han and I had changed into our uniforms and left the dormitory, we ran into Jullius right in front of the lecture hall. The look on his face when he saw me was something you could capture and turn into a viral meme for over three years without it ever going out of style. I bet he's going to skip his morning classes just to write home and tattle to his father about the fact that I'm somehow back at school.

Jullius stared at me, jaw dropped, for so long that Han actually turned to look me up and down to check if I had grown an extra head or arm.

"Why is the young master of the Griffin house looking at you like he's seeing a ghost?" Oh, that's an accurate description. I patted Han on the back.

"Let's get to class. We're late." The moment I stepped into the classroom, Lealia spotted me and immediately hurried over, clutching her books to sit by my side. I had the distinct impression of a little chick scurrying after its mother, even though I was fairly certain I hadn't done anything remotely "motherly" for her.

"Asher, are you fully recovered?"

"Yeah, thanks to your herbs. I slept like a log last night."

"That's wonderful to hear." Iris, as per usual, saw me chatting with Lealia and sauntered over to offer her own inquiries. I responded with my typical social grace while keeping a close eye on Lealia's demeanor. This time, Lealia didn't shrink away or try to force herself into the conversation. Iris prattled on until she ran out of topics, and seeing that the girl beside me remained utterly unfazed, she finally departed with a look of lingering dissatisfaction.

The instructor entered the hall and the lecture commenced. Right then, Lealia suddenly whispered to me:"I've just received a mission orders from the Church."

"Huh? When? Where to?"

"A place called Grasiva. There's a strange plague breaking out there, so they're deploying those knowledgeable in healing and herbalism to assist." I racked my brain for any memory of a place called Grasiva from my first Isekai life, but it was no use. It seemed Jullius had never been assigned to such a location. I asked Lealia, "How many Candidates are going this time?" She thought for a moment.

"Four, I think. There's me, Iris, another healer named Nathan from Class B, and a very talented flutist from Class C." My memories of the latter two were quite hazy. Nathan was a quiet, reserved boy, the type who was incredibly easy to lose in a crowd. I might have overlooked his profile entirely, or perhaps I'd seen it and simply forgotten. As for the flutist, he was essentially a Bard; his melodies had the power to influence both the psyche and the mana fluctuations of others, for better or for worse.

I didn't like the look of this roster. Even if the primary mission concerned a plague, deploying a team comprised entirely of Support-type users felt far too risky. At the very least, they should have attached one or two capable combatants for protection.

"When do you depart?"

"In two days." I could tell Lealia was anxious. This was the first time the Candidates were being split into small groups for independent operations. Even if it wasn't a literal battlefield, the pressure was immense; especially since Lealia was already contemplating withdrawing her candidacy. I weighed the options for a moment before speaking.

"How about... I go with you as your attendant?"

"Huh?" Lealia looked at me in shock. In truth, I wanted to determine whether I should continue "investing" in this herbalist girl. If she proved too weak or lacked the drive when things got real, I would decisively seek out a different pawn. This was also a prime opportunity to observe the other support-type Candidates.

"The Church allows you to bring a guard or an attendant, and they'll be sending soldiers along for protection anyway. I know swordsmanship, and I can help with first aid and cooking," I tried to convince her.

"I want to repay you for taking care of me when I was sick yesterday."

"That was nothing! I don't want to drag you into danger," Lealia said, shaking her head vigorously.

"Besides, aren't you Jullius's attendant? He surely won't agree to this."

"Don't worry about that. From now on, I am no longer his attendant. That's all you need to know," I stated with absolute certainty. Lealia still hesitated, but seeing the sheer determination in my eyes, she finally nodded in agreement.