After a good nap at the infirmary, Ashrosaliera yawned loudly as she returned to the dorm. It was already nearing noon, barely one hour before she had to run errands for Luciana. However, the air in the infirmary wasn't as cozy as her room, so Ash decided she'd rather not wait here.
"System," she whispered, entering the main hall, "Quests."
===
Ongoing Quest: The Long Way
Details: Defeat a Fourth Year student, an extra reward shall be granted if the user challenges [The Poet]
Reward: 0.30 System Points (0.60 if defeated [The Poet])
Status: Ongoing
Ongoing Quest: Warrior Humility
Details: Befriend the three roommates.
- Zofia Adinberg: Ongoing [S-Rank difficulty]
- Cinderella Twilight: Ongoing [B-Rank difficulty]
- Tarnisha Smithdottir: Ongoing [D-Rank difficulty]
Reward: 1.00 System Points
Status: Ongoing
Ongoing Quest: A Debt To Be Remembered
Detail: Fulfill Luciana Bloodforge's Requests
- A friendly sparring match [Finished]
- A day of running errands
Reward: 0.15 (0.30 if victory in the match)
Failure: [Low] Punishment
Status: Ongoing 1/2
===
"Okay… I should stop juggling quests, gotta finish them all. I would have around 1.5 points and could possibly unlock a 2-point spell." Ashrosaliera talked to herself out loud, not minding her surroundings, bumping into random students whilst she walked, "Let's prioritize from easiest to hardest. From Luciana, to the Poet thing, then the befriending one."
She thought about picking and challenging any random fourth year, preferably someone from F-Class, just like a foolproof thing to gain an easy 0.30 points. But then Ashrosaliera felt like that'd be such a pathetic and cowardly thing to do.
"Me, challenging someone from F-Class Fourth Year? Stroking my ego? No way! I'll challenge someone wayyyy stronger! Besides, that'll mean they can handle my Fireball!"
While concentrating and reading through the system screen, Ashrosaliera suddenly bumped into someone carrying a stack of books. They collided head to chest—considering how Ash was of humbling heights—and both fell down to the ground on their butt.
"Ouchies… Watch where you're walking, nuthead!" Ashrosaliera exclaimed.
It saw a man with ungroomed dark hair and sharp bits of loose beard strands underneath his chin. He was wearing an unironed white shirt with no blazer and a pair of ugly round glasses. He also seemed older, like someone from the third or fourth year at least.
"Geez… You look like my dad, just not as handsome." Ash commented.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there." The stranger stammered, trying to pick up books on the floor, apologizing profusely, "Are you hurt, Ashrosaliera?"
"No, but why are you not wearing a blazer with your elemental badge? Isn't it mandatory to walk on school grounds?"
"Funny you asked, Ms. Alasta and professor An-"
"No wait, I actually don't care. I have someplace to be, so be careful next time; be better."
Ashrosaliera stood up, kicking a book in her way from his pile, before casting [Fire Flight] to fly up on the first floor where her dorm room was.
"..."
Before opening the door, Ash paused, she frowned, tilting her head all confused, and left her lips hanging open. "Did that guy just say my name?"
She looked down the grand hall, but the stranger was nowhere to be seen.
"That was unnerving, but I guess I got followers now," she muttered, "Worthy of the greatest mage to be."
Ashrosaliera slowly opened the door. "I'm home."
The first one to welcome Ash home was Zofia Adinberg, not because they were good friends and Zofia missed Ash, but because Zofia was heading out, and Ash opened the door into her face.
"Welcome." Zofia said, with less than zero amount of patience, "Would you mind stepping aside, please?"
Ashrosalirea immediately complied, moving out of the way so Zofia could walk. But then she would suddenly hold the beastman girl by the sleeve of her shirt.
"I'm sorry, Zofia," Ash said.
"What are you sorry about?" Zofia asked.
Ashrosaliera flinched. This follow-up question sounded so familiar; had she ever heard this before? It felt like this question meant a lot more than she ever thought. What was Ash sorry about? Thinking deeply about this, she just let out the first thing that came to her mind.
"For accidentally burning you while you were trying to help me from Roshia, of course!" Ash answered.
"..." In response, Zofia seemed somewhat disappointed, her facial expression dropped tremendously, "If that's all, then I'm heading out, see you whenever… And thank you for the book, I'll keep it as a reminder."
Ashrosaliera stood and watched as Zofia took her steps up the stairs without turning back to look at her for a split second. Then Ash would finally enter her room.
"What's her problem? Geez."
Ash sighed as the door shut behind her. Her complaints grabbed the attention of Cinderella Twilight, who was doing extreme stretches on the ground in the room. It was like yoga, but it was less peaceful. At this moment in particular, she was wrapping both legs over her nape and doing one-handed push-ups.
"Who, Zofia?" Cinderella asked.
"Yeah, I just wanted to say sorry, and she's acting like I kicked her or something! Can you believe her?"
"... Interesting." Cinderella squinted, but didn't say anything else.
Ashrosaliera simply thought that Cinderella was busy, so she didn't push for a conversation. The girl simply jumped onto her bed and yawned, not quite falling asleep, but resting from the wounds while watching Cinderella do yoga.
One hour simply passed with Ash just staring at the half-elf getting into weird positions and groaning in tight pants and loose shirt, it was erotic in a way, but also concerning.
After saying her goodbyes, Ashrosaliera Säpphroaleryst made her way to the staircase, where Luciana Bloodforge was waiting, hands behind his back. He waved at Ash all cutesy like.
"Your first order of business for me today is…"
Grabbing some fresh blood from the cafeteria for him, walking with a straight face into the second-year male dormitory to grab his hat, spending half an hour search for a random no name book somewhere in the library (he knew where it is, but he just figured it'd be amazing watching Ash struggle), go punch this exact random tree in the far corner of the park while he watched, buy him a drink, dust off his shirt when he accidentally dirtied it, go pick a fight with that random first year and apologize, bridal-carry him through a puddle in the park so his shoes wouldn't get wet... Among millions more miscellaneous bullcrap that Luciana could think of.
She continued running tasks until the end of the day, around seven in the evening. Luciana was sitting in the library, in a reading area in the corner surrounded by books on three sides, and Ash was on the floor right under his feet, defeated, panting her lungs out.
"Wa…huff…haa… You god damn evil man." she said, pausing after every word for a breather, "What do you even mean by massaging your feet was in the contract terms?"
Luciana placed his hands on his lips and chuckled elegantly. "If you have a problem, I'll tell Roshia."
"Please don't, I actually rather not be expelled or targeted by the local viscount." Ashrosaliera immediately sat up in fear, "What else do you need?"
"I think that is it, fire girl. I'm just waiting for a friend now." Luciana answered.
"Wow, you're meeting up with a friend in a library? huff…" She giggled mischievously, "That sounds like a terrible friendship."
Before Luciana could answer by telling Ash to jump off the 7th floor, footsteps could be heard approaching.
"You made it, Tanya." Luciana stood up, greeting the person who came.
'He got a girlfriend?' Ashrosaliera thought, standing up and turning over to get a look at her.
But this damn school never stop to surprise her, was Ash's immediate next thought. When she saw "Tanya," someone with a supposed girl name, wasn't a girl. Instead, he was a young man with ungroomed dark hair and sharp bits of loose beard strands underneath his chin. He wore an unironed white shirt with a blazer outside neatly buttoned this time, with a pair of ugly round glasses.
"Wait! I know you! We met at the grand hall!" she pointed at Tanya, "But geez, why am I not surprised a crossdresser is friends with a man that has a girly name…"
Ashrosaliera looked down at the badges on his blazer, seeing that he was one of those with two attributes: [Earth] and [Ice].
'Odd combination, yet sounds familiar… Have I heard of him before?' she thought.
===
Ongoing Quest: A Debt To Be Remembered
Detail: Fulfill Luciana Bloodforge's Requests
- A friendly sparring match [Finished]
- A day of running errands [Finished]
Reward: 0.15 (0.30 if victory in the match)
Failure: [Low] Punishment
Status: Finished 2/2
Unallocated System Points: 0.15
===