Chapter 79: The Potion and the Wizard
Yoori: “Igni, it’s your turn.”
Igni: “...........hm…?” They took turns every few hours to have someone stand guard of the camp, and Igni’s turn came up.
Inside the tent, Yoori shook his body, and with half his brain still asleep, he headed towards the campfire.
Alicia: “Good morning, Igni.” Igni: “Mmmー....”
Igni, being the complete opposite of a morning person, gave Alicia an incoherent response and sat next to her.
Alicia: “Still sleepy?”
Igni: “Mm……”
Although he couldn’t pronounce the words, Igni meant it as an affirmative “yeah.” Alicia is wearing her trademark witch's hat, and she hid her eyes underneath it as she peered at Igni.
Alicia: (IーIsn’t he...sitting closer to me than usual? Is the potion’s effects already coming out??)
The potion’s effects are actually appearing on herself, but without that thought crossing her mind, Alicia looked away from Igni as her heart beat furiously.
Igni: “Were there…...any Monsters….?”
Alicia: “There’s none nearby.”
Igni: “Okay…….”
Alicia: “We really did choose a good camping spot.” Igni: “We’ll…...be going home…….tomorrow, but yeah.” Alicia: “You seem pretty tired.”
Igni: “Since eating dinner…...I’ve been…..pretty sleepy.” Alicia: (Is it a side-effect of the medication?)
Alicia tilts her head to wonder.
Igni definitely seems much more sleepier than usual, and he’s almost falling asleep as he sat.
Alicia: (........I wonder who’s potion is taking effect right now?)
Alicia is washed over with worry and concern as she gazes at Igni, but Igni does not notice her gaze and suddenly places his head against her shoulder.
Alicia: (HMM?!)
Alicia instinctively jerks her body away.
Igni: “Sorry……”
Igni starts leaning the other way.
Alicia: “IーIt’s okay. You can lean against me.”
Alicia seems more emboldened than usual and pulls on Igni’s sleeves towards herself and lets him lean against her.
Igni: “You….sure…..?”
Alicia: “If you’re sleepy, you can sleep. I’ll stay on guard.” Igni: “....no……..can’t…...not right….”
But while speaking, Igni falls back asleep.
Alicia: “.......looking at him like this, he has such a cute face….” Alicia lets Igni fall past her shoulders, and lets his head rest across her lap.
Alicia: “Hehe.” And she takes a long look at Igni’s sleeping face.
She could stay like this forever and keep gazing at him.
Alicia: “He’s sound asleep. I wonder if he was really tired?”
And she gently brushes his hair with her hand as he continues to lie across her lap.
Alicia: (.....so cute……)
And right then, Igni rolls over slightly and now his face is looking upwards towards the sky.
Alicia continues to gaze at Igni’s sleeping face ー his eyebrows, eyelids, nose, and lips.
But in the next moment, Alicia’s heart suddenly jumps.
Alicia: (......no one’s looking, right?)
Alicia glances at the tents around them. Both tents were quiet.
The others who just switched rotations as guards probably fell asleep by now.
Igni is also sound asleep.
And there are no other classmates camping around them.
Alicia: “..............” Alicia holds her pounding chest, and without anyone noticing……..she tries to lay her lips on Igni’s when…..
Igni: “.............!!”
Igni <snaps awake> the next moment when he sensed a sweet smell.
Alicia: “Huh?! IーIgni?!” And Alicia’s face blushes a bright red right in front of his……
Igni: “...........potion…….?”
Igni grabs Alicia’s arm and mumbles those words.
In the [Demon King’s Realm], Lucas was helping Igni build a poison resistance, and Igni now has a habit of waking up instinctively when a Monster with poison comes near him. And because the difference between a potion and poison is a very fine line, Igni woke up by pure reflex.
Alicia: “PーPotion? What are you talking about??” Igni: “Sorry, Alicia. Don’t move.” Alicia: “WhーWhat?!” And Igni began smelling around Alicia’s mouth.
Igni: (A sweet scent…….what potion is that?)
The scent that Igni’s nose picked up was a phantom smell.
In order to confirm if the [Love Potion] is working correctly on the target, the [Love Potion] allows the person who gave the love potion to sense the effects of it through one of the five senses. In this case, Igni was able to confirm the effects through his sense of smell.
But Igni has no knowledge of this and continues to smell around Alicia.
Alicia: “HーHey! Igni!” Igni: “Sorry, just a bit more.”
Igni is analyzing the smell coming from Alicia with his brain’s data bank.
Igni: (Where is it……? Where did I smell this before……?)
Igni <knows this smell>.
Igni: (This is……….)
And Igni arrived at the answer.
Igni: (A Love Potion?!)
<<<<>>>>
[GーGrandpa! Look at that!!]
[What? It’s an Alchemist's atelier.]
[ThーThey’re saying they make Love Potions!!]
Igni was able to pick up the sweet scent that was flowing from the atelier.
[So?]
[What do you mean, “So?”?! Grandpa! You want a Love Potion too, right?!]
[Don’t be stupid!!]
<SLAP!!!>
[UGHHH!!!]
Igni flies about 3 meters (～10 ft) from a harsh slap across the face.
[WhーWhat was that for, Grandpa?!]
[I’m disappointed…….I’m so disappointed in you, Igni……..!]
Lucas mumbles curses under his breath as he looks down upon his grandson.
[WhーWhat…..! If you want to be Popular, isn’t a Love Potion a fast way to accomplish that?!]
[If you only want the effect to be short and temporary, yes. But Igni, why would you rely on such a thing?]
[TーTo be Popular!]
[That’s impossible, you fool!!]
<SLAP!!!>
[OWWWW………..]
[STOP BEING SO CHILDISH!! EVEN IF YOU USE THE POTION TO MAKE ONE PERSON LIKE YOU, YOU ARE STILL NOT POPULAR!! YOU’RE ONLY USING THE POTION’S EFFECTS!!]
[But what’s wrong with that?!]
[In this world, there are those who can be Popular without relying on such potions.]
[ThーThat’s…….]
[Oye, Igni……..I understand…...I understand your feelings…..I understand your anxiety…..! But rushing forward blindly will only end up with nothing in the end…….! If you depend on Potions…...it’s over……..! People are weak…! They will move towards the easy path…..! But if you lay your hands on such simple methods………….you will forever drag that baggage with you for the rest of your life……..!!]
[.............!!]
[Answer me, Igni……! If a man uses a Potion to become Popular……..can you truly say that that man IS Popular…….?]
[He’s……….not………!]
[EXACTLY! Even if he uses a Potion to be Popular for a moment, he’s only fooling himself with delusions! He is not in any sense TRULY POPULAR!!]
[........GーGrandpa!]
[The Path to Popularity is a long and treacherous road……...but for those who walk on top of it…..the Goddess will smile upon you……]
[I’ll…….I’ll definitely walk over that path! Just watch me, Grandpa!!]
[Don’t forget it, Igni!!]
<<<<>>>>
Igni: (That’s right…….!)
Igni: (This is the same smell as that [Love Potion] back then…….!!)
Igni: (I’m sure of it…….!)
Igni: (Alicia has currently <fallen in love with me>........!!)
Alicia: “IーIgni? What’s wrong?”
With his hand still on her arm, Igni lets his eyes fall back on Alicia.
Igni: (DーDangit……! But she’s so cute…….!!)
Igni: (She’s……..She’s really into me right now?)
Igni: (It’s an amazing feeling……!!!)
Igni: (But, if I accept her right now……...it’s over……!!)
Igni: (I’ll fall farther and farther away from a Popular man……..!!)
Alicia: “HーHey…..Igni?”
If either one of them moved just a little, their lips would touch. That is how close they stood, and Igni’s logic, reason, and desire all fought tooth and nail in a frantic battle.
Igni: (Maybe….it’s okay…..? It might be due to the Potion’s effects, but Alicia really likes me right now……so……..)
Igni: (NーNo…...I can’t……!)
Igni: (How could I call myself truly Popular if I do…….! A man relying on potions to make girls like him…….!)
Igni: (That’s not a Popular man at all………!!)
Igni looks directly at Alicia’s face.
Igni: (BーBut…..maybe…….just a kiss is okay……?)
But as Igni’s resolve falters and shakes dangerously from its foundation, he saw an image of his Grandfather in the back of his mind.
[Oye, Igni]
Igni: “..........!!”
The Ultimate Secret to Popularity No. 5ーー”Women love men with conviction.”
And with those words, Igni felt the cool splash of cold reason across his head and became instantly calm.
Igni: (………….right now……..my conviction is faltering……..)
As he lets go of Alicia’s arms, he takes out a spherical medicine from his pouch.
Igni: “Alicia, you should take this medicine.” Alicia: “Huh? Um, okay….” Being completely enamored with Igni at the moment, Alicia obediently takes the antidote medicine that Igni gave her and immediately swallows it.
After a while, the effects of the antidote should start surfacing, and the [Love Potion] effects should start wearing off.
Igni: (I’m…...going to be popular.)
Igni confirms his resolve within himself several times, over and over.
Igni: (I’m going to be Popular…….without depending on Potions……!)
But being completely distracted by this, it never once occurred to Igni to consider why Alicia was showing signs of a [Love Potion] in the first place.
Igni: (Don’t underestimate me!!)
Igni doesn’t know that there are still two others under the same Potion’s effects.
<<<<>>>>
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