I was in a soft, peach-colored world that felt light and fluffy.
Even though my feet bounced gently on the soft ground, every time I tried to go somewhere, there were inexplicably hard mountains everywhere, and all the paths were blocked.
...What am I supposed to do about this?
As I sat there thinking, a white watering can suddenly appeared in my hand. When I tilted it, liquid trickled out. Looking closely, I could see the liquid was slowly dissolving the hard mountains.
Little by little, I poured the liquid like dissolving rock candy in water, working diligently with the watering can in one hand to break down the hard mountains.
The really hard parts were completely solid and wouldn't dissolve at all, but as I patiently kept pouring water, they gradually started to give way. On a whim, I also kicked at them with my foot, and they cracked and shattered.
...Huh. I can get through now.
There were still some undissolved parts, but since I could pass through, I figured it was good enough and moved on to the next mountain.
Like that, I went on breaking down one hard mountain after another.
Sometimes the watering can would run out of liquid, but it was quickly replenished. I focused only on demolishing the mountains, pouring liquid from the can without pause.
...I really gave it my all with just a single watering can. Someone please praise me.
With a tremendous sense of accomplishment swelling in my chest, I slowly opened my eyes.
Through my wavering vision, I could make out a figure.
Then, a large palm thrust forcefully into view with a wet slap.
My head was lifted by that hand, and my upper body was half-forced into a sitting position.
"Ueho! Gaho, gaho, gho!"
The moment my body was pushed upright, air rushed in through both my nose and my mouth. Startled by the unexpected turn of events, I coughed with wide, unfocused eyes.
...I'm drowning in air!
As I gasped and sputtered, the person struck my back once with a strong thud. "Gef!" Something that had felt like liquid lodged deep in my chest flew out of my mouth, and my breathing became easier, though my back was now tingling with pain.
With tears in my eyes, I glared up at the person who had struck me.
"That hurt, Chief Priest."
The first figure to come into focus appeared to be the Chief Priest.
Inside the hidden room of the High Priest's chambers, I was sitting in a white box filled with jureve. Before me stood the Chief Priest with a furrowed brow. The scene was almost unchanged from before I had fallen asleep.
"So you've finally awakened. No matter what, you've slept far too long."
The Chief Priest touched my forehead, took the pulse at my neck, and ran through several checks before letting out a slow breath. "There don't seem to be any particular problems."
I blinked several times and wiggled my fingers experimentally. I couldn't seem to work them properly.
"Have I truly recovered my health?"
Unlike before I fell asleep, my magic power now moved as I willed, but my body didn't feel particularly healthy. Had my muscle strength declined from all that sleeping?
As I sluggishly moved my hands still soaked in jureve, the Chief Priest opened his mouth with a look that suggested he had something very difficult to say.
"Ahh,
"What is it?"
"It's about your magic power..."
"Yes?"
"It hasn't completely dissolved."
It felt as though time had stopped. All the hardships I'd endured over the course of a year and a half—gathering the ingredients, making the jureve—came flooding back, and I stared up at the Chief Priest in disbelief.
"Whaaaat!? Wait a moment. Why? Why hasn't it dissolved!? Did I... did I maybe cut corners a little when using the watering can because I thought a tiny bit wouldn't matter!?"
"I didn't cut any corners," the Chief Priest said with a bristling tone.
I tried to shake my head in a hurry but couldn't, and it tilted forward instead. If the Chief Priest hadn't reached out and braced my forehead, I would have gone kerplunk back into the jureve again.
"I wasn't talking about the Chief Priest—I meant my dream! ...Ugh, my head is spinning."
The Chief Priest pressed his temples and let out a deep, deep sigh. "You're the type whose head hurts once you wake up, aren't you," he muttered while glaring at me, and I let out a small "Ugh," at a loss for words.
"...Anyway, putting the dream aside—why hasn't my magic power dissolved?"
"In short, it solidified too much. You needed jureve to dissolve the magic power that had solidified from the poison, but the quality wasn't sufficient to fully dissolve your original magic power."
When I tilted my head slightly, the Chief Priest tapped his temple and added an explanation.
"Suppose the magic power that had originally solidified inside you was a ten. I made a generous estimate and prepared jureve with a quality high enough to dissolve fifteen. However, your solidified magic power grew to twenty right before the end. The jureve of quality fifteen wasn't enough. ...That's what happened."
"...But it's better than before, right?"
I looked down at the lines of magic power floating above my own arm. I couldn't even tell whether the red lines had changed at all.
The Chief Priest looked down at me and gave a single nod.
"That's right. It hasn't completely dissolved, but it's considerably improved."
"If it's even a little better, then I suppose that's fine. I was practically dead, after all..."
Taking this as one step forward, I slowly turned my head to look around.
Nearby, a wooden box had been placed beside the white container I was sitting in, with five books stacked on top. They were the Japanese-bound books made at the Mine Workshop, but I had never seen any of them before.
"Chief Priest, what are these?"
"
Apparently, I'd had printed books delivered by Gil and piled up as offerings.
"Oh wow, new books!"
The instant I reached out in delight, I realized my hands were covered in jureve solution. The Chief Priest narrowed his eyes at me in a way that clearly said, You idiot.
"If you touch them with those hands, you'll get them dirty."
"...Right."
"I noticed signs of you waking, so I've had a bath prepared. Wait just a little longer."
"Okay... Huh?"
It seemed I'd been asleep long enough for five new books to be made. Realizing this, I blinked several times.
"Um, Chief Priest. If you'll pardon the intrusion... how long have I been asleep?"
"You were asleep for approximately two years. ...But well, it's good that you'll make it in time for your enrollment at the Noble Academy."
"...Excuse me?"
...Approximately two years?
My eyes went wide at those words.
"Wait a moment. How old am I now?"
"It's autumn of your tenth year, just after the Harvest Festival. You'll be entering the Noble Academy in winter."
At the Chief Priest's words, I fell into a mild panic.
I had used the jureve in the winter of my eighth year, but now he was telling me it was autumn of my tenth. It seemed I had skipped my entire ninth year.
"No way! Where on earth did my ninth year go!?"
I grabbed my head with both hands, and the Chief Priest gave a slight shrug.
"In your case, you experienced being seven twice, so I'd say things have balanced out."
"They haven't balanced out at all!"
Being held back at seven had been unexpected enough, but I'd never planned to skip a year either.
"...Chief Priest, even though you say I'm ten, I really don't feel like I've changed at all."
I looked at my hands, and they seemed no different in size to me. I couldn't believe two years had passed.
"While you were submerged in jureve, all life functions other than magic power dissolution were severely suppressed. You were essentially half-dead. ...You didn't grow."
The Chief Priest averted his gaze slightly as he spoke.
...So I'm a little healthier now, but I lost my entire ninth year, grew not at all, and am apparently heading off to the Noble Academy like this.
This concludes Part 3.
Part 4: The Self-Proclaimed Library Committee Member of the Noble Academy continues.
Details regarding the resumption of serialization and other matters will be posted in my activity report.