Chapter 303: The Stone Giant

“Miss Risi is merely strong in physical strength. Due to the short training period, she is not accustomed to handling weapons, so she often loses balance and staggers whenever she swings one. Moreover, she has a habit of reflexively closing her eyes when an attack comes flying in. So please understand.”

“……I understand.”

Valtraus nodded with an expression that suggested he understood but was doubtful that this was acceptable.

Although he had heard that some people had only two weeks of training, he apparently never imagined anyone would be this unskilled.

In effect, what came out of Fjodra’s mouth was a declaration pointing out Risi’s problems, stating that she was of no help in battle and would only cause harm.

Yet Risi’s face lit up.

She seemed purely happy that she wouldn’t have to join the extremely dangerous Boss Monster raid.

And so, leaving Valtraus, his familiar, and Risi there.

We moved toward the direction of the Dining Hall.

“While we move, I’d like to hear how you’ve dealt with the monsters here so far.”

“I’ll explain!”

Although I had a rough idea, it was better to make sure.

When I put out a request for an explanation to no one in particular with that thought, Reysir quickly replied.

Perhaps because he’s the protagonist of the novel, he seems greedy for dialogue.

“At first, we fought in a standard way. But even after breaking the rocks again and again, they reassembled. When I saw that sight and felt despair…”

“Give me just the conclusion.”

“These monsters have a clear weakness, but its location differs for each individual. But finding and destroying it takes a lot of time and effort, right? So from the middle, we had Svein let water seep into the rock crevices, and then I dropped lightning bolts to resolve it.”

Exactly what I expected came out of the Original Protagonist’s mouth.

After all, to take down a Golem with a single lightning bolt, there was no other way.

“You struck lightning quite a few times. Do you have enough Aether left?”

“Yeah. The Imperial Princess gave me an Aether Potion, so I drank it.”

“When was that?”

“Right before I ran into you.”

The fact that the effect diminishes after using a Potion once has been mentioned several times, so the readers must know.

This applies not only to Healing Potions that heal wounds but also to Aether Potions.

However, in the case of Aether Potions, it’s not just that the effect diminishes. It comes with side effects.

If taken repeatedly, Aether can reverse, and there is a possibility of a symptom that can be described as Qi Deviation in martial arts novels.

And each time the number of doses increases, the probability doubles.

Therefore, in the case of Healing Potions, even if the effect is halved, if immediate treatment is urgent, it’s okay to drink them.

But Aether Potions have such fatal side effects that absolute rest is recommended.

‘But you can’t always rest when you lack Aether.’

Among the supporting characters of the Original Work, there was one who died from the side effect just mentioned.

Additionally, in the Original Work, Reysir also experienced this side effect, but as the protagonist, he overcame it well.

I expect it will be the same in the Remake Version, but…

‘But I can’t tell him to drink an Aether Potion after the boss fight, risking falling into Qi Deviation, right?’

I anticipate that another crisis will occur after the Demonic Realm is dismantled.

But others will think it’s over as soon as the Boss Monster is dealt with and let their guard down.

‘Well… fine. The Confession Villain is just an ordinary person after all!

As long as I prepare, I should be able to stop his sudden actions on my own.

There’s no need to borrow the hands of the Protagonist of Another Novel.

“By the way, don’t you have anything else to say?”

“What do you mean?”

“Or perhaps you feel resentful?”

As I was steeling my resolve internally, Reysir brought up something not only out of the blue but also incomprehensible.

“What in the world are you talking about?”

“While you were away, I teamed up with Svein, right? Splashing water is something you could do too. So I wondered if you might be jealous.”

“……”

I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t speak, and I even came to a complete stop without realizing it.

It seems this Protagonist of Another Novel is still under a misconception.

He thinks I’m keeping him in check because I’m afraid Svein will get close to him faster than me.

‘No, if I were worried about something like that, I would have kept Svein in check… I could just accept Reysir as a friend!

Maybe because he’s the Protagonist of Another Novel, his way of thinking is far beyond my common sense.

What should I say to make him break free from this absurd misconception?

As I was pondering that.

“You stopped at just the right time. I was about to say that it would be good to stop soon.”

Fjodra said this, indicating that we had reached near the Boss’s Domain.

Thanks to that, I was able to postpone the argument for later.

“But where is the Boss Monster? I hope you’re not going to say that those particularly huge rocks blocking the entrance to the Dining Hall are the Boss Monster. That’s just terrain, right?”

As Pret’s exaggerated tone showed, the pile of rocks before us was on a different level from ordinary Golems.

Each rock was several times larger and seemed harder, and there were also many more.

If it took the form of a Golem and stood on two legs, it might almost match the height of the three-story Dining Hall building.

“Unfortunately, those rocks are indeed the material that makes up the Boss Monster’s body. I wished it weren’t so, but when I came to scout earlier and tried to get closer, they stirred and moved.”

Fjodra’s face showed helplessness as she said this.

And the feelings of those listening were no different.

“That centipede-type Boss Monster we saw last time was also enormous. Are all Boss Monsters always that big?”

“If that is truly the case, the monster we saw on Graduation Ceremony day must have been quite small for a boss.”

“I had a really hard time blocking that monster’s attacks back then…! I definitely can’t block the attacks of such a huge rock monster. Absolutely!”

Hailga reacted with intimidation, and Vigdis clicked her tongue with a dumbfounded expression.

Liolikin grimaced, trembling with fear.

And I.

‘Even if it’s to prevent one-shot kills, isn’t this too much?!’

— I couldn’t help but think the Original Author had gone overboard.

In terms of total length, the centipede-type Boss Monster we encountered last time was much longer at about fifteen meters.

But at that time, Dyuf had tied up the Boss Monster with plant stems, restricting its movement.

Moreover, we knew the exact location of its Magic Core, so it was possible to take it down in one blow.

Since it was a creature that crawled on the ground, its head was low and there was no need to look up from a dizzying height, so it didn’t feel imposing.

‘It was just disgusting!’

On the other hand, for a Golem-type Boss Monster, the location of its Magic Core constantly changes.

And even if Hailga tried to hold it down with her Wire, it would break in less than 0.1 seconds.

Since it’s made of rock, it won’t get burned or electrocuted.

“I hope that Boss Monster can be dealt with the same way as before.”

Fjodra said in a voice that seemed quite earnest.

A line laden with foreshadowing that it wouldn’t be possible.

“But since the Boss Monster has blocked the building entrance like that… there’s no one left inside the building, right…?”

This time, Svein showed anxiety and brought up an ominous point.

If this is also foreshadowing, it’s a huge problem.

Given the current location of the Boss Monster, if we fight it without luring it away, that building will definitely collapse.

Even if we somehow succeed in separating the Boss Monster from the building, the shocks from the subsequent battle could be transmitted to the building and cause it to collapse.

If someone gets crushed to death, we would bear that responsibility.

“That will absolutely not happen. Isn’t the entire Dining Hall building within the detection range of that Boss Monster? If someone remained inside, the Boss Monster would not be still like that. It would have destroyed the building and killed the person inside.”

I hurriedly presented evidence that there would be no one left in the building.

“Since the Demonic Realm occurred well past lunchtime, there were no student users in the first place. The staff would have escaped using the staff-only entrance at the rear of the building. At the time the Demonic Realm precursor phenomenon occurred.”

Not only was there enough time.

I explained that the escape route did not overlap with the generation point of the Boss Monster.

“Generally, it’s said that inside a building is safer than outside. But there is no guarantee that monsters won’t appear inside the building, and this Academy has several professors with combat abilities residing here. Rather than hoping for uncertain luck, it would make sense to seek out a helper who definitely exists, wouldn’t it?”

I cited reasons to make people understand that instead of holing up inside the building, they would likely go outside.

And finally―.

“However, just in case, it might be good to check. But if we try to enter the building ourselves, the Boss Monster will move… Your Imperial Highness, could you use the [Wind Mastery] skill to check if any sounds of people are coming from inside the building?”

I requested this of Fjodra.

“It seems too far from here, so it would be difficult. I’ll approach the back of the building and check. As Carvaldr’s Unit said, it doesn’t seem like anyone is left inside, but it feels uneasy to skip checking.”

After giving this answer, instead of moving herself, Fjodra sent her familiar to do it.

It seems that to avoid the Boss’s detection range and go around the long way, it would take quite some time.

If she used Wind Aether to lift her body high into the sky and move, the time could be shortened.

‘But to lift a person’s body using only the power of wind requires an enormous amount of energy.’

In other words, it consumes a lot of Aether.

I speculate. For this reason, when Fjodra went scouting to check the Boss Monster’s location, she must have drunk an Aether Potion.

So she wouldn’t want to waste more Aether before the battle with the Boss Monster.

‘But if she sent her familiar to find the Boss Monster’s location, that should have been enough. Why did she have to go herself and cross-check? Is this also an action reflecting Author Senna’s will?’

If Lausa could also write like my wise baby dragon and clearly convey her intentions,

She might have been able to prevent Fjodra’s futile actions by appealing to her master to trust herself.

What a pity.