宅男天堂

“What is it?”

“As Ms. Elodie has noticed, the patient recovers from mana depletion far too quickly.”

Sybil, who had been listening, blinked.

“Is that a problem?”

Elodie wanted to ask the same question.

She felt like the incredible speed was strange, but she didn’t think it was necessarily a bad thing.

The doctor spoke.

“Rather than a problem… It’s as if his body has grown used to mana depletion.”

At his words, their expressions hardened like stone.

Only then did they understand why the doctor had wanted to talk to the guardian.

“I don’t know what the patient has been doing, but mana depletion is not a common occurrence. He must have been in very intense battles, or situations comparable to them, very often. Do you have any idea what it could be?”

The two girls shook their heads at the doctor’s question.

Their faces were blank as they shook their heads.

Mana depletion isn’t something you do intentionally.

Of course, causing mana depletion doesn’t particularly harm the human body.

However, using magic or skills inherently means you’re in a battle situation.

Mana depletion means you’ve given it your all in that battle.

That means that being used to mana depletion means you’re frequently engaging in fierce battles.

“……Doctor,”

Elodie opened her mouth.

“If he’s used to mana depletion, how often would you say he’s done it?”

“Hmm, I’d say…”

The doctor adjusted his glasses and looked at the image again.

“──He’s probably done it more than a hundred times.”

Elodie’s eyes trembled.

She felt an indescribable emotion swelling up inside her.

‘I didn’t know this?’

Even if that was the case for Sybil…

Elodie had been watching Frondier for a very long time.

She even used to call Frondier by a gross nickname that she’s too embarrassed to even say now.

For mana depletion to have happened more than a hundred times, unless he’s experiencing mana depletion on a daily basis, it had to have been happening since before he entered Constel.

It must have been a long time ago.

Frondier had been experiencing mana depletion since then?

‘What… have I been looking at all this time!’

Finally, the welling up emotion reached its peak.

It was an emotion she didn’t want to realize.

But she had no choice but to. It was anger. Anger directed at herself.

“H-hey, Elodie! Elodie!”

“……Huh?”

When Sybil called Elodie’s name, she barely managed to return to her senses.

The temperature in the room had risen considerably.

She had almost caused her divine power to activate.

“S-sorry!”

Elodie quickly apologized to the doctor.

The doctor looked surprised, but he just laughed it off with a chuckle.

In truth, divine power that doesn’t contain killing intent doesn’t harm the other party when activated.

In Elodie’s case, it may cause things to get hot or cold, or cause the wind to blow.

However, it could be seen as threatening depending on the other party.

The doctor spoke to appease them.

"As I mentioned, there\'s nothing particularly wrong with the patient\'s body right now. However, I must stress that he should avoid overexertion. If he continues to face dangerous situations..."

"......Understood."

After responding gloomily, they stepped out of the examination room.

"......"

"......"

Following the doctor\'s explanation, they sat side by side on chairs, utterly dejected.

Elodie finally spoke up after a moment of thought.

"......Hey."

"......Yeah."

"Frondier, he always sleeps during class, right? And tries to skip outdoor classes."

"......Yeah."

"That might be because......"

Elodie\'s thought.

Sybil felt the same.

Maybe Frondier wasn\'t lazy; perhaps he couldn\'t help it.

Repeating battles that drain his mana, recovering, and then fighting again.

With such a body, leading a normal school life was impossible.

Sybil lifted her head and murmured as if sighing.

"When we went to the dungeon together, Frondier seemed skilled at disarming traps."

Sybil recalled the time she was left alone with Frondier.

At that time, she had a poor impression of him and couldn\'t judge properly, but Frondier continually protected her.

He disarmed many traps, and even when they encountered one, he protected her.

Maybe it wasn\'t that he had learned about traps.

But rather, he had \'experienced\' them.

Frondier, the human sloth.

The laziest and most incompetent man in Constel.

That truth tasted too bitter and cold for them.

* * *

"Hehehe~ Hehe~"

Ainen walked down the street with a lively step.

As a librarian, she enjoyed reading even on her days off, but today was a rare outing for her.

A song even slipped from her lips, ill-fitting though it was.

"Frondier, that guy. He can be surprisingly helpful."

Ainen checked the message that had flown into her SagePhone again.

The message read,

[Congratulations! You are the expert in \'General Knowledge for Adventurers\'!]

[You have won a Terst Department Store voucher!]

Amazingly, she had answered all the questions correctly at the library and won a voucher.

Of course, Frondier\'s help with the last question played a significant role.

Maybe she should buy him a meal sometime.

"Ehehehe."

Ainen laughed like a carefree child.

Even though Constel is well-renowned, they don\'t pay librarians that much.

As someone who devours books, she was always short on money, and living alone, the cost of food and various living expenses were a burden.

At Constel, it\'s awkward to say she\'s single, so she goes around saying she\'s a \'housewife\'.

Living alone, but a housewife nonetheless.

"First~ I\'ll buy clothes~ can\'t miss out on cosmetics~ Oh, maybe I\'ll change my shoes too?"

She walked, adding melody to her mutterings.

It was a sign that she was not as young as she might seem.

...And unbeknownst to Ainen.

There was a man watching her.

"......Yes, the target has arrived."

Hidden among the crowd, the man quietly communicated.

He confirmed Ainen entering the department store and spoke again.

"Ainen Flot has entered the department store, Your Majesty." [T/N: Lol, she seems to have gotten on the radar with that answer]