Chapter 4:
Hero Academy
I WAS FEELING A LOT BETTER, so I continued my stroll with Emma. And, since my LP was back up to 500, I decided to test out my Editor skill again.
Stone Bullet: Consumes magic to generate and fire a stone roughly eight inches in diameter.
Every human had magic, although the precise amount varied. When you drained your reserves, you couldn’t use spells, and it could have an adverse effect on your mental and physical strength. Some people were wiped out after using just one spell, others could do well over a hundred without breaking a sweat—talk about a disparity! But enough of that, I had some editing to do.
I wanted to change the “roughly eight inches” part of the description to “between five inches and three feet.” It was going to cost me 100 LP, but I felt like I could handle it.
To be honest, Stone Bullet wasn’t a particularly destructive spell, so I was glad to be able to produce larger projectiles, even if it did mean expending more magic. On the other hand, I could also produce smaller projectiles when I needed to conserve magic.
“Please, good sir, fine lady, take pity,” an old man called out from the side of the road.
His hair was long and mangy and his face was dark with soot. People like him didn’t have homes. They were far below the commoners in social standing. He hadn’t addressed us like that because he knew we were members of the aristocracy, he would have done the same to anyone—I mean, who would object to being mistaken for an aristocrat?
Emma went to him immediately, purse in hand. “It’s not much, but get yourself a warm meal.”
Normally people just ignored folks like him—if you let them talk, they just keep going and going—but I’ve never seen Emma turn down someone in need.
“You really never change, huh?” I asked as we went on our way.
“I just happen to come from a slightly more fortunate family, that’s all.”
“Yeah, and I just happen to be from a family of struggling nobles. Should I cry about it?”
“Ooh, there, there, poor baby.”
“Wow, this is what I get?”
While we were fooling around, a troubled voice called out behind us: “Thief! Someone, help!”
I couldn’t believe it! Someone had snatched Emma’s money from that homeless man. The culprit ran off in the opposite direction—he must’ve been keeping an eye on us.
“Don’t worry, I’ll catch him!” Emma shouted.
“No, Emma, let me handle this.”
“But, Noir…”
“Stone Bullet.”
Pew! Ka-thunk!
My projectile landed square in the middle of the culprit’s back, knocking him flat onto his face. Other people jumped in to pin him to the ground, and the money was returned to the old man.
Emma stared at me in shock. “Wow! Wow?! How can you use that spell?!”
“Well, you know what they say, take your eyes off a boy for a few days and you never know what you’ll find.”
“But we just saw each other yesterday!”
“The point is: I’m growing.”
“And that stone looked bigger than usual too…”
She wasn’t wrong about that. I’d increased the stone’s size to about a foot in diameter. It seemed like the power of the spell had gone up too. The magic cost wasn’t that significant, so I’d say my experiment was a resounding success.
“Well, I ought to get home,” I said. “I have to prepare for the Hero Academy exam tomorrow.”
“You’re taking it?!”
“Yup. Anyway, see ya.”
I thought about stopping by the dungeon, but I was a little tired, so I decided to go home.
That night, I knocked on my little sister’s door. I figured it was worth finding out if I could use her to replenish LP.
Alice opened her door. “Whatever do you need, brother dearest?”
“I have a request.”
“Oh, do tell. I will do anything I can for you, and gladly.”
“Would you let me rest my head in your lap?”
“Y-your what?!”
“I want to rest my head in your lap.”
“O-oh, I thought you had said something else for a moment… Uh, um, sure!”
I thanked her and made my way into her room. I hadn’t been in there in almost a year, but I remained impressed with its tidiness. Alice was still a little baffled by the request, but she indulged me nonetheless, netting me 30 LP. It wasn’t as much as I’d gotten from Emma, but I appreciated it all the same.
“I feel so much better,” I said as I thanked her.
“If doing this sort of thing helps you, you can ask me any time, brother.”
“So you wouldn’t mind if I asked you to be my hug pillow?”
“Whaa?! I mean, of course not!”
“You’re such a sweet, adorable little sister, Alice.”
430 LP → 500 LP
The fact that the LP generation function worked with my little sister meant it didn’t have particularly discerning parameters. I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything else, given who I’d inherited it from. I resolved to see my master again soon.