"...Hey, Amelia."
"Hm? What?"
Should I even say this?
Would it really be okay to tell Amelia?
Yu Siwoo agonized over it for a long time.
Was it really the right call to talk about what happened last night?
His theory that Arte had taken his clothes was just a guess.
Should he tell her about last night’s events, or was it better to keep quiet?
After endless deliberation, Yu Siwoo decided not to say anything.
This wasn’t the kind of thing you told just anyone.
If Arte found out he’d told Amelia, there was no telling what might happen.
It was still just a guess, after all.
Yeah, just a guess.
"...No, it’s nothing."
"What? You were gonna say something, weren’t you?"
"Uh, well..."
But if he just dropped it like that, she’d get suspicious.
So Yu Siwoo decided to ask about the supplies Amelia had been preparing recently.
He still needed her help with that, after all.
"I, uh... I was just wondering if the stuff you mentioned is ready."
"That’s a stupid question. Here."
Yu Siwoo blinked in disbelief at the item in Amelia’s hand.
He couldn’t even consider the possibility that she was messing with him.A chill ran down his spine—even now, he could sense the faint but unmistakable aura of dark magic.
It was a Beast’s thread.
"...You really got it?"
"You should be grateful. Grade 2 Beast byproducts aren’t easy to come by. You know that, right?"
Amelia might usually be unreliable, but in moments like this, she was a dependable ally.
He’d been taken aback when she insisted on using such expensive materials.
When she said she’d handle the procurement herself, he’d honestly assumed it was impossible.
Even for Amelia, it seemed like a stretch.
And yet, here she was, holding the real thing.
"How’d you even manage that? Grade 2 Beast byproducts go for a fortune. Did your dad get it for you?"
"Huh? It’s easier to get than you think."
"...Seriously?"
"Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know."
Yu Siwoo had assumed Grade 2 Beast materials were astronomically rare, but apparently not.
Seeing his confusion, Amelia began to explain.
"Think about it. Grade 2 Beasts are hard to hunt, right?"
"Yeah. That’s true."
Not all Beasts were the same.
They were categorized into four tiers, from 1 to 4.
And among them, Grade 2 Beasts were the strongest in existence today.
Unlike the possibly extinct Grade 1 Beasts, they were the greatest obstacle heroes faced on the front lines.
The reason humanity hadn’t reclaimed all its land yet.
"But heroes as strong as my dad can still take them down. It’s not like they’re Grade 1. You’ve even killed a Grade 3 before, right? On... the day of the entrance ceremony. Remember?"
The entrance ceremony.
Now that she mentioned it, he did.
It had only been less than a year ago, yet it felt like ancient history.
Maybe it was because every day since enrolling had been so intense.
"But the thing is, you can catch them, but you can’t necessarily subdue them. That’s why they’re rarely sold on the market."
"Why’s that?"
"Why? Because to get a Demon Beast’s byproducts, you have to kill them as intact as possible. But in a fight, you don’t have the luxury of doing that."
In battle, you’d end up burning away the incredibly durable fur, or if the Demon Beast had a magic eye, you’d gouge it out.
The more exceptional the part, the better the material, but in a fight, you inevitably end up damaging those parts, Amelia explained with a smile.
"Plus, if they’re left intact, the people who caught them usually keep them for themselves."
"I see."
"That’s why items made from high-rank Demon Beasts are expensive. Either the quantity is so small it’s unusable, or the parts are damaged."
"Then why did you say they’re easy to get?"
Amelia’s words didn’t add up.
If the materials were that hard to obtain, then what I’d asked for should’ve been just as difficult.
"Because things with no commercial value are easier to get."
"…Commercial value?"
"Well, even with crops, if they’re fine in taste but torn or damaged, they get thrown out because they can’t be sold, right?"
Ah.
Only then did Yu Siwoo understand what Amelia was getting at.
Items that were fine for use but had issues when it came to selling.
That’s what she meant.
"So…"
"My dad happened to mention recently that he was going to hunt a spider-type Demon Beast. So I asked him. Could you spare some unused thread?"
Yu Siwoo looked at the deep crimson thread clutched in Amelia’s hand.
The ominous thread, pulsing with dark magic, was neatly bundled.
"A length like this isn’t long enough to make clothes, and no one uses thread as a weapon, right? Stuff like this is basically useless."
"…I see."
"But for you, this should be enough, right? You can just take it for free. So, how’s that for my skills?"
Amelia’s proud smile made her seem all the more impressive.
If it weren’t for her, he would’ve just used ordinary thread.
If he’d tried to use something this valuable, he would’ve had to pay an astronomical price.
With a grateful heart, he gave her a small smile and accepted the thread.
If he’d thanked her out loud, she’d probably wave her hand dismissively and call him gross for making a fuss.
Sure enough, Amelia, without a care for the potentially rude situation, asked him,
"So? Have you decided what you’re making yet?"
"I’m going with a bracelet."
"A bracelet? Hmm, not bad. Safe choice."
Amelia nodded, saying it was perfect for a gift.
He’d expected her to say something like, “This is why you’re no good.”
"By the way, where’s Dorosi? What’s she doing over there?"
"She’s got a headache because of you."
"Me?"
"Yeah, you. Do you have any experience making accessories or something?"
"No."
"Exactly. So she’s running around like crazy because she’s worried you’ll mess up the gift. You really are lucky with people."
Dorosi’s head, resting on the desk, was surrounded by countless sheets of paper.
According to Amelia, each of those papers held designs for various accessories.
"Dorosi, get up. He’s decided. It’s a bracelet."
"···Ugh, t-the bracelet? It's here."
"Thanks. Get some rest."
"Goodnight···."
At Amelia’s urging, Dorothy rose to her feet, her eyes hollow.
She looked like she was on the verge of death—like someone who had pulled all-nighters for days.
After picking out a few sheets from the stack of papers, Dorothy handed them to us before collapsing again as if she’d passed out.
"I told her to take it easy."
"···Is she okay? She looks exhausted."
"Leave her be. She said she had nothing to do and was bored, so she got all worked up about researching this stuff. She didn’t need to stay up all night, though."
"Yeah. Dorothy doesn’t really train much."
"It’s not efficient for her."
Dorothy’s Ability was Reinforcement.
This was fairly common knowledge within the Academy.
Because it was an extremely rare Ability.
"Still, it’s not like she gave up entirely. She just trains enough to protect herself, so it should be fine."
Most Abilities were beneficial to the user themselves.
Things like enhancing their body, breathing fire, or toughening their skin.
There were some that weakened others, but… well, most didn’t affect other people.
In that sense, Dorothy was an outlier.
She couldn’t do anything on her own—her Ability only worked when she used it on someone else.
"In actual combat, she’d just be standing there like a prop anyway. At least she’s doing some training."
"True."
That was why Dorothy’s training was inefficient.
She couldn’t even develop her Ability in the first place.
Other students trained their bodies while honing their Abilities, but Dorothy couldn’t do that.
Since her Ability only worked on others, she had no choice.
We helped her out sometimes, but we couldn’t always be there for her.
"Let’s talk about Dorothy later. Which one of these do you like best?"
"···There’s a lot. They’re really detailed."
"I told you. She was just staring at these the whole time."
The materials Dorothy had given us were incredibly neat and extensive.
They included detailed instructions on how to make each item, along with photos of the finished products.
The guides were so clear that even I, who had never made anything like this before, thought I could probably pull it off.
"···Let’s go with this one."
"This? It’s pretty plain."
"Arte isn’t the type to go for flashy decorations. Something simple would be better."
"That works too. Gifts are about the recipient, after all."
Amelia praised me for not just picking the most extravagant option, saying it was a good choice.
I wasn’t sure it deserved that much praise, but the compliment still lifted my mood a little.
It felt like my taste had been acknowledged.
"Hopefully this helps with the symptoms you mentioned."
"···Yeah."
Amelia’s somber tone brought my spirits down again.
If this didn’t work for Arte, what else could I do to help her?
I’d started this on a whim, but now I was frustrated that I couldn’t think of any other way.