Even after entering a fantasy world, I am still getting chased by an impossible deadline.
From the feasible 2 years...
To...
11 years.
11 YEARS!
I need to reach at least D- to E+ rank to even survive the opening of the novel.
Even if I divide it out with my shitty math skills, it would take me five and a half years to reach E rank alone.
I have already been busting my ass from dawn to dusk, training until I become a limp noodle. And this is still hardly enough to push through that giant guillotine hanging above my neck, about a decade of time away.
This cursed poison will be my doom. I swear when I catch the dimwit that poisoned Amelia, I will rip them a new hole on their chest.
Every single damn one of them!
Breath, breath. Anger is not helpful.
*Slap of distraction* *Slap of distraction*
Let's see, I have right now around 2 years and a few months before the official enrollment test of the Gauravan Academy. I have to somehow halve the necessary time by then.
"System! Can you calculate how much the recovery progress has increased in the past three weeks?"
____________
Calculating...
Conclusion: In the past three weeks, you have recovered by approximately 0.504%.
____________
That is... actually sounds better than expected.
Even though when you time it back up, it is still 11 years, but let me be happy with funny numbers.
Ehem...
Anyway, uh, so the three months Amelia was in a coma, the percentages went from 0 to...uh
" 1.8 something minus for 0.4...wait 0.5, and we get...1.6?"
"Wait, no, I got it-"
" 1.4! "
_________
...
_________
_________
._.
_________
_________
Conclusion: 1.302%
_________
" Oops, hehe, my bad." :P
Something tells me the system really wants to give me a tight lap on the back of my head.
_________
You are imagining it.
_________
" Right, right, I am overthinking it." I laugh to no one but myself and the empty room.
" Ehem..."
"System, what items can I use to shorten the recovery time? There must be something in this house I can use. Can you look into, like, the special medication that Amelia had consumed in the past? Despite being an avid follower of the novel, when 'Flower of Eden' was being transitioned into a game model, I could barely understand all the numbers being thrown around.
Safe to say, other than the novel plot and major names, you might as well be talking to me in Wingdings and monkey scratches.
_________
Assessing past records spanning 6 months...
A few instances where your recovery rate spikes or a noticeable amount of toxins was purified/ cleansed from your system.
The earlier spikes are concluded to be from the direct efforts of the Laurel family and their medical team.
Compiling result...
...
...
...
Error.
Due to the complexity of the concoction in your system, no conclusive answer can be deduced.
Error.
Your intelligence level isn't sufficient to extract the ingredients list.
Please raise your understanding of this world to continue further.
_________
" Shuck, I have got to start reading now." So far, all of the rehabilitation efforts have leaned more toward training bodily and habitual functions. Even learning to use magic was more of an instinct thing; maybe this is just one of those perks of being shoved into this body.
Past Amelia, I felt like I could kiss you right now. I'm in her body right now, tho?
Maybe a mirror will do?
Never mind, the library, I guess that is another thing to add to the to-do list then.
" Is there really nothing that you could put a name on? Starting off on nothing is killing my morale." I flop down on the messy notes sprawled on the floor a defeated sigh.
_________
...
...
...
...
...
One specific instance has been detected, approximate consumption time: 2 hours ago.
_________
I immediately shot up, my face almost sticking into the screen.
Something I ate that recently?!
_________
Item record successfully extracted.
------
A Slice Of Freshly Baked Alba Pie
Rank: A+
Duration: 8 hours
The Alba fruit is a delicacy that many could never chance to taste in their lifetime. The Elves sing praises at the sight of this fruit, yet this pastry has made many Elven chefs cry in joy at tasting its flavor. If you ask with your whole heart, maybe you could get the maker of this masterpiece to bless you with another amazing dessert.
Effect: [Pain, Pain go away] - Natural recovery rates increase by 32%, make your aches and pains wash away with the tide of syrupy goodness and warm baked apple.
[My sugar rush is just my motivation up] - Boost the user's mood, increase drive and motivation greatly just in a single bite.
[Productive Duck] - Status growth for physical attributes increases by 18% through diligent training. Pull up your pants, then run and jump.
{Effects do not stack}
------
From the amount you have consumed, each whole pie is estimated to contain the flesh of at least 3-4 Alba fruit, along with other additives to mellow out its toxin purification properties.
Despite the large quantity and excellent quality of the ingredients used, the benefits provided to you in this cake have been carefully balanced to best maintain the delicate balance of your body and aid your natural recovery.
Remaining duration: 5 hours 37 minutes 18 seconds
The expected daily recovery rate for physical status will go from 0.024 to 0.01, while your mana accumulation rate will increase by 32%.
Helpful recommendation: The system suggests you do some physical activities or refine your broken mana circulation flow to make good use of the item's effects.
Further recommendation: Fostering a good relationship with the makers of this item might be beneficial for you.
_________
!
Oh, the savior of my life, Dawn, sister Rose, and... the mad doctor, I shall repay this honor a thousandfold.
I could recover almost five times more than what I have been earning daily.
Sorry doctor, I won't be resting my body as you asked.
I need to charge to the training field for the next five hours.
_________
A passive effect has been triggered.
[My sugar rush is just my motivation up] - Boost the user's mood, increase drive and motivation greatly just in a single bite.
May your efforts reap fruitful results.
Recommendation: Please only exercise in short bursts of time and take breaks in between. And be mindful of your ill-fitting bodily conditions.
_________
*****
I was not mindful of my bodily condition.
Blegh, hurk...
I threw up, 100% sure it was from over-exertion.
Luckily, it wasn't the pie that came out but the sandwiches I ate after it.
I go to the gym regularly in the modern world, but I can now only do 1/5 of my norm, which somehow feels like the most intense workout I have ever done in all my years.
Maybe for the most part it's the poison or the child's body...
Either way, the knights and servants were very nice. They help me train and fix my form without questioning anything. Some even started training with me, urging me to take breaks and forcing me to go eat dinner with them when everything was done.
I could only go for barely 2 hours straight before they had to peel me off the ground to the knight's meal hall to supply my feeble body with sustenance to keep kicking. After chugging two giant glasses of water, the maids brought me my meal straight to where I was resting.
They interact with each other so familiarly that I instinctively got swept along as well. They were all singing and drinking happily; none seemed too bothered with the fact that a noble was sitting amongst them, even slipping me some juicy grilled meat straight from the back kitchen.
All of the meals I have had here are so good. I am willing to stay in this world just for this reason alone.
Everyone gathered around a big table with meat and mead filled the table as cups clinked, and cheers erupted with drinking chants. I promptly finish my meal while joining in some chants with a glass of fruit juice.
" 1, 2, 3! YO!"
" 1, 2, 3! DRINK!"
After a while, Doctor Selinus came to drag me back to my room. Of course not without chugging a huge pint of mead under the cheer of all the knights.
" See you tomorrow, Doc."
"Let's train together again, my lady."
Their voices echo from afar, friendly and inviting.
Walking alongside the doctor, we slowly made our way back to the quiet palace. He was jotting down something on his notes while mumbling what I can only assume are plant names the whole way back, glancing back at me every once in a while as if checking if I was still there.
_________
Remaining duration: 1 hour 48 minutes 5 seconds
_________
My eyes started wandering aimlessly through each passageway, following the rhythmic pace of Mr. Selinus.
'It seems my body still has a hard time keeping up with continuous exercises. I see why my schedule has been so spaced out to different times of the week.'
I should take a break for today. But...there is still so much time left on the counter.
Tomorrow, I have etiquette training with dance practice in the morning. I got the afternoon off today, but the swordmanship teacher will be back by noon, so I guess class will continue as usual.
...
As the two shadows, one big one small arrived just a few steps away from the fancy door leading to my room. The doctor halted his step.
" ? Ah, we are here already." I accidentally blurted out. Even though I have rested for a bit, my sentence came out a bit weak, making the tone sound like I was a bit disappointed.
" Thank you for walking back with me doctor-" His hand suddenly fell on my head, ruffling the hair on my head that the knight had helped me smooth back earlier.
"Haha..."
Rrrrip
He ripped a few pages from his note, shoving them in my hand.
" Your tutor asked me to pass you these." He answered before I could ask.
I separate the pages from each other, each haunted with a strong smell of medicinal herbs and pungent chemicals.
One piece contained book titles from the tutors, each noted down with chapters and sections I need to pay attention to. Each subject has a different handwriting, with...lively drawing crawling on the edge of the pages.
The other was a list of encyclopedias about fauna and flora commonly used in medicine and an abbreviated list of the components used in all the medicine I have been taking, and the ingredients list used in that Alba pie.
I felt my arm swing up with incredible speed, immediately snatching the sleeve of the doctor who was fully intending to flee after slipping me what I desperately needed.
Turning into a koala, I clung to his arm with an iron grip, my appreciation spilling from my eyes as he tried to shake off what he had for a moment forgotten, not your average 12-year-old but another damned heir of this god-blessed noble family he served.
" Have I ever told you how much I love your work, Mister Silenus? Because this family, me, her, and even the ghosts under my bed love and appreciate your dedication, excellence, and intelligence. Blah, blah, blah..."
I blab on as his face goes paler after every sentence.
***
This speech continued on for more than 20 minutes, complementing his entire being from his hair to his tattered shoes. It took the combined efforts of 3 handmaidens and Silenus himself to peel this mousetrap of a child off of his arm.
As he heard the voice of Amelia quickly fade behind the closed door, he was able to let out a tired sigh.
" Every. Single. One. Of. Them." He muttered in frustration, yet mixed with it a tinge of amusement.
He straightened out his crumpled sleeve as he left for his lab. Passing by the family portrait hanging above the ground-floor lit stairwell, he stopped to glance over the people in the frame a few times.
" Ugh....This family sure is printed from the same mold." He let out ragged breath, his shoulder dipped with resignation and defeat.