Ch 22 Exalted One

[It’s good, but the seasoning is always the same. I’m getting sick of it.]

Kurou’s grumble echoed directly into Asterion’s mind through their telepathic link, carrying the petulant whine of a creature who had been thoroughly spoiled.

“Be patient. I’ll get you something from elsewhere later.”

They were perched up in the sprawling canopy of a tree, hidden perfectly among the dense foliage that overlooked the sprawling courtyard.

Meat steeped in the overflowing mana near the labyrinth was excellent for a familiar’s recovery. He had gone out of his way to steal the academy cafeteria food for her, but it had barely been a few days and the spoiled bird was already complaining.

Asterion sleepily licked a smudge of leftover, salty-sweet sauce off his thumb, staring blankly out at the distant, towering spire of the academy’s main lecture halls.

It tastes perfectly fine to me.

“Picky bird,” he muttered aloud.

“Uncultured human!” Kurou instantly chirped back.

Asterion, pretending to be hurt by her comment, gripped his chest and slumped against the tree trunk. When Kurou laughed with glee, Asterion opened one eye and sat up straight again, rubbing her head.

Despite her complaints, the raven inhaled her share of the meal. Asterion flicked his wrist, and white texts of the status window materialized in the air before him. Thankfully, feeding her consistently with mana-infused food over the last ten days had finally upgraded Kurou’s status from the glaring red [Extreme Hunger] to a milder, yellow [Hunger].

Her feathers, which had been brittle when he first found her, were slowly regaining their oil-slick sheen. In the process, she’d been shedding a lot.

It’s still not quite enough, though, Asterion noted, swiping the window away.

To truly restore her to her former glory, he needed to track down her missing gigantification mana stone and implant it back into her chest. That mana stone was the core component needed for her to regain her health and strength.

Until he found the thief who had dared to cut open his familiar, he would just have to rely on nutrition.

He hoped to slip down into the labyrinth’s deeper levels soon to hunt down a proper, high-tier monster for her. He had been carefully feeding her prepped and cooked meat from the kitchens, so as not to overwhelm her weakened stomach, but soon enough, her digestive system would be strong enough to handle raw food again.

And for a mana beast like Kurou, fresh, raw meat cut straight from a mana-rich carcass was always the best thing for a good recovery.

Asterion gently stroked the raven’s head, his long fingers trailing down the sleek curve of her neck. Kurou leaned into the touch, letting out a soft, contented trill that tickled his palm.

He was thankful for the quiet peace of the moment. The gentle rustle of the leaves in the autumn wind, the warmth of the afternoon sun filtering through the branches, the steady heartbeat of his only companion—it was enough to lull him back toward the dreamless sleep he craved.

At least, nothing could break this peace.

Even after his little stunt infiltrating a practical exam a few days ago, there didn’t seem to be any shift in the academy’s security.

Well, all I did was cast a single [Fireball], after all.

He was relieved. He had been a bit worried that he might have accidentally left a suspicious impression behind.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

That’s exactly why [Camouflage] is my favorite spell.

No matter where he was or what minor anomalies he caused, the spell subtly manipulated the subconscious minds of anyone who perceived him. It forced their brains to rationalize his existence in the most natural, unremarkable way possible.

At this rate, he could quietly fade away and go back to sleep without a single person ever realizing Asterion had returned.

No more stalkers! No more cults built under my name!

“But seriously, don’t they notice when you steal this much food?” Kurou asked.

She hopped onto his knee, tilting her head to stare up at him.

“There are probably hundredss of people here. Maybe thousands. They won’t notice,” Asterion replied lazily, closing his eyes to soak in the sunlight.

He had been taking progressively larger hauls with each visit, but honestly, considering the humans of this era had built their entire academy on top of his treasures and were constantly leaching his residual mana, a few stolen sandwiches acting as “rent” was a ridiculously cheap bargain. If anything, they owed him.

They were right in the middle of that exact conversation when the dense brush beneath the tree branches snapped and rustled.

It was a boy. He was covered in sweat, his academy robe rumpled, his chest heaving as if he had run up the knoll. Actually, he probably did.

The boy was about to pass him, naturally, when his bloodshot eyes suddenly tracked upward.

Wha—