Village Daughter of a Potato Farmer, Until She Was Praised as a Sword God

Chapter 4: Running Alone

A few days had passed since the events that occurred during the first day of second year and I had finally learnt how to use Ren properly.

“But everyone's mana... wasn’t like mine?” I asked myself.

Yes, it was an unexpected situation. I had always thought anyone could do this much if they used mana, but it was far from the truth. My mana amount was just outstanding.

I thought about it a little.

‘First of all, I assumed that my Ren and everyone else's Ren began at the same level. Well, I usually slept a total of eight hours a day.’ 

Yeah, I slept that much. 

‘And for the remaining 16 hours, I continued to train my mana. On the other hand, the limits for the other students were two hours a day.’

 “Huh? Wait a minute, then... I am rising at eight times the normal speed?”

 This consideration may not have been far off the mark considering the fact that all the records I got in the physical fitness test were top of the grade. I overtook a thousand people in my grade and now, I am at the top.

From the second year onwards, practical skills and alchemy training were integrated and most of the day was spent in this new class. It was a very painful time for the students who had not yet awakened to mana. Also, I had a new problem. My classmates didn't respond well to the match.

　Alignment is important. It is not only to hone your skills, but it's also essential for learning to perceive experiences.

　Experiential perception is the ability to roughly understand the strength of the person you face. It was due to the resonance of intuition and mana and it was necessary to have in actual battles.

Jill-sensei was responsible for this, so she was the one who had to deal with it. She was a first-year student of the school and she had also served as a knight since she was a student. Since she was one of the most skilled teachers, the academy entrusted her with many of the practical skills classes.

  While teaching me the class, Jill-sensei lightly shifted to a new conversation;

"Do you know the chief knight of this country? She was a classmate of mine when I was at the academy. She was a stupid perverted mana monster, a lot like you, Tremina-san. Ah, that is the mana monster part. Now hurry up, let’s begin your ‘Chance’ training.”

Chance is a technique for controlling mana. As a subject, it is something that students of the academy start working on in earnest from the third grade.

But I needed it to match my classmates.

“It takes time to learn.”

"You have more time than most people. Don't just train, also be prepared."

"I see. I'll try."

"And, of course, experiential perception is a must. If you don't learn it by the end of the school year, you'll be building a pile of corpses with your classmates’ bodies."

"Please stop. Because of you, I'm already being seen as a monster."

　There were some things that were a bit of a problem, but I was lucky to have had Jill-sensei take a look at it. She was always with me, even during the summer vacation.

　While sparring with her, somehow, I began to feel the changes in her mana. At that moment, it seemed that I had gradually begun to acquire experiential perception. Jill sensei changed the amount of mana she was wearing from time to time and we practiced accordingly with the changes.

"I didn't know you could finish it so quickly. Your greatest strength is that you continue to train diligently."

I wasn’t so sure about that, but I felt happy because it was rare for a teacher to praise me.

　After summer vacation, I was allowed to begin training with my classmates again. I had to tightly adjust my mana to roughly the same amount as my opponent. But even with that, I still didn't lose to anyone.

　While everyone was dealing with their classmates, even during the summer vacation, I was single-mindedly arguing with Jill-sensei. I felt that I was one step ahead in terms of combat techniques.

　However, a sense of relief had spread throughout the class after the matches were complete.

  “Tremina isn't that much of a monster as we had thought.”

  “No, this is because we have improved ourselves and the gap has been covered.”

　“The amazing record on the first day of the second year must have been a coincidence.”

　Jill-sensei had told me that a person is something you interpret as you see fit. But on the other hand, I was also relieved. I didn't want to run alone, either at the top or at the bottom.

   I was then absorbed by the top group, and the monster theories finally died down.

“Alright then, I’ll continue to live a discreet and calm student life. Then, when I graduate, I will peacefully return to the village and continue on the potato farm.” I told Cepharis.

  “Don’t you want to become a knight?” She asked.

　“Knighting is a dangerous job. If you have a safe and stable job option, you choose it without hesitation. I'd rather live as a potato farmer.”

 She smiled at me and replied; “That dream will come true if you spend your time here quietly without any attention.”

She then continued;

"You have truly gotten a lot stronger, Tremina, and now, we are very separate mountains. I'll do my best, so I can't lose to you. I hope to see you in the final."

The final my sister spoke of was the final of the biggest event of the school year. The academy tournament.