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Chapter 48

「First of all, do you know why touching a mandrake’s root causes your mana to get drained?」

「Eh? Isn’t that just how they’re built… like, that’s what the species does?」

「That’s true, but it isn’t absolute. If the mandrake’s mana is stronger, your mana gets pulled toward it, however, if that difference is reversed, you won’t get drained.」

A fascinating lecture had begun, so I was about to crawl out of the flower basket to listen properly when Leonhart noticed me and let me out.

He then set me down on the floor, and I quietly bowed my head. To maintain the adorable image of a child sprout, I had to behave sweetly. If I was going to receive a monster lecture, sitting neatly and cute in front of him would be ideal, so I tried to walk past Nikolaus, intent on plopping down near Ritter,

「For example, in my case, even if I touch this mandrake nothing happens.」

(NGYAAAAAAAAAA, !!??)

Nikolaus grabbed me firmly from below and lifted me up, then shoved his hand right into the gap of my cloth covering. The shock was so extreme I screamed internally at full volume, though thanks to the lid over my voice nothing actually came out.

Panicking because draining Nikolaus would basically be murder, I flailed desperately, but dangling by my stem meant my short arms and legs only wiggled helplessly.

「What are you doing!?」

「…!」

Leonhart flew over and seized Nikolaus’s arm with force, causing Nikolaus to grimace slightly and immediately release me. Naturally, I fell with gravity and screamed internally 「AAAAAAA!?」 but before I hit the ground, Leonhart caught me securely and held me, so I was safe.

(So… so scary…! I’m glad I didn’t drain him at all…)

Because I was synchronized, the child sprout’s mana was affected too, and I’d been worried what would happen if I ended up draining Nikolaus, who has less mana than me, but thankfully, that turned out to be needless fear. So the mandrake’s draining really is about mana difference. …Well, the fact no fatal accident happened is the real relief.

(But that was so terrifying I… um… kind of leaked a little…)

For the record, mandrakes don’t have the same excretory system as humans, so what I leaked was mandrake sap, and it came out of my eye holes. To a human it probably looked like I was crying. …In truth, I’d just gotten so scared I’d metaphorically peed myself, which is humiliating.

(I do see this happen sometimes… but I guess child sprouts have smaller capacity, so it comes out quickly…)

Even if I 「leaked」 what came out was just a little bit of mandrake sap with healing properties. It’s not dirty, so I’d appreciate forgiveness.

「Don’t grab me with that ridiculous strength… seriously…」

「A… my apologies. It was something precious to Witch-sama, so I panicked and misjudged my strength… Court Mage, are you injured…?」

「…This much is nothing.」

Nikolaus rubbed the arm Leonhart had grabbed, still frowning. Even with one eye hidden, Leonhart’s expression clearly showed deep remorse as he held me trembling and crying (well, leaking). He must have panicked while trying to protect me and squeezed too hard.

「Show me your arm. Leonhart is one of the strongest among the knights, and he grabbed pretty hard just now. It’d be one thing between knights, but demonkind bodies aren’t tougher than humans.」

「…Hey, don’t casually imply I’m fragile. You lot are just overtrained. I’m about as sturdy as any normal person. Demonkind just builds mana more easily, that’s all, understood?」

「Yeah, yeah, I understand, so show me your arm.」

Nikolaus reluctantly rolled up his sleeve, revealing pale skin untouched by the sun, and a vivid red handprint. Even he lifted a brow in mild surprise, and Ritter let out a small 「Ahh…」 sound. …That must have hurt quite a bit.

「I thought you might’ve cracked a bone, but… looks like you’re fine enough.」

「That’s what I keep saying, I’m not that delicate.」

「No, Leonhart is really strong. Though even in a rush he did hold back somewhat…」

「I never intended to grab so hard it left a mark. …I deeply regret my lack of control.」

The tension from earlier now sank into a gloomy atmosphere. Leonhart looked genuinely remorseful, while Nikolaus wore a displeased face. Even the bizarre sight of the purple sprout perched on Ritter’s shoulder couldn’t lighten the air now.

(If I heal that red mark maybe the mood will improve a little… Ah, right.)

I tapped Leonhart’s arm, and when he looked at me, I reached toward Nikolaus. Both of them seemed unsure what I wanted and looked troubled.

「…Do you perhaps… have a complaint against Court Mage…?」

「No, I think it probably wants you to get closer. My Purple does that a lot too.」

Thanks to Ritter’s hint, Leonhart gently brought me closer until I could reach Nikolaus’s reddened arm. I wiped my eyes, even stuck my hand into the eye hole a bit, gathered up the remaining sap I’d leaked earlier, soaked it into my cloth hands… and patted it onto the red mark, gently rubbing it in.

「…What is it doing?」

「…Probably treatment. Mandrake sap has minor healing properties. …See? The redness is fading.」

「Oh… it really is. …Thank goodness. But I truly apologize.」

「It’s fine. I don’t intend to blame you. I didn’t expect this mandrake to have such strong will and hate it that much either… and I get why you reacted like that.」

At least it looked like they reconciled. Just as I was feeling satisfied with the outcome, I noticed Nikolaus staring straight at me. …Why does it feel scary when he stares too much?

「This mandrake… really is a lot like that witch.」

Wait, does that mean… did he realize I’m inside this green sprout…!?