Chapter 76: I am a Level 8 Pharmacist

I followed the noble squad out, and the officer at the south gate clearly recognized their crest, so we were quickly allowed to leave the city.
They even gave us an open-top truck as transport—though we’d have to return it to Blackshine City’s guards once we reached the train station.

Carter, with his oversized weapon, sat in the back.
Nico and the quiet Daniel took turns driving, while Katherine, Emil, and Carter, whose large weapons made the cab impractical, joined me in the truck bed.

The truck roared to life, and we left Blackshine City just before it went into full lockdown, heading for the military train station in the suburbs.
The engine’s noise was deafening, giving me a headache, but in times like these, having transport was better than nothing. I’d just endure it.

“So, Mengmeng, which city are you heading to after the train station?”

The truck hit a bumpy patch right after leaving the gate, and as I grabbed the railing to avoid being thrown out, Katherine struck up a conversation again.
“…I’m planning to settle in the nearest Academy City.”

“The nearest Academy City? That’d be Nosend City, home to the Royal First Academy! We’re students there, you know!”

Katherine’s eyes lit up as she responded.
“Huh?”

Her words caught me off guard.
Honestly, while I planned to head to the nearest Academy City, I hadn’t looked into it much.

But if Katherine said the closest was Nosend’s Royal First Academy, that was probably it.
“Oh… what a coincidence.”

I blinked, nodding slightly, but Emil, the guy with his arms crossed, gave me a suspicious look.
“What’re you going to Academy City for? Trying to enroll?”

Emil eyed me, raising a question.
“…No, I’m not looking to enroll. I want to work in pharmaceuticals to make money.”

I blinked, deciding there was no need to lie too much to the noble squad.
If we met again in Nosend City, it’d be hard to backtrack, so I admitted I was going to make money with potions.

“…Make money with potions in Academy City? Don’t you know how cutthroat the competition is there?”

Emil frowned, looking at me. “What level pharmacist are you?”
“…Uh… level eight.”

“What!?”

I thought for a moment, then answered softly, but even with the truck’s roaring engine, Carter and the others heard me clearly with their sharp senses.
In an instant, they let out a collective gasp.

I shrank back, startled by their reaction.
“Ahem… wait, Mengmeng, you’re younger than us, right!? How are you a level eight pharmacist? The level seven or eight pharmacists I’ve seen are all old geezers!”

Katherine coughed a few times, then looked at me with a “you’re kidding me” expression.
By now, I’d gotten used to Katherine calling me Mengmeng.

“…I’m not lying… How do you think I got a pass to leave the city?”

I glanced at the three of them, who looked ready to eat me alive, and shrank back before explaining.
Carter and the others exchanged looks.

Truth is, I’m a level ten pharmacist, but saying that would either scare them to death or make them think I’m nuts, so I downplayed it a bit.
Still, a level eight pharmacist was apparently a big deal to them.

Now that I think about it, Carter and the others knew I had a pass to leave the city, but we hadn’t had time to dwell on it earlier.
When I left with them, the guards assumed I was part of the noble squad and didn’t question me.

So… the pass I worked so hard to get from the Golden Skull Trading Auction House hasn’t even been used once.