Chapter 19
After breaking up with Zephyros and practicing mana handling with Albedo, the proficiency of the Mana Operation skill went up a little.
+++
▷Skill: Mana Operation
A skilled mage can use mana efficiently.
※Current Efficiency: 13.5% additional operation possible
+++
Although contracting with a demon was still a big risk, it was certainly easier to move my mana as the demon said.
When my own training was over, the sun was already setting. It was dinner time.
When I went to the dining hall, Lucian was there, covered in dust.
“Cian.”
“Let’s eat together.”
“What, you waited?”
“Yeah.”
He’s loyal, waiting for me even with those gaunt eyes.
Lucian’s menu was meat pie, and I chose the medium-rare steak that Zephyros had eaten yesterday.
“Shouldn’t you go in and rest now?”
“I have to go out again after eating.”
He’s going hard.
Anyway, as much as the stat values I had nurtured were being reflected, Lucian would need proficiency to display his capabilities.
That was a domain that only effort and time could solve.
I clicked my tongue and cut a piece of steak and ate it. The well-cooked medium-rare steak melted on my tongue like butter.
“It’s delicious.”
But, it’s greasy…!
You can’t expect white rice and kimchi stew in the Middle Ages. But the intense craving for the unique spicy taste of kimchi was an unavoidable instinct of a Korean.
Kimchi stew, kimchi fried rice, jeyuk-bokkeum, and dak-dori-tang!!
“I’m really full.”
It’s already hard enough living in the extreme difficulty level, to think of approaching ‘that person’ because of gluttony.
But, it’s hard to resist when I think about taking a bite of boiling kimchi stew with white rice.
Right, one of the three basic human needs is the appetite, and it’s a Korean thing to ask if you’ve eaten as a greeting. Koreans are a people who live on the power of rice!
“Are you free this weekend?”
“No… I have to train.”
With dead, black eyes, Lucian mumbled on the meat pie.
He wasn’t eating because it was delicious, but to live. In fact, it was mastication, not a meal.
“I was thinking of going out together.”
“I can cancel.”
“No, you don’t have to go that far.”
It's dangerous, but it's not a place so dangerous that I'd risk my life.
“Tomorrow’s classes are Imperial History and Advanced Magic, right?”
“Yeah.”
It was the lecture that Laurel had been taking for four years because she got on the professor’s bad side.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Laurel-Senior lately.”
“She can’t come out for a month because of suspension.”
My conscience pricked at Lucian’s answer.
Lucian and I, the cause of the incident, received no punishment, but Laurel, who was caught up in it, was being disciplined.
“Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she didn’t show it much. She just told me to buy her something delicious later.”
I’ll show you a taste so amazing you’ve never had before, Laurel…!
For that, the person I had to meet was decided.
* * *
After finishing the boring Imperial History class, I headed to my father’s lecture hall.
I was the only first-year in the lecture hall, so it felt kind of awkward. I found a corner seat and quickly moved my body.
The sunlight was nice, and I especially liked that it wasn't very noticeable to the students but was clearly visible to the professor—my father.
There’s no better spot, it’s great.
I put down my book and was about to do some previewing before class started, when someone sat in the seat in front of me and turned around.
“You’re Theo Lisitoel, right?”
That senior asked with a smirk.
A flippant attitude for an Academy student. A common face that seemed to have been slapped on as a lazy way to avoid designing a character…!
This is a 100% chance of being an extra NPC described as Student 1. Seeing as I have a faint memory of seeing him somewhere, I wonder if he played a plausible role.
Ah, I’ve really seen that face somewhere.
I breezily ignored the other person’s words and searched my memory hard.
The memory was vague, on the tip of my tongue. Ah, if only I had a trigger, I would remember.
“This brat, there’s a limit to ignoring someone! I’m your senior!!”
As my collar was grabbed, my weak body dangled.
“Ah…!”
At his complex-triggering words, the ambiguous memory became clear.
He was an extra who picked a fight with Lucian at the instigation of another main character.
No, but we’re both extras, is it okay to be dragged around so easily?
“Are you even listening to me?!”
The gazes of the other students in the lecture hall began to gather this way.
My current impression? Only pity for the other person. If this continues for a few more minutes and my father comes, today will be that senior’s death anniversary.
“Should I apologize?”
But, the other person wasn’t picking a fight wanting an apology. His purpose probably wasn't to brandish violence either.
The person behind this extra, although they have no means they wouldn't use if necessary, doesn’t prefer violence. If they don’t want to lose the person they’ve bribed, they should be mediating soon.
Did my inner thoughts reach them? With the sound of a chair dragging, drrrk, the sound of shoes clacking echoed in the quiet lecture hall.
The ‘culprit’ who had walked slowly over placed their hand on the hand grabbing my collar and spoke softly.
“Alex, you shouldn’t do that to a junior.”
“It’s not that I’m doing it on purpose, this brat is just infuriating!!”
Alex, as if he had been waiting for the mediation, let go of the hand grabbing my collar and dusted off his palms, tak tak.
“You, watch yourself from now on.”
After Alex, who had growled a warning, left, the ‘culprit’ straightened my disheveled uniform from being grabbed by the collar.
“I’m sorry, Alex is a bit hot-headed. You were very surprised, weren’t you?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Who was it that moved that hot-headed person.
The gazes of the students that had been directed this way were now filled with relief.
Goosebumps rose on my arms as I heard words like, ‘He’s so kind,’ flowing out.
“I’ll apologize on his behalf.”
The fresh eye-smile gave me goosebumps.
Well, I have to achieve my goal too─ so is it a good thing that he approached me first?
“Of course you should apologize.”
Just before sitting down, I whispered in a very small voice, just enough for him to hear.
“It was all your doing anyway, senior Lerwon.”
The name of the culprit behind all this was Lerwon Viden.
The successor to the greatest merchant guild in the world of Lapidemy, Golden, and the final boss of Part 1 of the main story.
* * *
Lerwon’s mask came off, and he was about to speak to me, but my father entered and the conversation was cut off.
[Are you free after class?]
Lerwon, who was seated next to me, asked in writing.
Of course, my answer is okay.
[Sounds good.]
To realize a Korean-style meal here, the help of the greatest merchant guild, Golden, was desperately needed.
There was no way I would refuse when its successor wanted to talk.
As soon as the class ended, my father left without looking back, and I flopped onto the desk as I was.
My father’s lecture was damn difficult. It felt like building a pyramid upside down without a support. It’s a good thing that even though my stamina is trash, I’m not bad in the intelligence department.
At least in the middle, when I really couldn’t understand, Lerwon explained it to me, so I was somehow able to follow along.
When the class ended, the students, who had packed their belongings, began to leave. As I was quietly watching them, a certain senior approached this way.
She was a stunning beauty, enough to make one’s jaw drop.
“Lerwon, if you’re free… want to have dinner together?”
The beauty, sweeping her hair back, blushed shyly like a fresh young girl in love.
What is this? Was the genre of this game a dating simulation by any chance? I feel like I should get some popcorn from somewhere and eat it.
“I’m sorry, Isabel. I’ve decided to have dinner with this junior here.”
Huh? Since when did I?
At that moment, my eyes met with the senior called Isabel.
Should I get up? I glanced around and awkwardly got up from my seat.
Regardless, Lerwon himself spoke softly with a good-natured smile.
“Let’s definitely eat together next time.”
If it wasn’t Lerwon saying those words, I would have admired it as a scene of youth.
Isabel-Senior shyly nodded at Lerwon’s non-committal promise.
“Well, it can’t be helped. Let’s definitely eat together next time, Lerwon.”
The way she left with a soft smile looked a little bitter.
Even after Isabel left, a few others approached Lerwon and invited him to dinner. They were all turned down with me as an excuse.
He sure uses people as a convenient shield.
Now that the last senior had also left, only Lerwon and I remained in the lecture hall.
“You’re popular.”
“Well, I’m handsome.”
When he said it shamelessly with a sparkling face, he was a little less annoying.
“It’s not a bad trophy to hang around with lightly.”
Within the Academy, Lerwon’s surname ‘Viden’ was a secret.
And, what it meant to have no surname was simple. It meant being an orphan.
From the perspective of noble ladies, yes, he would certainly be… a decent trophy.
“He’s a commoner, but he uses etiquette satisfactorily, so they just want to take me around. And show off to other ladies while they’re at it.”
Lerwon raised one corner of his mouth leisurely. Annoyance rose at the smile that was annoying in a different way from Zephyros’s.
“Wow, how annoying.”
And, I didn't bother to hide that annoyance.
“You’re an interesting junior.”
“Don’t hit me for saying that. My body is very, very weak.”
“There’s no one in the Academy who doesn’t know that a careless hero candidate crushed the hand of another transfer student.”
I had shouted it loudly on purpose, but when Lerwon mentioned it, my face flushed.
“So, what’s the reason you had Alex-Senior stage this strange farce?”
“…I thought you would know the reason.”
“I’m not a mind reader.”
I’m just an ordinary Academy student. But one who is accompanied by a game system.
The reason I knew Alex’s fight was Lerwon’s own doing was because the same thing had happened in the original story.
The opponent was Lucian, not me, though. And the place was some restaurant district, not a lecture hall in the Academy.
“Then how did you know?”
A fact that couldn't be known without knowing the ‘original story’.
It was certainly unnatural for me to know all of that. There's no such thing as information without a source.
“That’s for you to find out, Senior.”
Not wanting to answer, I spoke evasively, and Lerwon’s eyes sharpened.
He was the final boss of Part 1 of the main story, as expected. Even though it was still the early stages, sweat naturally beaded on my palms.
“Information obtained easily has no value.”
“What are you going to do if I torture you?”
Why are you saying such things with a smile?
Disgusted, I gave Lerwon a firm warning that wasn't a warning.
“My body isn’t one that can withstand torture, so I’ll probably die before I can say anything.”
At my answer, Lerwon burst out laughing. The hearty laughter sent a shiver down my spine.
“It would certainly be difficult to clean up the mess if I killed Lisitoel’s heir.”
“That’s a shame.”
“It means I can somehow clean up the mess up to torture.”
“There’s no way I wouldn’t know.”
At my blunt answer, Lerwon’s eyes narrowed.
“You know that Golden is behind me.”
“And ‘Evan Lisitoel’ is behind me.”
My father, who is praised as the greatest mage on the continent.
At that leisurely answer, Lerwon tapped the desk lightly, tuk tuk.
“So, will you tell me the reason you revealed your hand?”
“I haven’t really revealed my hand.”
Just knowing Lerwon’s identity wasn't enough to run out of cards.
“Please deliver a message to the master of Golden.”
What’s the point of beating around the bush. My purpose is clear, and Lerwon was the fastest way to achieve that purpose.
“Tell him that there is someone here who knows how to fulfill his long-cherished wish.”
This is a trap I dug myself for the master of Golden. It’s at a level where I’ve even put up a sign that says ‘trap’.
But, Lerwon and the master of Golden behind him will also know. The fact that this is a trap that cannot be avoided, no matter what.