Chapter 6: Miss Yeon (1)

After a mutant appeared in the Beast Forest, practical classes were temporarily suspended.

The reason? 

It was deemed too dangerous to proceed with evaluations.

“It was absolute chaos.”

After the mutant’s corpse was discovered, the academy was overwhelmed with handling the aftermath.

After all, the academy is fundamentally an educational institution.

No matter how much it emphasizes nurturing and training talent,

It has to tread carefully, especially with high-ranking nobles and even members of the imperial family among its students.

For someone like me, a commoner, a half-hearted apology might suffice,

but their influence is on a completely different scale.

Although the academy offered compensation as an apology for its negligence,

“Heh, what does that matter to me?”

I had something even better.

[Presence has increased.]

[EXP +216]

After the incident was resolved and I returned to the dormitory intending to take a deep sleep, a message popped up.

“Wow, never thought I’d see a day like this.”

I’d been scraping by, gathering 1 or 2 points like a beggar,

but suddenly, I was rewarded with over 200 points.

“Ah, but this is tricky.”

Was it because the protagonist had enrolled, signaling the starting point of the original story, that the points were now flowing more generously?

Or was it simply because the story had been twisted?

I couldn’t draw a definitive conclusion.

“Well, it’s a good thing regardless.”

Though this was a mere fraction compared to the points I’d spent, it had been excruciatingly difficult to gather points until now.

Even this much was enough to be thankful for.

“Alright, time to start the day!”

After finishing my brief reflection, I stepped out of the dormitory and headed toward the outskirts of the academy to go for a run.

Reflecting on the Beast Forest incident, one thing became clear: my stamina was utterly lacking.

‘I was wrong to think otherwise.’

To follow the story, I need to meet certain conditions.

It’s not enough to simply be in a supporting role;

I need the capability to actively assist them.

But I realized in the Beast Forest that achieving this with future knowledge alone is nearly impossible.

‘Let’s start by improving my body.’

There was only one reason I hadn’t used the EXP I’d saved until now: to develop Ian, the protagonist.

‘There’s no room for complacency until I’ve spoon-fed him success.’

But nothing in life goes according to plan.

Even after just two weeks of observation, the plan was already falling apart.

‘Besides, the items in the EXP shop are better than I expected.’

The explosive effects of the Beast Pheromone were one thing,

but the Althia Swordsmanship was on another level entirely.

‘I’d only ever handled a kitchen knife before in my life.’

Yet it felt as if I’d been training in swordsmanship for years.

Out of curiosity, I even tried using the Empire’s basic swordsmanship provided by the academy, but, well…

‘It was disastrous.’

According to Gray,

“Even a wooden golem would be more fluid than that.”

It was the worst evaluation imaginable.

Without the Althia Swordsmanship, my combat ability was still trash.

“I’ve got a long way to go…”

After running along the academy’s outer path for two hours,

“Phew, this place is ridiculously vast.”

I finally completed one lap and took a short break.

Arcane was the empire’s finest educational institution.

To provide diverse experiences and high-quality education, it had built numerous facilities.

Despite the relatively small number of students, the massive campus was constructed for this very reason.

“Still, I can feel myself improving bit by bit.”

At first, I’d collapse after just 20 minutes.

As the actions continued, muscles built up and skills improved, allowing the running distance to increase day by day. 

Exhausted, I collapsed onto the ground, staring at the clouds lazily drifting by.

“When are we heading back?”

Splash!

Ice-cold water poured over my face.

“Argh… Who the hell…?”

I wiped the water off my face with my hand and opened my eyes.

“Hey there! Hello, junior!”

A woman was standing there, waving her hand like a child with a bright smile.

“…Ah, I almost made a huge mistake.”

I had been about to spew out curses that had risen to the tip of my tongue due to the sudden situation. 

If I hadn’t stopped after seeing the culprit, I might have been executed for insulting royalty.

“What are you doing here?”

“I heard reports of a paranormal sighting nearby!”

“…I see.”

Her neatly tied black hair and radiant golden eyes shone brightly like the sun. 

She was none other than Lumiere de Rozennia, the sole princess of the Lumiere Empire and head of the Imperial Paranormal Mystery Research Society (known as “Mystic Society”).

‘Although she wants to hide it.’

Disguised as a noblewoman from a random count’s family, she was attending the academy while concealing her identity.

‘It’s understandable since attending as a princess would make a normal school life impossible.’

While the golden eyes were hers, the black hair was fake.

“Look at this, junior! It’s some intel I obtained. This place used to be a graveyard!”

She pulled out a worn piece of paper from deep inside her clothes and showed it to me.

“Oh… it seems so.”

“Right? Isn’t that super interesting?”

The document revealed the history of the land, showing it was once a graveyard. 

But one odd thing stood out.

“By the way, what’s this seal at the bottom—”

“Ah! That’s nothing!”

In the corner, faintly visible, was the royal seal.

‘Did she show this without knowing, or is she pretending not to notice?’

Though she had always been somewhat scatterbrained, it seemed to have worsened recently.

“By the way, why haven’t you been coming to the clubroom, junior?”

Rozennia leaned closer with a lowered voice. 

Though she wore the same bright expression as before, her eyes weren’t smiling.

“Ahaha, I’ve been busy with classes…”

“There’s only the two of us in the club. You should drop by more often.”

She subtly used magic to pressure me, clearly demanding an answer.

“Y-Yes, of course. I’ll make an effort to come by.”

Succumbing to the overwhelming force encircling me, I reluctantly promised to visit the clubroom at least twice a week.

‘I might as well earn points and pass the time while I’m there.’

All I usually did at the clubroom was listen to her chatter while snacking on refreshments. It wasn’t that hard.

[Presence increases.] 

[EXP +1]

“Can’t they organize this better?”

The Extra Shop sold everything from basic necessities to ancient artifacts even the royal family couldn’t acquire. 

Its range was so broad that browsing through it felt exhausting.

<Extra Shop>  

[Cotton underwear – 10 EXP]  

[Magic toothbrush – 20 EXP]  

[Eternal hairpin – 25 EXP]  The endless pages were overwhelming.

“How am I supposed to deal with this…”

I had memorized the page numbers of items like monster pheromones and Alteia sword techniques that I had purchased earlier. 

With no search feature, it was essential to note these things in advance.

“I need to deliver this somehow.”

After judging the heroines’ states to be abnormal, I had discarded the “Heroine Power Boost Project.”

Now it’s time to change direction and focus on raising Ian, the protagonist.

“Phew, is this too much?”

I want to give him something that suits him perfectly, but no matter how I think about it, there’s no justification for giving it.

‘It’s a relief if he doesn’t misunderstand.’

A male senior awkwardly hands you a precious gift, saying, “It’s for you”?

That would instantly make him the talk of the academy.

“Ugh, it’s so creepy.”

This is why I was so despairing at the beginning.

It would have been easier if I’d gone with the classmate position.

“What should I do…”

Just when I was racking my brains for a suitable method—

“Oh…!”

A brilliant idea flashed through my mind.

“…I said no.”

“Come on, just drop by~~~ once in a while, that’s all I’m asking.”

“Just try it once. Please?”

The idea was to recruit Ian into the club.

By bringing him into the mystery research club I belong to, I’d not only have a justification but also create a connection between him and the heroine, Rozennia.

It’s truly a perfect plan, killing two birds with one stone.

‘Anyway, Rozennia must be desperate for every single club member she can get.’

For now, Rozennia is barely keeping the club running by secretly leveraging her authority as a princess behind the scenes.

But once she graduates, the club will inevitably disband due to a lack of members.

That wouldn’t be good for her, either.

If I bring Ian in, they’ll definitely accept him.

“You’ll need a place where you don’t have to worry about appearances too, right?”

At Arcane Academy, every student is required to join at least one club.

This rule is enforced to encourage social skills, so there are no exceptions.

Ian is no different.

Since he devotes all his time outside of class to training, he’d think joining a club is a waste of time.

‘That’s how he was before, too.’

If it’s just about having his name on the roster as a ghost member, any club would do.

I latched onto that idea and persistently pestered Ian to join.

Three days later—

“Alright, fine. I’ll join… Just stop following me…”

“You should’ve said so earlier.”

Finally, I managed to get Ian, who recoiled in disgust whenever I approached him, to give in with a tearful face.

Thus, the Imperial Academy Mystery and Supernatural Phenomena Research Society gained a new member.