Chapter 3: Olivia Rapha Ashtar Part 3

As the professor arrived, the students all found their seats and sat down.

The face looked familiar.

Now that you’ve all become second-year students, you need to start learning your major.

The Empire provides a curriculum suited for both commoners and nobles.

You can sign up for any major courses, though there are no restrictions on your choices.

Keep in mind, however, that your attendance and attitude will also affect your grades.

Oh, by the way, I’m a professor of magical engineering. Just because I’m your homeroom teacher doesn’t mean I’ll be lenient with grades.

I’ve seen that face before.

It’s someone from the Empire’s court wizards, who fought back when part of the Demon King’s army attacked the Imperial capital.

What was the name again? Adran? It was something like that.

Their skills were lower than mine, but the Empire treated them as a grand wizard.

Should I say they’re just like an Imperial Academy professor?

***

— “Greetings, Swordmaster.”

— “I’m a magician.”

— “Haha, that was a joke.”

I still remember the conversation we had when we first met, right after slaughtering monsters.

It’s not like I picked up a sword because I wanted to.

I clenched my fists, and Adran looked straight at me.

“But you, over there, you look unfamiliar. Are you a first-year?”

“No. I just entered the second year.”

Why doesn’t the professor recognize me?

“Hmm. I think I’ve heard your voice before. What’s your name?”

“Olivia Rapha Ashtar.”

At my words, the professor and the other students, who still couldn’t believe it, were shocked.

“Haha, that’s a joke.”

Adran waved his hand, dismissing it as a lie.

Why do they think this is a joke?

I’m always serious.

Or do they somehow know what’s inside me?

Well, I should just make use of Olivia’s position here.

“I swear on the name of Ashtar, it’s not a joke.”

Now that I think about it, do I look completely different from the original Olivia?

Did something go wrong with my appearance when I became Olivia? At least in my eyes, Olivia is quite pretty.

Much prettier than the infamous Kamp or that succubus disguised as a saint.

It’s not just because I’m in this body.

Objectively, she’s pretty. So what’s changed?

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“Ahem. I see. So, what happened to your hair?”

I can’t exactly say it’s because of mana fusion.

Even this change clearly draws a line between Olivia and Noah’s personalities.

“I just woke up like this.”

“I see. Well then, shall we move on to choosing your majors?”

Adran seemed like he wanted to say something but changed the subject.

I plan to sign up for every major available.

The Duke told me to prove my worth, so I’ll prove it through my grades.

I applied for every course the professor gave us.

When Adran saw my course registration form, his face twisted in dismay.

“I had a feeling something was off when your hair turned white. Did you hurt your head?”

“Why do you ask?”

Shouldn’t a professor be happy if I take all the courses?

“Are you really planning to take all of these? Sure, as long as you attend the classes and do well on the exams, you’ll be fine.”

“I can handle it.”

As someone who mastered swordsmanship, magic, archery, and close combat, I can do it.

I’ve gone through too much for this, so I’ll do it all.

I’ll just slip away when I find the right moment to leave.

“For now, Miss Ishtar, let’s meet in the faculty office.”

Once we arrived at the faculty office, Adran took me to a one-on-one consultation room.

Sitting across from me, he stared at me for a moment before carefully speaking.

“Honestly, what’s gotten into you? Did I do something wrong? You can’t go crazy just because the Crown Prince dumped you. Wait, maybe that’s what made you lose it?”

Excuse me? Is this guy for real?

“Excuse me, what exactly do you take me for?”

What on earth did this damn Olivia do for the professor to think she’s crazy?

“Oh wow, now you’re even cursing.”

“What did I say before?”

I’m genuinely curious about what Olivia might have said.

— “Do you think becoming an academy professor changes your lowborn blood?”

Well, it’s clear now that the owner of this body was a terrible person.

She must be on par with that saint or Kamp.

Not that it matters.

“I don’t remember saying that.”

“Do you have no shame?”

I really have no idea.

Seriously, ask the dead Olivia about that.

So, I’ll just make an excuse.

“If someone in this body said that, I humbly ask for your forgiveness.”

I hinted that I’m not the original Olivia.

“Hmm. Fine. But do you really think you can handle all this?”

“Why not?”

What’s impossible?

“Swordsmanship, magic, archery, hand-to-hand combat. Kid, even noble heirs trained from a young age can’t manage that. And you’re a girl? While other girls were taking etiquette lessons, you were supposed to be training for this?”

Considering this body’s weak physical condition, it’s true that it was garbage.

It’s only strong thanks to its mana.

Physically, it’s weak.

I need to cheat with mana to get stronger.

“People always exhibit superhuman abilities when faced with danger.”

People tend to unlock extraordinary power when pushed to their limits.

Given my expertise in the sword, bow, and healing, of course, I can manage that much.

As for hand-to-hand combat, just surround my body with mana.

“Goodness, you’re driving me crazy.”

Adran scratched the back of his head.

I’m the one who’s losing it.

After dying and waking up, I’ve become a human with a large chest.

This body feels lighter than when I was a man, but the hills on my chest still take some getting used to.

“Even if I fail, I’m the one who suffers the consequences, so don’t worry.”

“Are you really Olivia?”

I’m not.

But he won’t believe me if I say so, so I’ll just give a vague answer.

Anyway, I’m in a situation where I’ll be thrown out if I don’t prove my worth to the Duke.

“Uh, yeah. I am. Since I’m on the verge of losing the Ashtar name, I need to get my act together.”

I emphasized again how dangerous my position is right now.

Hearing my words, Professor Adran tilted his head in disbelief.

“Oh, right. You were dumped. Well, most noble ladies would’ve gone to a convent by now.”

The situation for a noble lady who’s been dumped is grim.

Noble families often engage in arranged marriages for mutual benefit.

Even if they don’t like it, they’re forced into such unions, but if they truly can’t stand it, if they find it unbearable to live with that man or woman for the rest of their life, they’ll break off the engagement, even if it means losing family prestige.

Naturally, the one who gets dumped brings shame upon their family.

“Yes. That’s the problem. At least my biological father, the Duke, gave me a chance, so I need to raise my grades.”

“Certainly, if you ranked first in all these majors, that would be something. Well, I don’t have the right to refuse, so I’ll let it slide, but considering what you’ve done so far… hmm.”

No, that wasn’t me.

Olivia. I should have met her earlier.

When I came to the Empire as Noah, I should have attended at least one of the noble social gatherings.

If I had met Olivia then and beaten some sense into her, she might have turned out better by now.

But thinking about it, if that had happened, I would have had to stay connected to the Crown Prince.

I have no intention of becoming Empress.

So right now, it’s all about the money.

“Would it be possible for you to allow me to take on a part-time job?”

Right now, the part-time job is essential.

“What are you talking about?”

“I need a job to pay for tuition.”

Even when I was Noah, I was broke because of that idiot hero, Eugene.

Now, even in this body, if things are still like this, it’s honestly infuriating.

“They won’t even cover your tuition? Hmm. Considering your behavior up until now, I shouldn’t allow it…”

I’m starting to get angry.

The stupidity of Olivia’s past actions aside, why am I dealing with this nonsense?

“No matter how messed up things are, I’m still a student.

Just trust me this once, okay?”

I need this for my livelihood, you know.

“Swearing now, huh? Never mind. Fine, I’ll give you a permit. You’ll handle the job yourself, right?”

“Yes.”

Ideally, I’d like to work at the academy, but since I’m the Duke’s daughter, that won’t be allowed.

“Are you sure you’re okay in the head?”

“Yes. I’m really fine.”

Honestly, this might be better for the professor as well.

Wouldn’t he prefer this version of Olivia over the previous one, who openly looked down on commoners?

“For now, I’m in charge of magical engineering, so make sure you attend properly. Got it?”

“Yes.”

Since it was the first day of school, classes ended quickly with just the major registration process.

After the basic four classes, there’s a lunch break, followed by afternoon major courses.

The academy’s regular schedule ends at 5:30 PM, so there’s plenty of time afterward to think about how to make money.

The Empire is the largest human nation.

Of course, many areas near the border have been devastated by battles with the Demon King’s army, but the capital is bustling with people and job opportunities.

Naturally, the slums are massive as well.

It’s time to make use of those thugs again, so I returned to the slums.

The thugs immediately recognized me and bowed their heads.

I gestured at them, and they handed me a list of jobs that I quickly scanned.

“Hmm. Quite the variety.”

“Yes, most of the jobs suitable for academy students are for commoners. Is that alright with you?”

“I don’t mind.”

Noble children don’t work part-time jobs anyway.

Their families are wealthy enough to support them completely.

In the end, it’s the commoners who can’t afford tuition and don’t get scholarships who have to find jobs.

These thugs must think it’s absurd, seeing a girl who looks like a pampered noble looking for work.

“Then there’s the bakery, the adventurer’s restaurant, or maybe something at the guild. These seem like good options.”

“This one pays better.”

One of the jobs on the list offered surprisingly good pay.

“Yes, but the catch is that it’s at a magical workshop.”

“Magical workshop?”

“Yes, they develop magic tools. You’d need extensive knowledge of magic… hmm.”

I’ve seen magic tool shops before, but is the Empire recruiting workers at magical workshops too?

It seems like the thugs did their homework, but this isn’t really a job suited for an academy student.

“Hmm. I see.”

I don’t think it’s impossible, though.

“Oh, and you’d need certification. At the very least, you’d need guild recognition or to be registered as a magician. That’s why I didn’t consider it.”

“Magic… ah.”

No, wait. I’m Olivia, not a magician.

So, I’m not particularly drawn to it.

“How about this one?”

“The academy library? Hmm, being a librarian doesn’t sound bad.”

I could have found this one on my own, but these guys did a pretty good job.

“But there’s some competition.”

“Competition?”

“Yes, they say there are all kinds of tests.”

“Tests, huh. Well, that’s fine.”

I once worked as a guest lecturer at the academy when I first came to the Empire.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I had a hand in creating the curriculum.

So, it shouldn’t be too difficult.

And as for other options…

“Hmm, there’s also the option of doing menial tasks for the third-year knight department or moving magic tools for the magic department.

That doesn’t sound too bad either.”

All the applicants need to have a certain level of knowledge or strength to even qualify for these jobs.

“Uh, so, can we leave now?”

Where do these guys think they’re sneaking off to?

“What happened to the hero and the demon king?”

“The hero returned victorious, but it seems he’s still traveling for some reason.”

If he finished the job thanks to me, he would have taken all the credit.

He could be living comfortably in the royal capital by now, so why is he still traveling?

Could it be a honeymoon?

Damn.

Those jerks. Maybe I should aim for a Duke’s title instead?

Later, I could become a Duke and invade the kingdom where that hero is lounging around.

That’s actually a good idea. I’ll seriously consider it.

“Really? Isn’t the demon king dead?”

“Well, something happened at the demon king’s castle, but there’s been no significant response.”

No significant response?

According to history, when a demon king dies, there’s a period of peace that follows.

“Has the demon king’s life or death been confirmed?”

“No.”

He must be dead.

I’m certain I took his head.

There’s no way the demon king could be alive.

Or are they saying a magician took care of it instead of a hero wielding a holy sword?

“Hmm, that’s strange. What about the Four Heavenly Kings?”

“It seems they’re still sending demon army troops throughout the Empire and the Kingdom.”

So, the demon king is still alive?

That’s odd.

Could they have resurrected the demon king using my corpse?

No, that’s not possible.

I made sure that if I died, my body would disappear to prevent my knowledge from being exploited.

Even if the Four Heavenly Kings are venting their frustrations by sending monsters, without the demon king, they should be weaker than before.

“Got it. Keep up the good work. I don’t have money now, but I’ll compensate you later when I do.”

Though I used to beat them up, just because they’re slum rats doesn’t mean brute force is always the answer.

I need to give them some money to build trust.

The simpler people are, the harder they work when you give them money.

“Are we going to keep doing this?”

“Or you can recommend someone better.”

If there’s anyone better than you guys, I’ll hire them.