Chapter 192
Chapter 192
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 192
Chapter Title: Call my name
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Aila Trista was deep in thought.
It wasn't as if her life had been long, but when was the last time she'd agonized like this over her entire existence?
Even so, the anguish didn't let up, and she had no choice but to stew in it.
The world just doesn't go the way you want it to.
Wolfram von Loengrin.
Now, the side of this man who could shine on his own was filled with brilliant companions.
Visitors drawn by that star had begun to shine in their own ways, illuminating the world around them.
Aila Trista, as the one closest to that star, had always taken pride in it.
So, without realizing it, greed had crept in.
If there was a god, she'd beg for forgiveness.
As the person closest to him, surely they'd understand a little indulgence.
But.
But the world isn't that easy.
"No one thinks 【Light and Darkness Rebellion】 or 【Absolute Rebellion Meister】 are Wolfram's epithets."
If anything, the third-years were pushing for Golden Disaster.
Why?
Light and Darkness Rebellion, or Absolute Rebellion Meister—those sound way cooler!
She wanted to shout that they were all wrong, but epithets were decided by public opinion and approved by the student council in the first place.
By now, Golden Disaster was probably at the top of the student council's list, while her own Light and Darkness Rebellion might not even be on the application.
The thought filled her with injustice.
"Golden Disaster? That's ridiculous. Who would use such a trashy epithet?"
"Sigh. What even is Golden Disaster? It's such a laughable name. For that person..."
As she grumbled from her classroom chair, a voice chimed in with astonishingly similar sentiments. Aila's eyes snapped open, and she whipped around.
There, meeting her gaze, was someone sharing the exact same frustration.
"...Aila Trista?"
"Regina Cielra...?"
A strange tension hung between them.
What did she mean by that? There was so much she wanted to say, but their relationship was too distant to broach it easily.
Aila clenched her fists and spoke first.
"...Golden Disaster is weird, right?"
"...Yeah. It's weird. That's what I think."
No way.
Was a meteor about to crash into Jefrin tomorrow?
"Uh, ahem. I see. This is surprising. But hey, we agree sometimes."
"Yeah."
Even Regina sounded suspicious. Aila could hardly believe it herself—what more could be said?
Was this a trap? Agreeing now just to betray later?
It was hard to imagine betrayal over something like Wolfram's epithet, but if there was...
Still, against the violence of the majority opinion, she needed every ally she could get right now.
"Regina Cielra."
"Yes, Aila Trista."
"I have a proposal. You've thought of an epithet for Wolfram too, right?"
"Of course."
"Then, on the count of three, let's say the epithets we've come up with."
One, two, three. And then, their voices overlapped.
"【Light and Darkness Rebellion】 【Absolute Rebellion Meister】"
"【Picaresque Hero】 【Unkillable Übermensch】"
...
Silence followed. They eyed each other with narrowed gazes.
Is she serious right now?
She'd saddle Wolfram with those lame names?
"...We should add this to the midterm bet items. Heh."
"Yeah. Probably. Heh."
She could never see eye-to-eye with this girl.
Both were deeply convinced of that.
No matter how I thought about it, something was off.
I was confident I'd lived diligently.
Starting from this rundown convenience store, I'd even developed new products.
I showcased buff foods at the competition, joined student council expeditions multiple times, and while only Eve knew, I'd solved Jefrin's chronic pollen issue.
Not just that—I'd honed my cooking to become the Cooking King, and now the first-years and grad students couldn't survive without me.
So why was my epithet candidate such garbage?
【Berry Berry Sweet】? What the hell?
I couldn't give up on an epithet.
【Hyper Wolfram】 would be better, right?
It's like the evolved form of 【Super Young-jin】.
Eve gave me the list and told me to pick from it.
Probably meaning she'd approve anything except that humiliating one she picked. In that case, I needed to get my own nickname on the list.
The era of 【Hyper Wolfram】 had arrived!
So, I decided to shape public opinion.
If I could ram it through, Eve would stamp it, right?
At dawn, I pulled my cart to the first-year undergrad dorms and started business.
"Ah, senpai! Good morning!"
"Mm."
The freshmen chicks looked much more relaxed now.
Once they survived the first semester, the second was just a repeat—not so tough.
They might worry about their paths, but surviving so far qualified them for the next step.
"Order?"
"Grilled toast ham sandwich and a random smoothie!"
"Got it."
Now that I was a bit closer to the first-years, maybe I could nudge the luck a little.
"By the way, I heard an interesting rumor among the first-years."
"Y-Yes?"
The freshman chick's eyes went wide in surprise at me.
Sorry about that. I'm not well-liked, and even chatting with the boss while eating at the store can be annoying.
"Seems like there's talk about my epithet."
"Oh, yeah, there is. Ehehe."
"Since it's mine, I'm curious. Mind sharing what you've heard?"
Simple.
Figure out which epithet faction she's in, trash it, and subtly push that Hyper Wolfram is better.
If she's unaffiliated, even easier.
So, which side are you on?
"I'm the leader of the 【Eternal Force Blizzard】 faction! Ehehe."
"...What?"
"Senpai would look so cool just wearing that cape! Like a blizzard raging, but with the sun shining too? Ehehe. So me and my friends teamed up for the opinion war!"
Ah.
I see.
She was the boss of a faction.
Meaning if she wins, my epithet becomes Eternal Force Blizzard?
...
"Thanks for the meal!" she said, leaving.
The students who came after mostly introduced their own factions too. 【Cool and Cool Royal Guy】 or 【Senpai Who Gives Snacks】 popped up.
Normally epithets are cool... Why these?
When I asked, a self-proclaimed 【Candy-Giving Senpai】 supporter chick tilted her head.
"Because senpai always gives us tasty stuff. We want to repay you!"
That's your repayment?
You really think that?
"Anyway, aren't there too many epithets?"
"Ah, right now it's trendy to pick senpai's epithet, form factions, and tease each other. We play around saying 'Enemy faction!' or 'Friendly faction!' and bicker."
"..."
"Thanks for the meal!"
What do they even think my epithet should be?
"...Where am I headed?"
Seriously.
Where the hell am I going with this?
This won't do.
Maybe I'm not promoting myself enough.
With that strong conviction, I steeled my resolve.
No matter what, I needed the conviction and courage to push 【Hyper Wolfram】 through.
So from that day on, I tried to act with maximum dignity.
First, always wear the cape. That evokes the throne of ice and snow.
Next... I'd love to activate Imperial Bloodline, but it guzzles too much mana. Had to skip that.
Base it on lowering my voice for gravitas and striking poses.
When first-years came, I'd pose and engage.
"Do you have an opinion on my epithet, by chance?"
"Y-Yes... I have a faction too."
I knew it.
Then, offer extra service and subtly suggest switching to Hyper Wolfram.
"You've worked hard. Tell me more."
"...Ah."
"And about the epithet..."
"...Ah, yes! Yes! I'll definitely push my opinion through! I'll make it the mainstream!"
"Good. Ideally 【Hyper Wolfram】..."
"Thanks for the meal, senpai!"
She bolted from her seat.
Perfect.
Keep selling Hyper Wolfram like this, and eventually...
After building countless personal factions and killing time at the store, the door burst open.
"...Wolfram."
"Eve."
"...Candy. Hand it over."
"You left it here?"
"If it's money, I'll pay."
Well, then.
I handed over the candy, and Eve face-planted onto the table.
She reached only for the candy, popped one in her mouth, and froze solid.
"You look exhausted."
"...Your fault?"
"Stop the dirty tricks and slander."
"...Sigh. What have you been doing? Epithet applications for you have piled up by hundreds in the last few days. New ones keep coming..."
"Hm. I see."
Success.
Hyper Wolfram must be in there.
"I'll pick from these, right? Give me the list."
"Here."
"..."
Eve flipped through papers, and I scanned the epithets one by one.
Hyper. Hyper... Let's see. Hyper...
"...Huh?"
"Pick something quick."
"No. It's not here."
"...What? Seriously. You can't just pick randomly?"
"Think of it as your epithet. Imagine becoming 【Berry Berry Sweet】 Eve."
"Ugh. Hate that."
"Yet you're forcing it on me?"
"...Tch. Fine. Then... that one... Empress Mirror...?"
"No."
"Ugh, just pick already... My head hurts enough."
She slammed her head back down and muttered.
She looked excessively tired, more than usual.
What now?
Did the Black Flag raid or something?
"Problem? Black Flag attack?"
"No."
"You wouldn't stress over midterms anyway."
"...Well, originally, 'there are no exams in Jefrin meant for me.'"
Oh.
That's what Eve says in the Kelters Eve route.
Expressing the loneliness of her exceptional life... or something. A line to open her heart a bit.
Now it's just to fool me. Sneaky...
"Makes sense. Who'd test Eve von Loengrin with mana at 22? Written's a given, practical... not worth mentioning."
"Hmph. Good you know."
"But loneliness eats at you. Make some friends."
"...What?"
"Slip of the tongue."
Real slip.
That's Kelters' line. Specifically, 'I'll be your friend' or whatever.
"So, what's making you tired? Not midterms, not Black Flag. Can't be Wolfram von Loengrin—that'd be an unfair accusation."
"Your confidence is annoying. Sigh. Fine, it's not unrelated to you, so I'll tell you."
"Not unrelated to me?"
Eve nodded at my question, then sighed as she voiced the reason for her fatigue.
"The former student council president is visiting Jefrin after a long time."
"...You lost your mind?"
"Not you! The one before!"
"Ah."
Eve route extra story number two.
【Former Student Council President Invasion】.
"...Ugh, hate it... Anyway, as former president, we have to treat them properly. Not a full review, but some ceremony... You'll participate too, right?"
"No. I'm not student council president anymore. You are."
"You planning to run!?"
Yep.
Run away.
"You think that 'Io von Loengrin' will leave me alone?"
"Ah."
Eve couldn't meet my eyes.
Yeah?