Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 090
Chapter Title: The Lady of Rebellion Returns
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The next day, something rare happened: Aila, Nefti, Rudika, and Milmyu all gathered at the convenience store.
Among them, Milmyu wore an unusually serious expression as she made a shocking announcement.
"You're challenging for the top spot in the year-end exam?"
"Yes."
"It's no easy test. It covers both written and practical components, right?"
"Yes, Senior."
"If you need any help, just say the word. I'll do everything I can."
The year-top exam.
Kelters had been top of his class since enrollment, so first-years skipped it in their first semester.
But starting from the second semester, Gale Strike would apply for the exam depending on the route, forcing Kelters into a mutual challenge.
"Is that really okay?"
"You mean accepting help?"
"Yes... It feels like it wouldn't be fair and square."
"That's just your misconception."
"...Pardon?"
The exam was split into written and practical sections, with proficiency in one's primary weapon also being a key metric.
But at the year-top level, a person's connections came into play as part of the evaluation.
To be precise, the gear, accessories, and magical items they equipped weren't scrutinized for their origins.
Sure, if your base specs were lackluster, gear wouldn't make a huge difference—but that's where Jefrin, or rather D/Z SAGA's nasty side, reared its head.
【This magic sword holds the bond I share with my senior!】
They'd say stuff like that with a straight face.
Case in point: recruit Jewel Sword Isolde as a companion, max out her affinity, challenge the second-year top exam, and she'd lend you a magic sword. And it's no joke.
Then you'd get 'Gale Strike calling that sword broken while spouting some surprisingly normal critique' versus 'Kelters, the protagonist riding on connections, firing back that it's a symbol of his senior's bond.'
Why the villain screams for fairness while the hero wields a demon blade and cries 'bonds'—I'll never understand the devs' mindset, but that's part of D/Z SAGA's charm.
Anyway.
"Your bonds are weapons too."
"...Yes!"
If we're doing this, might as well go all in.
"I've never heard of it before, but rebellion it is!"
"Yes! I'll do my best!"
With Aila's cheer, Milmyu steeled herself and solidified her resolve.
And the next announcement came from Nefti.
"Ah, I applied for Royal Guard training too. Starting tomorrow, I'll be learning secretarial duties."
"I see."
"Yes, Senior. I'm sorry. I really should have asked for your letter of recommendation once I decided on the Royal Guard path."
"Don't worry about it. I knew. Focus on your studies first, Nefti. That's what suits you."
"...Yes!"
Nefti beamed at my words.
"...Nefti, you're becoming a Royal Guard? I've never heard of it, but good luck!"
"Yes! I'll do my best!"
Nefti steeled herself and solidified her resolve at Aila's awkward but sincere cheer.
"Wolfram, thank you so much for what you said at the beach last time."
"Hm? Is that so."
"Rudika's decided to get a little closer to her sisters too... Thanks to you, things seem to be improving bit by bit."
"Hm. Glad I could help."
"...Rudika, did you go to the beach with Wolfram?"
"The sea was truly thrilling. Thanks to what Wolfram said there, Rudika could take one more step forward."
"............I've never heard of that."
"Thanks to Wolfram, Rudika can move even further ahead."
".........I see. Good for you. Good luck...?"
"I will!"
Rudika nodded with a bright smile at Aila's incredibly subtle expression of support.
"I'll claim the top spot for sure!"
"Royal Guard dreams... I don't know much, but I'll give it a shot!"
"Rudika's going to walk forward with a smile too!"
"Hm. Good luck, all of you."
We all smiled warmly.
"I've never heard of any of those three..."
Apart from Aila's quiet mutter, that is.
That day, Aila was acting strange.
She just sat there blankly, lost in thought, occasionally muttering to herself, so I left her alone.
"Aila, isn't it getting late?"
"...Ah, already this time?"
"Hm. You'll nod off if it gets too late. Take Patrasche's last regular shuttle back. I'll order him to drop you right at your dorm."
"...Thanks, Wolfram. Hey, one question."
"What is it?"
"...Everyone seems to be working super hard behind the scenes, right?"
"Hm."
Milmyu was gunning for year-top. That's a clear challenge.
Nefti for Royal Guard... or rather, keeping her future options open instead of settling. That's a challenge too.
Rudika... inner growth? Hard to say. Does she even have external challenges left? Fighting Eve head-on?
"Rudika's not really..."
"Yes, exactly. All three are tackling huge challenges."
"......No."
"It's a challenge to break their own limits for the future. I saw that future in all three of their eyes!"
"......Hm."
"And it made me feel my own shortcomings."
Wrong.
No sign she'd listen no matter what I said.
"I see. Shortcomings."
"Yes! My shortcomings... I should thank all three of them."
"......Hm. Right. Thanks."
"Yes! Huge thanks. I can't lose to them either."
"Is that so. Can't lose, huh."
"Yes! Of course! Losing here would make the name of O Mangseong's One Seat, Aila Trista, weep! From now on, I'm challenging myself!"
"...Hm. Challenge. A challenge, eh. Right. The challenge passed down through the ages..."
"Yes! As expected of Wolfram, you get it! I've been slacking off. Yeah!"
"......Hm. Sure do."
"So... I'm lacking. You get it, right, Wolfram? What I'm lacking."
When Aila starts talking like this, the best move is to echo the end of her sentences and throw in affirmations.
I can't figure out what switch flips or why she reacts this way.
The problem is, this ended in a question.
She asked what she's lacking. Wrong answer, and Black Crystal might end up in my gut?
Ah.
But compared to usual, no direct keyword popped out.
No way.
Hm.
So...
"Point is... that thing. Rebellion."
"Exactly!!!"
Whoa, startled me.
"As expected, Wolfram. The brightest star among O Mangseong's rebellion seats, the one who knows me best! Our center! Right now, I'm lacking in rebellion!"
"I see. More rebellion, then."
"Yes! I'll find something rebellious to do by tomorrow! See you tomorrow, Wolfram!"
With that, Aila hopped on Patrasche's last regular shuttle and headed home.
"......Not like homework where you think it over by tomorrow?"
On the way home aboard Patrasche's regular shuttle.
Aila Trista slapped her cheeks with both hands over and over to focus her mind.
"I've gotten complacent. Thought there was nothing left to rebel against."
Aila Trista acknowledged every talent drawn to Wolfram's side.
Milmyu von Sabre, always striving with serious eyes to surpass her limits.
Nefthelian, the talented top underclassman—fun and lively on the surface, but hiding serious passion within.
Rudika Hassan Shadow, whom she honestly thought her one-on-one win rate against was fifty-fifty.
And beyond them, Pipyak's friends or Wolfram's sister, Eve von Loengrin.
To her, everyone gathering around Wolfram all shared that 'sparkle'—what she called the 'heart of rebellion.'
Aila could gauge a person's 'rebellion index' numerically at a glance and self-assess whose rebellion had waned via her 'rebel eye'! ...Or so she believed.
She was dead serious about rebellion.
To her, rebellion meant rejecting the status quo, refusing to stagnate. Toppling old systems to advance further, outward, into the future.
"But... I've already reached the heavens."
She'd crushed that loathsome Regina Ciella. The year-top seat belonged to Aila Trista.
No more stairs to climb in Jefrin.
She'd reached the summit too soon...!
This was world-class already—no exaggeration!
"But that's just the narrow vision of a bird in a tiny cage! I'd forgotten there's sky beyond the sky!"
Wolfram aimed beyond the world.
She'd sworn to stand right beside that rebel leader.
But now?
Had she even thought of rebellion once a day? No.
Her 'rebellion check' scores told the tale.
"Pipyak's rebellion index is 97. Nefti's is 86. Rudika's is 81. Sadly, I can't see my own score, but I know it's lacking!"
So Aila Trista wouldn't lose either.
From now on, she'd rebel harder than anyone.
"But why's Pipyak the highest? As my 'rebellion rival,' she doesn't quite fit..."
Aila tilted her head.
The mystery went unsolved.
"Hm. Well... probably means she's dead serious about the top spot too."
In another sense, her rebellion check was spot on.
The next day, Aila barged in again.
"I found my rebellion!"
"......Hm. Good job."
I stammered, waved my hand in the air, and ended with a sigh.
Aila, when you get out into society later, don't say stuff like that, okay?
In a monarchy, yelling you've found rebellion would shock everyone.
You might get your clan wiped out, and Wolfram can't help then.
"Wolfram, I want to raise my magic power stat."
And Aila's follow-up hit right where it hurt—in a good way.
"Magic power?"
"Yes. Isn't 19 such an awkward number?"
"You know my magic power is 3, right?"
"Ah, sorry..."
"......"
"Ehem! But that's why your rebellion shines the brightest!"
Yeah, in your head, sure.
Anyway, even without comparing to my own stats, 19 was high in the original game.
But it could never reach the peak. At 19... pure mages rarely got party slots.
If 17 was human limit.
18 was monstrous.
19 was genius.
20 was history-book talent.
21 was legendary.
22 entered myth territory.
Aila was already a genius mage at her current level.
But that's why she fell short of history, let alone legend or myth.
"Magic power can't be raised."
"Yes, I know. But isn't that what makes it a lifelong rebellion?"
"Hm. Fair point. However..."
"And I can't forgive that loathsome Regina Ciella having 21! I'll aim for 22—no, 23!"
For mages, a single point in magic power defined their worth.
Grad student Zolf survived snitching on his advisor for overwork because his magic power hit the human limit of 17.
【Isn't it a waste to discard a magic power 17 talent over something that minor? We might lose a solid professor candidate to a guild. Think of it as grooming the next generation and reconsider.】 That kind of pull worked.
Main story Act 3 Aila got expelled for antagonizing royalty—unavoidable. Student Council President with 22 magic power says cut, who cares about 19.
Anyway, raising even 1 magic power was brutally tough.
Impossible? Not entirely—there were quests for it.
"...Honestly, I don't think I can do it alone. But I want to try."
"Hm."
"Part of me was content with 19. Talent at 17 too. I know my combat style inside out. Black Crystal suits wide-area spatial control and projectiles. Walls with Black Crystal, swords in the air to slash, bindings, launches, wrap around fists for punches..."
All that was Act 3 Boss Aila Trista's playbook.
Genius 19 magic power plus human-limit 17 talent: a horrific newbie shredder, Wall of Lamentations.
But that was boss strength.
All bosses lose to the protagonist.
Hero of Light Kelters. Eve at 22. Regina at 21.
True monsters far beyond genius Aila—that's why she was born.
"So I don't want to compromise. I want to stand above the heavens with my magic! I want to raise my magic power!"
But real-world Aila Trista was declaring she wanted to shatter that wall.
"I might not be able to help at all."
"...Still, I want to do it with you, Wolfram. I want to show you my rebellion path first."
"......Ha."
This is maddening.
Really, don't look at me with those eyes.
Aila Trista, unable to hide her anxiety in her sparkling eyes more than anyone.
Was declaring she wanted to walk a path unseen by all—even stagnant soul Yi Young-jin.
That set my heart racing.
"No idea how much help I'll be... But yeah. Got it. I'll do what I can."
"...Really?"
"Yeah. I'll help."
"Thank you, Wolfram. Watch my rebellion to the end. I'll show you! Let's go watch together!"
"......Yeah. Got it."
Yeah.
Let's give it a shot.
Wonder how far we can go. I'm curious too.