Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 092
Chapter Title: Companion of Conviction
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Most students at Jefrin were feeling the winds of change blowing through the academy, either directly or indirectly.
It wasn't that their lifestyles or environments had changed.
What they mainly felt was the shift in people.
The names circulating in rumors had changed.
The top student in the third-year Magic Division had changed. Her name was starting to come up more and more.
The top student in the second-year Knight Division was aiming for the Royal Guard, or so the rumors went. They said her recommendation letter was already prepared.
The first-year top student had changed. Her stats were low, but she wielded overwhelming power, apparently.
Celebrities are decided from birth, after all.
You can never surpass your birth status.
Social mobility.
In Loengrin, where imperial authority rivals divine might, such things are never easily seen.
Yet in just two months since the semester began, there had been far too many changes.
It all started with Wolfram von Loengrin, who had his student council president position usurped.
Even after plummeting to the ranks of ordinary students and being treated as such, no one truly saw him that way.
Part of it was surely his imperial bloodline, but the former tyrannical dictator of a president had rebuilt his position and solidified his influence once more.
Even after being expelled from Glasstheim, the first dormitory, he patrolled Jefrin astride his Steel Colossus, gathering his forces.
And now, even Eve von Loengrin—who had cried out for his downfall and justice—was said to be on friendly terms with him, according to those in the know. Small wonder some were starting to think:
'What if Wolfram von Loengrin is actually the mastermind behind all of Jefrin's darkness?'
It was an extreme minority opinion, but when you considered his actions, it wasn't entirely unconvincing.
And among the students who had pieced together that 'truth,' just how terrifying a figure was Wolfram von Loengrin?
Oh, it's scary. But even more than that, they wanted to know what he was up to!
The unknown breeds fear and admiration!
So, what were the ones currently shaking up the academy from the shadows doing right now...
"My stats aren't going up..."
"Royal Guard classes are tough..."
"The spicy seasonings are running out. My sisters eat a lot..."
"How can I become a better underclassman for Senior?"
"Go home."
They were living utterly ordinary lives.
Back when I was Yi Young-jin working part-time at the convenience store.
The boss was a hero to the local high schoolers.
He ran three stores under his name, made decent money, but never flaunted it.
He'd hook them up with discards often, and if they showed up late at night after cram school, he'd even give life advice.
This was to the point that the local kids never hit him up for cigs. If his store vanished, their emotional oasis would too.
That was the kind of guy he was, and I often thought I wanted my convenience store to be that kind of place.
I wanted to be a store owner who always greeted customers with a smile!
What a perfect plan.
"Unlike strength training and running, it only affects strength and stamina... Maybe strength will go up soon."
"The Royal Guard is basically a general civil servant gig. Why is there so much to learn...?"
"Wolfram, got any spare spicy seasoning?"
"Isn't just maintaining top spot enough?"
But in reality, when these guys all came rushing for advice, it got annoyingly tedious surprisingly fast.
"Aila, aim to get strength and stamina to 17 first. That'll open up some possibilities. Nefti, annual salary's two hundred million. Rudika, I'll fight you plenty later. Milmyu, top spot means you're the pinnacle of all first-years. Chest out."
I neatly handled all four consultations, and they went, "Aha," before diving into their studies.
Seizing the gap, I let my thoughts drift to the future for a moment.
The impending Act 2. And these four.
Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to ask.
"By the way, haven't you four more or less secured your positions?"
"Wolfram, what meaning does a position hold?"
"Aila, Rudika, and Nefti already had some recognition, and Milmyu, you've become the year-top now."
"Ah, yeah."
"For people with that, you sure have a lot of humble worries and petty concerns."
"Yeees, Senior. The reason we can't help but stay humble is..."
They all stared at me blankly.
Me? What about me?
"Wolfram, aren't you imperial royalty? And yet you live so quietly."
"I... if Senior hadn't been here, I wouldn't have made it this far either."
I see.
Because I, with my imperial advantage, live quietly, they're all keeping low profiles too?
I'm not particularly trying to live quietly. I just don't want to get stabbed for being too cocky.
"I'm not living quietly because I want to."
"Hehe, Wolfram's making jokes again."
"Oh, that was a joke? Hmm, too high-level for me."
"...Rudika, are you supposed to laugh at this joke?"
"I-If you want to live that quietly, Senior, there's a nice village in the eastern woods..."
No, seriously.
Anyway, these four showing up at the convenience store every day, chattering away—it had become routine.
Even though people are unpredictable.
What cluttered my mind was none other than Milmyu von Sabreda.
She noticed my gaze and gave a tiny smile my way.
"What's up, Senior?"
"Hm? Nothing. Just thinking about the new year-top."
"Hehe. Yes, year-top Milmyu von Sabreda. Now I can puff out my chest as Senior's underclassman."
She said it with a light laugh.
It had only been a few days since claiming the top spot, but she smiled more often now, and... started talking to me more naturally.
Her words: 【Now that I'm Senior's underclassman, I can puff out my chest!】
She'd been my underclassman from the start, though.
"No, it's nothing."
"Yeees. Let me know when it turns into something."
With that, she returned to her studies.
"...Ugh, 98 points... No, it might go higher. This kid's rebellion score is on the rise. Is my rebellion kid broken?"
Aila muttered her own nonsense, but I didn't read too much into it. It had "rebellion" in it, so it was probably fine.
There was only one reason Milmyu was messing with my head.
She'd become the new year-top.
After knocking Kelters down twice and creating a second-place Contus.
The boss of Act 2 activates a curse centered around the 【Celebrity Heroines】 surrounding 【Year-Top Kelters】.
But if Milmyu had taken the top spot, the curse might now center on her.
In that case, the targets would be...
Aila. Nefti. Rudika. Milmyu. Widening the net a bit: Vanilla. Yogurt.
And as original heroines: Eve, Isolde, Regina Cielra too.
"Too many."
This was a problem.
Time for a little workaround after ages.
"Nefti."
"Yes, Senior."
"Field trip tomorrow. Need an escort."
"Hm, tomorrow's Royal Guard assignment..."
"Daily pay: three hundred thousand."
"Loyalty. Faith. This spirit solely for my liege."
Nefti bowed her head deeply.
Isn't her price getting ridiculously high?
The next day, we arrived at the black market.
Wearing the same masks as before, what we needed to find here wasn't items.
It was intel, though the place was pretty labyrinthine.
Scattered in corners of this black market were tents dyed blue. By black market rules, these were sleep rooms.
More precisely, slightly creepy sleep rooms.
Inside one, a man with a sleeping face motif awaited us.
Or rather, it was hard to tell if it was even a man or woman. Some gender-swap magic user.
"Welcome to the sleep room. Please, come in."
"I want special sleep. Something with good dreams."
"...Who are you looking for?"
"Who's been giving the best dreams lately?"
"Recent lineup is as follows."
"This the latest trends?"
"Ah, not classics but the newest? Here."
With that, he showed the latest lineup for good dreams.
I frowned.
Milmyu, Nefti, and Aila's faces were there. Eve and Regina too, among others.
"...Dreams can wait. Here's the intro fee."
"Oh, thank you."
With that, I left the sleep room.
This might get pretty annoying.
As we exited the black market, Nefti cautiously asked.
"Senior, what was that place? It felt super ominous. Totally not my vibe. And... I think I saw my face too."
"Hm? Sorry, didn't explain. Short version: sleep room."
"Sleep room?"
"Yeah. A sleep room that gives good dreams."
The black market regulars are Jefrin dropouts. Losers, plain and simple.
But to dream of being winners, they use fake faces or voices and roleplay as those people.
For the unsatisfied, sleep rooms offer 'dreams of becoming celebrities.'
"Wishing for it even in dreams... is that it?"
"Sounds pretty when you put it that way, but it's just a curse."
"Curse...?"
"Yep."
This curse is tricky.
Basically, curses and blessings run on 'faith,' a power separate from mana.
Faith borrows power from god-like beings or opposing demon gods.
Without blessing or curse resistance items, even Eve with her 22 mana falls easily.
Think online game attribute charts.
Water beats Wind beats Earth beats Fire—rock-paper-scissors cycle. That's standard.
But Dark and Light sometimes just counter each other depending on the game.
Something like that.
And this dream curse is extra nasty: it pools losers' admiration for celebs and hits the celebs themselves with mental damage.
"Curses actually exist, huh."
"Yeah. Funny coming from an imperial scion like me, but gods and demon gods definitely exist. The texts say so..."
"Shocking... But Senior, how do you know so much about it?"
Nefti looked at me anxiously.
Ah, wondering if Wolfram had those dreams too?
...Well, Yi Young-jin never tried it, obviously, and neither have I as Wolfram.
Original Wolfram probably never did either.
The guy budgeted for artists who couldn't walk the sword or magic path, a dreamer to the end.
"No, I've never used it. If anything, I'm against it."
Because of them, I'd seen bad ends so many times.
Honestly, Emilun got filthy rich off Act 2 heroine fails too.
Damn it.
"...Against it?"
"Yeah, super annoying bunch. Honestly, I'd like to thin them out plenty before graduation."
"Th-Then, don't tell me..."
Right, the fix for this curse is blessings... but those are pricier and trickier to get than expected.
I ignored Nefti's muttering beside me and sank back into thought.
Definitely need to craft blessing items.
What's the quickest way to get them again?
"Senior."
"What?"
"Royal Guard classes. I'll do my best."
Why'd the convo veer there?
......?
"Do your best."
"Yes, sir!"
Well, whatever.
If she's motivated, cheer her on.