Chapter 110
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 110
Roughly an hour had passed.
We decided to take a short break from our intense midterm exam studies.
“I’m feeling a bit peckish, so I shall go and purchase some refreshments. Is there anything in particular you would like?”
“Just some coffee to wake me up, please.”
While Garfield headed to the library’s café to grab coffee and snacks, I turned my attention back to Elena.
“Here, this is the signed document.”
I handed her the information exchange agreement she had sent me previously.
“Thank you. I’ll consider the contract finalized, then. It would be wonderful if you could stop by the office regularly to exchange intel.”
“As long as I have the time. Is there anything you need to ask about right now?”
“Hmm, let’s start with this.”
As if she had been waiting for the opening, Elena pulled out a document and offered it to me. It was stamped with the crest of the Holy Kingdom of Celestia: a steel cross with two serpents coiled around it.
The document was a formal request for information regarding the breeding season of the Northern Three-headed Wolf. I had a rough idea of what she was after.
“Are you trying to predict when the monster hordes will move south?”
“Yes. The Gunhild family may be managing the north, but when the monsters begin their descent, the entire continent needs to be prepared.”
“Alright, I’ll let you know as soon as I obtain the information. What about compensation?”
“I’ll make sure you’re well compensated. It doesn’t have to be money, though. Are there any specific materials you’re looking for? You are an alchemist, after all.”
“Materials, you say...”
I fell into thought for a moment.
Though it went against my nature, potions of divine power were often required as alchemy ingredients. They were used to neutralize the inherent toxicity or demonic energy of certain rare materials. A potion containing Elena’s divine power would be second to none in terms of quality.
Besides that, there were all sorts of exorcism tools and specialty goods that could only be found in the Holy Kingdom. I could take my time deciding.
“I’ll think about it and let you know.”
“Sounds good. By the way, have you heard the rumor? That gremlins have appeared within Voltimir’s territory.”
“Gremlins, you say?”
I thought the Chairman had suppressed the information, but it seemed it had reached Elena’s ears regardless. I wasn’t sure if she knew a half-demon had appeared, so for now, I feigned ignorance and recited the official line.
“Generally, monsters cannot appear on academy grounds.”
“Well, the 'not-so-general' happened. Adler reported that he took down a dozen or so gremlins in the Black Forest. I even confirmed it myself—I saw the green blood on his sword and breastplate.”
“Oh?”
Come to think of it, I had seen several gremlin corpses near the Black Forest. The uniform sword marks had made me think a single person had dealt with them. So, it was Adler. Since Adler was Elena’s loyal subordinate, it made sense that he would have reported it to her.
“If that’s true… we may need to tighten the Union’s defenses.”
The Union might be protected by numerous barriers, but at its core, it was still a ‘pioneering zone’ built upon the Meteor Archipelago. Considering the vast, unexplored territories surrounding it, it wasn’t entirely strange for monsters to infiltrate. No matter how thoroughly you prepared, you were bound to find a bug or two inside your house eventually.
We were in the middle of discussing the gremlin appearance and various matters related to the athletic festival when I noticed Elena staring intently at the ring on my finger.
“Roen, what is that ring? You’re always wearing it.”
I flinched inwardly but maintained a calm facade.
“It was a gift from my older sister. I wear it at all times.”
“Ah, I see. May I try it on?”
“…”
Elena’s eyes sparkled with interest. I couldn’t tell if it was simple curiosity or something more, but it wasn’t a good sign. No, looking at that strange glint in her eyes, it felt like the same hint of madness I had sensed before.
That was it. Right now, Elena was suspecting that there is something suspicious about this ring.
Feeling a genuine threat to my life, I swallowed hard. A flimsy excuse wouldn’t work here. This was Derod’s ring, the only thing capable of concealing my identity. I couldn’t allow even a shred of doubt to form around it.
I had to build a wall so impenetrable that Elena would never mention this ring again.
Pressing the ring firmly onto my finger, I spoke in a flat, serious tone.
“My sister told me I should only ever let my future wife wear this.”
“…”
That should stop her from ever asking again.
As I went into full defensive mode, Elena gave up without another word.
“Oh. Well, that won’t do, then.”
Putting everything else aside, it was absurd for a saintess candidate to even think about marriage. I was safe.
…Come to think of it.
I silently gazed at the black ring on my ring finger. Roen couldn’t have had this since birth. Someone who knew Roen’s true identity must have passed the ring down to him.
Just who in the Devalis family knew the truth about Roen? This information was a double-edged sword, but digging into it might lead me to the truth.
“Anyway, you ended up getting the date ticket after all, didn’t you? And here you were, acting like you weren’t interested.”
Elena moved on to the next topic. It was about the S-grade note I found during the treasure hunt event. Since I had made a grand announcement about it at the time, every student in the Union knew.
“I came across it by chance.”
“I bet a lot of the male students are holding a grudge over that. Your approval rating is probably going to drop a bit.”
“It’s fine. It wasn’t high to begin with. And as for approval ratings, I’ve secured plenty with the new tram construction project.”
“Ah, right. I saw that you need to build over forty tram stops. Do you think you can manage that?”
“What’s there to manage? It’s not like I’ll be digging the ground with a shovel myself.”
This is why money is so great.
“…”
Wiping a bead of sweat with her handkerchief, Elena continued.
“Are your funds sufficient? I heard your allowance was cut off. Perhaps you need a loan?”
Elena leaned in slightly, bringing up the topic of money. It seemed she was planning to lend me the construction funds to get a piece of the tram project. She was quick with her calculations, as always.
But the table was already full; there was no room for another spoon.
“Sorry, but the funding has already been secured.”
“Ah, come to think of it, there was that merchant association you brought with you during the athletic festival. I recall that same association was involved in the recent stock manipulation incident. Were you involved in that as well, Roen?”
Just how much does she know?
I put a little distance between myself and Elena.
“…You’re remarkably well-informed for something that happened outside the Union.”
“When you sit in the student council president’s chair, all sorts of information finds its way to your ears.”
For some reason, her knowing everything sounded like a warning to watch my step. In any case, since I was with Elena, I decided to ask something I’d been curious about.
“More importantly, what was on the note you drew during the three-legged race?”
I was curious about the contents of the lot Elena had drawn. What could have been written on it to make her choose me, of all people? Public interest was high, too—enough to make the newspapers.
But Elena was reluctant to answer.
“Ahem, I told you, that’s a secret. If you pry too much, you’ll be unpopular, you know?”
I was never popular to begin with.
Just as we were chatting, Garfield returned from the café.
“I’ve brought the black tea, iced tea, sandwiches, and pastry set you ordered.”
“Oh, my. Thank you so much for your trouble.”
Elena smiled brightly. We took a short tea break before resuming our studies.
*
One good thing about the exam period was that there were no lectures, so the day ended early.
After finishing my studies on divine studies at the library, I used the power of the System Encyclopedia to successfully complete the exams for two of my liberal arts courses. Using the encyclopedia was practically an open-book test, so I could solve the liberal arts-level questions with ease.
My official schedule for the day was over. Afterward, I used my free time to head to Izelin Academy.
The students were bustling about, right in the thick of exams. I had made an appointment in advance, so I was able to meet with Eleina, Philip, and Josephine, though our time was limited.
I arrived at Izelin’s reception room. It felt a bit cozier than before. The old, worn-out sofa had been replaced with a new one, and the shabby curtains had been swapped for a fresh color, completely changing the atmosphere.
A noteworthy point was that the tea served had been upgraded from cheap coffee to high-quality black tea. It seemed they were gradually replacing the academy’s furnishings with the compensation money they received from Jerome.
I scanned the reception room before my gaze fell on the foundation work visible outside the window.
“The construction seems to be going well.”
Drrr—.
The sound of construction echoed from outside. The new dormitory construction was getting into full swing. They had recently broken ground and begun the foundation work.
A building’s foundation must be solid first.
They were currently compacting the ground and laying the concrete floor and rebar. Furthermore, it wasn’t just the dormitory; they also had to secretly develop the underground ruins and create a passage to the criminal underworld, making the foundation work all the more critical.
Eleina spoke.
“It’s all thanks to you. The man you introduced, Demian, is quite a brilliant architect.”
Brilliant was an understatement. If you have a rotten personality, you’d better be damn good at your job.
“And I’ve confirmed the amount you returned. You didn’t have to pay it back, you know.”
I had repaid the 1 billion crone I had received from Eleina in full.
“It would have weighed on my conscience. Especially since the dormitory reconstruction was something I pushed for.”
Izelin hadn't planned on building a new dormitory in the first place. The construction was merely one of the ploys to cover up the terms of my contract—namely, to gain access to the ruins beneath Izelin and the legendary-grade artifact, the Cognitive Acceleration Stone.
Of course, that didn’t mean rebuilding the dormitory was a complete waste of money. The dormitory had to be rebuilt at some point anyway. Replacing the old, dilapidated building wasn’t a matter of if, but when. Thinking of it as doing something inevitable a little earlier made it easier to justify.
Besides, in the end, it was thanks to me that the kingdom had escaped the threat of war. I was sure they could be generous enough to understand this much.
“Put the returned compensation to good use. Remodel the cafeteria or the gymnasium, or reinforce the faculty. Or you could even waive the students’ tuition fees.”
A quick look at Izelin’s budget showed that the academy’s annual expenditure was about 800 million crone. They were spending the bare minimum on building management, maintenance, repairs, faculty salaries, and essential supplies. Most of the budget was being used to subsidize their students’ exorbitant Union tuition fees.
Even so, every year there were students who couldn’t attend the Union because they couldn’t afford the tuition. It would be good to give them a chance, too. Investing in education directly translates to a nation’s future competitiveness.
“Yes, after reviewing the budget, we will proceed as you wish, Lord Roen.”
Once the compensation issue was settled, Philip, the escort knight, asked a question.
“By the way, Lord Roen, I heard you promised to build tram stops for the other academies based on their athletic festival scores?”
“That’s right. We plan to expand the tram lines and increase the number of trains accordingly.”
Simply building stops wasn’t the end of it. We had to lay tracks to expand the routes, and as the routes grew longer, we had to add more trams to fill the gaps.
“Let’s see. Izelin Academy… is ranked 17th.”
I checked the athletic festival scoreboard I had jotted down in my notebook. Considering the size of Izelin Academy, 17th place was a remarkable achievement. The once-divided opinions within the academy had united, and they had finally escaped from the shadow of Jerome that had tormented them for so long. With the students’ motivation soaring, it wasn’t surprising that they achieved good results.
“Currently, it’s over a twenty-minute walk from the station to Izelin’s main gate. The new station will greatly improve the environment.”
It would be the best possible gift for Izelin’s students.
I spent the rest of the time discussing the future dormitory construction schedule, scouting locations for the new station, and the matter of the remaining compensation from Jerome with Eleina.
Once the official business was concluded, Josephine, who had been listening quietly, handed me something.
“Roen. This is a letter from my younger sister. Please, accept it.”
I took the letter she offered and asked, “By the way, has Joshua made a full recovery?”
Josephine’s younger sister, Joshua. She had been suffering from an incurable disease, which was one of the reasons Josephine had temporarily sided with Jerome. I had heard she was taking the new medicine I gave her and that her condition was improving.
She nodded with a smile.
“Yes, thanks to the medicine you gave her, she’s close to a full recovery. The hair she lost is slowly growing back. She might even be able to enroll in the Union next year.”
“That’s a relief.”
I’d never met her, but it was gratifying to hear that someone who had been suffering from an illness had recovered thanks to me. I took the letter from Josephine and glanced at it. I was about to put it away to read later, but something caught my eye.
“The sender’s name seems a bit different.”
The recipient was clearly Roen, but the sender of the letter, supposedly written by Joshua, was written in strange characters.
Josephine explained.
“Ah, that’s her pen name. Joshua has a hobby of writing novels. She said she made her pen name using the ancient Runic language, but I don’t know what it means either.”
“A pen name, and ancient Runic… Is your sister by any chance famous?”
“Moderately. I hear her books sell well within the kingdom.”
“Hmm.”
I stared at the letter in my hand, slowly dredging up information from my memory. Fragments of memory that my own mind couldn’t recall surfaced from the depths, aided by Roen’s intelligence stat. By piecing together bits of information I had skimmed past in the game, I was soon able to decipher the letter’s meaning.
“!”
Deep in thought, my eyes shot open.
The meaning of the ancient Runic words written on the letter was ‘Prophecy.’
That was it. What Joshua wrote wasn’t a simple novel, but a piece of a prophecy foretelling the future of this world.
She was the one and only prophet in the world of the Myrillin Saga.