The Itch on the Back of My Hand
The itch on the back of my hand… must just be my imagination, right?
“Did everyone enjoy their lunch?”
“Yes!”
“The cafeteria menu today was a bit disappointing!”
“It’s supposed to be disappointing tomorrow too. What should we do about that?”
“If it’s disappointing, just eat somewhere else next time. I don’t eat at the cafeteria much either.”
Once lunch ended, Garein started the class with some light conversation. Maybe it was because we’d eaten right before class, or maybe it was the sunlight streaming through the windows. Either way, the fifth-period lecture hit me like a curse no legend could escape.
Ah, this was it. The ultimate curse that no hero could avoid… the post-lunch drowsiness.
‘Well, this isn’t a physical problem. It’s mental.’
What if I actually fell asleep? I’d already been late this morning and had to sit in the back. If Garein caught me dozing again…
“Zeon.”
“Y-yes!”
Garein’s voice called my name at the perfect moment. Worried he might have noticed me nodding off, I straightened up and answered with exaggerated energy. Maybe my reaction looked suspicious, because he narrowed his eyes.
“Why are you so startled?”
“You called me so suddenly, I just… reacted.”
“Hmm…”
I could see a hint of suspicion in those eyes. No, I might be sleepy, but I hadn’t actually fallen asleep. I had nothing to feel guilty about.
“I see. Since I already asked you a question before, I’ll call on someone else this time. You may sit.”
I let out a sigh of relief and sank back into my seat. So he’d just been planning to ask questions during the lecture. I glanced up at Garein and saw his gaze had already moved past me to someone else.
Wait… that direction was…
“Mir.”
“Y-yes!”
Clatter.
Her answer carried a strong sense of déjà vu as Mir shot up from her desk far more energetically than I had. Yeah, she must’ve been pretty sleepy too. Unlike me, she’d apparently been face-down on her desk—there were a few strands of hair stuck to the corner of her mouth. She didn’t seem to have noticed yet.
“Heh heh.”
“Hey, don’t laugh.”
“Pfft. But just look at her.”
Her whole appearance screamed I just woke up! so clearly that several students started snickering behind their hands. Mir tilted her head in confusion, clearly wondering why everyone was laughing at her.
Well, she wasn’t wrong. The player controlled her in the game, but according to the original setting, the protagonist had incredible talent and skill, a kind personality… and was a bit dense in everyday situations. That pretty much summed her up.
“Did you sleep well? Sorry for waking you.”
“It’s fi— I mean, I wasn’t sleeping!”
“Go stand in the back until you wake up properly, then come back.”
“Yes…”
In the end, Mir had to spend another class standing in the back. Last time I’d been there with her to share the attention, but this time she was alone. Every eye in the class was glued to her.
“Focus. This is class time.”
Thankfully Garein quickly redirected everyone’s attention and the stares faded, but Mir’s cheeks were burning red from the brief moment of scrutiny. She hung her head low in embarrassment.
“Moving on, I’ll teach you about the two types of innate magical attributes people are born with.”
‘Huh. This is connected to what happened at the Soul Training Grounds.’
“Innate attributes are broadly divided into two categories. The elemental powers commonly found in nature are called natural attributes. Everything else falls under demonic attributes.”
‘Haha, and that’s exactly why I have such a headache.’
Cheonhwa Yuseol had complained to me that because both categories had hit their absolute maximum, the resulting backlash was enormous. She still didn’t know how to handle it properly.
“To give a simple example, the Four Pillars—Freya and Ainstro—use fire and ice, which are natural attributes. Lavin and Arvana manipulate shadow and space respectively, so they belong to the demonic category.”
“Professor! Then what about the esteemed imperial family?”
“The imperial family uses the power of the constellations in the night sky. Strictly speaking, that would place them in the demonic attribute category.”
I recalled the imperial family’s setting from Garein’s explanation. Yeah, they really were different from everyone else. While normal people used one type of power, the imperial family drew upon the twelve constellations of the zodiac—the famous Imperial Zodiac.
‘There aren’t many broken settings like that.’
Everyone else only got one power, but the imperial family could wield twelve. Of course, not every imperial member could use all twelve constellations. Most only awakened three or four at best. In theory it was possible, but after the first emperor, no one had ever manifested all twelve.
Thinking about the zodiac made me feel a little bitter again.
‘Every single one of those zodiac powers is ridiculously overpowered. I really wanted those skills.’
The problem was that the Imperial Zodiac could only be passed down through bloodline. Even a blood transfusion wouldn’t awaken it. It was an incredibly secure power. Other families could transfer their special abilities through special methods, but the imperial family’s security was annoyingly airtight.
So many players had cried over this information.
…I’d shed more than a few tears myself.
‘Speaking of which, this should be around the time the fight for the throne is getting intense.’
Originally, the next emperor was chosen from whoever awakened the power of Leo—the foundation of the imperial throne. Unfortunately, at this point in time, no one had manifested Leo’s power yet. That meant every imperial with a claim to the throne had a chance, and right now the palace was probably drenched in blood.
‘About one year and four or five months left.’
The emperor would enroll his frail, powerless granddaughter into the academy next year to protect her from becoming a sacrifice in the succession war.
‘The real problem comes after that.’
I didn’t need to worry too much until then, but the issue was that his granddaughter would awaken Leo’s power right here at the academy. And by then, the fight for the throne would be nearly over.
Naturally, whoever had won the succession war would see her as a thorn in their side. All kinds of sabotage, assassination attempts, and dark hands would reach out to kill her.
‘I have to stop it somehow.’
If I let her die, it would lead straight to a bad ending.
Bad Ending # Blood-Drenched Crown
One of the few bad endings in the main story. The tyrant who claims a throne and crown soaked in blood. If I fail to stop it, only war and merciless tyranny await us.
‘There’s still enough time.’
If I used the remaining time thoroughly, I could prevent it. So I shouldn’t get anxious or act hastily. That kind of behavior would only lead to mistakes.
Alright, time to focus on class…
“Tomorrow’s practical lesson will be one-on-one sparring with me.”
“With Professor Garein?!”
‘Oh right, that was the first practical.’
I set aside my worries about the future and returned to reality. The class was already nearing its end, and Garein was explaining tomorrow’s practical.
This was probably separate from the Sand Snake hunt—meant to evaluate each student’s individual ability more clearly. Garein had definitely said he wouldn’t use one hand or his weapon.
“And when I face you, I will not use my right hand or my weapon. I will also adjust my level to match yours, so you may fight without worry.”
“Um, Professor?”
“What is it?”
“Why are you telling us all this information?”
“It’s so you can prepare. Among you, there will surely be those who use surprise attacks, traps, or similar tactics.”
Several students nodded in understanding.
“Show me everything you have. I will not use my right hand or my weapon. Use that information to prepare in whatever way will help you the most.”
“In just one day?”
“How much you can prepare in a single day will also be part of my evaluation.”
“Use my blind spots. Turn my own inconvenience into your weapon. Think of me not as your professor or teacher, but as an enemy you must kill.”
‘Master, please stop!’
Cheonhwa Yuseol kept saying things that made even me feel embarrassed. Even if no one else could hear her, I could! It was mortifying!
…Though I didn’t think it was actually impossible!
“I look forward to seeing how well you prepare for tomorrow’s sparring.”
Cheonhwa Yuseol glared fiercely at Garein as he left the classroom, her behavior completely at odds with her elegant name. The soul dwelling in Garein’s exclusive weapon, terrified by her gaze, clung to his face in tears and caused him no small amount of annoyance.
It seemed Cheonhwa Yuseol didn’t like how Garein was evaluating me on the same level as the other students, even though he was my teacher. Well, given her fame and reputation, that reaction was only natural.
“Additional support?”
“Yeees.”
Why was this happening? It might just be my imagination, but the back of my hand was itching again.
…Huh? The mark’s gone.
‘Did it deactivate over time?’
It probably wasn’t anything important.