Ibel Adford (2)
Ibel Adford. In the original story, she was a character with barely any screen time. That's why I didn't know her. Even when we first met, if that girl hadn't acted like she knew me, I would've just thought, oh, she's a campus worker, and moved on. But thanks to Ibel saying something along the lines of "You're no longer my big brother!", I managed to piece together that we were blood-related.
Up until now, I hadn't paid much attention to Ibel. Our relationship didn't seem great, and I was in a fallen noble's position anyway. There was no real point of contact. But now that I'd ended up as her mentor...
Pondering the Adford family, all I could recall was her fate. The Adford earldom occupied a small spot in one episode—which is exactly why I hadn't recognized her.
Act 3 of Volume 2. The school trip episode. It happens after summer break, but that's when the story involving the Adford family comes up. The Adfords had been committing misdeeds for years, and fragments of that start to surface. The player gets dragged into it through the Roderan ducal family, which Rien is tied to...
In resolving it, one person takes the fall for the Adford family's sins. That person is Ibel Adford. She was a member of the villainous group who gets written off early. In the original, she doesn't even show her face—it's just some text saying she meets her end after this and that. She was that much of an extra.
The Adford family itself was just a device to highlight the player, so she couldn't escape an extra's fate. Just like the original Kyle getting utterly schooled by the protagonist in the Artina Academy entrance exam, living as a beggar, and dying that way. It was a life designed by the author's intent...
I met Ibel the next day. It was right after her major class ended, and she was standing in front of the lecture hall. Not just Ibel— all the other second-years were gathered too. It was 11 a.m., and from now until 2 p.m., we had mentor-mentee sessions scheduled.
This class was basic liberal arts training that ran until the mentee's magic duel was over, and everyone participated. As I stepped out of the lecture hall, "You—why didn't you come find me?" Ibel spotted me and strode over. Her eyelids were raised, cheeks puffed out. She looked pissed.
She started spilling words rapidly. "Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was yesterday? Why didn't you come say hi? It's customary for juniors to come greet us, right? I waited at the campus till 6 p.m. like an idiot. All my friends came, but..." Her expression darkened as she recalled yesterday. She'd probably been teased.
I felt a little sorry. Since we knew each other superficially, I figured greetings weren't needed. We'd meet today anyway. As I pondered what to say, Ibel gestured with her hand. "Whatever. We ended up as mentor and mentee anyway. What kind of ridiculous twist of fate is this? What are you doing? Let's go."
"Yeah, uh, sorry."
"Forget it— You know we have to do this even if we don't want to, right? I don't care, but if you slack off, I'll really chew you out. If we're doing it, do it properly. My score's on the line too."
Ibel and I took the elevator down the Magic Tower. I followed where she led. Where are we going?
For a moment, I tilted my head at Ibel's odd path. Mentor-mentee sessions were free time—you could do anything. Students headed to training rooms, libraries, cafes, etc., places to interact with their mentors. Since it was the first day, the mentor decided the destination and what they'd do.
But Ibel wasn't heading anywhere like that. I was curious but kept quiet. I'd messed up, and mentees didn't get much say anyway. I'd wait—the mystery solved itself soon enough. It was ridiculous.
"Ah~ What should I eat today? The cafeteria meat stew is pretty good, but I had it yesterday, so not really craving it... Bacon potato—! Is this a new one? Hmm... Tough choice. Ah—whatever. This! Bacon potato for me! Strawberry juice too!"
"......"
I could see Ibel picking her menu at the student cafeteria. Staring at her in disbelief, she pointed at the menu a bit sheepishly. "You don't like cafeteria food?"
Why do you like it?
University cafeterias were canonically trash-tier, good or bad facilities be damned. I could eat anything and thought the food was decent quality, but most students didn't. From my month living at Artina Academy, they griped about it. They preferred restaurants in the academy branch over cafeteria food.
Nobles of a certain caliber almost never came to the student cafeteria. Just look at Siel's reaction last time. Great nobles like Siel had mansions in the academy branch with hired chefs. Home meant lavish feasts.
And from what I know...
The Adford earldom was that caliber. Despite being villains, they had vast territories and a famous tourist city. They raked in big money. So Ibel had no reason to use the student cafeteria. She could hire a chef or hit fancy external restaurants—they were rich enough. Just her uniform and accessories screamed gold trim.
I asked Ibel, "Ibel, from what I know, the Adfords aren't poor enough to eat cafeteria food..."
"Shh, quiet! I-I eat it because I want to! So, are you eating or not? Sigh, no—excuse me! One more bacon potato and strawberry juice!"
"Got it~ That's 20 donghua~"
The friendly auntie handled it. Even looking like that, she was a former imperial chef. I rummaged for the donghua left in my pocket. After buying camouflage clothes, I was basically broke. It stung to use my emergency funds, but I had to play along with Ibel.
"Here, 20—"
"Stop. I'll pay, so stay put. How much do you plan to ruin my dignity? You trying to brand me as a noble senior mooching off a commoner? Whatever, if you want something, say it. I'll buy it for you."
"Thanks......"
I was touched by senpai's generosity. As she said, gum money to a noble like her. But mooching off a commoner? Dizzying.
I sat with Ibel at some empty table. Awkward silence stretched until the food arrived. Our relationship was iffy, and we had nothing to talk about. In a way, since the original Kyle I didn't know got booted, our positions had flipped completely. Fallen noble and great noble— we rarely crossed paths.
Eventually, Ibel spoke first. "Earlier, you asked about that thing."
"What thing?"
"Why I eat cafeteria food when I'm rich."
Did she have some backstory? I nodded and listened intently.
"My other friends always bring it up. Why not restaurants? New fancy place opened, let's go together! They don't get it! How exhausting campus work is!"
Aha...
"When would I go all the way there, eat, and get back to work? Gotta fill up quick and go. Commercial district's 30 minutes away? Mansion's an hour. Eat there and come back? My legs would kill me! And those snooty nobles? They go like...! Ah, you wouldn't know? She's top of our year?"
The pent-up frustration of a campus worker erupted. Yeah, Artina Academy's incidents always screwed over innocent campus staff. Three demon-related messes already since the player enrolled—must be hectic.
"Ugh, and that glasses-wearing jerk. Professor Mason is just...! Ugh, argh!"
"Y-yeah. That was too much from a superior. They'd split the work, right?"
During lunch, I listened to Ibel vent. Maybe she couldn't tell just anyone. I heard all sorts. On the way to the training room after,
"Please forget it....... I'll buy you lunch. Got it...?"
Regretful Ibel. Free meal ticket acquired. Score...!
I shouldn't have said that.
In the spacious private training room, Ibel regretted spilling her story to Kyle.
Ah, thoughts I never told anyone...!
No matter what, she couldn't shake the memory of yelling and ranting at Kyle. It was a secret she'd planned to take to the grave, but Kyle chimed in at the right moments, somehow grasping a worker's perspective, and she ended up spilling everything. His empathy as a fellow campus worker hit hard.
No matter how she explained, she got empty consolation. Friends slyly changed topics: new restaurants, luxury brands, Loren Company's premium shops. Topics that didn't interest Ibel.
But Kyle empathized and gave practical advice. His social skills for work life were surprisingly pragmatic. She'd found someone at Artina who actually got her.
Weird.
She didn't even like him that much, but as a chat buddy, he was fine. Was this love-hate? Before meeting Kyle, she'd blindly hated him. Now, no real aversion. He'd helped the hostile Ibel that day. Since then, she'd thought about him often—his way of life, his survival. No chances to meet, so she'd forgotten gradually. Meeting again like this, he'd etched himself in her memory. As a colleague who got her.
Ibel's magic department coworkers were all commoners—no one to talk to. They trembled and avoided her. Despite no pressure... Just prejudice from status. Hurtful. In that work life, meeting Kyle felt inevitable for spilling her guts.
No—! Snap out of it!
No matter how much they clicked, botching the mentee magic duel would make them enemies. Plus, Kyle entered magic department dead last. 350th out of 350. Absurd. When she first became his mentor, despair hit hard. After top student Kathleen Payron told her to "get along with fellow deadweights," her mentality cracked more. Kathleen and Ibel vied for 1st and 2nd.
She couldn't lose... Just unfair her mentee was Kyle. 350th probably couldn't cast basic magic? He used a rifle, but that wouldn't cut it. Magic was the issue.
"Ibel, so I just need to show something, right?"
Ibel looked at Kyle. He was warming up in front of the humanoid dummy, rifle on his back. His moves looked unreliable.
"Go all out first. I'll gauge you."
All out—how much? That dummy had a magic barrier—special one made by magic students for practice. Couldn't break it with magic all day. Unless genius-of-geniuses Siel, Ibel watched indulgently, and Kyle finished warming up, grabbed something from the armory.
He charged the dummy—whoosh!—striking at eye-blurring speed. She could only track the grid pattern in the air when—crash!
"......???"
Barrier shattered. Kyle leaped back instantly, raised his sniper rifle mid-air, fired. Whoosh—boom! Dummy exploded into pieces, rolling. Kyle landed perfectly with a roll, then asked Ibel.
"So, is this enough for the magic duel?"
That was... magic? Magic......??
"???"
Ibel couldn't comprehend even after seeing it.