Breaking the Pride of Young Masters and Ladies (1)
It was on a different floor from the classroom—a bathroom no one ever seemed to visit. Yet Professor Kadisha had deliberately come all the way here despite the facilities right next to the lecture hall. Putting those two facts together, the answer was obvious.
So this is the professors’ bathroom…!
If that’s the case, at least put up a damn sign!
Tsk.
I really didn’t want to be remembered as the guy who snuck into the female professor’s restroom on his very first day at the academy.
If I just wash my hands and leave…
But the things you want most desperately always twist at the last second and flip you the bird. Exactly like how Professor Kadisha had just stepped into the stall right next to ours.
“…”
“…”
I locked eyes with Marong. From the adjacent stall came the soft rustle of stockings, followed by a sigh.
“Haa…”
Then the unmistakable sound of water trickling down.
…What the hell kind of situation is this?
Listening to a beautiful female teacher pee in the staff bathroom while pressed body-to-body with a girl from my own class. And on top of that—
Why did Marong even know where the female staff restroom was on the very first day?
Marong, emerging from an empty women’s bathroom. In her hand was a half-eaten sandwich. Her irises had turned the color of murky storm clouds, as if something had upset her stomach.
Our eyes met. She quickly looked away.
Marong, my poor Marong… Did you really spend the first day of the academy wandering around just to secure a place to eat in peace?
Tears threatened to spill. From now on, I’d have to make sure I ate with her every single day.
Maybe she was that character who, every day on the screen, would tilt her head and ask, “Oh, are you going to eat with me again today…?” just to encourage daily logins. And if you came back after a few days, she’d appear with a pale face, saying “While you were gone? I-I’m fine! Eating alone has its advantages too!” while clearly happy to see you.
This five-star loner…
Compliment the Loner Girl
Objective: Praise Marong’s personality and elicit a positive reaction
Reward: 500 Praise Points
A sudden quest, huh.
Astra Radius was an open-world subculture game at its core. Random quests like this weren’t strange at all. The fact that the content was specifically tailored to my ability to give compliments was a bit unusual, though.
Compliment the loner girl.
At least it had pinpointed the exact thing to praise—her personality. That was the hardest part. But the reward was sweet. A full five hundred points. Even when I’d made Professor Kadisha feel “extreme joy,” I had only received three hundred. A single quest giving five hundred? There was no way I could pass this up.
If I can get that, I can buy the item I’ve been dying to purchase.
Alright. As soon as Professor Kadisha leaves—
Are you kidding me?!
With the sound of trickling water still coming from the next stall, I was supposed to whisper compliments into Marong’s ear?
I wrapped my fingers gently around Marong’s ear and lowered my voice to the absolute limit as I whispered.
“Marong.”
“!?”
Marong flinched and shot me a look of pure protest. I suddenly felt like I was doing something incredibly wicked—not to Professor Kadisha, but to Marong.
Sorry, my little loner. Just bear with me a bit longer.
“You’re really kind.”
“…!!”
Marong’s body trembled violently. Her foot suddenly shot up and kicked the stall door.
THUD!
A puzzled sound came from Professor Kadisha in the next stall.
“Hmm…?”
“…”
“…”
Since we stayed perfectly still, she seemed to assume it was just someone bumping into the partition. As for Marong—
“—!!”
She was glaring at me like she wanted to kill me. Her irises had turned a blazing crimson red.
Praise Points: 30 (468→498)
Her expression said one thing, but her honest reaction said another.
Sudden Quest: Compliment the Loner Girl — Cleared!
Reward: 500 Praise Points awarded (498→998)
Professor Kadisha pulled her stockings back up, opened the stall door, and left with the sharp click of her heels. Even after she was gone, we stayed frozen, holding our breath for a long time.
“Has she left?”
“I think so?”
Then, at the same time—
“Huuuuuu…”
“Haaaaaaaah…!!”
Marong whispered with tears glistening in her eyes.
“Gilliam! Professor was right next door—how could you say something like that?!”
“Sorry.”
“We need to get out of here… ugh, my legs are shaking because of you, Gilliam!”
“Want me to support you?”
Marong’s irises shifted to a warm orange.
“…I don’t know.”
“Okay.”
“…”
Marong stared at me intently.
“Gilliam, are you planning to keep making me say everything out loud from now on?”
“Huh?”
“…You know exactly what I mean but you’re pretending you don’t. You really are a hopeless idiot…”
What? What did I do? If she says it like that, I genuinely don’t know.
“Let’s go. We’ll be late for the next class at this rate.”
On the way, I complimented Marong’s hair and received two more points. Numbers really did look better when they were clean and round.
. . .
During the next break, Marong whispered to me again.
“Gilliam, this time let’s go somewhere el—”
“Ah, it’s fine. I’ve had enough.”
“…”
“What’s with that look?”
“So this is what people mean by a food-waster.”
“I’m begging you. I don’t know what that means, but I clearly did something wrong, so please don’t use that word.”
Someone clicked their tongue loudly. When I turned, Roy was glaring at me before quickly looking away.
What the hell.
If you have something to say, just say it. Typical romance-fantasy character.
Though, to be fair, this place really was inside a romance-fantasy story.
And finally, the last class of the day—mock combat—began.
The professor in charge introduced himself and explained the purpose of the lesson.
“This academy also exists to train combat strength capable of fighting against the Void Beasts.”
Void Beasts. Monsters that appeared throughout Astra Radius. It was exactly the kind of setting you’d expect from a subculture game. In the original romance-fantasy novel, this premise turned the academy students into de facto child soldiers, leading to all sorts of dramatic monologues about their tragic fate. The actual battle scenes, however, had been nearly unreadable.
“And in my opinion—and the academy’s official policy—there is nothing better for building combat strength than mock battles. Minor injuries will be tolerated, so I expect you to take this seriously.”
Roy raised his hand.
“Professor, may I volunteer for the first demonstration?”
“Edgers, is it? Very well. Who will be your opponent?”
“It has been arranged for Everchess to face me.”
“Everchess…?”
The professor frowned. The look in his eyes was blatant.
There’s no way someone like Gilliam Everchess could possibly be your opponent.
He sent the same look toward Gilliam. Gilliam simply nodded.
“Yes, that’s what we agreed on.”
“…Hmm.”
The mock-combat instructor, Professor Pel Lux, stroked his beard.
Strange.
He had heard all the rumors about the worthless slacker named Gilliam Everchess. The professors had already held concerned meetings—though they called it “backtalk”—about how this year’s incoming class might have its biggest troublemaker right from the start.
But his eyes are completely different now.
Had something motivated him to turn over a new leaf? At the very least, he didn’t look like a defeated man who had given up and was simply waiting to get beaten.
“Fine. Both of you, step forward.”
Roy and Gilliam climbed onto the square dueling platform and faced each other. Roy asked,
“Professor, what exactly counts as the ‘minor injuries’ you mentioned earlier?”
“Injuries that can be healed in the infirmary within a single day. Specifically, one or two broken bones are acceptable.”
“Two broken bones, huh.”
Roy stared directly at Gilliam. By now, everyone who had attended the morning classes knew exactly what had happened between them.
“How terrifying.”
He curled one side of his lip in a sneer.
He’s openly provoking him.
Is it really necessary to go this far against someone as pathetic as Gilliam…?
But Gilliam’s response completely shattered everyone’s expectations.
“Are you scared? If you’re scared, you can forfeit.”
He raised one eyebrow as if he genuinely didn’t understand.
Huh…?
Not bad.
That was actually pretty good for Gilliam…
Roy ground his teeth together.
That was close.
For a second he had almost lost his composure and charged forward.
He knew exactly what I meant but pretended to be clueless…!
If the strategy was to provoke nobles until they lost their minds, Roy had to admit it was effective.
I’ll beat him so thoroughly he won’t even be able to lift his head…!
Still, one thing bothered him. He still couldn’t figure out Gilliam’s true intentions. Why had he suddenly picked a fight with the Crown Prince’s faction? Well, he could ask about that later.
“I’ll count to three. One… two… three!”
Roy immediately cast the spell he had prepared.
“Mana Blizzard!!”
A second-tier ice spell. A powerful wave of freezing air surged forward. He continued the chant without pause.
“Ice Lance!!”
A third-tier ice spell. A long, sharp spear of ice formed and shot forward like a harpoon.
Professor Pel Lux, watching from the side, let out an impressed sound.
As expected of an Edgers.
Consecutive casting. Perfect mana control. Flawless movement. There wasn’t a single thing to criticize. The strategy was simple but effective—apply freezing damage with Mana Blizzard, then strike with Ice Lance to maximize the impact. Of course, he had blunted the tip of the spear.
One or two fractures were allowed. Roy had interpreted that to mean injuries slightly beyond that would still result in only a light punishment. And the Edgers family had more than enough power to make any minor punishment disappear.
The students’ assessment was similar to the professor’s.
Impressive. Both the casting and the power are flawless.
As expected of the Edgers family…
On the other hand, that side…
Even while Roy was casting his magic, Gilliam simply stood there.
It’s over.
Watching what comes next might be too cruel.
This is basically a public execution.
Gilliam calmly extended one hand forward.
Ice Resistance Scroll
Duration: 1 hour
Whoosh.
The freezing air from Mana Blizzard split and flowed around both sides of Gilliam. Immediately after—
Lower Shockwave
The Ice Lance had a critical weakness: if struck from the front with a shockwave, its trajectory would veer wildly off course. Moreover, Roy had completely ignored Gilliam, so he hadn’t cast any supporting spells to reinforce that weakness.
The result was exactly as expected.
The spear, struck by the shockwave from the front, spun vertically in mid-air and flew straight back at Roy himself.
“Wha—”
CRAAAAACK!!
The spear slammed into Roy from face to stomach in a vertical strike.
“Guh…!”
His head rang. Blood poured from his nose. He staggered backward. And because he had been standing far too close to the edge, Roy tumbled straight off the dueling platform.
“Cough…!”
The impact as he hit the floor drove every ounce of air from his lungs.
The mock combat arena fell into absolute silence.
It was a result that surpassed everyone’s expectations. Even the professor who had thought Gilliam might at least put up some resistance had never imagined such an overwhelming outcome.
Gilliam stood there calmly. Roy lay sprawled on the floor, bleeding from the nose and groaning. The contrast was brutally clear.
And in that moment, Gilliam delivered the most cruel line a victor could possibly say.
“Roy.”
“Khhk…?”
“You really are a skilled mage.”
Roy couldn’t endure the humiliation and screamed.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”