Chapter 1
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Enrollment (1)
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"This is Trea Dormitory."
With awkward stares all around, I handed over my student ID.
This was both proof of enrollment at the academy and a token allowing me to stay in the dormitory.
These tokens are not reissued, so be careful not to lose it.
I gripped the student ID with my name on it tightly.
"Young Master, are you really okay?"
Petra, my exclusive maid standing beside me, asked with a worried expression.
But I told her I was fine and headed for the stairs.
A wave of nausea hit me.
"Urk!"
No sooner had I spoken than blood gushed from my mouth.
I'd anticipated it from checking my condition, but having it actually happen still felt disgusting.
Beyond that, though, I felt no particular emotion.
"Y-Young Master?"
Petra didn't scream.
I'd told her before coming to the academy not to scream if I coughed up blood.
She deftly pulled a handkerchief from her bosom and placed it in my hand.
I clamped it over my mouth and thought to myself.
What a fucking shitty body.
I gritted my teeth and stared into empty space.
『Deron Phillasia』
Traits: Terminally Ill. Genius. Unyielding Spirit.
"Hah."
A hollow laugh escaped me involuntarily.
If an average person's stats hover around 5-6, and a trained knight exceeds 20, then my current stats were worse than a common farmer's.
What's the point of having 'Genius' when it's like this?
I stared blankly at the glowing words in my trait window.
If only that 'Terminally Ill' next to it wasn't there.
I let out a deep sigh and clicked on the Terminally Ill trait.
You will die soon.
Remaining Time: 32 days, 21 hours
At least it's up by 10 days.
A despairing number barely granting me a month to live.
If not for the quest rewards, I'd have cursed the gods on my deathbed.
The bleeding finally stopped once the handkerchief was soaked through with blood.
"Give me the handkerchief."
Petra took it from me, then pulled out another to wipe my mouth.
I ignored the blood splattered on the floor while she cleaned me up.
Some other maid will take care of it.
An irresponsible thought, but no one called me out on it.
Not even the person who'd given me the student ID said a word about the blood.
Blood stained the stairs even as Petra supported me up them.
Trea Dormitory was immaculate.
As expected from the continent's top academy—its reputation was well-earned.
I flipped over my student ID to check my assigned room.
"Luckily, it's a single room."
"The Family Head must have pulled some strings. A single room in Trea Dormitory is rare."
I nodded.
Indeed, per the novel's setting, Trea was mostly occupied by nobles.
Iliad Academy.
A place that supposedly selected students purely on talent, without regard for class.
Though located within the Empire, it stood apart from the imperial family, belonging to neither side—a peculiar space.
Inside the academy, class distinctions didn't exist; students were ranked solely by talent.
That's the official line, anyway.
Of course, divisions between nobles, royals, and commoners still existed.
While enrollment did emphasize talent, family influence couldn't be entirely excluded.
"Young Master, people are staring. If it's burdensome, shall I make them stop?"
"No, let's just keep going like this. And stop with the scary talk of 'making them stop.'"
I knew exactly what she meant by that, and it made me shudder.
She replied with a crestfallen "Yes," then quietly picked up my luggage from behind.
Hm, the stares are a bit much.
"You all look like you should mind your own business."
At my words, most of the stares vanished.
Some from embarrassment, but most because they'd heard me.
Deron Phillasia.
Eldest son of the Phillasia family.
Frail of body, but with a personality that made him untouchable trash.
A disgrace who mocked even fellow nobles, backed by his duke family's prestige.
Their gazes mixed slight contempt with fear.
Once inside my assigned room, I caught my breath.
Having coughed up blood on the way up the stairs, Petra's eyes were filled with concern.
"Hoo, definitely feeling tired."
"You've moved around too much."
"How much could I have even moved? Now that I'm enrolled, I need to move as much as possible."
"If you collapse again like last time..."
I waved her off.
I didn't want to hear any more nagging.
Petra shut her mouth immediately, but her eyes brimmed with pity.
I didn't like that.
Even knowing she was genuinely worried about me.
"Leave me be. I need to sort my thoughts alone."
"Yes. Rest well, then. Ah, make sure to take your elixir."
I nodded.
Petra set down the luggage and placed a small box on the table.
Then she carefully closed the door and left.
The moment she was gone, I flung myself onto the bed.
The bed was soft; my body was heavy.
Damn this terminal illness.
No, honestly, I was still cursing the gods.
Irregular quests popping up.
I'd come to this academy, which I never would have in the original story, all because of this damned condition.
In the original, did Deron just waste away and die?
Honestly, I wasn't sure.
Deron was mentioned a few times in the novel, but nothing about his fate.
Just that he'd been frail since childhood and rarely left the duke's estate.
Rumors even swirled that the duke's heir was terminally ill, so he probably died.
A character I only knew existed...
Why did I have to possess this guy?
I could only lament my situation.
At least as the duke's son, I got a steady supply of medicine. If I'd been a commoner or baronet...
The thought alone was horrifying.
I'll clear quests and stockpile some elixirs while I'm at it.
Still, I'd read up to the latter half of the novel.
Not the ending, but I knew what elixirs and opportunities lurked in the academy.
"Still pisses me off thinking about it."
I drift off, get cursed out, and it sends me here?
I bitterly cursed the author and composed myself.
Getting angry shortens my lifespan. Excessive rage is bad for my health.
"Hoo, time to take the elixir."
A bit calmer, I dragged myself off the bed.
My body felt heavy again.
The bed seemed to pull me back, so I had to get up in one go.
I hauled my heavy body to the table.
Even this short distance was exhausting.
A body I'd never get used to.
A ornate box adorned the table.
Opening it revealed a blue glowing orb.
"How many days is this elixir good for?"
I carefully lifted the orb.
Its shimmering light suggested potent effects.
『Azure Jade Pill (60 days' worth)』
60 days?
I widened my eyes and checked the info again.
Rubbing them and looking once more, it clearly said 60 days.
The elixirs I'd taken before maxed at 20 days; the weakest just 10.
This was definitely top-grade.
They must've slipped in something pricier since I'm entering the academy.
It pained me to think of its value.
If not for the illness, I could've used it to boost my stats...
Gulp.
Sigh, what's the use of thinking that?
Swallowing the elixir, a cool energy circulated through my body.
It lightened slightly, and the stabbing pain in my head eased.
My remaining time had increased to 92 days.
About three months.
I needed to find a few more elixirs in that span.
I dismissed the trait window and slumped into the chair.
The elixir helped, but my body was still heavy.
Sitting there, I circulated my mana.
Mana flowed through my veins—a sensation that always amazed me.
A blue orb popped from my fingertip, floating lazily.
As if proving the 'Genius' trait wasn't wrong, this body had awakened mana long ago.
Not that it would've been strange if it hadn't, given all the elixirs I'd consumed.
Now that I was in the academy, there was much to do.
As I sorted my tasks...
Knock knock.
A sudden knock at the door.
"Young Master, the enrollment ceremony is starting soon. The Family Head insisted you attend..."
"I know. I'll head out shortly."
Ugh. Looks like Father and Petra thought I'd skip it.
I had no such intention.
At this point in the story, skipping Iliad Academy's enrollment ceremony was impossible.
It was an academy tradition passed down through generations.
The grade test.
Though I'd have gone even without the test.
If the test was necessary to get by smoothly in the academy, the ceremony was for connections.
"The original protagonist and major side characters."
The demonic calamity that would engulf the continent.
Characters killed off by the author's contrived plot destruction.
I had to save them to save myself.