Chapter 44
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Protagonist (4)
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Bell led me down a familiar corridor. Passing the magic department, the clubroom came into view.
The clubroom was brightly lit, as if someone was inside.
"Ughhh..."
The moment we were about to enter, someone emerged from the clubroom.
Iridun Nopiltein, a second-year Class B student and club member.
He clutched his head, groaning. The stench of alcohol wafted strongly from him. How much had he drunk?
"Iridun. You reek."
Bell said that and snapped her fingers. Magic activated without incantation. A cool breeze swirled through the corridor.
The alcohol smell clinging to his body turned into a minty fragrance.
"Who the hell got me drinking this much...!"
"It's not like alcohol's your weakness, right?"
"Bullshit... Urk!"
Watching Iridun dry-heave filled me with a slight dread.
Was I going to end up like that? No, could I even drink in the first place?
The booze sloshing in the bottle had looked so tempting that I'd given in.
My body had never ingested any harmful substances before.
"Deron? Why are you just standing there spacing out?"
"Y-Yeah? Oh. Just lost in thought for a sec."
"Hmm..."
Bell looked up at me. She was a bit taller than the average woman. Her chest was ample too. Slim where it should be, curvaceous where it counted.
She stepped back a pace, her slender legs shifting.
"Well, whatever. You're at that age. It's natural to have those kinds of thoughts alone."
"...?"
What the hell kind of nonsense is that?
The smell leaking from the clubroom was pungent.
I wrinkled my nose instinctively.
No idea how much Iridun had drunk, but anyone passing this corridor would notice for sure.
"Need to air it out a bit."
Bell must have thought the same, as she chanted the same spell.
In an instant, the wind filling the room swept away the alcohol stench, replacing it with the scent of roses.
"Oh..."
The fragrance wafting from the clubroom. Bell finally smiled, satisfied.
Then she grabbed my arm and pulled me inside.
"What are you hesitating for? Come on in."
"..."
I hesitated, glancing at Iridun's face.
He grimaced as if pleading for me not to go in.
Seeing that, it did feel like I shouldn't...
Slosh.
Bell shook the bottle. The liquid inside rippled like waves.
I swallowed hard. How much I'd suffered abstaining all this time.
My current condition was good. No, perfect, even.
"Then... just one drink..."
I knew full well that once I started, one wouldn't be enough.
Unable to resist the temptation, I took the bottle she offered.
**
"..."
"Whoa, junior. This stuff's strong!"
Beside me, Bell—face flushed—downed straight from the bottle.
I sipped lightly from the glass in front of me.
Long story short, I failed.
I'd wanted at least one drink, even if it killed me.
Craved that tipsy haze from the alcohol.
After forced sobriety, the taste of booze hit like a sweet first kiss.
My body didn't reject the alcohol. It absorbed it like any normal liquid.
But that was it.
No buzz came. Even chugging it like water, no dizziness. I'd long passed my limit.
[Mental poison detected.]
[Trait: Unyielding Spirit preparing detoxification.]
[1, 2, 3.]
[Detoxification complete.]
Damn trait won't even let me get drunk.
Who knew Unyielding Spirit wouldn't yield to booze either?
Grind.
I gritted my teeth and irritably chugged more.
Sober booze was no different from hot water.
"Junior."
"Yes."
Bell looked a little drunk. Impressive she'd held out this long after chugging like that.
"You seem lost in thought."
"...Do I?"
"Yeah."
She chuckled softly. No clue why the smirk, but I figured it was the alcohol.
"You know I'm the daughter of the Border Count, right?"
"Of course. You can't live in the Empire without knowing Cardia Castle."
The Border Count of Winter Castle. Count Cardia was a sturdy bulwark guarding the Empire's winter frontier.
Rumors said his influence rivaled even a duke's house.
Probably true.
Thousands, tens of thousands of soldiers recruited solely to endure winter, without imperial restrictions.
Tempered in the crucible of Winter Castle's real battles, they were likely the Empire's finest elites.
"While living in Winter Castle, I drank a ton."
"...I know that too."
Before possession, I'd heard Russians drank vodka like water.
Winter Castle must've been the same.
To survive the biting cold, they poured hot liquor into their bodies.
Thus, northerners built tolerance.
This was from my own research, not the original story.
I couldn't even recall if Winter Castle appeared in the original.
"To survive winter, your body needs heat, and booze is perfect for that."
"..."
"Junior, your body feels awfully cold."
I startled and looked at her. Bell's green eyes fixed on me, sharp despite her drunkenness.
"Living in Winter Castle teaches you to distinguish hot from cold. Creena acts cold but she's warm. The president burns hottest. Iridun's a bit chilly, but normal."
Bell's finger pointed at me.
"But you, junior... you're different. Frozen from surface to core."
Frozen? Me?
I swallowed and stared at her lips.
"Every corner of your body looks like an ice age hit. Like you wouldn't feel heat even swallowing fire instead of booze."
"...No way to drive out that ice age?"
"Hmm..."
Bell pondered. I waited for her next words.
Maybe a hint on Terminally Ill. This damn trait.
"Dunno. All I see is you're frozen. That's it."
"I see."
Sigh... I sighed inwardly. Thought I'd get a lead from an unexpected source.
Seeing my disappointed look, Bell continued.
"But someone else might know."
"Who?"
"My dad."
"D...Dad?"
"Yeah."
Border Count Cardia? Master of Winter Castle?
"Dad's even better at it than me. Might figure out why you're so cold."
"..."
"Break's soon, right? Wanna come to Winter Castle with me if you have time?"
Sudden offer. But intriguing. Bell figured out about Terminally Ill without me telling her.
'And her dad can discern even better.'
I said I'd think about it and left the clubroom.
The rose scent had faded, replaced by thick alcohol fumes.
**
"As announced, we'll begin the ranking matches."
Professor Ardin declared upon entering.
The week-long ranking tournament was in tournament format.
Of course, it didn't apply to Regina.
Due to her transfer status, she couldn't participate yet.
The professor had ruled so.
The decision didn't harm Regina much.
Iliad Academy had plenty for her even without ranking matches.
'Like...'
This library.
Iliad Academy's library might not surpass the imperial one, but for Regina—who liked killing time reading or condensing info—it was welcome.
"......"
Regina entered the reading room and exhaled deeply.
She loved the scent of these old books.
She casually scanned the interior.
Just checking for light reads before leaving.
"Oh ho."
A book caught Regina's eye.
Magic Swordsman Lenoc's Autobiography.
Her eyes widened slightly at the rare tome.
Known as the perfect embodiment of the magic swordsman class, first and last.
Lenoc the Magic Swordsman's book.
The worn cover and fragile pages looked ready to crumble.
Even a fake was worth reading.
She hurried over to pull it out, but it was too high.
Out of Regina's reach.
She lazily glanced around.
A convenient ladder for climbing sat nearby.
"Nngh..."
She grunted dragging it over. Heavier than expected. Normally she'd call a servant, but she was alone.
Finally propping it up, as she reached for the book—
Someone took Lenoc's autobiography for her.
"...!"
Black suit jacket over a crisp white shirt and vest. A cane lightly supporting his frame, black eyes staring piercingly at the book.
Shed heard the rumors, but this was their first face-to-face.
A noble handsome man whose looks invited instant judgments.
Deron Phillasia looked down at her.
With expressionless, upturned eyes.