Memory of the True Body

"The privilege of the top student of the year. I would like to receive the single-person dormitory and the dignity maintenance fee in advance."

"State your reason. Without a legitimate cause, it cannot be granted."

"I have nowhere to stay and no money."

"······."

Perhaps I had been too bold. Ludwig's mouth remained firmly shut, showing no sign of opening. Still, if it was Ludwig, he would naturally accept. Ludwig von Wehrmannstein. He might have a somewhat unpleasant personality, but he was undoubtedly a good character. In the original work, he had gone so far as to bring the magic academy's council of elders to our side while helping Hurtlocker. So this level of request was something he would naturally grant as the chief professor.

"By the rules, it should not be allowed, but······ very well. I shall permit it."

"Thank you—"

"However, there is a condition."

"What is it?"

"You must maintain your position as the top student of the year until the end of the first semester. Should you lose the top spot even once, I will have you expelled."

"······."

"I am breaking the rules to show you favor. You must provide results worthy of that favor, must you not?"

"······."

Only after seeing Ludwig's smug smile did I remember. Ludwig had never been a good character to begin with. In the original work, he had gone to great lengths to expel Hurtlocker in the early stages······. Having been immersed in the latter half of the story until recently, I had completely forgotten the atmosphere of the beginning. When he lit the fireplace, I thought he was doing it for me, but it was simply because he did not want his carpet to get wet.

'What do I do now?'

Being expelled from the Imperial Academy was undoubtedly the worst possible scenario. It would mean throwing away every opportunity to recruit the talents gathered there. Since I had already missed the protagonist Hurtlocker, losing any more chances could not be tolerated. Maintaining the top spot throughout the entire first semester······ was honestly impossible. While I could achieve good grades in theory through tricks, practical exams were another matter. How could I possibly defeat people who had spent their entire lives honing magic? Therefore, I could not accept that condition. It seemed I would be spending tonight in the stables. That bastard.

Just as I was about to refuse, subtitles appeared on my retina. What was this now? A quest? This was not a setting from my novel, so the reader must have added it. He probably thought he could control me with something as trivial as a quest. That was a grave miscalculation. I would not dance to his tune.

"Very well."

"Good. As expected, you would say······. What did you just say?"

"I accept the proposal. Please guide me to the dormitory. Also, provide this month's dignity maintenance fee immediately."

The reward was simply too great to ignore. If it had been that damned shop coin again, I would have dismissed it without a second thought. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠But adding a function to the internal circuit? Given that internal circuit traits were innate, granting a permanent buff was a reward worth trading even 100 variable stats for. Of course, even if I combined all my current stats, they would not reach 100. Maintain the top spot for the entire first semester? Fine. I would give it a try. In life, it was all or nothing anyway.

*

"Hehe······."

A thick money pouch rested in my hand. Just looking at it made me want to laugh. One month's dignity maintenance fee for the top first-year student. In other words, 10,000 tirions. That was about a million won, more than enough for living expenses. I should invest whatever was left to grow it. Since I, as the author, knew which merchant groups or knight orders would rise to prominence, it would multiply quickly.

"This must be it."

A garden appeared after walking a short distance into the dormitory building. Beyond it stood a two-story mansion. That entire mansion was the single-person dormitory, a privilege granted to the top student of the year. Was this setting too excessive? Considering that other nobles shared rooms two to a room, it felt somewhat unfair.

"Greetings."

"Ah, yes······."

When I opened the front gate and entered, a middle-aged woman greeted me. Who was she?

"I am the caretaker of the single-person dormitory."

"A caretaker? Then what duties do you handle?"

"I am only responsible for cleaning. The contract will be terminated next week after the semester begins, so if you wish to assign other miscellaneous tasks, please hire a separate attendant. By then, people will likely come forward on their own, so you may choose from among them."

Selecting an attendant······. Come to think of it, there had been an event like this. The attendant hired at that time turned out to be an unexpected person. It had been a setup to assist the protagonist who would become the top student after the midterms. Though the protagonist himself was not here.

"As the caretaker, I will assist with the interior tour for today only."

"Thank you. May I ask your name?"

"It is Marie Ale."

Marie Ale. A name I did not remember. Of course not. I had never written about a caretaker who managed the mansion before an attendant was hired. Facing a character I had never created in my own novel felt strangely unsettling.

"This is the living room. And this is the kitchen."

Following Marie, I walked down a long corridor. While the exterior looked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠medieval, the interior was filled with my tastes as a modern person. Except for things like the fireplace, it had the visual of an expensive apartment in Gangnam.

"Upstairs, there are two identical bedrooms and two slightly smaller guest rooms."

Looking at it this way, it really was absurd. How was this a single-person dormitory? There were already four rooms just for sleeping. I really had set this up without thinking.

"And if you go through the back door, there is a separate room."

"Oh."

"A barrier has been installed, so others usually use it as a storage room or training room."

And finally, the separate room. Since it was surrounded by the highest-grade barrier, no one outside would ever know what was happening inside. I had a feeling I would be spending most of my days in there······.

"Due to the barrier, I cannot enter the training room. Please handle the cleaning yourself. That concludes the tour. I will be heading home now."

"Yes. Please be careful on your way back."

After receiving the keys from Marie, I watched her leave the mansion. The moment I realized I was alone, I headed straight for the separate room.

"Ugh······."

The moment I stepped inside the separate room, my head throbbed painfully. There was a setting that powerful barriers emitted strong mana waves······. Could it be because of that? Still, I had never written a description of feeling dizzy every time I passed through a barrier. Perhaps Schluss's body was particularly sensitive to mana waves. I did not know.

"It is clean."

The previous top student's belongings had all been removed and the place thoroughly cleaned, leaving the interior gleaming. It was also ridiculously spacious—large enough to play basketball in. The problem was that there was not a single person here who knew how to play basketball.

"First, I need to understand the abilities I have."

Without this, I would have had to learn the language from scratch. Since no cooldown or usage limit was specified, this ability could apparently be used indefinitely. The only concerning point was that it said "language heard for the first time" rather than "continental human language." In theory, this meant I could communicate with monsters and spirits as well. According to my setting, they also had their own language systems. This might prove more useful than I imagined.

Another ability without restrictions. The description alone did not give me much of a sense of what it could do. I took a 10-tirion coin from my pocket and looked at it while activating Inquiry.

"Whoa."

This ability had no usage restrictions? As expected of legendary grade, it demonstrated utility on a completely different level from rare grade. Just as the reader said, at least I would not be poisoned.

"Could it be······?"

The moment I saw the mirror in one corner of the training room, I approached it as if entranced. Meeting the eyes of my reflection in the mirror, I activated Inquiry.

"Tsk."

As expected. Only question marks appeared, and I could not obtain any information about Schluss. I had wondered if using Inquiry on myself would show something like a profile, but it seemed the reader had anticipated such tricks and prepared countermeasures. That reader. He was thorough.

And now it was time for the problematic "that ability." The reason it was legendary grade despite being covered in usage ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠restrictions was obvious. It allowed a single stat to exceed 100. That level was enough to compete with Ma-in and could match the protagonist's stats in the latter half of the story. Of course, with only one stat······.

"······It does not work."

I tried to use the ability, but no matter how much I muttered inwardly, it would not activate. The fact that "Selection and Concentration" alone was not lit up was probably due to the once-per-day restriction. I would have to test it again tomorrow.

This description was truly vague. It was difficult to intuitively grasp what the ability did just from reading it. In that case, I would have to try using it. "Related to a specific action······." While muttering, I spotted a wooden sword leaning against one wall. Did Schluss have any memories related to swordsmanship? There was only one way to find out. I immediately grabbed the wooden sword with both hands and activated the ability.

"······."

I waited about ten seconds. Nothing happened? Had he really had no connection to swords at all? Just as I thought that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and was about to lower the sword—

"That is wrong."

"······?!"

I whipped around at the voice coming from somewhere. Looking around, I was the only one in the training room.

"You are holding the sword incorrectly from the start. It should be like this."

The deep voice came again. This time, the figures of two men appeared in the center of the training room like a hologram. A tall man holding a massive longsword and a child holding a wooden sword. Their faces were too blurry to make out······ but it was obvious. Schluss Heinkel and his father.

"······Hah."

It was a strange sensation. When the child in the image corrected his grip on the sword, my hands moved naturally as well. It was not that my hands moved on their own. They simply moved naturally, as if I had always known the correct way to hold a sword.

"I will teach you the basic stances first. Step forward with your left foot. No, not that much. Watch me and follow. And raise the sword above your head······"

As if entranced, I looked into Schluss's memories and followed the movements. With each stance I took and each swing of the sword, the sensation of swordsmanship becoming my own grew stronger. Though this was my first time holding a sword, it felt as if I had learned it long ago. Of course, all I knew now were a few basic stances and one downward strike······.

"You are putting too much strength into it. Strike at eye level. Keep the blade parallel to the floor. That is it······"

The more I listened, the more familiar and heartwarming it felt. It was clearly a voice I was hearing for the first time. Yet my body was reacting. Unconsciously. Perhaps Schluss had also lost his father. Maybe Schluss and I were similar after all.

······The moment that thought occurred to me, goosebumps rose all over my body.

"Damn it."

I bit my lip. I felt warm liquid trickling down my bitten lip. Using Schluss's body to speak Schluss's language and accept Schluss's memories, I pulled myself together as my mind gradually grew numb. I am Kim Jin-woo. The author Kim Jin-woo, not a character in the novel. I must remember that. I must not become immersed. I must not waver. I am living only to reach the ending of this novel. And to return to reality.