143. The Calm Before the Storm (1)
143. The Calm Before the Storm (1)
I was so sleepy.
I pinched my thigh where no one could see.
"...according to the theory of..."
The flat, monotone voice droning through the lecture hall and the sound of countless lines being drawn across paper filled the room. The sight of students bobbing their heads, unable to fight off drowsiness, felt oddly familiar.
Which side had I been on before I transmigrated? The dozing side? Or the side that fought off sleep and studied hard?
...Not that dredging up memories like that meant anything now, but if I wanted to survive this boring lecture, I needed to find something—anything—to keep me awake.
I could also use the time to sort through some of the questions that had piled up in my head.
Status Window.
I'd been so busy lately that I hadn't even opened my Status Window properly. More precisely, I'd forgotten about it.
Since I'd had no reason to open it often.
I didn't have levels, so I wasn't assigning stat points every time I leveled up. And it wasn't the Survival Academy stat screen either. It was a Status Window plastered with unidentifiable alphabet letters.
Why had it given me a Status Window like this? If it was gonna give me one, shouldn't it have included some basic conveniences? This wasn't some Souls-like. It could've at least thrown me an EX-grade Skill or something.
"...Status Window."
I called it up under my breath, too quiet for anyone to hear.
[Yohan Quartz]
Age:19
Sex:Male
Race:Human
Job:Escort Knight
-Traits-
Insight:A
Shoveling:A+
Carpentry:A
Processing:A
Pharmacy:C+
Dexterity:B+
Anatomy:B
Survival:S
Sewing:D+
Metallurgy:B+
Tactics:B
-Skills-
Craft:A
Repair:B
Dismantling:B
Auto-Translate:A
Trait Points:8
-Mission-
-No missions.
The Status Window I'd opened for the first time in a while had gained several irritating details.
Dexterity had gone up half a rank.
The new Sewing, Tactics, and Metallurgy Traits.
Eight Trait Points.
The empty mission slot.
Just what was this Status Window trying to tell me? No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't even guess.
Why had those missions stopped in the first place?
Was it because it'd take at least a month before the next incident?
Would a mission appear once an incident drew near?
...Without hints or information, I couldn't reach a conclusion.
For now, I decided to move on.
Next was Dexterity... I'd spent all day making a prosthetic arm and a veil, so it made sense that it had risen. Still, it bothered me that all that work had only raised it by half a rank. Just how much grinding did this thing demand?
No other questions there, so I moved on to the newly appeared Traits.
Sewing, Metallurgy, and Tactics.
Sewing was from the veil, Metallurgy from the mithril and iron, and Tactics was probably thanks to the traps and dungeon exploration.
Metallurgy was at B+, perhaps because I'd worked with mithril.
Had it started at B+? Or had it gained experience from the lowest rank until it reached B+?
Because I opened my Status Window so sporadically, there weren't many clues to work with. From then on, I'd have to open it once a day and check carefully for changes. That was the only way I might uncover clues about how the Status Window worked.
Besides, I had plenty of free time while guarding Karina during class. All I had to do was sweep my gaze around and keep watch now and then.
...Though honestly, the problem was that I'd fall asleep if I didn't do at least this much.
Still, I had to perform my escort duty, so I'd made a compartment in the wheelchair's backrest and placed Rue inside.
If an enemy with hostile intent approached, she'd react immediately.
"...that concludes today's lecture. Any students with questions, please come to the podium."
As the professor spoke, his gaze shifted toward Millia. Millia immediately gathered up her notes and textbook, said she'd be right back, and started walking toward the professor. The professor's eyes curved into crescent moons when he saw her coming. He looked genuinely pleased to see a student so enthusiastic about learning.
She was working hard again today.
I snapped out of my thoughts, closed the Status Window, and looked around the bustling lecture hall. Students were packing their things and rising from their seats. Perhaps because three days had passed since the semester began, far fewer people were clinging to Karina.
The veil probably played a part, but most of them must have given up in the face of Karina's impenetrable defenses or found themselves unable to approach under my sharp gaze. I rested a hand on the shovel handle loosely hanging at my hip as I helped Karina pack her belongings.
"Thank you."
"No need. This is my job."
The desk, messy with notes and writing tools, was clean in no time. We made small talk as we waited for Millia to finish asking her questions.
"I thought I was gonna die of sleepiness... I pinched my thigh so hard it still stings."
"I-It was hard for me too..."
"...To be honest, I was a little sleepy as well."
Karina seemed to have found the class boring as well.
That was understandable. The professor spoke without any excitement, slowly droning on like a principal giving a speech. It was nearly impossible to find the lecture interesting. Millia was the strange one for listening with sparkling eyes.
Perhaps Millia had an unexpected talent for academics.
"At this rate, the top spot might change hands."
"That might really happen."
"I've never seen anyone that enthusiastic in History of the Continent."
As we talked, I swept my gaze over the crowd filing out of the lecture hall. It'd be a while before the line thinned out. By the time Millia finished her questions and came back, the room would probably be nearly empty.
I was watching the students leave with my arms crossed when I spotted a familiar face break away from the crowd and head toward Karina. I quietly stepped in.
"What's it?"
"Ah, Yohan. I came to speak with Elisa, not the Saintess."
At that, I stepped slightly aside so they could talk. Martina dipped her head slightly to me in thanks and approached Elisa.
Elisa, who'd been hunched up like a frightened kitten, flinched in surprise when she met Martina's eyes and pointed at herself as she asked.
"M-me?"
"Yes, Elisa. Are you aware that there's a group project in Introduction to Practical Magic?"
"A-Ah... y-yes. I h-heard about it..."
"Have you found a group?"
"N-No... I-I... haven't f-found one yet..."
...Even after changing her outward appearance from a gloomy girl to a timid beauty, her fundamental loner tendencies hadn't improved at all. Did I need to launch Self-Esteem Improvement Project Vol. 2, like last time?
Where was I supposed to take her this time?
While I worried about Elisa, Martina persistently tried to invite the loner witch into her group. Her invitation radiated determination to bring Elisa along no matter what. Elisa refused several times before finally nodding as though she had no choice.
"I look forward to working with you, Elisa."
"I-I look forward to working with you too."
"Congratulations, Elisa."
"The Magic Department does group projects?"
"That's right."
Didn't the General Studies Department do group projects? It seemed like the department most likely to assign them.
When Millia returned after asking her questions, I asked her about it. Apparently, the General Studies Department had no assignments that required students to work in groups. It wasn't that they never used group work, but most assignments and exams were completed individually.
...Did the Theology Department have group projects?
If so, would Karina's group be able to complete the project properly? They seemed likely to award her full marks even if she did nothing. I had a feeling that if Karina tried to contribute, they'd stop her however they could and insist on doing everything themselves.
...One problem after another.
"Hello! Saintess!"
A voice suddenly jabbed at my ears, and I turned my head to look at Shuri. Shuri had her hands clasped at her chest, her eyes sparkling. Her expression was so deeply moved that Karina, maybe remembering the incident at the Theology Department, gave a tiny flinch—barely enough for me alone to notice.
"Hello. You're Shuri, right?"
"Yes! Kyaa! Lewis! The Saintess remembered my name!"
"Haha... calm down, Shuri. You're troubling the Saintess."
...So this was a meeting between the original protagonist and the main heroine.
Seeing the two of them finally meet felt strange.
I was glad, but an uncomfortable sensation also pricked at my heart.
Was it because their first meeting had changed?
In the original, their first meeting hadn't been in a lecture hall.
Originally, the two of them had met for the first time at the entrance ceremony.
Their relationship had begun when Lewis guided Karina after she became lost on the day of the entrance ceremony. A trivial coincidence had brought them together, and they had remained acquainted afterward. As they experienced one incident after another, affection would grow between them, and eventually...
"It's all right. I'm used to it. Lewis... right?"
"Ah, yes. That's right, Saintess. My name is Lewis. I'm in the Swordsmanship Department."
"...I see. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lewis."
For some reason, Karina turned her head slightly toward me, then turned back toward Lewis.
Something about it felt like she was gauging my reaction.
Why?
I suppressed the urge to ask and looked at Lewis. Lewis greeted me too, then disappeared with Shuri, who was grinning from ear to ear and wagging her tail.
A whirlwind entrance and a storm-like exit.
"We should get moving soon too."
Five minutes until the next class.
It'd be tight even if we hurried from then on.
"Hm-hm-hm~ math, math~"
Taking Millia's humming as our signal, we started walking toward the next lecture.