144. The Calm Before the Storm (2)
144. The Calm Before the Storm (2)
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire."
Karina's enrollment timing had changed because she had been stranded on the uninhabited island.
The protagonist's interpersonal relationships had changed far too drastically.
The story was twisted beyond all hope.
I stared blankly at the ceiling and sank into thought. I'd had a hunch ever since Karina drifted ashore on the uninhabited island, but seeing how completely the relationships had shifted left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Because there was no guarantee that future events would unfold like the original anymore. Hadn't the original first-semester events already appeared before me in subtly twisted forms? I figured the broad framework itself probably wouldn't change, but the smaller incidents seemed likely to shift in subtle ways.
For instance, the instigator of an incident might change.
Someone unexpected might die.
The timing might shift.
Hands down, that last part was the biggest problem.
What if the library incident set to happen a month from now suddenly got moved up? Or what if it got pushed back behind some other incident?
No, before that—was the instigator of that incident even alive and well?
The Hellhound Incident had already happened before we arrived. That was the greatest problem. Several people had died then, so I needed to check whether the instigator was still alive.
If they were dead, then the library incident wouldn't happen.
Which meant the protagonist's growth opportunity itself would vanish into thin air, so I needed to find a way to compensate for it.
"...Should I make him grind dungeons again?"
It'd be difficult during the semester, so perhaps I could draw up a plan over winter break. If possible, it was also worth considering assigning Lewis as an Escort Knight. His connection with Karina had been severed, but he was one of the rare male students with no romantic interest in her. It would also be far easier for me to work him—no, train him.
If possible, I also wanted to develop Shuri into a Wizard capable of Second-Class Magic by her second year. Having two Second-Class Wizards in the party would greatly increase our combat strength and allow them to use First-Class Magic through joint casting.
The problem was that I couldn't teach magic myself.
Whether Shuri became a Second-Class Wizard depended entirely on her. I could provide practical experience, but she would have to acquire the knowledge and theory herself.
There was a way to accelerate Shuri's growth, but it wasn't exactly easy, so...
...Still, I had to at least give it a try if I could.
It was something I had to do anyway.
I closed my eyes after staring blankly at the ceiling. I would have to be busy again from early morning, so it was best to get as much sleep as possible.
"...I sure hope tomorrow's classes are less sleep-inducing."
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"...Status Window."
I quietly opened my Status Window in the lecture hall, where only the old professor's flat, monotonous voice could be heard. It was time to decide how to spend my Trait Points.
Going from B+ to A had cost three points, so moving from A to A+ would cost even more. Assuming the cost doubled each time, I'd need around eighteen Trait Points to reach S Rank.
That said, bumping something up to S Rank wasn't necessarily the best move.
Frankly, it was hard to even tell what effect Survival, the S Rank Trait I already had, actually provided. This damn Status Window had forgotten its basic function and was appallingly unhelpful—I couldn't gauge an effect unless I physically felt it with my own body.
The one thing I knew for certain was that the Survival Skill formed the foundation of all my Traits and Skills.
After all, my ten years of uninhabited island life had been an unbroken chain of survival struggles. Survival being S Rank was probably because I survived that hellish place. And my Craft Skill must've come from the process of making everything with my own hands.
I considered dumping everything into Craft.
If possible, it seemed important to raise Craft to S Rank first.
It was an obvious guess. From combat to daily life, I lived by using my Craft Skill. Strengthening my Craft Skill was synonymous with boosting my combat power. I didn't know exactly how it would be enhanced, but if I were investing blindly, I could at least be certain that Craft Skill deserved the highest priority.
While I was at it, I selected the Craft Skill.
[Invest Trait Points into Craft Skill?]
YES / NO
I hesitated over whether to press it.
Now that the window was actually up, my head was flooded with thoughts. Since my point total was awkward, I could probably only raise one rank.
Should I raise a high-rank Skill or several lower-rank Skills? Even if I ignored Anatomy and Pharmacy, Metallurgy and Dexterity were both useful Skills.
If my guess was correct, raising Craft-related Traits would also strengthen the Craft Skill.
Ultimately, it came down to whether I directly raised Craft Skill or spread points across Traits to pull Craft Skill up as a result.
...This option seemed better.
After mulling it over, I pressed the Status Window with my finger without hesitation.
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"Martina. Could you spare a moment?"
"Laperinne. Of course."
The meeting between the two noblewomen drew curious looks from those around them.
Laperinne of House Nereid, a prestigious family of the Empire's south.
Martina of House Raymond, a prestigious family of the Empire's west.
A meeting between two people regarded as major figures even among the first-years was more than enough to attract attention. The two noblewomen knew it, so they exchanged a glance, turned, and immediately walked out of the lecture hall.
Most of what they needed to discuss would cause problems if overheard. That was one of the burdens borne by heirs to great noble houses.
The two wandered until they reached a garden tucked into a corner of the academy. They judged it the ideal place for a private conversation at that hour and seated themselves at a small tea table deep within the garden.
"It's been a long time since we've spoken like this."
"It's the first time since vacation. So, what did you call me here for?"
Martina looked at her blue-haired childhood friend, whom she'd known through their families since childhood. Then and now, her friend seemed more like a fairy than a person.
Because the blue hair and blue eyes that symbolized House Nereid gave off a fairy-like air.
"I wanted to have a little chat after so long. And I also have something to convey."
At Laperinne's answer, Martina narrowed her eyes as if trying to read her intent.
'Something to convey... What could it have been?'
Matters between their houses should already have been discussed by the family heads through a communication orb. Martina tapped a finger on the table and waited for Laperinne to speak, but for some reason, Laperinne hesitated.
Seeing Laperinne hesitate as though unsure whether she should say it, Martina pressed her for an answer.
"I'm hardly a stranger—do you really need to drag it out like this?"
"...The Cult of Halphas has appeared in the east."
"...The Cult of Halphas? Why would those impious wretches be in House Nereid's territory—"
"...So you hadn't heard. Apostates have recently begun appearing among the eastern nobles."
Apostates.
At a word far too heavy for mere students to be bringing up, Martina's face darkened.
The Cult of Halphas had been active recently, but Martina had never imagined it was eating away at the east. If Laperinne was telling the truth, the situation was serious enough to justify mobilizing the defense forces stationed there.
Martina looked at her, wondering why such news hadn't reached her.
"Why has our side received no word...?"
"We only noticed recently ourselves, and only because we happened to uncover evidence. Even we do not know how many eastern nobles have become apostates. Martina, please tell your father about this as well."
"Yes. I'll contact him right away. But couldn't House Nereid simply send word via communication orb first? There was no need to go through me..."
At the reasonable question, the heiress of House Nereid shook her head as though the answer were anything but obvious.
"Since we don't know how many apostates are in other regions, we couldn't risk sending word carelessly. If things go wrong, there's also a possibility the message won't get delivered at all. So I thought it was safer to relay it directly by word of mouth."
"...The situation is grave."
A cancerous mass was spreading through the Empire.
The heirs who would one day lead the Empire pressed hands to their foreheads. As mere students, there was nothing they could do, but it was still something they had to know as future heads of their houses. They exchanged dark looks.
"...Perhaps another war will begin."
"I hope it doesn't."
The political landscape of the continent was shifting at an excessively rapid pace. The two of them felt a sense of unease at that fact.
They feared that the sinister unease creeping around their ankles would eventually reach their houses and, beyond them, Kalon Academy.
"...We've only spoken of grim things. Since it's been so long, shall we share a bit of light small talk?"
Laperinne abruptly spoke up with an expression that was awkwardly bright.
"That sounds lovely."
To shake off her unease, Martina accepted her old friend's suggestion. Once Martina agreed, the blue-haired heiress brought up the first subject that came to mind.
"Have you heard the rumors going around the school lately? For instance, the one about a 'wish-granting Grimoire' supposedly hidden in the library... or the rumor that a 'Witch' is hiding within the academy..."