Suspicious Deal
Suspicious Deal
"Ugh..."
Just lying in bed is boring.
It might be different if I had a phone, but simply lying in bed with nothing to do caused extreme boredom.
'Is there anything I can do?'
Since things are this way, maybe I should practice magic.
Before coming to this world, the magic I imagined was just a fantasy element where you just shot things out.
But after coming to this world, acquiring a Staff and a Magic Book myself, and using magic, I realized magic was far more than that.
As if to prove that this place is a world within a game, magic has developed further than science here.
And I didn't know it until I learned from Master, but magic here was strictly an academic discipline and a skill.
As you study the Runic Language and Magic Circles, which are essential for using magic, you learn a vast amount of knowledge, from how magic manifests to which types of Runic Language manifest which magic.
The sheer volume of information was as extensive as Earth's science, and what I was learning at the magic academy I entered to study magic was just the tip of the iceberg.
To make a simple analogy about magic, magic here is similar to mathematics on Earth.
Scholars still research and study magic, discovering new information.
As a result, the more you study magic and the more you practice, the more precise the Magic Circles become and the fewer minor mistakes you make.
-Jiiing.
I conjure a Magic Circle on my right hand.
But I didn't insert any particular Runic Language, nor did I inject Mana.
It was, literally, an empty Magic Circle.
Into it, I slowly, very slowly, pour Mana.
Then, the color of the attribute that a person is naturally talented in usually appears.
For example, in Jerad's case, who I sparred with earlier, it would be the Earth Attribute, his primary attribute.
A deep brown color would appear in the Magic Circle.
But is it because I have talent in all attributes?
It wasn't like someone else where a color would appear.
The Magic Circle I created had no formulas embedded in it, nor did it display any specific color.
".........Hmm."
But as I said, no matter how much I train, my absolute stats in the Status Window don't increase.
If training increased stats, wouldn't I have been holed up at home every day, refining Mana?
Of course, at Master's house.
Anyway, unless I raise my Level, the total amount of Mana is absolute.
That's why I need to train in Mana compression, which I learned from Master.
I take a tiny bit of the Mana that I started feeling in my body ever since I began receiving teachings from Master.
And I compress that Mana as much as possible, crushing it into a tiny speck.
Then, if I pour that tiny bit of Mana into the Magic Circle...
-Ping!
The glowing Magic Circle distorted midway, then shattered completely.
"Haa, haa, still can't do it..."
When I became Master's Disciple, Master had scattered Mana refinement throughout the ceiling of the room.
It was a magic that boasted beauty as if an entire universe was contained within it.
Master said that if I could handle Mana flexibly and firmly, I would be able to do it too.
This means that unlike the Status Window, which increases total Mana or destructive power of magic, I can definitely achieve something if I put in the effort.
"Just a little weaker..."
I became so engrossed that I lost track of how many hours had passed.
-Knock knock
".........Who is it?"
Because I was completely focused on training until someone knocked on my door.
##
-Click.
"Yo."
"..................."
When I opened the door after someone knocked, I saw the face of the man I still didn't want to see.
With a smug smile, as if he had every right to be there.
Seeing him, I was dumbfounded.
"This is the Women's Dormitory."
Literally, this was the Women's Dormitory.
An area forbidden to men, where they usually couldn't enter or even peek unless it was for an extraordinary reason.
Yet, Jerad was standing there as if it were perfectly natural, without any hesitation.
If the dormitory supervisor caught him, it wouldn't just end with a suspension.
How could this man stand there so nonchalantly?
I glared at Jerad, conveying that meaning, and what came out of his mouth was even more absurd.
"I told them I was here to see my girlfriend, and they let me in willingly."
Does he really think I'd believe that?
He's treating me like an idiot.
"And when I asked for your room, they told me your room number and even when you arrived."
Blackmail... that's a bit weak, so maybe a bribe?
Whatever it was, it wasn't the work of someone who had done such things only once or twice.
".........So, why are you here?"
"Hmm... at some point, you started speaking informally to me, Lunia."
"..................?"
What does he want me to do?
No, what exactly does he want from me?
Does he expect me to start speaking formally to him now?
As I lowered my gaze, looking at him like trash, beyond exasperation to annoyance—
"By the way, how long do you plan to keep me standing outside?"
He said that, then forcibly started to enter my room.
"W-wait...! Haa."
I had no choice but to let that guy into my house after all.
I sighed at Jerad's tyranny, which tormented me every single day, and closed the door.
##
Jerad, who had entered the dormitory without permission, looked around, exploring various places.
Well, even so, the dormitory wasn't a very large place, so there was only a bedroom and a bathroom.
"Is this a closet?"
-Deolkeok.
"W-wait!"
Suddenly, Jerad forcefully opened my closet.
But of all closets, the one Jerad opened was...
"Hoo, so these are those."
It was where the underwear I bought from Valley Madame's shop was organized.
-Deolkeok, kung!
I quickly rushed over and hastily closed the closet door.
I felt like he had already seen everything, but it still wasn't okay for someone else to stare at my underwear.
And Jerad, who had already seen everything, pretended to think for a moment, then started saying something strange.
"I didn't know the underwear I saw back then was just a taste."
"..................Shut up."
Jerad chuckled at my reaction, then sat down on my bed.
He was truly beyond rude.
Not only did he force his way into my home after being out, but he also sat his dirty butt on my bed without the owner's permission.
I genuinely wanted to kick him out as soon as possible.
So, just as a string of profanity was rising to my throat—
"Let's make a deal, Lunia."
Because of Jerad's words, the profanity that was about to come out went back down.
Honestly, I was tempted by his words.
I wondered if he was going to talk about the Book of Oaths.
"...................What kind of deal?"
But my expectations were dashed by Jerad's next words.
"Didn't you distance yourself from that Lady Ehiton girl after the last spar?"
Does he not realize that the reason Lady Ehiton and I distanced ourselves was because of him?
If I had my way, I'd really unleash a torrent of profanity, but I couldn't say it out loud.
That's because Jerad didn't know I was in a state of submission earlier.
He probably thought I genuinely gained something from sparring with him, or that I was a pervert who enjoyed being humiliated in front of others.
Judging by his demeanor and tone, the latter seems most likely.
It's quite insulting to be misunderstood as such a pervert when he looks at me, but it's better to be misunderstood that way.
If Jerad found out that I, having lost in battle, was truly in a state of submission where I would obey any command, I couldn't even begin to guess what commands he would give.
So, for that reason—
"If that Lady Ehiton girl disappears from your side, the men around you definitely won't leave you alone."
"..................Hmph, even so—"
"Even so, you won't give in or do anything. But it will be incredibly annoying. They'll drag you to the backyard all day to confess, and some nobles will even ask you to become their concubine."
What is this?
Something feels off.
Jerad isn't the type to worry about me over something like this.
Is that it? Is he the type who can't stand it if a woman he's claimed is flirting with other men?
"So, let's make a deal. I'll get rid of the guys who bother you."
"..................."
Certainly. Jerad would probably cause a ruckus, living up to his reputation as a scoundrel.
He also seems to have some mysterious backing.
"..................What's the price?"
But this was a deal.
A deal where if one side provides something, the other side must pay a corresponding price.
"The phrase 'become my boyfriend' written in the Book of Oaths, I'll strengthen that phrase a bit more."
"...In what way?"
"'I can act like your boyfriend even in front of others,' like that."
Honestly, it wasn't a tempting offer.
But as Jerad said, becoming a target for countless male students was unavoidable.
That much was certain.
And Jerad's condition.
I didn't know its exact meaning.
But perhaps I had overlooked something.
I simply thought this phrase meant Jerad would boast to others that we were dating or that something had happened between us.