Chapter 51
Chapter 51
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Shadow Cloak (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The next day.
“Ciel—.”
As soon as I arrived at school, Ciel—rarely for the morning—came straight to my seat.
Her eyes sparkling brighter than ever.
“Jeron! This is so much fun—! I solved everything, but now I have even more questions—tell me about this too—!”
*She’s liking it even more than I expected.*
And she had good reason to.
Lily was none other than a “brainiac genius.”
Her specialty lay in theory and knowledge rather than combat.
Which made her black magic crash course high-quality enough to impress even the great Ciel.
But it wasn’t just Ciel who was impressed.
After school, in the clubroom.
“Je-Jeron junior…. Di-did you really solve all of this already…? And even these in-depth application questions…!?”
Lily took the notes I handed her and scanned them for a long while before looking up at me with eyes full of shock and admiration.
“Wow…! I’d need to examine them more closely to be sure, but even at a glance, your freewheeling creativity really shines through, Jeron junior….”
“You’re exceptional in theory too. I’m truly astonished….”
“As expected, the advice you gave me last time must have come from this kind of genius-level creativity….”
The praise came pouring out nonstop.
Feeling guilty for receiving accolades for something I hadn’t even done, I turned the compliments back on her.
“It’s because you teach so well, Senior.”
“Ugh, thank you….”
Lily bowed her head deeply, blushing in embarrassment.
*The shadows are lifting little by little.*
The bomb defusal was progressing smoothly.
I watched her with a pleased smile.
But there was something a bit odd.
*…Lily seems even more amazed than I thought.*
More surprised than when she’d seen [Shadow Barrier] or [Eclipse] last time?
Maybe as a brainiac genius, she got more excited about stuff like this.
*Just how genius is this Ciel girl?*
Judging by Lily’s enthusiastic reaction, Ciel’s talent seemed top-tier even in black magic.
To use an analogy, she was like a world-class soccer player whose athleticism was so good she could play basketball at a pro level too.
And so, I basked in lavish praise from both student and teacher perspectives alike, successfully carrying out my proxy tutoring operation.
But it wasn’t all sweetness and light.
There were some hardships involved too.
***
Let’s rewind a bit, to just before I handed Ciel her first note.
Scribble scribble—
I was diligently working my quill during class.
*…Phew. It feels like the first time I’ve worked this hard since dropping into this world.*
Lily and Ciel both had very distinctive handwriting—anyone could tell it wasn’t mine.
If they ever compared notes or spotted my handwriting later, they might notice something off.
To pull off this plan flawlessly, I had to personally copy the notes between them as the middleman.
I didn’t understand a single word, so I was basically just tracing the shapes like a coloring book.
Of course, even copying counted as a legitimate “diligent act,” if not full-on “studying.”
[Diligent action!]
[Sloth -1!]
The system predictably chimed in.
But…
[Slothful action…?]
[Sloth +1!]
The system sounded a little confused.
*Heh heh heh…*
I flashed a wicked grin.
*You didn’t see this coming, did you?*
The reason?
It was regular class time right now.
Copying black magic notes completely unrelated to the lesson during class time…
It was a “diligent action” and simultaneously a “slothful distraction” ignoring the lesson…!
I’d duped the system with this double-edged logic.
[Calculating….]
[Warning! The action qualifies as diligent!]
[……Slightly diligent action!]
*Gotcha.*
The system didn’t let me off entirely, though.
In the end, since it was fundamentally diligent, my sloth only decreased by a tiny bit.
*Still, the gains far outweigh the losses.*
I’d rack up plenty of sloth from the proxy tutoring anyway.
And truthfully, sloth points were just a bonus—the real priorities were Ciel’s wish ticket, boosting Lily’s favorability, and preventing her blackening. A little effort was unavoidable.
*…No, wait. Unavoidable? This is obviously worth it.*
When I thought about it, this was barely effort compared to the rewards.
Had I gotten so used to free rides and windfalls that copying a few sheets of paper felt like hard labor…!?
*Kraaaah! Demon of sloth, get out of my head!*
Seriously, my trait was ruining me.
As I kept copying amid these ridiculous thoughts—
Whoosh—
A shadow suddenly fell over me.
I reflexively looked up and couldn’t help but jolt in surprise.
Professor Kate stood there before me, arms crossed.
Her cool gaze drifted down to the note I was writing.
“…Cadet Jeron. Is that black magic study?”
“Ah, yes.”
I admitted it right away.
And braced myself to apologize.
In exchange for promising her an S-Rank, I’d earned the legal right to slack off in class.
But blatantly studying another subject during magic class would still come off as rude.
“Sorry….”
“…Heh, I see. Keep at it.”
To my shock, she gave a faint smile and encouraged me instead.
*Huh?*
“I don’t know much about black magic, but that spell from the practical duel last time. You’re researching and refining it, right? Excellent.”
“…Thank you?”
“Yes. Keep up the good work.”
Professor Kate nodded approvingly, praised me, and walked away.
I stared blankly at her retreating figure.
*Why’d I just get praised?*
Oh.
Right—anything was better than just sleeping.
The principle where a usually diligent kid gets scolded for one lazy moment, but a chronic slacker gets praised for one diligent act…?
I felt the world’s unfairness all over again.
***
That was how about two weeks passed.
My academy life followed a steady routine during that time.
I diligently(?) accumulated sloth by sleeping in class, proxy tutoring, and occasionally pulling off some antics.
With the sloth points I’d earned plus my existing stockpile, I bought a new skill and rune from the shop—one each.
They had great performance, but their prices had kept me away until now.
Why buy them?
The Shadow Cloak.
An item essential for completing the Mythic quest.
These were preparations to obtain it.
*That event should be popping up any day now.*
I thought as I headed to the clubroom after school today too.
Creeeak—
“Ah, Jeron junior…. Hello.”
Lily greeted me as I pushed open the clubroom door—she’d grown used to my visits by now.
I handed her the note with Ciel’s questions.
“…Haa.”
But Lily’s expression looked gloomier than usual today.
Even as she carefully accepted the note, she let out a soft sigh, as if something was weighing on her.
“Senior, is something bothering you?”
At my question, Lily flinched in surprise and waved her hands frantically.
“Ah… no! I’m fine…. It’s nothing.”
But anyone could see she wasn’t fine.
I naturally took a seat across from her.
“Are you really okay? You look pale.”
When I asked more gently, she hesitated for a moment before mumbling reluctantly.
“…W-well, the thing is…”
Lily carefully pulled a single sheet of paper from her desk drawer and held it out.
It was an official academy notice, stamped with the seal.
[Club Activity Performance Submission Notice]
Target: Occult Research Club
President: Lily Rowendel
The club president must submit documentation proving meaningful achievements aligned with the club’s stated purpose by the deadline.
Insufficient performance may result in disbandment.
“They say they’ll disband the club if I can’t prove any performance….”
Lily said, her face downcast.
Then she confessed honestly.
“But truthfully, I haven’t done a single thing related to the occult. There’s already a separate Black Magic Research Club, but it’s too crowded…. So I made this one for my hobby, the occult….”
Of course she had no performance to show.
She’d just hung an Occult Research Club sign on what was essentially her solo black magic study space.
She undoubtedly had plenty of black magic achievements, but they didn’t align with the club’s purpose, so she couldn’t submit them.
“It was quiet all this time, but lately they’ve started pressuring me out of nowhere….”
For Lily, it felt like a bolt from the blue.
“B-but you don’t need to worry about it at all, Jeron junior! I’ll figure something out!”
Despite that, Lily forced a smile, but it held no strength.
Watching her, I spoke up immediately.
“I’ll help too.”
“…No. I don’t want to trouble you over this….”
Lily tried to dissuade me.
“No, I insist on helping.”
“…”
But I shook my head firmly.
Then I added a playful twist.
“Actually, I’m doing it to avoid the hassle. If the club’s gone, I lose my chill spot, right? And I can’t borrow your novels anymore.”
“…Hehe. Thank you so much…. Jeron junior.”
Only then did Lily’s tension ease, and she broke into a genuine bright smile.
With faint tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
And so, I resolved to help Lily rack up some performance and prevent the club’s disbandment.
Of course, my reasons weren’t entirely selfless.
In the original story, if you didn’t join Lily’s club or help her, it got disbanded in the end.
And Lily would blacken even further because of it.
I had to stop that no matter what.
And.
It held another crucial meaning for me too.
*It’s finally here…! The Shadow Cloak event!*
This was the event that let me obtain the [Shadow Cloak].