Chapter 48

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 48

Chapter Title: Fun Game (3)

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Tuesday morning at Endex.

On the way to the Latynel classroom.

"Ellie~ Where'd you get assigned?"

Rae asked Elise with a beaming smile.

"I put mercenary corps as my first choice and got in right away. How 'bout that~ How 'bout that~"

It was about Wednesday's workplace experience program.

Elise checked over the assignment she was turning in today—a two-person play script—before asking back.

"Weren't you aiming for the knight order first, Rae?"

"Heh~ I thought about it a ton. Knights are cool and all, but I figured mercenaries would have that wild edge. I've been into bad boys lately. What about you, Ellie?"

"Sigh......"

Elise let out a deliberate sigh.

"......You take a look."

She showed Rae the text on her smartphone. Rae's eyes went wide.

"Whoa! Recourdak? You got prison duty!"

Recourdak.

Elise had drawn the short straw—the place everyone avoided.

"How'd that happen, Ellie!"

"What can you do......"

Her retort died in her throat. It was because of the yellow guy up ahead.

Sion Askal. Just looking at his face soured her mood, and he glanced her way before heading into the classroom.

"......Hang on. Ellie, doesn't Sion look bigger somehow? He used to be shorter than me."

Rae held her hand flat against her forehead. Elise couldn't care less. Whether that sea anemone lunatic grew to five meters or shrank to thirty centimeters.

Once in the classroom, Elise sat down with Rae.

"Oh, right. Ellie, can you check this out? My assignment."

Rae showed her two-person play script. Elise skimmed it.

"......Not bad."

It was exactly Rae's level. Had she asked that HelpMe service for this too?

"Right? Check this one out too~?"

Rae showed her another page. Under the Latynel dialogue, she'd scribbled the pronunciation in common tongue—a tacky script.

"HelpMe did it all for me. I memorized the pronunciation perfectly with this. Heh heh heh......"

Rae whispered like she'd committed some massive crime. Elise gave a wry smile.

As far as she was concerned, the owner of HelpMe was even more pathetic than Rae.

How desperate for cash do you have to be to peddle Latynel lessons like this?

......Wait.

A penniless Latynel expert?

Elise found herself staring off into space, suspicion flickering in her eyes. Starting with that sea anemone hair—Sion the sea anemone—

"Hello, everyone~"

Professor Beache entered. Elise straightened up.

Standing at the lectern, she spoke in a friendly tone.

"First, let's have last week's teams sit together."

Great. Paired with that damnable Sion again.

Elise felt a surge of irritation but held it in.

"Shall we present the two-person plays you all wrote? Anyone want to go first—"

"Me!"

Rae shot her hand up first.

"Before I forget!"

"Yes. Come on up~"

Professor Beache smiled warmly at her.

* * *

The assignment presentations—two-person plays—were over.

Among them, Rae had been the most memorable.

—Vermor~ Back then, it had to be the man I imagined~

Thanks to writing pronunciations in the common tongue, her tongue-tied Latynel was much improved, but her over-the-top emotionality was still there.

—Aaaah~ My heart overflows~ Whenever I see you, the tears just~

Anyway.

Elise and I got high marks on this two-person play assignment too.

Professor Beache looked nearly moved by our sophisticated use of plural emphatic verbs in advanced tenses and asked who wrote the script.

Elise fidgeted with the script, mumbling without speaking, so I answered for her.

I said Elise wrote the script, but I handled the detailed word tweaks.

Professor Beache praised us both.

We took first place again.

"......Alright. Let's get into the real lesson."

By coincidence, today's Latynel chapter was on conjugations too. Professor Beache lectured while neatly writing on the board.

"Words like 'Duare' from Sion and Elise's play—Latynel has all sorts of conjugations. Even words with the same meaning can have up to thirteen variations......"

Time passed like that, until 12:50 p.m.

Just as my stomach started growling.

"We have ten minutes left, but let's wrap up here for today."

Professor Beache ended class early.

"Tonight's homework is to memorize the words on page 53 of the textbook."

Word memorization. The other seniors looked annoyed, but it suited me fine.

Back then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠or now, I always aced memorization subjects. Obviously, thanks to Notebook cheating.

"And...... You all know the Mana High Festival is in two weeks, right?"

The festival.

Mana High had one too. Not just Endex—it was a big event with all six capital mana highs. Celebrities, famous knights, singers often showed up.

Seniors weren't excluded. The College Board even gave a week off for it.

"Our Endex Latynel class is doing a play. The theme is 'Popularizing Latynel.' We'll pick one from the 23 Latynel Plays, translate or adapt it into the common tongue, and perform it."

Sounded like a hassle.

I started mentally preparing my escape.

"The festival play won't affect your grades, of course. But."

Professor ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Beache pulled an envelope from her pocket. Gold leaf bordered it, with an elegant emblem on the front.

"......!"

Elise beside me gasped. Her shock vibrated through the desk. The dead-fish eyes she'd had all class sparkled like jewels again.

Sermones Aeterini.

I'd heard of it. An ultra-exclusive Latynel social club. Even nobles' kids, congressmen, and tycoons wanted in.

"If the play meets my standards, I'll award these invitations as a prize."

Everyone's eyes lit up briefly. Then most gave up. Probably because of me or Elise.

"The play directors will be the two who did best on today's two-person plays."

Professor Beache pointed at us.

"What if Sion and Elise took charge? What do you all think?"

She gestured to our desks.

"You don't have to act. You're overseeing the whole production. Though directors do stand out."

If I didn't have to perform, it might not be so bad.

Sermones Aeterini would definitely help my future plans.

"You in?"

I asked Elise.

"......"

No response, but she was probably weighing it. Hating me versus wanting the invite.

I raised my hand first.

"I'll do it."

"Great! Elise?"

"......Fine."

She sighed, deciding.

"I'll do it too. It's an honor."

"Perfect. Pick any from the 23 Latynel Plays for the script."

Professor Beache set three thick books on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠our table.

"Adapt or recreate the original classically. Recruit whoever you need for cast and sets. Endex will cover costs."

Latynel Plays I (1-7), II (8-15), III (16-23).

"That's it for today. Good work, everyone~"

Professor Beache left with light, cheerful steps.

I checked the table of contents in Latynel Plays I.

Most titles were unfamiliar, but the third play, The Minstrel, jumped out.

"Huh......? Wait."

This.

The Minstrel.

I knew this play.

Coincidence or not, five years from now, a musical adaptation of The Minstrel became a massive hit.

I even saw it myself. With Theia Esil and Gerkken.

"That time......"

As I spaced out reminiscing, Elise suddenly snatched all three books.

"Huh?"

"I'll handle the adaptation. You just proof the lines."

"......"

I started to nod absently, then stopped.

"No."

"Then I'm off."

"I said no."

"What?"

Elise scowled, asking irritably.

I replayed what I'd said.

Coincidence or not, five years from now, a musical adaptation of The Minstrel became a massive hit.

"I'll do it."

I could just write that musical as is.

Future copyright? Who cares. That playwright was a sellout obsessed with Libra funding anyway.

Elise waved me off.

"It's not about greed. You have zero literary talent, you illiterate hack—"

"Try it together and decide. We have two weeks anyway."

"......Have you even read these?"

Elise hefted the three books.

Damn, her forearms are ripped. Aren't they heavy? Each looks like ten kilos, all in one arm.

"Yeah. I've skimmed them. We're doing The Minstrel."

"What?"

Elise's face crumpled again. Was her theme newspaper today? Always wrinkling up.

"Problem?"

"Obviously. The Minstrel is the least known of the 23—"

"Ellie~ So jealous~"

Rae came running.

"Use me in a supporting role too~"

That instant, we paused our talk. We exchanged glances before our common enemy.

Casting Rae would tank the play.

"Sorry. Got something to do."

Elise bolted out like she was fleeing. Rae blinked at me.

"Sion~ Can't I be a supporting—"

"Hello?"

I pretended to take a call and left too. A text had come in anyway.

DP to cash would lose another 30% to laundering fees, so effectively 20,000 ren.

Fees were highway robbery, but no better platform than the dark web.

Ding-

My smartphone buzzed again. A message popped up.

Tomorrow. Special activities workplace experience.

Recourdak. Confirmed.

"Oh......"

My lips twitched involuntarily.

Part excitement, good vibes, some worry.

He was there now, but was it too soon to meet?

Or did too soon not matter?

Grinning with those thoughts, I pocketed my smartphone.