Chapter 10: The Hero Always Arrives Late (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 10: The Hero Always Arrives Late (1)
This morning, Principal Medea suddenly summoned me through the dormitory matron. I was a bit reluctant at first, but according to the matron, a private audience between the top freshman and the principal was an Academy tradition.
In front of the principal's office.
I straightened my clothes and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
"Principal, it's Kang Geomma."
—Oh, come in.
A seductive voice drifted from beyond the door. I carefully opened it. A large desk was crammed to the brim with books and scrolls. Beside it, bookshelves were packed tight with ancient texts.
The window behind the desk was made of five-colored stained glass. The soft lighting cast an antique, dreamlike atmosphere. To put it in perspective, it felt like an extension of the Academy library—just a lot messier.
"Oh my, our Geomma has lost so much weight! You've completely shed your baby fat, dear."
"..."
"Hold on. Let me finish putting my clothes on before we talk."
Medea was belatedly pulling up her robe, which had slipped down to her upper arms. This was despite the fact that I had clearly knocked and announced my entry. She was a transparent woman, in more ways than one. She was the type of person whose inside matched her outside so perfectly that she was actually harder to deal with.
"Should I come back later?"
"No, of course not! I'm a busy woman, believe it or not!"
The tie of her robe was intentionally loose, looking as if her chest would be exposed with the slightest movement. When I lowered my gaze at the sight, Medea smirked as if amused and buttoned her robe all the way up. Every time her pale skin peeked through the fabric, the adult magazine I had seen in the library yesterday flashed through my mind.
"Would you like something to drink? I have green tea, coffee, black tea... pretty much any drink they sell at the campus mart."
Medea ran a hand through her hair with a pleasant hum and opened the refrigerator.
I nodded vigorously.
It had been two days since I started drinking tap water, unable to afford the murderous prices of the campus mart. This was no time to worry about saving face. It was only right to accept what was offered.
"Um, then please give me a chilled green tea."
"Huh, what?"
When my old habit slipped out, Medea blinked rapidly. A brief flash of mild bewilderment crossed her face.
"You mean a cold one, right?"
"Ah, yes."
Medea smiled slightly, tossed me a plastic bottle of green tea, and sat across from me, crossing her legs. The way her thighs pressed together was rather provocative.
"Where does a kid learn old-school words like 'chilled'? Geomma, are you actually a middle-aged man on the inside or something?"
"Pfft—!"
I choked on the green tea and spat it right out. The hem of Medea's robe got slightly wet.
"Oh dear, look at you. Drink slowly, slowly. No one's going to steal it from you."
Her eyes widened. She came over to sit beside me, gently patting my back and wiping my mouth with her sleeve. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and thought:
If only she weren't seventy years old.
I calmed my racing heart and gave a light nod. It was a gesture of gratitude.
At that, a pleasant smile curved Medea's lips.
"How is Academy life treating you?"
"...Um, well... it's alright."
Honestly, it was far from easy, but I couldn't exactly say, "No? The Academy is fucking awful," to someone who had gone out of her way to show me kindness.
Still...
I had to speak my mind.
"But are the prices at the campus mart always that expensive? I mean, ten thousand won for a single bottle of water..."
Medea burst into a fit of hysterical laughter at my words.
You're laughing? Is a commoner's struggle funny to you?
After laughing so hard she shed tears and clutched her stomach, Medea finally calmed down. She picked up her teacup and took a sip. The fragrant aroma of black tea drifted past my nose.
"Sorry, sorry. It's just that you sounded so much like a housewife, it was adorable and hilarious. I apologize if I offended you."
She took another sip of her tea and tapped the cup with her finger.
"Right? The campus mart is ridiculously expensive. Even my hands shake whenever I try to buy something there."
"Even yours, Principal?"
When I tilted my head in question, Medea sighed and added:
"This position is a principal in name only. The pay is lousy, and the benefits are terrible. It's literally just an honorary title. I only took over because the previous principal dumped it on me, but I want to escape that desk as soon as possible."
Medea fell silent, seemingly lost in thought for a moment.
Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, her profile held a mature beauty quite different from Abel's. As I stared for a moment, a playful smile spread across her face.
"Why? Am I so beautiful that you're staring blankly? Or should the two of us just run away from the Academy together?"
That sounds amazing, actually.
Leaving Medea aside, if I could just escape this Academy, I wouldn't have to carry out any of the troublesome plans I had set up. When I swallowed hard and put on a serious expression, Medea smiled and tapped my forehead with her slender index finger.
"Our Geomma is so cute. But not yet. Maybe when you're a bit older, but right now you're a student and I'm a teacher. Let's think about it after you graduate."
Medea let out an amused giggle and crossed her legs the other way. Then, she pulled a card from her robe and handed it to me.
"Here, you use this, Geomma."
"What is this?"
"It's a staff discount card. I don't really go grocery shopping, so it's useless to me anyway. With the discount, the prices should be roughly the same as outside the Academy."
"Are you allowed to just give something like this to a student?"
"A student is starving. As an educator, shouldn't I be able to do at least this much? Besides, there's always been a privilege for the top student. So, don't feel burdened and take it. If anything, I feel bad for giving it to you so late."
She winked at me. Normally, I would have thought she was being sly, but right now, she just seemed lovely. To the point where her age felt like nothing but a number.
As my lips trembled with joy, Medea clapped her hands together with her smile intact.
"Anyway, let's wrap up our chat here! I have some scheduled appointments. Thanks for making time on a Sunday! If you ever need counseling, feel free to drop by anytime!"
Just as I bowed and stood in front of the door to leave, Medea called out to me.
"Oh, right. Was the magazine fun?"
"..."
"Hehe, our Geomma is a man after all, huh? If you ever want to see the real thing, feel free to ask me an.y.time, okay?"
I walked out of the office without looking back.
The Sage, Medea. She was a woman I absolutely could not handle.
* * *
Contrary to my expectations, Academy life flowed peacefully and quietly.
I had intentionally avoided eye contact with Chloe in the classroom, fearing an encounter, but she had apparently made friends and blended well into the class. Occasionally, our eyes would meet, and she would let out her signature "Hieek!" gasp, blush, and turn her head away. Every time that happened, Chloe's new friends would glare coldly in my direction.
Well, since I was a Special Admission Student, I had learned to ignore the cold, dismissive stares.
I wasn't the only Special Admission Student in our class.
However, our numbers were small to begin with, and for some reason, there was an atmosphere of mutual avoidance. I figured it was a sort of inferiority complex unique to Special Admission Students.
Still, I felt proud of my past self for insisting on the Wolf Class instead of choosing a higher class. By now, students in the Star and Dragon Classes would be sizing each other up, forming factions, and engaging in all sorts of political power struggles.
Even back when I played Miracle Blessing, they tore into each other so viciously it made my head spin. If I, now a local of this world, had been assigned to those classes, I would have been swept up in the chaos and wouldn't have even been able to maintain my quiet, solitary loner life.
It's actually pretty livable.
Thanks to the staff discount card Medea gave me, my overall quality of life had improved. Even if it wasn't luxurious, I was now able to eat reasonably balanced meals. It was a favor so great that bowing three times a day in the direction of the principal's office wouldn't even begin to repay it.
Moreover, as proper nutrition reached every corner of my body, the results of my training became more noticeable by the day. Perhaps because I was in a growth spurt, I could feel muscle packing on with every meal and my height shooting up with every night's sleep.
It wasn't just my imagination; the hem of my school uniform pants was visibly shorter compared to before admission.
Come to think of it, though I hadn't realized it, I was faithfully fulfilling my duties as a student. I consistently participated in the morning assembly runs and training, and I did my best to keep up with the theoretical lectures.
Everything had been great so far. During this short period, I hadn't done anything to negatively affect the main scenario, nor had I drawn any unwanted attention. The instructors also seemed to tacitly pretend they didn't know I was the top freshman.
If I could just maintain this state for three years, I felt encouraged that I would reach the promising future I envisioned.
"For now, at least..."
As I stared blankly out the window with my chin propped on my hand, the classroom suddenly grew restless, and all but two or three students rushed outside.
Of course, no one told me what was happening. Since I didn't care anyway, I decided to take a nap during the short break. I needed to relieve my fatigue with power naps whenever it piled up to stay focused during lectures.
The afternoon theory class was on the history of the Academy's founding. They say history is a mirror to the future, but to me, who already knew the general narrative, it was a pointless subject.
Smacking my lips, I carefully selected a textbook to serve as my pillow.
The history book is too angular and hard, and this book has too much graffiti on the cover, so it'll leave marks on my face...
Just then.
—"Whoa, is that him?"
—"Oh my god, he's so handsome."
—"He won't come to our class, right?"
—"No way, he's definitely going to the Star Class."
The murmuring from the hallway grew even louder. A strange tension seemed to settle over the students. I tried to ignore it and went back to selecting my pillow, but an inexplicable sense of foreboding suddenly washed over me.
What's the date today?
I pulled out my phone and checked the date.
[May 5, 2034]
No way.
I hurriedly rushed out of the classroom. Then, I looked toward where the gathered students' attention was focused.
There were too many people. I squeezed through the gaps in the crowd, pushing my way to the front. Whenever I brushed past someone, they glared at me with contempt, but I didn't care.
Only after pushing through the crowd for a while did I finally reach the very front. Catching my breath, I quickly scanned the surroundings. Then, I asked a delinquent-looking female student standing next to me.
"Did someone arrive today?"
"It's annoying, so do you mind not talking to me?"
She glanced down at the color of my name tag, her eyes sharp like a bird of prey, looking as if she didn't even want to breathe the same air as me.
"Answer me if you don't want to die."
When I glared and threatened her slightly, she flinched in surprise and pointed with her chin. Soon, my head turned in that direction as if pulled by a magnet. And I muttered blankly under my breath.
"He's here."
The protagonist of this world.
Leon von Reinhardt.
It was definitely him.