Chapter 226: Popularity
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 226: Popularity
Final exams were approaching. It was the home stretch of the first semester of our second year.
The academy was eager to lift the suspension of classes and get the students back into their routines as quickly as possible. Consequently, immediately after my audience with Emperor Carlos concluded, it was decided that classes would resume the very next day.
Before heading to class, I took a moment to reflect.
Considering the Heavenly Beings, the Fairies, and the various EX-level variables still in play, consistent training and growth remained vital. I had rushed to learn the 7-star spell [Icebolt] to prepare for the Abyss, leaving my mastery of the magic somewhat superficial.
I needed to delve deeper into my repertoire, treating each spell like an intensive course. It wouldn't be a bad idea to pursue mastery over other 7-star ice spells, and I also needed to further hone my rock magic.
In this regard, rather than focusing solely on solo training, taking advantage of the prestigious lectures at Märchen Academy was highly beneficial. This was why I had been such a diligent student, eventually earning a reputation as a model pupil.
For the record, I didn't enroll in courses that didn't directly aid my combat prowess, such as Magic Beast Ecology. While such subjects might be useful in the long run, I had to prioritize the immediate threat of the Evil God.
The periods for courses I hadn't signed up for were essentially free time. In other words, I only took practical magic courses. It was all about selection and concentration.
"I really pulled off something huge..."
Back in the Elma Hall Dormitory, I sat on the floor and leaned against my bed, savoring the aftermath of 「Act 9: Alice Subjugation」, which had finally concluded. The relief of knowing I no longer had to be wary of Alice or the Phantom Cat Cheshire was immense.
Now... no one can stop me.
However, the realization that I still had a long way to go pulled me back to reality. It seemed my mind couldn't fully relax just yet.
I leaned my head back against the mattress. After spending so much time looking down at books, the ceiling felt strangely unfamiliar.
It was quiet.
Suddenly, Alice’s face flashed through my mind.
"I actually kissed her..."
The memory caught me off guard. I had noticed that Alice saw me as a man, but I hadn't expected her to actually go through with a kiss.
Due to her unique trait, [Red Queen’s Paradox], I had been unable to read her psychology. Even though the effect had weakened since she became my subordinate, her mind remained an enigma.
The sensation of the kiss had been more intense than I anticipated. Perhaps it was because it was my first sober kiss—my previous encounter with Dorothy had been... questionable, at best.
Maybe because Alice had become a true ally, I felt a deep affection built up from the time we’d spent together. That only made the aftereffects of the kiss more lingering.
The blissful image of Alice’s smiling face played on a loop in my head. It was the scenario I had feared most; this was definitely going to disrupt my concentration during training.
With no other choice, I started mentally reciting the national anthem to calm my racing heart. It was better to keep this as just a pleasant memory for now.
When the time came, I gathered my books, writing tools, and bag, and left the dorm.
The moment of truth.
Finally, it was time to face the uncomfortable stares. As soon as I stepped out of my room, the exact situation I had dreaded unfolded.
"Hup...!"
"Gasp...!"
As expected of a high-ranking dormitory like Elma Hall, many students in uniform were heading out. They had been chatting animatedly, but the moment I appeared, the hallway fell into a dead silence.
Only the occasional nervous intake of breath broke the quiet.
The students, breaking into cold sweats, looked at me as if they were seeing a monster. Despite the wide path, they split to the left and right like the parting of the Red Sea, clearing a wide berth for me all the way to the gate.
"..."
I kept walking, feeling an immense amount of pressure.
As I exited the dormitory gates, I locked eyes with a female student with rose-gold hair. She was standing by the roadside trees, clutching her bag. She had the dainty, graceful demeanor of a high-born lady, but there were dark shadows under her eyes. Her stern gaze made me stiffen.
"Hello, Isaac."
"Hello, Luce... Are you feeling better now?"
*
As we walked toward Orphin Hall, the home of the Magic Department, I explained my situation to Luce.
It wasn't much different from the story I had given the Emperor. I explained that I had come to Märchen Academy because of the demons and that I planned to continue protecting the people. Going into more detail would only overcomplicate things. I figured this explanation would be enough for Luce to understand and support me.
However...
I had accumulated a lot of karma over time. I knew perfectly well that Luce liked my disguised appearance, yet I had pretended not to notice for the longest time.
Fortunately, I was now stronger than Luce. I wasn't too worried about my safety anymore, but if Luce were to suddenly trigger the bad ending 「Bird Cage」, it would still be a massive headache.
Yet, Luce seemed remarkably calm after hearing my story.
"You don't seem too surprised."
"Yeah, well, actually... from the beginning... no, I was completely shocked."
Luce maintained a poker face and hurriedly changed the subject. Her tone was awkward, as if she were reading lines from a textbook. It seemed she was avoiding saying, "I suspected it from the start," because that would be admitting she had liked the "weak" Isaac all along.
"Is that so?"
She looked adorable. Her flustered state helped ease my tension, and I couldn't help but smile.
"I heard you slept for a few days straight. What did you do after you woke up?"
"I confronted Galia. I asked why he hadn't told me about your identity. He just played dumb."
Sorry, Galia.
"Anyway... why did you train so hard if you were already that strong, Isaac? It always looked like you were pushing your limits. It didn't seem like an act..."
"I have my reasons. I'll explain when it's just the two of us."
Explaining concepts like ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, possession, or the status window would be impossible. It seemed better to vaguely tell Luce that I had a unique constitution that required constant effort. The difficult parts could be brushed aside, just as Galia had done.
Besides, it's not like anyone can stop me from training just because I'm already strong.
People would naturally invent their own justifications for my behavior if I just kept living my life.
"Just the two of us..."
Meanwhile, Luce seemed delighted at the prospect of being alone with me.
Soon, we arrived at Orphin Hall. Even as we walked through the corridors, students glanced at me out of the corners of their eyes, holding their breath. Fear, admiration, awe—their thoughts were entirely focused on me.
Luce, generally indifferent to the opinions of others, didn't seem to care. I tried my best to ignore it as well.
"Isaac, you can't sleep in class just because you don't need to study anymore."
"Why would I doze off?"
Luce cracked a playful joke and giggled. Since we were in different classes, we had to part ways here. Usually, Luce liked to linger by my side until the very last second. However, I had told her I needed time to explain things to my own classmates, so we couldn't hang out for now.
Luce looked displeased but tried to be understanding. I could tell she had grown in her own way.
"Luce."
"Yeah?"
It was awkward, but it felt like the right time to speak my mind.
"I heard about what happened while I was swallowed by the demon."
"Yeah."
"Thanks. And I'm sorry for making you worry."
"Umm..."
Luce seemed unsure of how to respond. She stepped closer and gently tapped the back of my hand with her finger. Her head was slightly lowered, and through the veil of her hair, I could see her cheeks flushing a subtle red.
"...Then, return the favor. When it's just the two of us."
Luce whispered the request, then turned on her heel and headed toward the Class A room.
"What favor?"
Luce didn't answer, disappearing into her classroom. It seemed she was hoping for something romantic—something that might cross the line of friendship. Unfortunately, it was still a bit too early for that. I’d have to find a nice gift for her instead.
I entered the Class B room. The classroom, which had been buzzing with noise, fell deathly silent the moment I stepped inside.
Tristan Humphrey, who often picked fights with me; Mateo Jordana, whom I considered a friend; and Amy Holloway, who had always been kind to me—all of them just stared at me with tense expressions, unable to find their words.
I walked like a robot to an available seat in the middle of the room.
This is so incredibly awkward...
As I reached my seat, I reflected on my time at the academy.
Am I a deceiver?
To them, I might have looked like nothing more than a high-level player pretending to be a student. Of course, since I had been protecting the academy, most should understand, but I still hoped this suffocating atmosphere would dissipate soon.
I sat down and pulled a book from my bag.
"Tsk."
Tristan, sitting at the front, glanced back at me before clicking his tongue and turning away. He was someone who had always aimed to surpass me, training tirelessly to catch up. Now that it was revealed I was the Nameless Hero, he was likely grappling with a whirlwind of complex emotions.
I was quietly observing the back of Tristan’s head when...
"Uhm..."
A female student approached me. We had hardly spoken in class before; she was essentially a background character in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱. But her nervous demeanor, hands clasped tightly together, was unusual. Her eyes held a mix of admiration, guilt, and affection.
"How... how should we address you from now on...?"
I see. She’s torn.
She didn't know whether to use formal or informal speech, or what title to use. Calling me "Isaac" probably felt too casual now that my true status was known.
I understood the weight of being an Elemental King. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the Elemental Kings were the pillars of this world. Since the entire class was eavesdropping, it was a good time to set the record straight.
"Just do what you've always done. Call me Isaac."
"I-Isaac... Then, uhm... I'm really sorry. No, I truly apologize! I've wanted to say this for a while... I didn't recognize who you were last year and I ignored you. I'm so sorry!"
She stammered through her apology. I hadn't even realized she was part of the group that had looked down on me during my first semester. I wasn't particularly bothered by it.
"It's okay. And don't bother with formal speech; it's too burdensome."
Her expression brightened as I treated her normally. She handed me a small gift as an apology—homemade cookies. Suddenly, I remembered Luce trying to sneak into my room to leave cookies and couldn't help but chuckle. It was a gift given with genuine sincerity, so I thanked her and accepted it, which seemed to fill her with joy.
"Isaac."
This time, a male student I was somewhat friendly with approached. He was one of the guys who used to hang around Mateo’s group. After that group disbanded, he seemed to have matured quite a bit.
"The demon that appeared in the sky... the Starry Sky Demon... You were swallowed by it, but you managed to defeat it from the inside."
The other students were still tense, but their curiosity was winning out. In the Empire, the Abyss was often referred to as the "Starry Sky," similar to how they called the floating landmass the "Floating Island." Since no one knew what was inside the Abyss, they named it based on its outward appearance.
"What happened in there?"
The students hesitated to get closer, but their interest was piqued. I was actually thankful they asked.
"Are you curious?"
"Y-you don't have to tell us if it's a secret...!"
"I can probably share a little bit."
I said with a smirk, pushing up my glasses. Encouraged by my approachable response, the students gradually let down their guard and began to gather around my desk. I shared as much about the interior of the Abyss as was safe to disclose.
Before I knew it, every student in Class B—except for Tristan—had surrounded me, bombarding me with questions.
The atmosphere softened. The reservations they held toward me were melting away. Some praised my combat prowess, while others asked about the Nameless Hero, my secrets, and the nature of demons. I politely declined to answer anything sensitive, stating those details were for the Empire and the academy to handle. They seemed to understand.
"Hey, Isaac, is the academy still in danger?"
A serious question from a female student silenced the crowd. For them, now that the traitor had been exposed and the major incident resolved, their own safety was the most pressing concern.
Well...
Villains would continue to emerge, though mostly outside the academy from now on.
The main bosses of the second semester...
Vuel the Treacherous Celestial.
Rachnil the Iron Fairy.
Calgart the Necromancer.
Thanatos the Ruination.
And eventually, I planned to hunt down the final boss of the first semester of our junior year: Mephisto the Contractor. The Abyss was supposed to be Mephisto’s trump card during our third year, but since I had already dealt with it, taking care of the sophomore year bosses would leave a significant gap in the timeline.
It was uncertain if the Evil God would try to fill those gaps. It might already be preparing for its resurrection, so perhaps I should start stockpiling mana...
Still, I’d gladly take any extra EXP I could get before facing the Evil God.
I shook my head and reassured the class that demons wouldn't be popping up inside the academy anymore. I didn't mention the Evil God; there was no need to cause a panic.
The students cheered. They must have been more anxious than they let on. Eventually, the conversation shifted into a chorus of praise for my achievements.
I'm enjoying the kind of popularity I never had in my past life...
Recalling my quiet, unremarkable school days from my previous life brought a strange sense of nostalgia.
It wasn't a bad feeling at all.