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Thwack!

…As expected, it was still a monster. Unless it was a sword, penetrating that thick hide with a staff was impossible. Nonetheless, it seemed to cause some pain, making it close its eyes tightly.

The fox lunged at me with its teeth. I avoided it with a backstep and thrust the staff into its forehead like a fencing move. This time, the thrust contained a tiny electric orb.

Zap! Crackle.

If I kept accumulating damage like this, it would eventually die.

Grrrr?

Judging by the deepening frown on its face, it seemed to be getting angrier. The fox began swiping wildly with no regard for what was in front of it. I dodged by ducking with all my might or stepping into places where I wouldn’t get hit.

– Hmm, Hersel.

‘Busy here, what is it?’

– Don’t you feel ashamed calling yourself a magician?

‘I used magic, didn’t I? Now focus!’

Perhaps it was due to the lack of energy after just waking from hibernation. After repeatedly dodging with cold sweats, the fox’s movements began to slow down.

Huff, huff…

At that moment, a sudden exclamation from behind made my shoulders flinch.

“Wow…”

Turning my head, I saw Gravel with her mouth wide open as if she had witnessed an acrobatics show. …Seriously, she’s such a forgettable woman. So immersed in the battle that she quickly forgot…

“Hey, hey, over there…”

“What?”

“No, I mean, over there.”

I looked where Gravel was pointing. The giant fox, after catching its breath, was climbing the wall on all fours. Its target wasn’t me but Gravel.

Thud! Thud!

The giant fox charged at Gravel, swinging its arm broadly. True to her timid and cowardly nature, Gravel closed her eyes tightly regardless of the approaching threat. Having rushed forward earlier, I blocked the fox’s claws with my back.

Clang!

[Physical attack detected.]

[Invincibility for 1 second cooldown: 59 seconds]

The sharp claws made a ripping sound as they fell to the ground.

Squeal!

The giant fox let out a monstrous scream and backed away from me with cautious movements, likely due to the considerable pain from losing its claws. Fueled by this momentum, I stepped forward, igniting the ‘Noble Blood Ember.’ �

“Now, it’s not fun anymore. I’ll spare you, so get lost.”

I intended to use the “1-second invincibility” as a last resort. Since the opponent was a monster, there was no certainty that bluffing would work. However, the monster I faced this time seemed to be an instinct-driven beast that had no intention of retreating.

“If that’s the case…” It was time to execute the ultimate move: cooling down and falling off the cliff with Gravel. At that moment, Gravel squeezed out a voice.

“Move, move away.”

“Hmm?”

When I glanced back, Gravel was drawing a spell with her staff. It was quite surprising, as it was a high-difficulty spell that Carmelo had demonstrated. It was a mixed spell that simultaneously utilized elemental and embodiment magic.

Whoosh!

Five fiery pigeons flew at lightning speed and pecked at the fox. Astonished, I looked at Gravel, who had her eyes wide open. If the previous impression of her was monochrome, now she was alive like a vibrant photo of fresh fruit.

“Have you been casting a spell on yourself all this time?”

Among embodiment magic, there were spells that used surrounding mana to diminish one’s presence. According to Carmelo, it wasn’t hypnosis but camouflage. It seemed the camouflage spell was dispelled while she was casting the fire pigeon spell.

“Uh, yes…” No wonder her presence was abnormally faint…

“Why?”

Gravel turned her head quickly and murmured softly.

“Because I didn’t want to get noticed by you…”

I wonder what she sees me as. The giant fox, repeatedly attacked by the fiery pigeons, eventually collapsed to the ground. I blinked, looking at the neatly roasted fox. …She was quite a formidable magician after all. Well, it wasn’t uncommon for a playable character’s acquaintance to be stronger than an ordinary person.

“More importantly, Hersel, are you okay where the fox scratched you?”

Gravel ran over with a worried expression, holding a handkerchief.

“Let me see your back for a moment…”

Showing her my coat, shredded at the back, Gravel widened her eyes and wiped non-existent blood. Seeing the still-clean handkerchief, she looked bewildered.

“How is it possible to have no wounds at all?”

“Now’s not the time to be impressed. Finding a way out is the priority.” Gravel looked up the steep cliff with a troubled expression.

“But what should we do? We don’t have a rope…”

Of course, the rope was gone.

“Can’t you do something with embodiment magic?”

“I’m not that skilled.”

Seems like her innate talent lies in elemental magic. In that case, we have to find another way.

“No need to worry.”

“What? Do you know how to use embodiment magic?”

“…I know a better method.” I picked up the claw the fox had dropped. With its thickness, suitable for gripping, and needle-sharp tip, it could be used to climb the wall.

“You’re not planning to climb the wall with that, are you?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Will you carry me, or should I wait here until you bring a rope?”

As Gravel hesitated, fiddling with her fingers, the surroundings lit up. The light gradually transformed into a long shape, forming a wooden ladder.

“…Come up, Gravel.”

Looking up, I saw a man with a ponytail holding a staff.

“Ricks?”

The playable character, Ricks Don Orien. He had created the ladder with embodiment magic. Gravel motioned for me to go up first.

“Isn’t it ‘ladies first’ at times like this?”

“…You really don’t understand women, do you?”

“What?”

“Ah, nothing, nothing.”

As I climbed the ladder, I saw the fallen Rendal gang. Judging by Ricks’ appearance, he had been observing Gravel from afar. His cold gaze swept over me, fixing on the bag full of Merilly roots.

His eyes became meaningful. Seeing Gravel coming up, he reverted to his sharp expression.

“Gravel, you shouldn’t have followed me here.”

Ricks spoke sharply and began to leave. Gravel dropped her shoulders dejectedly. I took the worst-quality root from the herb bag and threw it.

“Catch.”

Ricks caught the root and stared at me.

“…Why are you giving this to me?”

“Think of it as payment for the ladder.”

Unable to refuse the temptation, he silently put the root in his herb bag. After Ricks left, Gravel and I walked toward the professor’s location.

There was no conversation. It was probably due to Gravel’s timid nature and the hurt she felt.

“Do you care about what he said?”

“A little…”

It was understandable. Gravel had followed Ricks here, but why…?

“Hmm, you followed him here. Did you enroll here because of him?”

“Well, he’s my friend, so I wanted to attend the same academy.”

“There were no other places you got accepted?”

“No, I got into another place too.”

“That other places are expensive. Considering you had that option, you must come from a well-off family.” I started to understand.

She has no friends.

“Still, it’s too much. He changed completely since coming here.”

Unlike the past when Ricks used to take care of everyone.

“Isn’t it because of your personality?”

“What, what?”

“There’s something about you that’s frustrating to watch.”

Not born into a wealthy family, Ricks tried to enroll here cheaply, and Gravel must have followed on her own. Ricks would have opposed it, and Gravel must have insisted. Besides, knowing Ricks, once he realized the environment here, he would have felt a sense of responsibility and thought he shouldn’t indulge her whims anymore. If Gravel remained timid and unchanged, she wouldn’t adapt here.

“Still, you don’t need to worry about what he said. Despite his cold exterior, he seemed concerned enough to come here.”

Though he seems prickly, he has a deep and tender side. That’s why he’s so popular. The reason his friends followed him here.

“And isn’t there someone else who followed him here besides you?”

“Yeah…”

“Then you should be grateful he’s worried about you enough to come here to help.”

Gravel’s eyes widened in gratitude.

“…What, grateful? Hersel, do you realize how harsh you’re being?”

“Hmm, you’ve grown a lot, talking back to me already.”

“We’ve only been together for 40 minutes…”

“In that 40 minutes, you’ve grown. Be proud.”

After exchanging such small talk, we arrived in front of the professor.

“Mr. Hersel, Ms. Gravel, you two arrived first?” Gravel blinked and asked.

“Huh? Didn’t Ricks arrive yet? I thought he would be here first…”

“Oh, Mr. Ricks hasn’t arrived yet.”

According to the professor, Ricks had asked his partner to wait for a moment and then left again to find more roots. True to his loyal and steadfast nature, he seemed to be looking out for his partner’s share as well.

“But Mr. Hersel, you have a lot of roots in your bag. Can you give them all to the professor?” The female professor smiled slyly. I quickly hid the herb bag behind me.

“You clearly said we only needed to collect one root.”

“Oh, well, can you give me at least the best one…?”

“Do you think I’ll give it?”

As I refused immediately, the professor made a tempting offer.

“Come on, just one more. I’ll give you an A+ in the next class.”

“If you insist, professor.” I glared at Gravel.

“You know what to do, right?”

“Ms. Gravel, don’t tell the other students.”

“I won’t say anything.”

With that, nine roots remained. I whispered to the professor, suggesting I sell the nine roots wholesale.

“800 coins. It’s a good deal, isn’t it?”

“That sounds tempting, but can’t you sell the remaining root too?”

“Oh, this one belongs to someone else…” I took out the request from my pocket and showed it to the professor, who widened her eyes in shock.

“Gasp, it’s from Professor Rockefeller? Pretend I didn’t see that.”

She must have realized she couldn’t handle something from the highest-ranking professor.

***

The strings of a violin played a sweet melody through the friction of the bow. Rockefeller didn’t stop there, using telekinesis magic to play the keys of a small organ while blowing into a bassoon with his mouth.

‘Ah, indeed, nothing calms me like this.’

Feeling the stress from the principal’s scolding melt away, Rockefeller poured his heart into playing the most important part. He had another reason to be happy. He had heard that Hersel, Schlaphe’s slave, had taken the request for the Merilly root, known for restoring energy, so he would soon be able to get some. As the grand music filled the professor’s office, the sound of the door being forcefully opened shattered the flow.

Bang!

“How rude. Don’t you know to knock… Huh?”

“I knocked, but there was no response, so I just came in. May I proceed?” Rockefeller frowned. He didn’t like having his sweet time interrupted, but he could guess the reason for the visit.

“Alright, Hersel Ben Tenest. What brings you here?”

“I want to talk about the Knight Department.”

Rockefeller’s lips curled into a smirk.

“Have you come to transfer to the Knight Department?”

“….”

“I never expected you to show such a pitiful sight in just one day. I thought you’d last at least three days.”

“Oh, really?”

“But what can we do? There are more successful applicants than expected, so I don’t know if there’s a spot for you. The carriage has already left.” Rockefeller continued, feigning indifference as he inspected his nails.

“Still, making one spot is easy for me. At first, I considered placing you in Adelle Dorm, but that’s a bit difficult. You’ll go to the Buerger Dorm instead.”

Hersel’s eyes widened with joy.

“Is that true? Buerger Dorm?”

Rockefeller smiled cynically, lowering his gaze to his shoes.

“But you’ll have to show some sincerity first. Bow your head and lick my shoes.”

The slaves of Schlaphe Dorm would bow their heads for far less. Hersel, still holding onto his pride, didn’t move.

“What? Can’t do it? You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Just remember, this is your last chance.”

Rockefeller expected Hersel to surrender. When Hersel slightly lowered his head, Rockefeller smiled in triumph. But when he saw Hersel’s blue eyes gleam, his smile faded.

“I said I wanted to talk about the Knight Department, but you keep saying strange things. I’m asking why you’re so obsessed with it. Seeing your state, it seems like a normal conversation isn’t possible.”

“What?”

“By the way, the answer is still no. I’m not joining the Knight Department. Besides, you don’t look well. You should take this.” Hersel had lowered his head to take out a piece of paper with Rockefeller’s familiar handwriting.

“Why are you so surprised? It’s the Merilly root you requested.” Hersel presented the thick Merilly root. Rockefeller gulped, gritting his teeth.

“You… you dare play with me!!”

“If you don’t want it, just say so. Don’t waste my time with nonsense. I’m busy.” Hersel put the root back in his bag.

Feeling a vein pop on his forehead, Rockefeller threw a pouch containing 100 coins at Hersel.

“Take it and get lost!”

“Thank you, professor.”

Another scolding from the principal was inevitable. Better to replenish his energy instead. Rockefeller watched Hersel disappear and then savagely bit into the root.

‘How did that wretched brat find something even third-year students can’t easily get…?’

He chewed the root with rage. Feeling his energy replenishing, Rockefeller wiped his face.

“…I’ll acknowledge your talent for getting under people’s skin, Hersel Ben Tenest.” Rockefeller picked up the orb on the desk.

“Hamendal, are you the professor on duty tonight? At 3 AM, release the outer barrier.”

“Professor Rockefeller, what do you mean by releasing the barrier?”

“Consider it a training exercise close to real combat. Don’t give any hints to the Schlaphe students.”

“But sir, it’s only been a day since the new students arrived. Are you serious?”

Rockefeller’s smile deepened.

“Of course, we have a very competent student who seems to enjoy showing off.”

At 3 AM, the invasion of monsters was scheduled.