chapter_0056

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
56

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
56

Oh, right. There was that too,
wasn’t there?

The biggest reason I struggled
to get into Soul Academy was because of this, but I had completely
forgotten due to the recent events.

Even as I read the message
window, I didn’t have high expectations.

Considering Armadi gave me the
quest system, there’s a high chance this is linked to him as well.

Would a stingy guy who only
granted a quest system to his disciple give something amazing for
clearing the first quest?

[The ‘Appraisal’ skill has
been unlocked.]

[A new main quest ‘You Were
Born to Be Loved’ has been opened.]

What?

No, wait a minute.

What?!

The new quest isn’t
surprising.

I didn’t think the quests
would end with the entrance exam.

But [Appraisal]. [Appraisal]
is different.

The [Appraisal] Skill also
existed in the game.

Soul Academy is a game that
pursues realism to an excessive degree, so sometimes item
descriptions can be lies.

NPCs can also scam you with
those items.

That’s when the [Appraisal]
Skill comes in handy.

The higher your proficiency
with this skill, the easier it becomes to discover an item’s true
value.

In fact, some of the endgame
items in Soul Academy could only be identified with a maxed-out
[Appraisal] Skill.

But how is this skill supposed
to apply in reality?

In the game, it automatically
worked when you hovered the mouse over an item.

I took out Ruel’s Mace to
check the skill, but I didn’t feel anything.

For my other skills, there was
always a definite sensation when they activated.

Is it because my proficiency
is still low? Or is there another activation method?

I wondered if it would be
similar to the way it’s done in other web novels, so I stared at
Ruel’s Mace and whispered, “Appraise.”

Then a new message window
appeared in front of me.

[Ruel’s Mace]

[A mace used by the Paladin
Ruel. It seems to be imbued with divine energy.]

[????]

So, this is how it works?

Since I just learned the
skill, the proficiency is low, so the description isn’t complete, but
this can be improved with practice.

Amazing.

Armadi!

You finally gave me something
I needed?!

If you’d done this earlier, I
wouldn’t have called you sloppy Armadi!

Alright. I’m in a good mood!

From now on, I’ll add mister!

Mister Armadi!

Thank you! Gaining one of the
skills I thought I needed the most slightly lifted my previously
gloomy mood.

Now it’s time to check the
quest.

[You Were Born to Be Loved]

[Increase the favorability of
two Soul Academy students to 70 or higher by the final exam]

[Reward: ???]

[Failure: GAME OVER]

What?

For a moment, I thought I
might have misread it, so I rubbed my eyes and checked the quest
window again.

Reality doesn’t change just
because you wish it to.

I’m sorry, Armadi.

I just added “mister”
to your name, but it looks like I should remove it again.

No, if I only remove “mister,”
you’ll feel insulted by the remaining word, so I’ll take off the rest
too.

Hey! Sloppy! How am I supposed
to clear this?!

Favorability 70?! Do you think
that’s possible?!

Soul Academy has a
favorability system.

You can increase favorability
by spending time with NPCs, completing quests related to them, or
giving them gifts, leading to a closer relationship.

Even if you’re not interested
in the story, you need to care about favorability because higher
favorability can increase your abilities when in the same party.

But let’s skip that for now
since it’s not the main issue.

To be specific about the
favorability score, when you first meet and there are no feelings
yet, it’s at 40.

The lower the score drops, the
worse the relationship becomes, and the higher it goes, the closer
you get. Then, what does a favorability score of 70, as mentioned in
the quest, mean?

Think of it as the level of
trust where you consider each other close friends.

It’s the kind of relationship
where you can talk about each other’s personal matters without any
burden.

In the game, it wasn’t that
difficult to raise, but the situation is different now.

I can’t possibly form that
kind of bond with someone else!

Right now, I’m unsure if I’ll
even make a single friend at Soul Academy. But making two close
friends within half a year?!

Be reasonable.

Give me a quest to clear a
high-difficulty dungeon instead!

If it’s that, I’ll twist my
body somehow and try to do it!

But not this!

Sloppy (Armadi), you’re too
cruel.

Enrolling in Soul Academy as
Lucy was already incredibly tough, and now that I’ve overcome that
mountain, you’ve placed an even taller one in front of me.

You just want to see me
suffer, don’t you? Isn’t that right?

What kind of damn deity are
you?

You just want to torment me to
see me struggle and scream.

Do you want to see a girl cry
out of frustration, you sadistic god?

Never. I’ll never let things
go according to your plan. Just wait and see.

No matter what hardships you
throw at me, I won’t crumble.

I’ll survive by any means
necessary, and then I’ll come after you.

You might be complacent
because you think you’re a god.

But in Soul Academy, even gods
can be killed, you know?

I’ll make sure you regret ever
tormenting me.

The little bit of relief I
felt sank back into despair.

Falling from a brief moment of
joy made the impact even harder.

Inside, I’ve resolved to
survive no matter what, but reality isn’t that forgiving.

What’s the problem, you ask?

Everything is a problem.

Because of the reputation Lucy
built before, everyone thinks I’m a delinquent.

Because of the [Mesugaki]
Skill, I have to attract attention almost forcibly.

Because I can’t see others’
favorability scores.

In hindsight, asking what’s
the problem is the wrong question.

The real question should be,
what’s not a problem? That would be quicker to answer.

Of course, I memorised how to
raise everyone’s favorability in the game.

I’m a veteran of Soul Academy,
after all.

But still.

Damn sloppy Lucy.

Damn sloppy [Mesugaki] Skill!

“Lady Allen.”

When I lowered my hands and
looked up at the voice calling me, I saw Joy’s stern face staring
back at me.

Seeing that she had dismissed
her usual followers to speak to me alone, she must be really upset.

“Pitiful Prince? What on
earth is that about?”

Oh, that part, huh?

Yeah, Joy has been close with
Arthur since they were kids.

If she heard me call him the
Pitiful Prince, it’s no wonder she’s confronting me.

“Do you know the
circumstances of the Third Prince?”

Sure, I do.

Joy, you might know a lot
about Arthur, but not more than I do.

Not all the characters from
Soul Academy have led peaceful and happy lives.

While some, like Joy, have
lived relatively easy lives, others have character growth narratives.

Arthur is one of those people.

The secret of his birth.

His mother’s death.

Family neglect.

Gossip in the palace.After
enduring numerous misfortunes, Arthur became an obsessive
perfectionist—he’s one of the most unfortunate characters in Soul
Academy.

And I called him the Pitiful
Prince.

I’ll have to keep calling
him that.

‘No. I didn’t know.’

“Airhead Lady, should I
be informed about the Pitiful Prince?”

Although I knew everything, I
confidently replied that I didn’t.

If I had done it knowingly,
I’d have been an irredeemable piece of trash!

“If you didn’t know,
then why do you call the Third Prince that?”

‘Just because.’

“It’s simply because he
looks pitiful. Just like you look airheaded, so I call you Airhead
Lady.”

When I explained confidently,
Joy sighed.

“Well, stop calling him that
from now on.”

She believes I meant no harm?

Well, that’s a relief.

Maybe because I saved her in
the dungeon last time, she doesn’t think too badly of me.

However, I couldn’t agree to
her request.

If it were up to me, I
wouldn’t want to call Arthur the Pitiful Prince either!

‘Why?’

“Why should I, Airhead
Lady?”

“That’s… I can’t say.”

Of course.

Arthur’s circumstances aren’t
something others can reveal if he doesn’t choose to himself.

That’s why I asked why.

That way, I can act
shamelessly.

‘If you don’t tell me why…’

“Really? Then I’ll just
keep calling him the Pitiful Prince.”

“No.”

‘Goodbye…’

“Goodbye. Airhead Lady.
I’ll be off first.”

As I turned my back and walked
away, I heard Joy angrily shouting from behind.

But I didn’t look back.

Keeping favourable impressions
is important, but lowering them is inevitable.

I’m not someone who cries
easily, but I feel like tearing up.

‘That’s true. I’m really glad
to have you, Grandpa.’

I didn’t realise how grateful
I’d be to have someone I could talk to openly.

‘Please don’t talk about
that.’

‘Right now, that god has put
my neck on the line!!’

It’s fortunate that Arthur has
no claim to succession or backing.

If I had said something
similar to the Second or First Prince…

It wouldn’t have been strange
if I were arrested for treason!

Wait a moment. Isn’t the
Second Prince enrolled in the Soul Academy right now?

If I call him by a nickname
when I meet him…

No, that can’t happen.
Absolutely not.

Let’s try to avoid him as much
as possible.

We shouldn’t even go near the
second-year classrooms.

As I opened the door to Class
1-A of Soul Academy, where I was assigned, all eyes turned to me.

Most of them looked wary or
uncomfortable.

The kind of look that says,
“Is she in the same class as me?”

At this rate, I wouldn’t be
surprised if the person assigned to sit next to me started crying.

Among the gazes, there were a
few different types.

The Saint naturally gave me a
warm smile despite hearing all sorts of harsh words.

The Third Prince, on the other
hand, openly glared at me with hostility.

Joy’s followers frowned and
whispered among themselves as they looked at me.

I couldn’t hear what they were
saying, but I could guess the content.

It was probably complaints
about me giving Joy the rude nickname ‘Airhead Lady.’

No matter where I looked, it
was clear that my favorability was at rock bottom.

“Hey.”

Wow. This is really hopeless.

Where should I even begin to
clean up this mess?

For now, let’s pick two
characters who were easy to raise favorability with in the game.

‘Someone’s calling me?’

Following Grandpa’s words, I
turned my head to see a slightly taller girl standing there. The girl
with blue hair tied back looked at my face with indifferent red eyes.

The kingdom’s next Sword
Saint.

Why is Frey Kent talking to
me?

I’m not very comfortable with
this.

“Let’s fight.”

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