Ch.2525. A Peaceful Day

Becoming Reina’s direct slave… no, assistant, didn’t change much in my daily life.

Despite all that talk about me not being like a regular student, she seemed to think it wouldn’t be right to make a freshman prepare lectures, so she told me to live like any other student most of the time.

In the end, I would attend lectures just like everyone else and only respond to her calls when she needed specific help.

But was it really okay to receive such a large sum for just that?

When I suddenly questioned this, she calmly replied:

“I’m not sure why you’re saying ‘just that’ – do you have any idea what kind of work you might end up doing? I believe I paid a fair price.”

What exactly was she planning to make me do? I suddenly felt a bit afraid.

But it was too late to back out now that my wallet had already grown thick, so I just went with the flow.

Well, it’ll work out somehow. I’m with Professor Reina Trier of the Trier Family, after all. What could possibly go wrong?

I’ll deal with any problems when they arise.

After that, the day’s lectures ended without any unusual incidents.

I packed my things and left the classroom to head to my next schedule – Lilith’s training. Celia and Lilith followed behind me.

“…Wait, Celia. Why are you coming along?”

Ah, I forgot to mention that Celia would be joining us.

Celia answered Lilith’s question before I could.

“Starting today, I’ll be helping with Lilith’s training too.”

“Why would you… Ludion, what’s going on here? Why is she suddenly joining us?”

Since there was nothing to hide, I explained what had happened. Suddenly, Lilith moved closer to Celia.

Then the two started whispering to each other.

“Celia.”

“Yes?”

“You just made up an excuse because you wanted to hang out with him, didn’t you?”

“…No, that’s not it.”

“Don’t lie! It’s so obvious! Goodness, you’re desperate because you can’t show how much you like him.”

“W-wait! Your voice is too loud! Please be a little quieter…”

I couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying, but they seemed to be getting along well. That was a relief after how cold they were to each other yesterday.

I was glad Lilith was making friends besides just me.

When we arrived at the training ground, we did some light warm-ups before starting the actual training. Considering it had only been a day, Lilith’s movements had improved significantly.

It was as if she had gained a basic understanding of combat itself.

Like a fighting game newbie who had returned after learning about frames and reach instead of just mindlessly attacking.

She was still stiff overall, showing her lack of familiarity, but thanks to her excellent physical abilities, she could now engage in somewhat decent combat.

She improved this much on her own without much instruction? At this rate, I might be able to joke about retiring sooner than expected.

With that thought, I handed the baton to Celia, and then…

“Wait a moment. If you channel mana that way, it delays the activation time. Try it like this.”

“L-like this?”

“No, that’s wrong. Look. Right now, Lilith, you’re doing it this way, right? That creates a momentary brake right before manifestation. Don’t you feel it?”

“I don’t feel anything…”

She was taking this much more seriously than I had expected.

Lilith was sweating profusely and struggling in a different way than when she trained with me.

“You’re saying it’s different because it’s divine power? Don’t lie. I just analyzed it, and the structure is exactly the same as mana. Stop making excuses and just follow my instructions.”

…Did I make the right decision bringing Celia along? Well, I did, but somehow I feel sorry for Lilith.

Sorry, Lilith. I had no idea Celia would be this strict.

“…How long do I have to continue this training?”

When even the previously enthusiastic Lilith was saying things like this, it seemed Celia definitely had the qualities of a training villain.

But I couldn’t tell her to give up, so I just went along with it.

“I’ll have to make you draw your sword faster. Keep working hard.”

“…Save me.”

You’ll be able to do it soon, I thought. You’re growing incredibly fast right now.

I thought this but didn’t say it out loud. This hardship would serve as another motivation for her.

Become stronger, Lilith. Get strong enough to end this training.

“Ah, wait a moment. Lilith, could you cast that magic you showed earlier one more time?”

“…Weren’t we finished?”

“If we’re going to do it tomorrow anyway, it’s better to practice now. Hurry up and cast it.”

“Please give me a break…”

“Yes, I’ll give you a break, so hurry up and cast it.”

“That’s not what I meant by… Sigh, fine, I’ll cast it.”

Until then, hang in there, Lilith!

Due to Celia’s unexpectedly strong educational fervor, Lilith’s training didn’t end until evening.

“It’s gotten later than I expected. I’ll have to do my campus service after dinner.”

“That’s because you spent too much time torturing Lilith.”

“I wasn’t torturing her, I was teaching her.”

She could say that with a zombie-like Lilith right next to her.

She really was shameless. Lilith was going to have a tough time for a while.

Still, it would definitely be helpful… so I guess it’s a good thing in the end.

We headed to the student cafeteria for dinner. The ceiling was still broken, and since there didn’t seem to be any students who could use light magic at the moment, the interior was quite dark.

Noticing this, Lilith reflexively cast a light spell to brighten the surroundings.

It was truly praiseworthy that she used magic for others’ benefit, but…

“Lilith, didn’t I tell you earlier not to cast light magic like that?”

That was all Celia seemed to notice.

Lilith’s training truly ended that day with one more lecture.

…I thought I saw tears in Lilith’s eyes as she ate her meal, but I must have been mistaken.

After finishing our meal and leaving the student cafeteria, Lilith quickly fled, leaving me alone with Celia.

Now I needed to help with her campus service… but the sun was already setting, and honestly, starting campus service now didn’t make much sense.

“It’s fine. You’ll be with me, right, Ludion?”

But Celia just smiled happily and said that.

What difference does it make if I’m with her? She’s not the type to be afraid of ghosts, so darkness shouldn’t bother her.

Is she just worried about being bored if she goes alone?

I wasn’t sure, but it would be best to finish quickly and return before it got any darker.

“So, what exactly is this campus service?”

“There wasn’t anything specifically assigned. Professor Reina just said to handle whatever task she designates each day.”

“What did she tell you to do today?”

“Clean the faculty grounds.”

The academy janitors would have already done that, right?

She really gave you a free pass service.

Since it’s the faculty area, even if there was something she wanted done, no students would see it. This basically meant just go there, pretend to clean, and come back.

When we arrived and looked around, the faculty grounds were indeed very clean. There wasn’t even a single piece of trash to pick up.

“It’s like we just came out for a walk together.”

“It’s nice that we don’t have to do anything. Let’s just wander around a bit and then head back.”

“Sounds good. Oh, right, Ludion. Speaking of which, yesterday at the dormitory…”

In the end, we counted the campus service as done and just started walking around, listening to Celia’s chatter.

Since professors were provided with individual houses instead of dormitory rooms, it felt like we were taking a stroll through a residential area.

“This happened every day, you know? But even when others complained, nothing seemed to change, so I just froze that person’s window shut so they couldn’t open it.”

Listening to her, I realized she was more of a villain than I thought.

No, not a villain—more like a dark hero responding to a villain?

Most people just think about doing something, but she actually does it. Someone without reservations really is different.

As we walked and talked, the sky grew completely dark, and lighting fixtures began to turn on one by one to illuminate the surroundings.

“Should we head back now?”

“I suppose so. Thanks for helping me today, Ludion.”

“I didn’t do anything though.”

If anything, you worked harder helping with Lilith’s training. And Lilith worked twice as hard.

“Just having you come along means a lot to me.”

But Celia seemed genuinely grateful.

Well, if that’s how she feels, I’ll just accept it. There’s no need to stubbornly reject someone’s gratitude.

“This is exactly like yesterday’s scene. I’ll be counting on you tomorrow too, Ludion.”

“Sure. Get back safely.”

I parted ways with Celia at the same place as yesterday.

‘Today was a relatively peaceful day.’

With that thought, I returned to my dormitory room, where I was greeted by a collapsed wall.

Right, the wall broke this morning… I take back what I said about it being peaceful.

Suddenly feeling exhausted, I sighed and looked through the broken wall, making eye contact with Frang, who was busy packing his belongings.

“Welcome back, Mr. Ludion. I’m currently organizing the items I’ll be moving to my laboratory.”

I’m not particularly interested in your private life.

Couldn’t you do something about this broken wall first?

///

After that, truly peaceful days continued.

Every day, I attended lectures, helped with Lilith’s training, and accompanied Celia on her campus service.

I exchanged a few words with other advanced class students occasionally, but didn’t really become close with any of them. There seemed to be a certain distance, as if they found me difficult to approach.

Well, I am Professor Reina’s direct assistant now. Even though we attend the same lectures, I can understand why regular students might find that intimidating.

But I didn’t go out of my way to approach them either. There’s plenty of time, and there will surely be enough events in the future where our paths will cross.

Also… the dormitory wall remained wide open.

However, since Frang hadn’t returned to the dormitory since the day he moved his belongings, it was like having a larger room.

I ran into him once at the student cafeteria and asked about it, and he said he had no intention of coming back, so I should just use it as my own room.

But what’s the point of having a bigger room when living alone? It just means more space to clean. So I haven’t really been using it.

The weekend passed, a new week began, and finally, on the day the student cafeteria ceiling repairs were completed, Celia’s campus service also ended.

At the same time, the student council’s break period came to an end… and that’s when things started to go wrong.

[Alkine: If you see this message, please come to the student council immediately. It’s a new Rift.]

I wasn’t too concerned about a Rift appearing when it should have been quiet until the end of the first semester. The story has already diverged from the original in more ways than one.

With the difficulty level having changed, I had expected dangerous elements to appear more frequently.

“Grain. Do you know why it’s doing that?”

“…President. I think we’re screwed.”

“What?”

*Cracking sounds*

“That thing looks like it’s about to burst open any second.”

But I never expected the Rift to be in such a state.

What the hell is happening to it?