Ch.5656 – Advanced Class Joint Lecture

<56 – Senior Class Common Lecture>

Unlike Oknodie who resisted the door’s temptation, Hestia finally succumbed.

At 2 AM.

Jumping out of bed, Hestia stepped into the dormitory hallway.

And she was caught red-handed by the female instructor patrolling the dormitory.

“Leaving the dormitory during curfew hours will cost you 500 penalty points. If you don’t want to pay points, you can choose one day of confinement in the punishment room instead.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“I’m letting you off because you haven’t actually left yet. The academy is dangerous at dawn for first-year babies, so hurry back to bed.”

Though her outing was prevented, her curiosity about the hidden room didn’t disappear.

‘How did Oknodie know about it? More importantly, why did she tell me?’

Could it be that Oknodie wanted to tell her something secretly outside the dormitory at 2:22 AM?

If the academy was truly dangerous at dawn as the instructor said, wouldn’t Oknodie be exposing herself to danger by waiting for her in the hidden room every morning?

‘That’s not good!’

She could tolerate putting herself in danger, but not Oknodie.

Hestia opened the window and sneaked out of the dormitory.

Suddenly, a bright white light flashed on her from the security post in front of the dormitory.

“I had a feeling you’d come out.”

The instructor held out a terminal and asked.

“Will you pay the points, or spend a day in the punishment room?”

“I’ll pay the points…”

Hestia’s dawn excursion ended in failure.

* *

Ding-ding-ding in your ears. Ding-ding-ding in your ears. Ding-ding…

Click.

“Ughhhh.”

After turning off the alarm set on the magic clock, sleep completely vanished.

Tuesday is a relatively lazy day compared to Monday.

The schedule has some free time, but if I actually get lazy, my growth stats will decrease, raising the probability of getting caught in unfair events during my academy years.

‘Lecture content is basic. Club content is advanced. The academy’s regular events are the main dish.’

At Gift Academy, special events targeting both players and NPCs activate every week.

This week is freshman week, so no special events have activated yet, but I need to prepare in advance for the random events that will start next week.

“Hello, Oknodie! Out for morning training?”

“Just stretching my body a bit.”

After finishing a light 10km morning jog with the dolphin pants ladies, I headed to the cafeteria feeling refreshed.

[Tuesday Breakfast Menu]

-Black bean rice

-Beef soup

-Spinach

-Cucumber salad

“Is this prison food…”

This is too much.

I absolutely cannot eat this.

“Where’s the meat side dish?!”

“This is point fraud!!”

“Ah, I should’ve just skipped breakfast if I knew!!”

The laments of foolish students who had already paid before checking leaked from inside the cafeteria.

Poor things.

They should have prepared a Plan B for situations like this.

“So you want me to cook for you first thing in the morning?”

“Isabelle’s cooking is the tastiest!”

“…I did scout the forest vegetation in advance. Wait a bit.”

Isabelle called Giselle and Son Ocheon from the boys’ dormitory.

While she was secretly displeased about the increased number of mouths to feed,

thanks to Giselle’s campfire kit lighting a simple fire, we were able to enjoy a comfortable breakfast.

“Huh? Mr. Giselle. Where did you get that kit?”

“I have my ways. Children don’t need to know.”

Students drawn by the smell of roasting mushrooms gathered around, but Son Ocheon flexed his arms threateningly.

“Do you want to leave after getting hit or just leave?”

The male students retreated, intimidated by his brutish build, but the female students took a step closer instead.

“We wanna eat too…”

“Just one bite pleeeease~”

Son Ocheon mindlessly swung a wooden stick at the female students who were putting on cutesy acts as if their tongues had been cut.

“Ack!”

“Ouch!”

“Hahaha. You think such crude aegyo would work on me? Don’t be cheeky and get lost.”

“What a eunuch.”

“How petty.”

Regardless of the personality controversy, thanks to him, we could enjoy a comfortable meal without being pestered by other students begging for food.

“Today there’s one common senior class lecture each in the morning and afternoon.”

Tuesday 1st Period (9:00-11:00)

-Professor Platton (Scholar, Ego Item)

-Lecture: Senior Physical Enhancement

-Classification: Common, Senior Class

Tuesday 3rd Period (14:00-16:00)

-Principal (All Class, Dragon)

-Lecture: Principal’s Teachings

-Classification: Common, Senior Class

Even the usually cheerful Giselle couldn’t smile at this schedule.

“That Principal’s class. Makes my stomach churn.”

“Hahaha. I agree. That monster, truly had an unbelievable presence. I clearly understood why the drake, called the forest monster in my homeland, is known as a lesser dragon.”

That’s not what you should be worried about.

Although I consider most lectures easy since I’ve attended them all during my player days, Tuesday’s first period mandatory lecture is truly frightening.

A physically demanding lecture awaits that even the stamina from casually jogging 10km this morning won’t be enough to handle.

“The lecture hall is in front of a mountain? What a strange lecture.”

“Perhaps we’ll be doing breathing exercises while feeling the mountain’s fresh energy?”

“Mr. Giselle. No matter how optimistic you are, it’s difficult to expect such a favorable lecture, don’t you think?”

“Haha. Just wishful thinking. As someone who has neglected physical training, I’d prefer an easier lecture.”

At the foot of Mount Omine where the lecture was to be held.

At the clearing with the muscular statue professor, all the aces from each senior class group had gathered.

Some had seen each other in classrooms the day before depending on their chosen lectures, while others had only glimpsed each other in hallways or heard rumors about who attended which lecture.

Among them, Andersen Pretzel looked the most unwell.

“You all… Never take the Magic Department’s <Using Holy Magic Without Faith>.”

“Why?”

“Just don’t do it when I tell you not to.”

Suffering physically without faith VS Joining the Mark Warriors and coasting on faith.

Seems like the devilish religious lecture showed its true colors from first period.

A male student from Group B who appeared to have been similarly duped nodded in agreement.

“Haaa~? Disparaging the lecture you chose? Isn’t that the worst~?”

There was one voice that made the male student flinch, resonating throughout the clearing with clear projection.

Just as Arcadia was the spiritual pillar for the frontier girls, the Empire’s Second Princess <Massgakki> was establishing herself as the spiritual pillar for the imperial female students.

“Whoa, she just dissed Lord Andersen to his face.”

“Even we who took the same lecture never openly criticized him out of respect.”

“So imperial people don’t need to be considerate of frontier folks?”

“More importantly, isn’t she really short?”

“Not much different from Oknodie?”

“Haa? Who are you calling a little squirt! How dare you disrespect the Empire’s princess!”

Yeah right, 145cm.

“Hmph. Look who’s talking, shorty.”

She’s a squirt who’ll catch up to me in a few years.

A character assigned by the developer’s mesugaki quota, with a personality that’s naturally mesugaki.

A princess whose actions are also mesugaki-like.

“What? Listen carefully, squirt. The second digit of our heights is different.”

“I’m still growing, you know?”

“I’m still growing too!”

No, you’re not.

Your official profile is locked at 145cm-growth ended.

“Cheeky squirt! Don’t get cocky when you’re only 130cm!”

“I’m 133cm!”

“Princess Massgakki. Shouldn’t you apologize before raising your voice?”

“Huh? What should I apologize for?”

“The imperial princess is quite thick-skinned to dismiss the direct descendant of a duke from another country.”

“It’s okay for you to disrespect the professor of the lecture you chose~? Nothing to say? Are you stupid? Argument complete♡”

I thought she was annoying at 230cm, but at 133cm, this princess is even more irritating.

The shortest student at the academy getting cocky just because someone shorter appeared…!

“Imperial folks. How cowardly to damage my reputation with factual statements. I won’t forget today’s grudge…”

“I agree. To suffer such humiliation from a short person whose growth has ended and will be caught up to in a few years. I’ll teach you a lesson someday…”

“Oknodie. When the time comes, I shall grant you an opportunity to assist in my revenge.”

“I’ll call for you too, Lord Andersen, if I get a chance to teach the princess a lesson.”

While I was seriously forming an alliance with Lord Andersen, I heard murmurs like “cute” from around us.

I thought they were from the princess’s followers, but their reactions were completely different.

“Princess. It damages your dignity to fight with a child barely over ten…”

“At times like this, don’t play at the child’s level but show adult composure!”

“That’s right. You might be treated like a child too, Princess.”

“Im-impertinent! How dare you treat the imperial princess like a child!”

“I said you might be. We didn’t actually do it.”

Judging by the princess’s followers’ see-no-evil attitude, the sound didn’t come from them.

Concentrating to distinguish the voices, I heard from our Group A: “Didn’t the statue’s eyes move?”, “I want kimbap.”, “When will the professor arrive?”, “Cute.”

Found it.

So you’re the culprit who dismissed me as cute!

When I turned around vigorously, I met eyes with an unexpected person.

“Whoa. What happened under your eyes?”

“It’s nothing…”

The culprit was Hestia with dark circles under her eyes.

“You’ve got serious dark circles.”

“I just couldn’t sleep well.”

How long did this person talk to the wall?

She probably thinks she was talking to me the whole time.

We’re not actually close at all, but what if she suddenly shows internal familiarity thinking we’re very close?

…What should I do?

I should pretend to be friendly to prevent a dark transformation event!

When Hestia brushed one eye with her finger, I thought “this is it” and winked at her.

“Cute.”

So it was this person making that sound.

With her half-dazed face, it’s a bit scary.

I guess a wink is enough to acknowledge her?

“That’s unfair.”

Arcadia grumbled at the sight.

“D. Why do you show a wink to that mercenary woman that you never showed me?”

“I got dust in my eye.”

“Hmph!”

“Ow! Stop that. Don’t suddenly stir up dust with your fan.”

“Excuse me. I’m getting hit too.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Miss Isabelle.”

After this kind of chaotic atmosphere continued for a while,

the professor made his presence known when the lecture time arrived.

“Waaah!! Th-the statue moved!!”

“The sculpture changed its pose!”

“It’s not a sculpture. I am Professor Platton who will teach you the senior physical training course! You’d better not plan on standing on two legs by the end of this lecture!”

The students were shocked.

“W-why would you do such a thing?”

Professor Platton answered Arcadia’s frightened question fiercely.

“Just because. It’s fun to see students crawling back without the strength to walk.”

“He’s a devil! Definitely a devil!”

One of the academy’s top five most physically demanding lectures began.