Chapter 12

Camian Croycher

I know him well.

The protagonist of that very game I fell into, “There’s No Happy Ending for That Hero.”

His profile automatically flashed through my mind. The second son of a fallen, impoverished noble family. His much older brother was frail from birth and clearly not fit to succeed the family.

Thus, he was chosen as the heir early on, but the family’s decline meant he couldn’t receive proper support.

Yet, born with talent, there was no one in his remote countryside domain who could match him.

Considering his talent extraordinary, Baron Croycher decided to send Camian to proper schooling, even if it meant enduring the expensive fees.

To the best academy, the Isle of Lepheria Academy.

But the plan hit a major snag before it even began.

The eldest son’s illness worsened, becoming critical. They called in doctors within their means, but all shook their heads. Cure was out of the question, preventing further deterioration was the best they could hope for, the doctors agreed. And that required expensive medicine.

A remote domain with little income.

It was impossible to afford both the eldest son’s medicine and the younger’s tuition.

A situation that would lead most to despair. But Camian chose to challenge instead of despair. A full scholarship available up to the second place.

He set that as his goal and took the entrance exam for the Isle of Lepheria Academy. He proudly secured the second place. Proving that his talent wasn’t just a big fish in a small pond, he made a splendid debut at the academy. That was the start of this game.

But then…

Why are you here?

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold with my thoughtless remark. It must have looked like a customer was picking a fight with an innocent waiter for no reason. But I had no choice.

I knew all too well what it meant for the protagonist to be working as a waiter here.

Money.

It was all about money.

The full scholarship the protagonist earned as the second best entrant. It was only for one semester. Compared to other academies that guarantee at least a year’s scholarship to excellent entrants, it might seem harsh. But in the competitive environment of Lepheria Academy, a scholarship for more than a year could breed complacency.

Therefore, to maintain a scholarship at Lepheria Academy, one had to win the ongoing competition every semester. And the protagonist is working part time as a waiter here?

It means he urgently needs money. And that means he’s botched his first semester’s grades.

“Does it make sense to mess up the first semester?”

The first semester of the first year is Chapter 1 of this game. No matter how difficult the game, Chapter 1 is still Chapter 1.

The protagonist’s talent truly starts to hit its limits in the second semester, Chapter 2.

So even an average player maintains at least a top ten ranking, securing at least a half scholarship.

With that, the minimal support from home and the money available from quests in Chapter 1, it’s barely possible to focus on studies.

But this protagonist guy is working part time. Meaning he didn’t even get a half scholarship. He’s walking a path even worse than an average player.

This is…

‘Hopeless.’

Regardless, Camian looked incredulous.

“Sir, do you know me?”

I know.

I know very well.

But of course, I couldn’t answer that way. As I pondered how to respond, murmurs from around me reached my ears.

“Isn’t that guy, Max Celtrine?”

“Huh? Right, that guy.”

“That rascal should be drinking in a bar, why come to a place like this?”

“Shh, keep your voice down, he might hear.”

“Let him hear if he’s going to make a scene here anyway.”

The reputation was clear from the gossip. Typical Max guy, so annoying, so troublesome. I smirked inwardly, but I could feel Camian’s expression change. He seemed to realize who I was after hearing what people said.

“You are…”

A look far from friendly. No, it was closer to contempt. Naturally. From the protagonist’s perspective and values, Max is trash itself. Meaning they’re like oil and water, never to mix.

But here’s the thing.

I’m just as displeased.

Not simply because the protagonist made that face. But because the protagonist, of all people, is ridiculously ruining the game from Chapter 1. Let me say it again, the only one with even a 0.0001% chance of clearing this game is the protagonist alone.

And yet, the protagonist is hopelessly botching the game from Chapter 1. Just thinking about how to fix this situation gave me a headache.

“Sorry, I mistook you for someone else.”

I calmed down my excitement and suppressed my emotions.

There was much to say, but not here.

Not in front of so many eyes.

Camian stared at me silently, pondering. Meanwhile, the murmuring around us didn’t stop.

That’s when it happened.

“Ah, really.”

Hiresia muttered in an annoyed voice. She stood up abruptly from her seat.

“Sorry for the brief disturbance from my party. It’s nothing serious, so can you stop paying attention and quiet down now? You’re not the only ones here to dine, right?”

She boldly addressed the murmuring crowd without hesitation. Apparently, she was annoyed at being disturbed by people just before she could enjoy the steak she had been looking forward to.

As the cause of the commotion, I felt a twinge of guilt.

But you know what.

…Because of you, senior, the commotion is only getting worse, isn’t it? A man with a tough character stood up, irritated, just like my worries.

“What, did you rent out this place? If you didn’t rent it, who are you to tell us what to do?”

The man shouted with vigor.

Ah, what’s this?

The carefully arranged place was about to turn into a mess right from the start. I was about to step forward to take responsibility and sort things out.

But then.

“Be. Quiet. Please.”

Huh.

My steps stopped reflexively.

Because I felt an intimidating aura so chilling it made my spine tingle.

“This is”

I realized.

Hiresia had genuinely gathered her energy and was radiating it. As if facing a life or death enemy, she was serious.

Though it was a joke to act like that over just a steak, her aura was no joke. True to her high elf race, she was blatantly powerful. If I could feel such a pressure from behind, how would the humans directly receiving that energy feel?

“Huh. Huh?!”

The man’s face turned pale and he froze. He felt as small as a mouse in front of a cat. Not just him, but the entire murmuring audience had become as quiet as a library. They were overwhelmed by the energy. Breaking the silence, she spoke again.

(TLN: all hail hiresia)

“Let’s be quiet. Okay?”

“Yeyes, let’s go with that.”

The man who had been flustered quietly returned to his seat, becoming like a living statue. He dared not even look up, burying his head towards the table.

Um.

Hmm.

Then, the others awkwardly turned their gaze away and firmly shut their mouths. The atmosphere calmed down in an instant.

I silently applauded her in my mind.

She seemed much more aggressive than the girl I knew from the early part of the game, but let’s not worry about that for now. Even dogs bite when you bother them while they’re eating.

Anyway, now only Camian remained.

True to being the protagonist, he seemed to have felt the unusual energy, as his face had stiffened.

Glancing at him, Hiresia spoke to me.

“It was a misunderstanding?”

“Yes, it was a misunderstanding.”

“Is that so? Then, please place your order.”

She nodded at Camian.

Camian, who had been stiff, responded.

“Please tell me your order, guest.” (TLN: I read guest but i hear okyakusama.. )

Managing to compose his expression and respond as if nothing was wrong, he was indeed no ordinary person.

…But why did you ruin your grades and end up working here, you fool.

“Please give us two servings of steak tartare. Oh, and for the wine, Mariposa, but just one glass.”

I’m abstaining from alcohol due to my body, but she should enjoy the luxury of having steak with wine.

“Your order has been received. We will prepare it right away.”

After confirming the order, Camian made a customary greeting and moved away. I turned my gaze to Hiresia.

“Thank you, senior.”

I was thankful for her settling a situation that could have turned into a commotion.

“If it’s noisy, you can’t focus on eating, right?”

Such a reason was typical of her. Regardless of the reason, it was still something to be thankful for.

“It seems you’re quite disliked, aren’t you?”

Since she doesn’t know much about me, this kind of treatment is a first. Maybe it was a bit shocking for her.

“Well, it’s self inflicted but…”

I scratched my head and continued speaking.

“I was a bit thoughtless. I apologize if I caused any inconvenience.”

If there hadn’t been a commotion, people might not have paid attention, and it probably would have passed without any issue. But it couldn’t be helped.

How could you not be startled when the protagonist suddenly pops up out of nowhere?

“Do you know each other?”

She had already noticed.

And yet, she smoothed things over so elegantly, just like her.

…Or is it unlike her?

“Um… well… something like that…”

I vaguely thought. What kind of relationship could I say I have with the protagonist?

I know the protagonist very well, but the protagonist knows me as a trashy rascal?

What a mess.

“Was he not the second ranked freshman?”

Of course, she knew the protagonist.

It was expected.

Outstanding talents like top students were within her scope of attention. Even so, they probably never faced each other directly. If they don’t try to meet, there’s no connection between the protagonist and her until Chapter 2.

I nodded.

There was no need to explain in detail right now. To that, she bluntly said to me.

“Don’t bully your junior.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. I saw you looking at him with eyes full of disgust earlier.”

No, is it okay for a person’s image to be ruined from the beginning like this? It’s unfair. So unfair.

I’m not that kind of guy. Because of that Max, I can’t live. Can’t live.

“Senior, I’m also a person. A person.”

“So you’re a person, not an elf?”

Let’s not talk about it.

I came here to score some points, but it’s creaking from the start. No, not really.

There is nothing to creak about. Isn’t there no image left to ruin?

Since I’ve hit rock bottom, there’s only going up from here.

Good.

I feel at ease.

Finally, the steak arrived.

It was neatly plated on a luxurious dish. A premium steak with the touch of a master.

That’s why, just by looking at it, I could feel the quality was quite substantial.

Probably the taste too…

“Please eat.”

I gestured to Hiresia to eat first.

But there was no need for that.

Her hand, already holding the knife, was moving quickly. The steak was cut in half in an instant.

She didn’t even use a fork, just dipped the steak with her knife.

The steak disappeared into her mouth.

Chewing.

She savored the taste with eyes full of anticipation.

And then,

“This. This is…!”

Her eyes shook as if she was greatly shocked. Her knife moved again, dipping into the remaining half of the steak. Then, without hesitation, she put it in her mouth.

Chewing.

Swallowing.

A satisfied expression was evident on her face.

In an instant, she finished the steak, and admiration flowed from her lips.

“Ah, excellent taste.”

Of course. The quality and taste must be different from a self made meat dish with no special ingredients.

I smiled.

“I told you the taste here is to die for. Go ahead, order more, eat as much as you like.”

Scoring points with the high elf senior with a premium steak, It was a complete success.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

After greeting my colleagues, I left, and it was past 10 PM.

Since it’s vacation, the dormitory curfew is until midnight, but it was getting tight to walk there.

However, Camian stopped at the entrance on the first floor.

He was waiting for a friend. A friend who also works as a kitchen assistant in the same restaurant always runs a bit late.

It takes some time to change clothes in the locker room, tidy up the hair, and put on a bit of makeup. There must be many things to take care of.

After a little while,

“Sorry, did you wait?”

The friend came out with a smile in her eyes.

Annette Laiel.

The lady of the Baron Laiel family, which is right next to the impoverished Croycher domain.

Since they were neighboring domains, they had interacted since childhood and got along well, so they have been friends without formality until now.

When he heard that she, like him, aimed for Lepheria Academy, he was a bit worried. He was concerned whether she, who was always kind and pure, could properly adapt to the big city’s turmoil and various human crowds.

But it was an unfounded worry.

She was doing better at academy life than anyone else. The problem seemed to be on the other side…

“Your expression looks gloomy.”

Annette blinked her eyes widely and said.

“No, it’s not.”

“What do you mean it’s not? You always make that face when something’s up.”

“What happened in the hall today? Is it because of that?”

Max Celtrine.

A notorious troublemaker at the academy. He had suddenly made a provocative remark out of the blue. Of course, I wasn’t in a good mood, but I wasn’t foolish enough to be bothered by that.

If anything, it was the unknown female companion who came with him that I was concerned about. It had been a really long time since I felt such a strong aura.

“No, it wasn’t anything special.”

“Then what?”

I would have ignored it if it were someone else. But I had to answer because my closest friend asked so persistently.

“Just. I’m wondering if I’m really doing things right.”

“That is…”

“Do I really have talent?”

I had never doubted it before.

Even though it was a remote domain, I had never missed the top spot.

I thought that confidence was right when I proudly took second place in the entrance exam.

But.

The reality I faced at the top academy was different.

There were talents shining everywhere, too many to count. It wasn’t a misconception.

The midterm exam I worked to death on. The second place entrance exam score was pushed down to 14th place. The final exam I faced after grinding my teeth and staying up all night.

The 14th place grade plummeted to 29th. Far from a scholarship, if this continues, I could fall from the Royal Class, which goes up to 30th place, and even be demoted to the Noble Class.

The pride in my talent was already torn to shreds in my heart.

“Do you get it now? You have no talent.”

The answer came from an unexpected place. Camian and Annette’s gaze turned to where the voice came from.

“You are…”

Camian’s face frowned.

Max Celtrine.

Why was he here?

Did he wait until the end?

Displeasure rose.

“So it wasn’t just a misconception. What do you want from me?”

“Don’t ‘you, you’ me, and show some respect to your senior, will you?”

Max, with an unpleasant smile The female companion from earlier was nowhere to be seen next to him. He seemed to have waited alone for us.

“I’ve never had a senior like you.”

Camian’s answer was cold. He himself didn’t understand why such a chilly word came out.

If it were the usual him, he would have treated him as a senior with a smooth talk and left appropriately.

But the discomfort felt from within prevented that. Camian would not know the reason for that in the future too. It was the power of Max’s charm, the F- stat, and the ‘greed’ trait that naturally repels those who dislike materialism.

It was so powerful that even the good natured Annette instinctively felt a rejection, her expression hardening.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter. Do as you like.”

Max seemed unconcerned.

He continued.

“Anyway, the reason I waited for you is.”

“I thought I’d give you some advice.”

Advice from a good for nothing troublemaker?

What kind of nonsense is that? Camian’s face was colored with disbelief. Regardless, Max continued his speech.

“If you keep this up, you’ll fail.”