Chapter 221

Scribble, scribble, scribble.

I was drawing a map on a blank sheet of paper.

It was a map of the academy.

Because the Red Moon Tragedy was practically the first major incident to occur on campus.

However…

‘It’s the academy, but not the academy.’

The moment the crazy necromancer, the culprit behind the tragedy, dyed the moon blood-red, everything would change.

Everything in the academy.

That’s why I needed to organize things.

To organize the memories in my head.

“Starting point.”

I muttered to myself.

The most important thing was the starting point.

The moment the Red Moon appeared, everything would change and be rearranged.

Locations were no exception.

They changed randomly every time the event progressed.

That was the cruel part of this game.

Survival depended on luck.

Because the starting location could drastically change the difficulty of survival.

If you started near a Death Knight or a Bone Dragon, even experienced players were as good as dead.

On the other hand, if you started near a Skeleton, there would be no problem with surviving the early stages as long as you didn’t do something stupid like charging in alone.

In the end, it was all about luck.

But there was something I could definitely secure, something I had to secure.

The protagonist.

I had to survive, but the protagonist also had to survive.

If either of us died, it was game over.

So…

‘Both of us together.’

One important thing.

If you were in physical contact with someone when the Red Moon appeared, you would definitely be dropped in the same location.

Knowing that, the protagonist and I could start at the same starting point.

So things became very simple.

We would die together if we died, and live together if we lived.

“Of course, I can’t leave her out either.”

Annette Lyell.

The area-of-effect debuff machine against undead, thanks to her unique trait, Healing Song.

She was a crucial key to surviving this tragedy.

Except for the times when I was clueless and just kept dying, I had never excluded Annette from my party whenever I played the game.

So me, the protagonist, and Annette were definitely going together.

I wrote down our three names and circled them.

The starting point was random, but with this team, we could survive no matter where we started.

We definitely could.

“Survival is the priority. But…”

I leaned back in my chair and looked at the map I had drawn.

Black areas, yellow areas, red areas.

Black areas were for Skeletons and Zombies.

Yellow areas were for Ghosts and Vampires.

Red areas were for Death Knights and Bone Dragons.

The locations of the undead weren’t random, so I could mark them accurately.

Just looking at those simple markings, I could feel the suffocating atmosphere of death.

The marked undead areas covered well over half of the map.

It was clear.

Alot would die.

But.

“I have to save them. As many as possible.”

The faculty and students.

We wouldn’t fail the event just because they died.

Especially if they were extras.

But now I realized.

What kind of consequences those insignificant extras could bring about.

The tragedy on Diotes Island was a prime example.

If it weren’t for the third-year students, who had grown significantly due to my influence, we wouldn’t have been able to minimize the casualties.

It was a miracle achieved by the ugly ducklings who had been mocked as the “Famine Generation.”

And perhaps…

Those accumulated miracles might open the path to the blocked happy ending.

That was why I decided to save as many people as possible.

And there was one thing that only I, Max Celtrine, could do.

The scrolls I had bulk-purchased by donating 10,000 gold.

2,000 Holy Light scrolls, the special attack magic against undead.

They would be a great help for survival.

It was enough for every student in the entire school to use several scrolls each.

I would place those scrolls in various locations throughout the school on the day of the tragedy, disguised as a donation.

Normally, people would complain, “Why are these useless pieces of paper scattered around?” But when a crisis hit, they would undoubtedly scramble to grab them.

“Come to think of it, there’s less than a week left.”

Time always flew by.

Just like I had done so far, I would continue to prepare until the very last moment.

Because that was the way to survive.

I put down my pen.

* * *

Clatter, clatter.

Several wagons entered the academy early in the morning.

It was an unusual sight, and the students couldn’t help but stare.

“What’s that? What’s coming in at this hour?”

“Food supplies?”

“Those would have come in at dawn. And those people aren’t dressed like food delivery workers.”

The people were wearing neat white robes.

They didn’t look like they were in the transportation business.

“Hmm… I know.”

Someone who had been carefully observing the wagons spoke up.

“You know? What is it?”

“There’s the Tower of Light’s symbol on the wagons.”

“Tower of Light? Oh, you’re right.”

“Aha, they’re from the Tower of Light.”

The students’ expressions showed that they finally understood.

“It’s probably magic teaching materials.”

“Are they adding a new curriculum for all grades? That’s enough for the entire school.”

“Nah, we already have enough. Maybe they received a bribe from the Tower of Light?”

The students grumbled, making guesses.

Magic books, scrolls, and magic items were quite expensive.

That amount was unimaginable, so their guesses were reasonable.

It was then.

The mages from the Tower of Light unloaded a large barrel from one of the wagons.

“Is this the right place?”

“Well, it must be. Let’s just put it here. It doesn’t have to be that precise.”

“No, no. What are you talking about? The deputy tower master specifically told us to be thorough.”

“Damn money… Mmmph!”

“Don’t say things you shouldn’t in front of everyone. Just do your job.”

The mages, after checking their surroundings several times, carefully placed the large barrel in the exact location.

And then.

They opened the wagon again and started taking something out.

“Alright, let’s get the numbers right. Exactly 100 scrolls. Everyone carry 10 each so we don’t get confused.”

The mages filled the barrel with what looked like scrolls, carrying them in their arms.

The students’ eyes widened.

“Wh-What’s that? Aren’t those scrolls?”

“Uh… Those are definitely scrolls.”

“Huh, why are they stacking those expensive things in there like newspapers?”

“Are they selling them?”

“…Is the magic tower a street vendor now? Selling stuff like that?”

The students were confused.

As if to answer their questions, the mages took out something else.

A banner.

“…Do we really have to do this?”

“If the higher-ups say so, we have to do it. What choice do we have?”

“I thought this was a good job…”

“Hey, hey, that’s how society works. At least we have good benefits.”

“Ugh… Y-Yeah, you’re right.”

With resigned expressions, the mages started to hang the banner.

The banner was fully displayed next to the barrel.

It read:

[Congratulations! Donation of 2,000 Holy Light scrolls to our alma mater! Donated by Mr. Max Celtrine, VVIP customer of the Tower of Light! Thank you always! We love you! Thank you!]

Whoosh!

Clatter, clatter!

As soon as the banner was up, the mages hurriedly got back into their wagons and disappeared.

They looked extremely embarrassed.

Everyone understood why.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The students were speechless.

Their expressions said it all.

* * *

“Hey, did you hear?”

Slain said as soon as he entered the classroom, striding towards Lucia.

“The 2,000 scroll donation?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“How could you not know? Everyone’s been talking about it all morning.”

“What, why is everyone so well-informed?”

“…You’re the one who’s late.”

“Anyway, what’s that guy thinking? Why would he donate trash?”

Trash.

It was a harsh assessment, but there were many people in the academy who thought that way.

Of all things, Holy Light.

A special attack magic that was highly effective against undead and demons… It sounded impressive, but that was the problem.

Slain and Lucia were former mercenaries.

They had plenty of real-world experience, but even they had only fought undead and demons once.

Camian and Annette, who had frequently fought undead in the Holy City’s underground, were the unusual ones.

It was only possible because Max had set the stage for it.

Anyway, that’s why it was being treated so harshly.

“…Isn’t that a bit too much?”

Lucia clicked her tongue.

“What? Do you have something going on with that womanizer after that incident? You’re not even a beauty, so why?”

“Go die.”

Leon intervened and barely stopped Lucia, whose forehead veins were bulging with anger, from attacking Slain.

“Watch your mouth, Slain.”

“What? What’s it to you?”

“You shouldn’t say such harsh things to a beautiful lady.”

“Oh my, flattery won’t get you anywhere.”

Lucia said that, but her expression showed that she was pleased.

It seemed like being called beautiful by a handsome man like Leon felt good, regardless of race.

But.

Slain wasn’t going to back down so easily.

“You’re the one with a thing for immature older women. Remember how you got brutally rejected by that frail little missy at the ball?”

Thud!

Everyone heard it.

The sound of a nail being hammered into Leon’s heart.

Stagger.

Leon, his face pale, stumbled.

It seemed like it was a critical hit.

Slain was probably the only person who could bring up Leon’s dark history of being rejected by Riviera at the ball, so he hadn’t developed any resistance to it.

“Why are you killing Leon?”

“…I’m not dead, Lucia.”

Camian, unable to watch any longer, helped Leon to his seat and intervened.

“Oh, the right-hand man has arrived? Let’s ask him. What’s he thinking?”

“Who’s the right-hand man, who?”

Camian was hit by Slain’s indiscriminate attack, but he didn’t seem too fazed.

Perhaps it was because he knew what kind of person Slain was.

Camian spoke again with a serious expression.

“Anyway, it’s not just a meaningless act. Not from that senior.”

“Oh? Do you really know something?”

Slain’s eyes sparkled.

The gazes of the other students, including Lucia and Leon, also focused on Camian.

They seemed curious.

It was only natural, considering how unusual this incident was.

“What would I know? I’m just guessing. But…”

Camian looked directly at Slain and continued,

“Whatever his intentions are, don’t mock him. Unless you think a rich person’s money isn’t real money. Even if it’s just 1 silver, donating something is never easy.”

“Ha, you wouldn’t even look at that trash, would you?”

Slain sneered.

However.

“I took some. Three scrolls.”

Camian confidently took out the scrolls he had brought from his pocket.

“Huh?”

Slain was taken aback for the first time.

He hadn’t expected Camian to bring three of those useless scrolls that couldn’t be used or even resold.

“Ah, I have three too.”

At that moment, someone unexpected spoke up.

It was Princess Oscar.

She proudly took out three Holy Light scrolls with a smile.

“P-Princess, you too…?”

“Y-You took those…?”

The students were genuinely surprised.

Even Slain was speechless, his jaw dropped in shock.

“Hehehe, well, it’s a good souvenir. I don’t think something this special will happen again.”

Princess Oscar smiled.

Her words had a completely different effect from Camian’s.

“I-I have to get some too!”

“Me too, me too!”

“I’m going first!”

The students rushed out of the classroom.

…It had become a competition.

It was the celebrity effect.

Princess Oscar, a noble and one of the most outstanding students.

The fact that she had taken the scrolls and even said those words was the best advertisement possible.

Camian, with a defeated look on his face, as if saying, “Why not my words…?”, slumped down next to Leon, who was already “dead.”

It was like a scene from a sitcom.

Even as Max, I hadn’t expected this.

But one thing was certain.

It would definitely be helpful for the upcoming event.

No matter how carefully I placed the scrolls around the school, there was a clear difference between having them on hand and having to search for them in a moment of crisis.

The princess, who had been reluctant, had unintentionally helped.

And so, the Holy Light scrolls became especially popular among the second-year students.

And…

The time was drawing near.

“