Chapter 47 – The Peaceful Midterm Week (4)

“Hey, Liv, did something good happen?”

The library was packed during exam season, making it hard to find a place to sit. Karen’s question was met with a shake of Liv’s head.

“Not really.”

“‘Not really’? Come on, what are you smiling about while looking at that?”

The book Karen pointed to was a research paper for the “Practical Application of Black Magic” exam that would begin in three hours.

Liv hesitated to answer for a moment. Her friend was right; her good mood had a different reason.

“No, really, it was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life!”

“Wow, Baroness Greenwood, you can use that new magic too?”

“So, would you show me again sometime?”

I was complimented.

The truth was, while Liv was popular at the Academy, she was also often the target of jealousy and envy.

She was a low-ranked noble with nothing but a baron title and no actual land to her name.

People didn’t like seeing someone like her rise above them.

The professors, too, were eager to recruit her for their respective towers but had no reason to show her more favor than necessary since she hadn’t chosen a side yet.

They feared sharing their school’s magic theories or teachings with her, only for Liv to join another tower.

Most of the attention she received was either out of self-interest or simply empty flattery.

That’s why Liv, who was always short on money, never asked anyone for help, not even her friend Karen.

It was better to set boundaries from the start if she couldn’t repay any favors.

That’s why Louis’s sincere compliment felt like rain on parched land to her.

Of course, he probably didn’t understand anything about Imaginary Magic, but still, he thought her magic was amazing.

“See? You did get some good news. Did you get a confession or something?”

“It’s nothing like that.”

If she told her friend about it, she’d probably get another angry outburst.

“Just, being around him makes me feel at ease.”

“That’s what makes you happy?”

Karen gave Liv a look as if she’d just tasted something sour while staring at the book in Liv’s hand.

Ah, this is why I’m getting such bad grades, hanging around people like her.

If her friend had gone that far, there wasn’t much more to say.

She must have loved studying that much. Clearly, she was destined to grow old and die a spinster.

“Anyway, how many exams do you have left?”

“I have three more. After today’s test, I just need to finish the ‘History of War’ and ‘Magic Circuit Theory’ exams.”

“Lucky… History of War is a paper, right? Liv, can’t you help me out?”

“I’m busy with my own stuff. Oh, right, I need to borrow some history books. I should submit my request now. Hang on a sec.”

Liv stood up. All restricted books required a librarian’s approval for checkout.

On normal days, they would’ve handed them over immediately, but with so many people crowded around, it might take some time.

Her chosen topic for the history paper was the second battle at the Lavierre Defense Line, where her father, Paris Greenwood, had died.

The two battles, known as the “Lavierre Heights Battle,” were the largest battles that almost led to humanity’s extinction.

Her father died in the second battle and was posthumously awarded the title of baron for his contributions.

“I’d like to borrow some books.”

“Okay, can you provide your request list?”

“Here you go.”

“We’re experiencing a backlog right now, so please check back in the evening.”

“All right.”

Her last words to her father as they left their hometown in Greenwood Forest still lingered in her memory.

Though he never returned and it was unclear where his body now lay in the forest, one thing was certain:

Her father was a hero who saved their country.

***

Back at the store, I began setting up traps.

Although I’m not well-versed in magic or worldly matters, I consider myself fairly knowledgeable when it comes to all things related to combat.

Naturally, that includes setting traps. Especially since our party often didn’t have a rogue, so I ended up handling such tasks myself.

Using a bit of rope and some corpses lying around, I created traps on the battlefield that were surprisingly effective, but now I had plenty of resources, so I could make even better ones.

I strung a noose and threw it over a branch, dug a pit filled with sharp stakes beneath it, and hung thin strings between the trees with a canister containing blasting magic spells tied to trigger stones at each end.

As I spent the whole day making traps, the area around the store began to look like a guerilla warfare zone, reminiscent of Vietnam.

While I left the main path and the front door clear for the students, anyone trying to sneak in through the windows or the back door wouldn’t even be able to collect their bones.

Even if someone managed to avoid one trap, another would activate right away, and if they tried to escape, there were traps set up in reverse to catch them on their way out.

Of course, I didn’t have the confidence to say these traps would fend off the entire Rochear army or their knights, but I could always increase their lethality.

I hadn’t done that yet because there could be some friendly fire incidents.

“Rustle!”

While I was working, I heard a trap go off outside.

With a sigh, I went out to find Adela dangling in the air, caught in a snare after grabbing the bait I had set.

“Got caught!”

“Sigh.”

Wouldn’t most people find it suspicious to see bread lying in the middle of the road?

I was glad I hadn’t wrapped the rope in thorns, or she might have gotten seriously hurt.

“Didn’t I tell you not to come until after exams?”

“I didn’t come to the store. I was just passing by.”

Her response was lightning-fast.

Despite sneaking around and setting off every trap, one after another.

I spun Adela, who was hanging in the air with the rope wrapped around her waist. She seemed to enjoy it, screaming as if she were on an amusement park ride.

“Are you studying for your exams? You’ll get expelled if your grades are low.”

“I am! Thanks to the princess helping me, being top of my class is a done deal… Ugh, I’m dizzy.”

Yeah, right.

If Adela really took the top student title, what future would this academy have?

Lehel would surely have to resign as headmaster.

I stopped spinning her and checked her bag, where a bunch of crumpled papers fell out.

She must have just taken an exam because the ink hadn’t dried yet.

The content was extremely difficult, but even I could tell her answers were nonsense. There was no way she would get a high score.

I couldn’t help but scold her.

“What are you going to do if your grades drop because you’re not studying? You won’t get into the mage tower you want.”

“Ugh…!”

“The last time Baroness Liv was working at the store, she never let go of her book. You should at least try to do half as much.”

“Teacher…?”

“If your grades are low, what will you do in the future? Huh? You want to go join some small adventurer’s guild in the boonies and hunt monsters for a living?”

“I… I’ll stay with you, Teacher, so it’s fine!”

It felt like I was scolding a rebellious child who refused to listen. And on top of that, this brat had no intention of becoming independent and was just throwing a tantrum.

If I had left her alone, Rochear would’ve straightened her out.

Now, I could understand Esther’s big picture.

Esther Silvesta de Rochear… I don’t miss you.

“Adela.”

I decided to lower my standards a bit. I bent down so I was at eye level with her as she looked at me, hanging from the rope.

“Are you really sure you can keep attending here?”

“I… am.”

“Really?”

“…”

Her face grew more somber.

Right, how could I not know, having watched the students here for years? Farencia Academy is harsh to those without talent and even harsher to those who don’t work hard.

Being able to use magic, which the majority of people in this world can’t, was proof of one’s talent.

That’s why I felt sorry for Adela. She had inherited the immense talent of the Rochear family’s unique magic, yet she had wasted her time.

Of course, she didn’t have much choice back then, just trying to survive.

Now that things were settled, she could start putting in the effort.

I intended to give this small Northern Flower the little bit of help she needed to bloom beautifully.

“If you don’t fail any subjects this time, I’ll grant you one wish.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Anything!? Really!?”

“I said I would, didn’t I?”

“Really…?”

She kept asking, so I covered her mouth. I could feel her squirming as she hung there from the rope.

Our tongues lightly touched, but there was no transfer of karma. Now that I think about it, was this our first pure kiss?

“Hehe…”

Unlike before, Adela closed her eyes this time. When she opened them again, her blue eyes couldn’t look straight at me.

“Something more than this, too?”

“I said I would.”

“…”

“You’re going to study hard, right?”

She nodded.

Adela’s head bobbed lightly. It seemed like she was getting a bit smarter, and I was glad.

***

“What? What did you just say?”

Liv, who had just taken her last exam of the day and dropped by the library, was surprised by the unexpected outcome.

The librarian handed her a document marked in red and shrugged.

“Your request to check out these books was denied. You can only borrow the two at the top of the list.”

“Why? Did someone else borrow them, or were the originals damaged…?”

“No, the books you requested are available both here and in Thessalon. But in this case… it’s a security level violation.”

Security level? She could understand if it were a high-level magic book, but Liv had requested a simple history book. Even other students in the same class could borrow it, and its security level was only a B at most.

“Can I know the reason?”

Liv had no choice but to question the result. However, the librarian shook her head, indicating she didn’t know either.

“Beats me. Sometimes, even the same book can be denied for different reasons depending on the situation.”

“Sigh… I’ll just have to request it again, then.”

Resigned, Liv left the library and opened the list of her denied requests.

[Reason for denial: No viewing rights.]

Bold red letters clearly marked with a seal. The ink was smeared, making it hard to distinguish, but it was clear that the authority that denied the book request wasn’t the royal family or the Seven Towers.

A broken sword and an arrow embedded in a black shield, surrounded by a long mountain range. Liv’s slender finger traced over the symbol.

“This is… Lavierre Mountains?”