Chapter 9: Inflated Rumors (1)

It took quite a long time for my body to fully recover.

This was because the damage to my mana circuits caused by the overload was more severe than expected.

Thanks to the overwhelming divine power of the baptism I received, it was manageable to this extent; 

If I were an ordinary student, the injuries would have been fatal without question.

“Just as I thought.”

I, a mere extra, was the first to escape the hallucination.

It’s a fact that I’m mediocre in both skill and mana capacity.

Yet even Rozennia, a mage with profound knowledge of mana, took some time to break free from the illusion.

She, being of royal blood, naturally received a baptism from the Holy Order, regardless of when it occurred.

The fact that I woke up earlier, despite having received my baptism more recently…

“It’s almost excessive to the point of being burdensome.”

This means the baptism bestowed by Saint Venice was unprecedentedly powerful.

“I didn’t expect it to be this much.”

I accepted the baptism on a whim because it was suddenly offered to me, assuming everyone received something similar, as I lacked knowledge about divine power.

While it did bring me unexpected attention from those around me, without it, I would already be a corpse, just another puppet in his collection.

So, I decided to see it in a positive light.

“By the way, Sylvia.”

After regaining consciousness, many people came to visit me during my recovery.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

Sylvia, Ian, Rozennia, Gray, and others—all the people I was acquainted with—came to see me.

However, Sylvia visited every single day, whether it was a weekday or a weekend.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“You said you don’t need to study anymore, Theo.”

“Isn’t that beside the point?”

Arcane, being an educational institution, takes attendance very seriously.

While my absences were excused due to my injuries,

“Don’t your professors check on you?”

“It’s fine… probably.”

Sylvia seemed to be skipping classes without any particular reason.

“Well, I don’t mind since it keeps me from being bored.”

Though this world is full of magic and mysterious phenomena, it isn’t exactly the dopamine-filled modern world.

Lying in a hospital room for days was unbearably dull.

Thanks to Sylvia’s daily visits and her company, I could ease my boredom a little.

She even clumsily peeled fruit for me or regularly opened the window to let in fresh air, which made things comfortable for me.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

As I was lazily dozing off after finishing lunch,

“Oh, looks like you’re doing better now.”

Grey opened the door and walked into the hospital room.

“What’s this?”

“This? It’s a special collection from your big bro.”

What he casually dropped on the table were a few books wrapped in bright red covers.

“Ooh…”

I picked up one and flipped it open slightly, only to find it filled with illustrations dominated by flesh tones.

It seems men are the same no matter the world.

How considerate of him to bring something like this.

“…Beast.”

Of course, Sylvia gave us a disgusted look, as if we were insects.

“Ahem, have you eaten?”

I quickly changed the subject to avoid the situation.

“Yeah, I already ate. Lady Vicenne has quite the talent for cooking.”

“…You’re something else.”

“Not just her cooking skills, either.”

Gray smirked mischievously.

I couldn’t help but genuinely admire him for his audacity.

“How many people on earth…”

“That’s a secret. Even between friends, some things are off-limits.”

“Fine. It’s my fault for asking in the first place.”

As we spent time chatting idly, the visiting hours were nearing their end.

“I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“Make sure you look at the gift I gave you by yourself, alright?”

After Sylvia and Gray left the hospital room, I was left alone in the quiet and solitary ward.

There, I slowly examined the flesh-colored book.

“Let’s see…”

Oh, and for the record, I wasn’t planning on using it for “happy time.”

As vulgar as it might seem, these books contained something very important hidden within them.

“Here it is.”

A small note tucked between the pages.

It was hastily scrawled in messy handwriting.

If it’s fake, I won’t let it slide.

Gray was the first friend I made after being transported to this world.

He seemed like an aimless loafer, good for nothing, but if you dug deeper, he turned out to be quite a significant character.

‘On the surface, he looks like someone who indulges in a debauched lifestyle, but that’s far from the truth.’

Gray’s true worth becomes evident in the latter half.

After all, he eventually becomes a member of a rapidly growing intelligence organization.

At the moment, it’s nothing more than a small errand-running service known by few, but over time, it will grow into the Empire’s largest intelligence network.

‘The name was… Black Crow, wasn’t it?’

Black Crow, huh.

It’s not the most creative name, but a simple and easy to remember name isn’t a bad choice either.

Why does he wander around charming widows here and there?

All for the sake of gathering information.

Wearing the mask of a debauched loafer, he roams around obtaining all kinds of intelligence as a member of Black Crow.

That’s Gray.

That’s why I approached him beforehand.

Like a friend, pretending to know nothing.

According to the original plan, I would’ve played dumb until they hit their stride and grew, but the situation has changed.

‘From now on, anything could happen. Even the information I already know might become useless.’

Gray has a younger brother suffering from a chronic illness.

At present, it’s an incurable disease.

The cost of medicine alone is astronomical, enough to rival the price of a house in the capital.

That’s why he gave up on the Academy and joined the intelligence organization.

While the Academy secures one’s future, it doesn’t guarantee the present.

So, I told him about a way to cure his brother and demanded priority access to information in return.

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

At first, he looked at me with a bewildered expression, as if I were spouting nonsense. 

But when I accurately pinpointed his brother’s symptoms and seizure cycles, his attitude shifted immediately.

“Who… No, never mind. I need to confirm this first.”

After that, he disappeared without a word, only to show up today with that note.

It’ll take some time to achieve my goal, but that’s fine.

‘The bait has been taken. Now, I just have to wait.’

***

“Presence… Presence, huh…”

After recovering and being discharged, I returned to the dormitory.

“What the hell does this presence even mean?”

Two messages had appeared since I came to my senses:

[Presence has increased.]

[EXP +445]

[Presence has increased.]

[EXP +671]

“Why did it show up twice?”

Once might make sense.

After all, I essentially saved the protagonist and heroines, no matter the method.

“This doesn’t make sense…”

I had assumed that “presence” was based on simply conversing with or drawing the attention of major characters, making them aware of me.

I had actually climbed up that way before, but my theory was shattered the moment the second message appeared.

“I need to figure out more accurately about presence.”

If there’s another way for them to recognize me besides what I think, I wouldn’t have to rack my brain like this.

“Then, all I’d need to do is invest in myself at that point.”

Having witnessed firsthand the power of things that can be purchased with EXP.

On the day I attended class for the first time after being discharged, unlike the slightly chilly weather before, the warm sunlight and the gentle breeze signaled the arrival of full-fledged spring.

Although I was heading to the lecture hall as usual, I was bothered by the dozens of eyes fixed on me.

“Did you hear about it?”

“Of course. It was already strange for a commoner to be hanging out with Winstred.”

“I heard he’s top in theory.”

“Well, he does look quite decent.”

Whispers from all around.

The more I listened, the stranger the content became.

Rumors were going around that I was secretly dating the saintess, or that I had even reached out to Sylvia, juggling two relationships at once.

…What in the world is going on?

I could guess why, but it was still baffling.

‘Well, it’s an age full of youthful energy. They need gossip.’

Everyone here was in their passionate twenties.

Such rumors tend to get exaggerated, so ignoring them would probably make them fade quickly.

“They said the saintess didn’t deny it, though?”

“Really? Wow, that’s crazy.”

“Same with Sylvia. When I tried to ask her what was going on, she didn’t say a word.”

But as I thought that, the situation was worse than I imagined.

‘Why are they staying silent?’

It made sense for Sylvia, given her character of not caring about others’ opinions.

But Venice?

The saintess is the only channel of communication with the divine.

She’s supposed to maintain her sanctity at all times, yet she wasn’t reacting to such low-level gossip?

This was becoming problematic for me.

“Is it that guy?”

“Yeah, he’s an arrogant bastard.”

“Hope he just drops dead.”

No wonder the male students had been giving me strange looks from earlier.

Unintentionally, I had become public enemy number one.

“I’m innocent, I swear.”

I really haven’t done anything.

Why they’re staying silent after being associated with me, and why Ian, the protagonist, isn’t intervening—

I want to know too, dammit!