episode_0031

“Hmph~ Did you use me?”

Professor Idra would know that I used her to avoid the Arshen Kingdom students who were waiting for me.

Even though I had used her, Professor Idra didn’t seem upset at all; in fact, she looked pleased.

“Used me? What a hurtful thing to say between us. Honestly, Professor Idra, you’re eager to know how I enhance artifacts, aren’t you?”

If I had been caught by the Arshen Kingdom students, Professor Idra would have learned how I enhance artifacts later as well.

“That’s precisely the problem. I should scold you sharply for this, but I can’t.”

Honestly, even if I hadn’t done it this way, Professor Idra would have gladly helped if I had asked for her assistance.

Getting away from the students who were waiting for me would have been easy even without Professor Idra’s help.

“Just open this door, and it’s my laboratory! How is it, Loki? Exciting, isn’t it? I’ll let you open the door, especially for you.”

Despite that, the reason I specifically asked Professor Idra for help was to have a conversation with her.

“To be able to open Professor Idra’s laboratory door, I’m truly trembling.”

I exaggeratedly trembled my hand as I grabbed the doorknob. When I shook my hand excessively, Professor Idra burst out laughing.

I opened the door to Professor Idra’s laboratory and stepped inside.

“Ta-da! This is my laboratory!”

Professor Idra’s laboratory was surprisingly clean and organized, unlike what I had imagined.

“Loki, you can take a look around.”

“Then I won’t refuse and will take a look around.”

There were various artifacts in Professor Idra’s laboratory. Some I had seen during my time playing Croaka, and others I was seeing for the very first time.

“Did Professor Idra make all of these herself?”

“Yes, I made all of them myself. How is it? Amazing, right?”

“It’s truly amazing.”

I was genuinely impressed that Professor Idra had made all of these.

‘Was Professor Idra in her mid-20s?’

There were hundreds of artifacts in Professor Idra’s laboratory. She probably had more elsewhere.

As I was looking around the artifacts, my gaze stopped at one spot.

“Hehe, Loki, you know what that is, don’t you?”

Professor Idra poked my side and said in a bright voice.

“Yes, how could I forget it?”

What my gaze stopped on was a blue orb. If it had just been any blue orb, my gaze wouldn’t have lingered.

“That’s the core of that golem from the entrance ceremony, right?”

There were more than 10 cores from that crazy golem from the entrance ceremony. This meant that if Professor Idra put her mind to it, she could summon and make 10 of those golems fight.

“Correct. Now that you’ve had a look around, shall we talk?”

Professor Idra tapped on a chair and said. I walked over to the chair she had tapped and sat down.

“Professor-nim, could you lend me any artifact, it doesn’t matter which one?”

Since there wasn’t much time left until the next class, I decided to show her quickly.

Professor Idra handed me an object from her desk.

I put the object into my subspace.

“Did you put it in subspace?”

“Correct, please wait a moment!”

About a minute later, I took out the object again and handed it to Professor Idra.

Professor Idra silently examined the object I had handed her.

“It really has been enhanced further.”

It wasn’t her usual bright voice, but a serious one.

“How many people know about this ability?”

“So far, no one except Professor Idra.”

“That’s a relief. It’s probably best not to tell anyone about this.”

As she said, if other people knew about this ability, it would become troublesome.

Honestly, I hadn’t intended to tell anyone else about this ability either, but I thought it wouldn’t matter if I told Professor Idra.

“Professor-nim, would you like to make a deal with me?”

Hearing the word ‘deal,’ Professor Idra said, sounding intrigued.

“Oho~ A deal, you say?”

“I will enhance any artifact you desire! In return, Professor-nim, please help me with making artifacts.”

Hearing my words, Professor Idra seemed to fall into thought.

And as if she had finished thinking, she opened her mouth.

“That seems like too good of an offer just for me, doesn’t it?”

“Professor Idra-nim helping me make artifacts? This is cheap enough.”

Others might think it’s a losing deal for me, but it doesn’t matter.

Although I can easily make artifacts with a craftsman’s touch, that only applies if I know the crafting method.

But if Professor Idra helps, I’ll be able to create tools I’ve only imagined.

“If we make a deal like this, I’d feel too guilty as a professor, so I’ll give you a few of the artifacts I’ve made.”

“Receiving artifacts made by Professor Idra-nim? Now I’m the one who feels guilty.”

“Ahahahahaha, I’m glad you value the artifacts I’ve made so highly.”

.

.

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After all the classes ended, I walked to the dormitory.

It was a bit ambiguous to call it night, but the sky had grown sufficiently dark.

The dormitory was so spacious and nice that comparing it to the inn I had stayed at was an insult.

Of course, not all students used this kind of dormitory. It was highly likely that this dormitory was assigned to students in the special class.

“Now, shall I slowly unpack my luggage?”

I took out various items I had placed in my subspace. Among them were a few artifacts Professor Idra had given me earlier.

I took out all the necessary items, but feeling too lazy to organize them, I decided to put off tidying up and prepare for sleep instead.

“Huh?”

I tried to take out the medicine I had put in my subspace, but no matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find it. I absolutely needed the medicine to fall asleep.

‘Could it be that I ran out?’

If it were ordinary medicine, I would have gone out to get it right away, but the medicine I needed was a special one made by Duke Adelien.

I sighed.

I sighed and lay down on the bed.

It wasn’t time to sleep yet, but the thought of not having the medicine filled me with worry.

Until yesterday, before coming to the academy, I had overslept and was even late, but now I had to worry about whether I could even fall asleep.

‘I can’t ask the Duke for more either.’

It was obvious that if I asked Duke Adelien for more, he would just lecture me not to rely on medicine.

Ring-ring! Ring-ring!

As I was worrying, I heard a sound.

I walked towards where the sound was coming from.

The communication device I had received from Lucas this morning was making a sound.

A total of three people were connected to this communication device: the Emperor, Lucas, and Yerika.

Lucas was unlikely, as we had just talked before I came to the dormitory.

Yerika was also excluded, as there was no particular reason for her to contact me.

That left the Emperor.

My deduction was theoretically perfect.

[It seems you received it well from my older brother.]

However, the result was completely off.

The one who contacted me was Yerika, the Imperial Princess.

“Princess-nim, what brings you to contact me…?”

[Because Clown-nim didn’t contact me at all, I called myself.]

Listening to her voice, she seemed a little angry.

No, rather than angry, ‘sulking’ would be a more accurate description.

“From now on, I’ll contact you first!”

As I fretted, Yerika chuckled. Fortunately, it seemed she wasn’t too sulky.

[How was your first day at the academy?]

When thinking of the communication device as a modern cell phone, there are two options for contacting someone through it.

One is just a call,

and the other is a video call.

The call Yerika had made to me now was a regular call where only her voice could be heard, not her face.

Therefore, I spoke comfortably while lying on my bed.

“To say it was ordinary, well, several things happened.”

[Can you tell me?]

“Of course.”

After that, I told Yerika about what had happened today.

Being late on the very first day, the entire special class ganging up on the professor, and then all losing, among other things.

Of course, I didn’t mention what happened with the bug.

[So many things happened, didn’t they? But if you’re going to fight the professor again tomorrow, shouldn’t you go to sleep early?]

The problem now wasn’t going to sleep early, but whether I *could* fall asleep.

“I’m fine. How was your day, Princess-nim?”

Normally, asking the Princess such a thing would be rude, but since I had become somewhat close to Yerika while learning from the Emperor, this much didn’t matter.

[I felt a little bitter because I couldn’t meet Clown-nim.]

Yerika spoke as if she was bitter, but her voice was full of playfulness.

She didn’t used to say such things, but she started talking to me like that occasionally while we chatted.

Ahahaha.

Every time Yerika spoke like that, I couldn’t help but let out a short laugh.

If the Emperor found out, it wouldn’t end with just a normal beating.

.

.

.

After that, I had quite a long conversation with Yerika.

The ambiguous time that wasn’t quite night had now truly become night.

[Yawn~ I guess I should slowly get to sleep now.]

Yerika said, yawning, as if sleepy.

For a Princess to yawn in front of others is against etiquette, but it was also a sign that I had become comfortable with her.

[Princess-nim, dream of me.]

Hearing my words, the Princess naturally retorted.

[When you appear in my dreams, please come out without your mask.]

Yerika left one last remark and ended the call.

[Next time, please call me Yerika comfortably.]

Click – click.

As Yerika hung up, only the sound of the call disconnecting echoed through my dormitory.

Hahahahaha.

Recalling Yerika’s last words, I laughed loudly.

Strangely, whenever I talked with Yerika, I unconsciously relaxed and my mind felt at ease.

I don’t know why, but with the thought that I might be able to sleep a little, I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes.