episode_0123

It had been about a month since the day Ethan suddenly asked me to let him touch my chest.

During this month, nothing particularly special happened. After Ethan touched my chest once, he didn’t demand anything more from me.

Instead, it seemed like he had found peace of mind through that request, as he was already excelling in classes over the following month, even managing to win two out of the four matches against Harold.

The top four students had the opportunity to spar with Harold once a week during class. Winning two out of the four matches was quite an achievement.

Of course, Harold was not only sparring with Ethan but also with other students, so it couldn’t be said that he was in top condition. However, Ethan, who faced off against other top students in swordplay, was in a similar situation.

So, without further ado, we decided to acknowledge Ethan’s victory in two matches. Creating exceptions would only lead to exhaustion for both of us.

…The problem was that from now on, every time Ethan won another match, his hand holding the sword would once again grip my chest.

Well, at this point, I wasn’t particularly embarrassed by Ethan touching my body. Since I had decided not to hide my reactions to being touched by a man, there was no need to feel ashamed!

Other than the temporary chaos caused by Harold’s temporary professorship and the protagonist exposing the misconduct of one of the technology professors to ‘save’ one of the heroines, the academy’s focus had changed more than twice.

Thanks to these high-profile rumors, the incident where Ethan and I had dueled in front of the auditorium on the first day of enrollment had somewhat faded away.

Although we couldn’t exactly call ourselves close, we had managed to somewhat break the ice with the new magic department students. At most, we were just forming groups for joint classes.

“Goodbye, Lizzie!”

“See you tomorrow, Lizzie!”

“Yes, take care as well.”

…Well, since we were in the magic department, having connections within the department meant that everyone was somewhat related to nobility, giving off a slightly ladylike vibe in their speech.

Of course, true noble ladies or high-ranking nobles were not that common in the academy, so most of the students who mingled were from viscount or marquis families.

Dealing with a real noble lady was tiring in many ways, so it was better for me to socialize with people of this level. As nobility rose in rank, so did their pride and vanity.

And recently, a real noble lady had been persistently clinging to me.

Moreover, this character shouldn’t have even appeared in the main story, let alone enter the academy.

“Oh, Lizzie~! Here I am, over here~!”

“….”

The Auguste family’s noble lady, blatantly calling my name in the academy square to provoke me.

With her loud voice echoing in a crowded place, my face naturally grew warm.

‘…Calling out provocatively in a loud voice in a crowded place is just like what my younger brother would do.’

I couldn’t understand why the daughter of the Marquis family of Auguste suddenly took an interest in me with my humble status.

Of course, her calling me by my name without reservation didn’t change the actual hierarchy, so I continued to respond politely to Lizzie.

“You don’t have to call out so loudly, Miss Auguste. I can hear you just fine.”

“You can call me Lizzie, Lelis.”

“No, I can’t just call the lady from the Auguste Byungbaek family by her name, as I am just a lowly viscountess.”

“I don’t mind?”

She thinks I don’t know that she’s using a title to keep her distance from me. She’s probably trying to find a weakness in me by inducing an informal title, at least that’s what I think.

She must be incredibly perceptive to have noticed my past mistake of picking a fight with her in front of Edan and then bowing down as soon as he appeared. She’s probably trying to appear friendly to me while trying to establish a connection with Edan behind my back.

“I don’t think it’ll be a good idea to bring her in front of Edan.”

Since we were both a nuisance to each other in formal settings, there was no way we could make each other look good. While Karaham, a fellow swordswoman, was building camaraderie with men by sharing her skills with Edan, her sister Lijie had no connection with me as she was in the pharmacy department.

Our relationship was limited to meeting occasionally when I had free time and chatting for an hour or two.

Using the expression “meeting because I like it” would be an overstatement; in reality, it was more like Lijie calling me out.

“What did you call me for today, Miss Auguste?”

“Well, let me think. Were you busy with something else starting now, Relise?”

“My original plan was to read in the swordsmanship department’s lounge. I was planning to read the book you gave me last time, Miss Auguste.”

“Hmm, so in conclusion, you don’t have any other plans?”

I just said I was planning to read.

From the perspective of the noble lady Lijie, reading might just be a simple pastime, but for me, it was an essential stat-boosting event that I had to go through in various ways.

At least until the midterms, I had to read this book in its entirety to pass the first semester smoothly.

Of course, it was quite difficult to brush off a promise made by the lady of the Auguste family just for the sake of reading, and I already owed Lijie something regarding this book.

Lately, meeting her once or twice a week and spending some time with her had become a part of my routine.

“Today, we’re going to the dessert cafeteria run by the Auguste Society! Do you like sweet food, Relise?”

“I don’t dislike it.”

“That’s perfect! Since Karaham and Master Edan’s swordsmanship class will end in about two hours, shall we enjoy some pastries at the Auguste Society’s cafeteria in the meantime?”

“If you allow me to continue reading during the pastry time… I don’t mind.”

“Of course, I won’t disturb you!”

Oh, this is really awkward.

***

It was about three weeks ago when I officially started interacting with Lijie.

It wasn’t like I approached her first or anything; it was more of a coincidental meeting at first.

She was the one who helped me out when I was in a difficult situation for another reason.

It all started when I stumbled upon her while browsing through an underground miscellaneous shop during Edan’s break time.

“Understanding the flow of magic, understanding the flow of magic…”

As I mentioned before, once I enroll in the Luminaire Academy, there are various ways to improve my damn luck stat.

I could take classes specializing in accuracy at the Luminaire Academy or use books or special equipment available in various places within the academy.

And it all started with a visit to the underground general store on campus, where one could only find the ‘Understanding of Magical Flow,’ a key item that could increase one’s luck stat. Lily’s journey to acquire this book began when her academy life started to fall into place.

“…Ah, there it is.”

Luckily, finding the book wasn’t too difficult for Lily, as she was already familiar with the book’s design.

Among the dark and dreary-colored books on the shelves of the medieval fantasy bookstore, a cover emitting a green light stood out, impossible to ignore.

Amidst the dusty shelves filled with various ancient texts, Lily managed to get her hands on the book she desired.

‘Just by reading this one book, I can increase my luck stat by 2.’

Some might question the effort for just a measly 2 points. Perhaps when playing as the protagonist, they would skip acquiring such trivial items after the third playthrough.

Going through the hassle of rummaging through the underground general store at the academy, spending an additional two gold coins for the event, just to raise the luck stat by 2 seemed unnecessary.

But for Lily at this moment, even a 2-point increase was crucial. After all, just by reading this book, Lily’s current luck stat of 2 would double.

Her existing hit rate of 4-5% would skyrocket to 9-10% in an instant.

…Of course, even with such an increase, barely reaching double digits was still quite dismal.

‘If I can just hold on for one semester, things will be manageable from the next semester onwards.’

After completing all the luck-related courses this semester, Lily could potentially raise her stat to nearly 10, and her hit rate for offensive magic could increase to 25%.

If she also incorporated triple casting, she could even disguise her hit rate to 50%.

Although it was painful to spend more than half of her monthly salary on just one book, Lily considered herself fortunate that she could buy luck for just one gold coin.

‘If I can afford it now, it’s actually a bargain. If I wait to level up further and then buy it, the efficiency will be much lower.’

With such thoughts in mind, Lily confidently approached the counter of the underground general store.

However, the moment the store owner took a look at Lily’s face and body, her response left Lily dumbfounded.

“Ten gold coins.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Did I hear you wrong? I said ten gold coins.”

“…?”

Seriously? You’re inflating the price five times when it’s clearly a two-gold coin item?

Just as the words were about to burst out of her mouth, Lily managed to suppress the urge to swear and maintained her composure.

Regardless, as the one who wanted the book the most, Lily had to try to negotiate with the store owner, who demanded ten gold coins.

“Is this book really that expensive…? It doesn’t look that pricey at first glance…”

“If you think so, then don’t buy it. We have plenty of other customers who will.”

“Could you… perhaps lower the price a bit…? I don’t have much money on me…”

“Twenty coins.”

“…Excuse me?”

“You’re not a man, so stop acting all cutesy. If you don’t have twenty coins, then don’t buy it. Leave.”

…Seriously, this crazy person.

Despite only exchanging a few words, Lily found herself in a conflict with the store owner, who was now jabbering away and ready to throw a punch. Just as she was contemplating how to handle the situation, a familiar-looking couple entered the underground general store.

Upon hearing the voice and conversation, the identities of the man and woman who had just entered could be easily discerned.

“Sister, why did you bother coming to a miscellaneous shop like this in the underground? Isn’t there a shop for academy students on the 1st floor of the student union building?”

“Well, obviously I came here to get things that you can’t find there, right? Use your brain, Kara.”

“So then, what’s the reason for dragging me all the way here….”

“Having you here makes negotiating prices much easier. Enough chit-chat, just follow me… huh?”

Descending the stairs from the surface to the underground were the siblings from the Auguste family.

The chance encounter with the two individuals, who had already become familiar in many ways, was the starting point of the circumstances that led me to be with Lizzy now.