Chapter 44

<Chapter 44 - Children Should Go to Bed Early> Lotto spoke with a face overcome by fear. "I'm telling you it's true. That child, before the blackout, she had clearly said it. Today, there would be a blackout. How could she have known that kind of information at that timing?" "Maybe you heard it wrong?" "I didn't! It was definitely that child who did it. If it wasn't her, then something behind the scenes definitely had a hand in helping!" Lotto's peers exchanged glances. "Lotto. When you're tired, it's best to take a good rest." "You look really ill; you should refrain from attending meetings for a while and focus on recuperating." Such gently worded advice was nothing short of telling him to no longer show his face at their gatherings! Realizing that those he had acquainted and shared cordial relationships with since the empire did not believe his words, Lotto, whose reputation was already in tatters, had no choice but to accept it. Having been used and discarded as convenient, if he protested, he would only be met with outright mockery. "... Alright. I'll contact you when I'm better." "I'll pray for your speedy recovery." 'Cowards.' Hollow greetings like that, he did not believe in them. Thrown out of the faction, he would no longer have to see their faces. They would gradually drift apart, and at some point, become nothing more than strangers to each other. Whoosh! Boom! Late at night. With his chest feeling tight, Lotto emerged from the training ground drenched in sweat. The cool preemptive sensation lingered over his heart, as heavy as his sweat-soaked body. "Who's there?" "Heh. Too slow." He was caught from behind. Even a tired body after practice should not have allowed such an easy access to one's back. This was no ordinary practitioner. With a burst of energy, he leapt up to put distance between himself and his opponent, who, without any intention of fleeing, stood there blankly. A masked schoolgirl waved her hand in greeting. "The story you shared among friends, is it true?" "...What do you want to know." "About Oknodie being aware of the blackout incident." "It's true. Everyone else may simply wrap themselves in cowardly excuses out of pure embarrassment, but the truth is the truth. I didn't lie." "I believe you." "...Really?" "I saw it with my own eyes. That child, as soon as the blackout occurred, used a magnificent sword technique. Others may be deceived but not me." The masked assassin Zheuang. Her eyes did not blur even in darkness. Especially when it came to 'mana.' 'You see it when you use the Secret Technique. The movements of mana.' The moment the safety guard in the sparring hall was lifted, she would strike and precisely sever a leg. Such was her swordplay. As soon as the lights went out, instead of stepping back or hesitating, she took two steps forward, targeting the enemy's leg, and unfurled her sword charged with energy. Such reaction speed, if it hadn't been foreknown, would have been impossible to match. 'The master said that scholarship students of the guild are just minnows, not worth alerting...' But this child was different. Zheuang turned around with a flick and turned his back on Lotto. "But don't go spreading this around too much." "Is that a threat?" "Threat? Such bothersome actions, I do not take. I simply cut to the quick. Consider this reciprocation for an interesting story. This is advice given for your benefit." Zheuang warned. "Even if it's the facilities for new students, if there's an organization capable of initiating a blackout at will by tampering with the Academy's facilities..." "......!" "If it were me, I would not openly cross an organization capable of disappearing a freshman effortlessly." Lotto staggered from fear, then collapsed to his knees. "Ah, ah, ah......" Terrified. Help me. He reached out as if to speak such words, but the figure of Zheuang, who should have been nearby, had already vanished. She was on a completely different level. Personal training with a brawler provided by the family. Fabricated renown. Flattery that was heaped upon him. In front of true experts, they were all utterly useless. Today, Lotto had felt the wall three times. Oknodie. Hestia, who had thwarted her. And not least, the masked child. From now on, he would stay as quiet as a dead mouse. The humble nature now called upon by experience would lead Lotto to live as a well-behaved child. * * Leaving the sparring arena, Oknodie faced scolding from Giselle and Son Ocheon. "It was dangerous. To wield your sword in earnest against such weak opponents. If an accident had occurred, you could have faced severe discipline even before your admission." "Hahaha! Oknodie, if you keep finding such enjoyment in cutting down people, we'll be seeing your picture on a bounty poster before the graduation album. Do you fancy becoming a nationwide five-star celebrity?" "Ugh, too harsh. I fought hard and all I get is talk of becoming a wanted star with five stars to my name." The accident was no fault of mine! "It's not too much at all." "Isabel unnie!" "If Hestia hadn't intervened, it would have been a disaster." "I'm sorry..." "Apologies are fine, but make sure you give proper thanks." "Yes." Had it been like the original game, where people died in accidents, such an incident could not have been resolved this smoothly. She hadn't even managed to slice off a leg as originally planned. And with no loss of life, the duel ended ambiguously. Lotto fled with a face like he'd narrowly escaped death, while the B-graders who had provoked him looked on spitefully before retreating together. [You have achieved the Group Competition (2) Event.] [You have prevented the Chapter Boss's Early Corruption Trigger. As a reward for the event's success, you have gained 50,000 points.] [The affection of the students who feel a sense of belonging to Group A increases all at once.] [The affection of the students who feel a sense of belonging to Group B does not decrease due to the dishonorable duel.] [The affection of the students who have a strong sense of belonging to Group B decreases all at once.] [Some of the talented students feel a sense of discomfort at your swift reaction.] [The attention of distinguished students increases.] [Affection of prestigious students fluctuates.] Fighting for Dolphin Pants was one thing; fighting for bulky female characters hardly spurred enthusiasm. Though she had stepped up in the heat of the moment, witnessing the fluctuations of affection left a sour taste in her mouth. Getting chummy with those guys was a guaranteed ticket to success post-graduation! Now that the affection has plummeted so deep... Far from advancing through the ranks of power, to avoid being suppressed under the weight of authority, I now just needed to achieve better academic performance and construct undeniable skills. "Ah, excuse me!" Hestia was hurrying along when I called out to her, but she glanced back only briefly, her eyes scanning the crowd that was gathering around me. Then, returning to an expression of stoic indifference, Hestia quickly made her way out of the training grounds alone. 'Poor, antisocial thing...' With so many people around, an introvert must feel overwhelmed, not wanting anyone by their side. Her rapid escape seemed both pitiful and somehow enviable. "Hey, what was that sword technique earlier?" "So you really are strong as the top student!" "Do you want to train together sometime?" I'm an introvert too. My head spun, dizzy from the countless reaching hands of the sweet-smelling schoolgirls. "Eeuueeng. Help me, Isabel." "...Hmph. Back off, everyone. Oknodie is tired from just finishing a duel. She gets scared when you suddenly crowd around like this." "Ah, sorry." "We didn't mean to scare her." "If you're up for it, come out to the dorms at 4 a.m. tomorrow. Let's go for a run together!" Four in the morning. That's way too early to wake up. "I don't want to." "Eeh, that's too harsh~" "You've got to get enough sleep if you want to grow taller!" I always made my point clearly. The girl who had made the suggestion poked me on the head before pulling her hand away... Molkaang I was organized by height from the chest level. "Oh. What's that? I want to try too." "Keke. You really do look like a baby." "With this height, I should sleep until 10 a.m., shouldn't I?" The lip-curling prank of the Dolphinpants girls was just as nasty as a group bullying. "Ugh, am I just below the chin?" "Ha. You're only as tall as the underbust." "It's humiliating... Not even reaching the collarbone." Cursed Dolphinpants. Don't turn another's height into a competition! * * After being subjected to height humiliation for a while, I returned to the dorm with a gloomy expression. Walking exhaustedly towards my room, my path was blocked by a large figure. Wait. Did I walk into a fall? Looking up, it wasn't a wall but someone's legs. Eh. Why are they so tall? The sense of defeat as a person was palpable, as I craned my neck and still couldn't see the face. "Oknodie." It was a voice I had heard just a few hours earlier. The owner of the tremendous height was none other than Hestia. "Did you follow me here?" "No, I was just... heading back to my room." "Ah, I see. On your way back. Sorry for the interruption." We walked side by side back to the rooms. Even though I was walking behind her, Hestia's large shadow not only covered my face but completely engulfed even my shadow, and the humiliation was almost too much to bear. Ugh. If I had reincarnated as a male character, I could easily surpass Hestia's 190 cm with just head height. It was a peculiar feeling looking up at someone when you were used to always looking down. With weaker people above me and me below, I felt almost like I'd become the underdog. I need to grow at least another 100 cm or so. Resolved, I opened my door only to sense a startled presence behind me. "Oh, Oknodie." "Huh?" "You... You live in room 111?" "So what?" "Then the one who helped me... Every night..." "What? What are you saying?" "No, it's nothing." Hestia dashed off towards room 112 as if fleeing. Even the most oblivious person could have picked up on her candid reaction. She must be mistaking the conversations she had with 'The Answering Wall' for ones she'd had with me. 'I may have been the target, but it's unsettling not knowing what was discussed.' It's uncomfortable eating alone with the murmurs going on around. It's tiresome waiting in line at the training grounds without a friend to hold my spot. Wasn't it conversations like that? "Hey, Hestia." "What?!" "Nothing. Good night." Rubbing my tired eyes and yawning, I heard a flustered voice say, "Ah, you too." I shot an annoyed glance at the non-responsive wall, then just threw myself onto the bed. Let's just sleep. * * Hestia realized something. 'Every night, Oknodie couldn't sleep properly because she was talking to me!' While she had found much solace in their conversations, her selfish actions made the child so tired—how immature. Hestia reflected on her actions. From now on, the 'Answering Wall' would be available from 9 to 9. She resolved to only initiate conversations between 9 in the morning and 9 in the evening. Author's Note (Postscript) Unbeknownst to her, the 'Answering Wall' had its operating hours established.