NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23
Eventually, in the dormitory known as the Black House, only Yeriel and I remained to spend the night.
Thanks to the issues with the dormitory procedures and the influence of Melissa and the Cheong-gwan dormitory supervisor, it seems like Aria won’t be moving in anytime soon.
Wow…
Aria, who is usually stoic and indifferent to others, showing this level of initiative is surprising.
It must be true that her past with demons has left her traumatized enough to trigger this kind of sudden outburst…
Click.
All the lights in the room turned off, and in her pajamas, Yeriel spoke to me from the hallway.
“Have a good night…! If something comes up, feel free to call. I’m the dorm supervisor, after all…!”
“Sure.”
We exchanged awkward farewells, and as I was about to go into my room, Yeriel spoke to me once more.
“U-umm.”
“?”
“I’m sorry. Actually, I’ve heard some things about you from the professor already. So, they said to let them know if there’s any problem…”
“…”
“I don’t easily believe in bad rumors…! I just wanted you to be comfortable here… if that’s alright…”
“It’s all true.”
“Uh…?”
Instead of letting things unfold later, it would probably be better to clearly draw a line and show that I’ve ‘washed my hands of it.’
“I’ve got 49 demerit points, which puts me at risk of expulsion. But while I’m here, I’ll keep to myself. There’s no need to go out of your way to support me.”
“Oh, okay… Sorry.”
For some reason, she keeps apologizing.
“Well, good night…”
With that, she wrapped her cardigan tighter and headed up to the third floor.
She looked a bit lonely as she walked away.
In this place where the setting has changed,
I heard that Yeriel was now a second-year student, having skipped a grade.
She’s probably quite popular within the academy,
but with the arrival of new freshmen this semester for the first time, she must have spent a lot of time here alone.
And yet, she probably kept her smile despite everything.
Given that she’s born with a character that is devoted to everyone, no one suspects her of being a villain…
Yet, from the moment she was born, she’s been cursed by a Tarchangel.
When she becomes aware of her true feelings and falls into despair, she becomes a dark Tarchangel… a truly cliché and annoying curse for a gamer.
Ultimately, when she realizes that her feelings for Edwin, the Reincarnated Hero, are romantic, regret and despair begin to set in, and she turns into a Tarchangel.
And this curse is a level 9 curse, which I can’t lift with my newly acquired skill, the Healing Technique.
Sadly, for the sake of game balance, it’s best for her to remain isolated here.
*
The morning of the first regular class of Claris Academy arrived.
Buzz buzz.
Before entering the classroom,
there was a huge notice board at the entrance, displaying the rankings of the students.
——————————————————
Grade S
Melissa de Prominence
Caeran Hiss
Aveline Valantes
.
.
.
——————————————————
I quickly checked the names of the main characters.
This is no surprise.
——————————————————
Grade A
Lily Forget
Selena Windforce
Aria Bluebell
.
.
.
Grade B
.
.
.
Lev Denec
.
.
.
Grade C
Edwin Gwynn
——————————————————
“Eh?”
Even according to the novel, here I am at grade B, just on the verge of expulsion. Isn’t this a mistake?
What? Didn’t Lev Denec get expelled?
Seriously, what’s up with him…
I heard demons appeared during the test; could it be pity?
The students’ reactions aren’t good either.
Selena, who should be in grade S, is listed in A.
According to the original story, despite being a half-elf without Wind Archery, she showcased her skills honestly and emerged victorious in the test.
But I ended up getting a huge score by taking down a rag.
It seems my intervention has altered the future.
Considering they don’t factor in personality or demerit points,
it can truly be seen as a meritocratic academy.
Tremble…
And just as Selena in front of me seemed to have checked the results, I could see her fists tightly clenched.
It was pure anger personified.
She is someone who works hard every day without blaming anyone.
Thud.
Once her feelings settled down a bit, Selena raised her head.
And she approached me, her expression unchanged.
She was stoking her fighting spirit again just by looking at me.
What incredible mental strength…
After all, it must be frustrating to lose to a human archer instead of an elf.
As she passed me halfway, she spoke.
“I’m going to work harder.”
Impressive. Truly a character with solid fundamentals.
So, I responded.
“Nah, I think you’ve already worked hard enough.”
My words were sincere, without a hint of sarcasm.
Upon hearing that, Selena turned her full attention towards me.
“Are you suggesting that I should… give up?”
“No? I know you worked hard.”
“……”
“Show me your finger. If you don’t understand that, aren’t you foolish?”
Selena’s fingers were wrapped in countless thin bandages.
It was hard to see them belonging to a typical girl.
She must have practiced for over ten hours a day.
Without Wind Archery, she would have had to work even harder to close that gap.
She quietly hid her hands behind her back.
“Is it… pity?”
“Yeah. Half pity, but… I’ve got a favor to ask you too.”
“A favor?”
“Yeah. We should find a way to help each other…”
Just then, a guy interrupted our conversation.
“Hey, what are you trying to pull with Selena?”
An adequately handsome blonde fairy guy.
——————————————————
[Gaelon Sharptie]
[Status Average]
: 3.1
[Specialization]
Bow Proficiency (7)
[Unique Trait]
Wind Archery (Lv.3) (Detailed Info Unavailable)
——————————————————
This is the guy.
More specifically, it’s his family.
The reason Selena can’t use Wind Archery.
“Are you trying to pull something here? A human archer, and a loser at that?”
“Yep, that’s exactly it! If you have something to say, just do it in order, will you? Did you forget your manners?”
“You little brat!”
As I responded immaturely, that’s when his fist came flying.
Whoosh.
Even if I was Lev Denec, I could dodge this much.
Already knowing this scene from the novel,
when his fist sliced through the air, I crouched to evade and immediately tripped him.
“Whoa!?”
With his balance completely thrown off, he toppled over.
Thud.
“You bastard!”
He’s not a martial artist or a melee fighter.
Just an archer. There’s no way his punching form would be proper with a single swing.
Thud!
As he tried to get up, I gently pressed down on the back of his neck with my foot.
The effect was tremendous!
My strength had increased as much as the frontline characters, preventing him from escaping.
“Ugh!!”
He let out strange noises as he began squirming.
“Damn it! Get off! I’ll kill you!”
Well now, it’s funny to see an elf lose control like this; looks like he’s picked up a bit of humanity since coming to the academy.
What to do…
There’s a reason Gaelon flips out whenever he sees Selena.
He might not believe it, but he’s a second-year student. That means he’s senior to me.
He can be seen as villain number two who gets schooled by the main characters right after Lev Denec.
But he has a bit of significance, as he explains why Selena can’t use Wind Archery.
The reason the half-elf has silently been rejected since childhood is due to the Sharptie family.
They attempted to subjugate the talented Selena by trying to bind her to them as a concubine.
To smoothly execute this, they placed a curse on her so that she can’t perceive the spirit – Sylph.
Thus, it turns out that the use of my Healing Technique on Selena would be quite appropriate.
What to do…
Should I step in?
I figured I’d remove my foot before it escalated unnecessarily.
Thinking about it, I have a severe demerit record…
Even if it seems cheap, I’ll make my move first.
“Did everyone see? He attacked first.”
As he got up, he began shouting loudly.
“Damn it! That dirty, vile human is using grappling techniques?! A loser who’s only good with a bow?”
“Then come closer.”
“What?”
“Then let’s settle this up close.”
With my bold attitude, he started to panic.
“Why? Are you scared now that you agreed to settle it?”
“Huh? Are you serious? Do you think a mere freshman can defeat me?”
With dirt from the floor smeared on his face, he began mocking me.
“Do you really think you can defeat a fairy with just luck?”
“Why are you so long-winded? Are we doing this or what?”
Tap.
Hearing those words, he threw down his finger guards as if implying a duel.
Clink!
[Mission Achievement: Win the Duel]
[Duels to Win: 0/1]
[Reward: Supporting Role Points 50]
Ah, the typical event of the academy begins.
“Set a date and place. I’ll grant you that much mercy.”
Who is showing mercy to whom here?
And Gaelon started glaring intensely at me, closing in.
“If you lose, you’ll be beneath my feet for the rest of your time at the academy.”
“This weekend. Four days from now, at the Green House training ground. Good?”
After hearing my response, he glared at me for a while before disappearing.
What a shame; if he had struck then, I might not have been able to evade.
Selena approached me, looking bewildered.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“?”
She muttered to me as if she understood the implications of the duel.
“Gaelon scored perfect marks in shooting. The Sharptie family is the most skilled among fairies when it comes to Wind Archery.”
But since she didn’t specifically criticize me for fighting with him, it seems she’s tired of his incessant teasing.
I responded casually.
“It’s fine. You can teach me, right?”
“…?”
Selena’s delicate brows furrowed.
“Teach me? …Me?”
“Yeah.”
“Base skills should be learned on your own…”
“No, I mean Wind Archery.”
At those four words, her eyes widened a bit.