How To Survive Clichés

Chapter 6

It was shortly after dinner. While other students might gather in the common room to chat, the princess had a routine of studying after meals. Of course, she never forgot to visit the training room before dinner. She tightly tied her golden hair back to prevent a single strand from falling out, and then headed to the library.

Unlike other spaces, the library was minimally decorated, which, although not luxurious, gave off a quaint and vintage atmosphere. Since not many students visited the library on the first day of the semester, there were plenty of empty seats. She sat down at a familiar desk situated between the herbology section and the dark magic defense section.

“Sigh.”

She let out a small sigh as she sat down in the chair. Even though she should have been focusing on the pile of textbooks and herbology books in front of her, she found herself absentmindedly chewing on the end of her quill, lost in deep thought. Her mind wandered back to what had happened earlier that day.

In truth, Damian’s mana control wasn’t that extraordinary. The color of the orb wasn’t that dark. If she had to compare, it was similar to the level of an average student at Atheis Magic School.

“……”

However, there were too many things that didn’t add up. According to her research, Damian had not only an ordinary level of mana sensitivity but also very little magical talent. His performance at Calathio Magic School was particularly abysmal. Moreover, about a month ago, when she secretly sent someone to assess him, they reported that Damian’s mana and magical talent were “negligible, to the point of being almost nonexistent.”

There was also his mana deficiency. Despite his distinguished background, Damian lacked the aptitude and talent necessary to become a mage. Not to mention his wayward nature. It was clear that if the scoundrel who tormented her sister ever wielded his family’s power, it would surely disrupt the balance of power within the royal court. Thus, she had intended to drive Damian away in advance.

When there were about 10 seconds left on the clock, she was confident.

‘He will soon return to his family.’

However, contrary to her expectations, when the timer ended, Damian appeared holding a box. This was unexpected, but she still believed that there was no orb inside the box.

Just as she was inwardly relieved, the box floated in the air, and the students began murmuring in confusion. And then, she couldn’t help but be taken aback. Inside the box was a faintly glowing gray orb. Not only that, but there was also a magic core inside the box, although it was shattered.

*‘…Why didn’t I sense anything?’*

As she questioned her own failure to notice it, Principal Wenemir’s explanation continued, but, as usual, it was of little help.

– “So, that’s how it happened! Does everyone understand now?”

This wasn’t the first time she had explained things this way. Even if someone admitted they didn’t understand, repeated explanations often led to more confusion, plunging them further into a maze of incomprehensibility. What might have seemed simple to Principal Wenemir was beyond the grasp of ordinary mages or students.

However, one thing was clear: Principal Wenemir mentioned that so much time had passed since Damian placed the box that she couldn’t even remember when it was done. This meant the box had been present even during her test.

‘Why didn’t I notice it?’

She felt pathetic for not sensing the mana, not because she failed to obtain the magic core. After the test ended and Damian disappeared, the hall buzzed with talk about him. Suddenly, another question crossed her mind.

*‘How did he know there was an orb inside?’*

It wasn’t just her; other students also couldn’t sense any mana from the box.

“It’s a pity that only the professors could see what kind of magic he used. I wanted to see it too.”

“What’s there to see? It was just dumb luck. Did you see how nonchalantly he handed over the box?”

“Yeah. If not that, maybe his family tipped him off.”

“The orb was just ordinary.”

Such childish conversations did nothing to solve her doubts. Just as she was about to leave, tuning out the chatter, she heard one voice that made her decide to stay a bit longer.

“Did you sense anything from the box, Aite?”

“…No, not at all.”

Aite, a member of the Black Abyss Tower and the top student of the previous semester at Atheis Magic School. She saw Aite smile slightly and shake her head.

Among the many magical orders on the continent, the Iquonox Order held the most influence. Aite, blessed by the Iquonox, had grown up with immense divine power and affection for mana. Even someone who had worked tirelessly, like herself, couldn’t match Aite’s level of ability.

*‘…Does this even make sense?’*

Mana sensitivity was a measure of one’s ability to sense and guide mana into magical energy. If one’s sensitivity was low, their magical ability was also likely to be poor. It was unthinkable that Damian could have brought the box without Aite noticing.

Moreover, Damian’s behavior was completely different from her intuition. This was true both during the test and afterward. His demeanor didn’t appear particularly troubled either.

*‘Could it be that he knew there was an orb in the box beforehand?’*

No, that wasn’t it. She shook her head, putting down the quill she had been chewing on. There was no way Damian could have known about the box’s presence or that she would bring up the test.

*‘…Was it not mana deficiency?’*

That wasn’t it either. Damian appeared calm, but she had seen his hands slightly tremble when he handed the box to Principal Wenemir.

*‘He must have been lacking in mana.’*

This was evidence of Damian’s mana deficiency. She had occasionally experienced similar symptoms during extreme magical training. The test didn’t require significant mana expenditure, but if his hands were shaking…

Suddenly, another hypothesis crossed her mind. What if Damian had been secretly working to overcome his mana deficiency through extreme effort, shedding blood and sweat in invisible places? The concept of effort was something she understood better than anyone. If that were the case… she felt a strange sense of empathy for Damian, but quickly regained her composure.

*‘It can’t be done in just a week.’*

Even if that were the case, the fact remained that he needed to be expelled. His presence nearly worsened her sister’s curse, and there was a possibility of a repeat occurrence. If Damian graduated smoothly and became the next head of the Draco family, he would inevitably become a disruptive figure to the royal court due to his family’s magical legacy.

She would surely regret not taking action now. She had seen countless times as she grew up that dealing with things after they were already set in motion was complicated and troublesome; it was better to root them out from the start.

She sighed deeply. Looking out the window, the darkness settled over the mountains surrounding Atheis Magic School, making the plateau look flat. Checking the time, the hour hand had moved from 9 to 10.

She had already been sitting for over two hours.

“…I can’t focus today.”

Although she had reviewed everything she needed to know for the semester, she closed the textbooks and hurriedly got up. Physical training was the best way to clear her mind.

“Let’s head to the training room.”

Clearing her head, she would rebuild her plans, step by step. There were still many ways to expel him. For instance, she could directly challenge him and definitively lower his rank, or wait for him to misbehave and expose him in front of the professors.

*‘I’d rather not do that.’*

As a last resort, she would have to use her authority. No matter how much Principal Wenemir advocated for ‘equality,’ direct pressure from the royal family would be hard to avoid.

Of course, before that, Damian would surely reveal his unruly nature to everyone. Even now, he might be somewhere tormenting someone. Yes, the Damian she had seen was exactly that kind of person.

* * *

The servants in the Blue Abyss Tower’s private dining room recognized him immediately upon his arrival. After all, his name rarely left the students’ lips.

Damian Draco. His personality, appearance, family, magic… even the events in the grand auditorium were impossible to ignore.

However, there were some comments that could be helpful from the servants’ perspective. For example, there were tales of him hurling insults at servants when he was displeased with his meal or throwing dishes on occasion.

The students of the Blue Abyss Tower, composed of nobility and royalty from foreign lands, required careful differentiation between the demanding and the amiable. Although the servants at School were relatively well-treated, the difference in status was significant. It was wise to tread carefully to avoid incurring their wrath.

“…Hah.”

From a distance, Damian furrowed his brows and sighed.

*‘What could be bothering him?’*

The servants began to get nervous. It was uncertain when a dish might be thrown. It was time to serve the main steak, but the servants pushed each other to avoid being the one to deliver it.

Eventually, one servant, pushed forward, swallowed hard and carefully placed the food down.

“…Steak.”

Perhaps due to the many rumors he had heard, the servant was so nervous that he couldn’t explain properly.

*‘I’ll probably end up being the one to take the hit.’*

“Ah, this… is beef raised with mana-infused feed and cared for with the utmost devotion.”

The servant added this explanation, while also worrying about the dish’s temperature.

* * *

“…Hah.”

I frowned as I looked at the food. The sudden exclamation made the servant flinch reflexively.

…Hmm?

Although I hadn’t intended to startle him, after eating cup noodles and triangle kimbap daily, encountering such a meal was overwhelming.

The main dish was a tenderloin steak, accompanied by a variety of garnishes. Roasted tomatoes, asparagus, and beautifully toasted bread. The tenderloin steak, with just the right amount of pink, was perfectly prepared.

I cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and put it into my mouth.

…Ah, it’s delicious!

With each bite, the juices flowed, and the meat was incredibly tender and soft, suggesting it had been raised with utmost care and free of worries.

“Hah.”

A sound of satisfaction escaped my lips. The servant hesitated for a moment and then carefully asked:

“Is, is the meal not to your liking?”

“Oh, it’s delicious—”

“Eek! If you don’t like it, I’ll, I’ll have it redone!”

Before I could even finish, the servant bowed deeply and apologized.

*‘Almost an automatic reflex.’*

It seemed he had dealt with many noble students before. Some students, having been pampered by their families and then evaluated based on skills alone, often took out their stress on the servants.

I smiled reassuringly to calm him down.

“No, it’s delicious.”

“Y-yes.”

The servant, momentarily stunned, returned to his duties as I resumed my meal.

I might want to come here again tomorrow. If every meal is like this, it’s worth the effort to come even if I’m tired.

Moreover… I liked that this was all included in the tuition fee. It was surprising that a semester’s fee equaled four years of university tuition, but I had heard that Damian’s family had already paid the tuition.

*‘…I’m relieved.’*

While Atheis Magic School had various financial aid systems, including loans and sponsorships, they were still debts to be repaid in the end.

Thanks to this, I finished my meal contentedly. Checking the time, it was nearly 10 o’clock.

*‘I should start heading out.’*

The training room allowed entry only during the first 5 minutes of each hour, otherwise, the door would lead to the gym.

It was Principal Wenemir’s joke that one had to be diligent to enter the training room.

*‘There’s about 10 minutes left.’*

Taking the elevator, I arrived at the training room and waited. No sounds came from inside, as expected.

*‘Not many students train on the first day of the semester.’*

There was one person I thought of, but that didn’t mean I would skip training. I still had too many F grades, and there were limits to raising them with points.

*‘First, let’s improve agility and strength.’*

The training room at Atheis was equipped not only for magical practice but also for physical training. It had various exercise equipment, spaces for sparring with mana dolls, and facilities for elemental magic, summoning, and alchemy.

Mages often had weak physical strength, so it was essential to train their bodies as well.

Five minutes left. All I had to do now was wait.

Then, I heard footsteps approaching from afar.

Click-clack—

The regular sound of shoes quickly faded away.

“……?”

Soon, the footsteps approached again. I turned my gaze slightly in that direction.

“……!”

I immediately recognized who was coming. There was no one else who would be in the training room at this hour.