NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18
Did they mean this kind of thing when they said I would feel like I’ve aged ten years?
I truly thought my heart was going to explode.
When the Princess called me up to the platform, my heart was pounding like a drum.
Honestly, having played ‘El Pandor Runtera’ dozens of times, I was somehow able to navigate this crisis unscathed.
The etiquette concerning the royal family.
The history and characteristics of each noble house.
How to capture the hearts of the nobility.
Knowing all the TMI from those games like the back of my hand, I could effectively utilize that knowledge to overcome the crisis.
As a result, I ended up producing a more splendid outcome than I had initially thought.
“Phew…”
In any case, I thought I was quite lucky as I stepped down from the platform.
Passing by the various nobles who were sending me trusting glances, I took a seat assigned to me.
Just then, Elena stepped up to the platform and began explaining the next agenda.
The entrance ceremony was nearing its end.
“Um, excuse me…”
At that moment.
A woman sitting next to me called out to me, her face flushed.
She then complimented my previous speech, expressing her hopes for our future cooperation.
“Thank you for the kind words.”
“…Yes. I’m Charlotte. I’m from the Verdian family.”
“The Verdian family! I’ve heard the gardens of May are truly beautiful there. I’ve also heard even the late Emperor praised them for their beauty.”
“…Ah! So you know about our garden! Hehe… Um, Edgar, you seem… very knowledgeable. You seem like a true noble.”
…Charlotte Verdian.
A third-rate extra I had never heard of, but I treated her kindly.
She had a somewhat nerdy demeanor, but she was not from an outstanding family either, yet she showed me kindness and approached me first.
Above all, the true way to enjoy this game is to continuously form new relationships and discover new events or Easter eggs through them, so I happily engaged in conversation with her.
But then, at that moment.
“Everyone, attention! I have an important announcement.”
In the chaotic atmosphere as the entrance ceremony was coming to an end, Elena demanded everyone’s attention.
I briefly stopped my conversation and looked at her to hear the news that the “Class Selection Battle” had been postponed until tomorrow.
The reason was that the game rules had changed and needed to be adjusted.
Well, that wasn’t a bad situation for me.
I thought if I had just one more day, I could prepare even more perfectly for the class selection battle.
***
After the entrance ceremony, Edgar gained a new nickname.
A unique nickname called “Lord Fix.”
Lord Fix.
Originally, the words “Fix” and “Lord” could not be used together.
“Fix” is a common surname for blacksmiths, while “Lord” is a title used to address high-ranking officials or nobles respectfully.
Yet, the nobility had given Edgar the nickname “Lord Fix.”
It was evidence that they recognized and accepted him.
“Look at him, acting all high and mighty despite being a commoner.”
However, there were some who used it derogatorily.
Primarily those nobles who felt inferior to Edgar.
Or those who couldn’t stand the sight of a commoner pretending to be a noble and didn’t acknowledge Edgar from the start.
“There’s no reason to get heated. Just let him show his superiority in the class selection battle.”
And people tend to gather with like-minded individuals, and those harboring hostility towards Edgar had already started forming a group to prepare to bring him down.
“Making him disable wouldn’t be bad either. That brat has crossed a line he shouldn’t.”
Among those who did not merely refuse to acknowledge him but hated him was Max, the second son of the Zigmund family.
He was one of the men who harbored strong feelings for Enya and looked down upon Edgar for making her smile.
However, even up to that point, he didn’t harbor such intense hatred for Edgar.
He was only a mildly annoying presence.
In the end, he thought he would be the one to subdue Enya and win her heart.
“Fix! I swear I will kill you.”
But after Edgar’s speech, when he stole a glance at Enya, seeing her looking at Edgar with a bright red face, he felt an unbearable jealousy.
Not only had he lost Enya’s smile, but he had also lost her heart.
“So, what’s the plan?”
Thus, the five gathered around Max began scheming to take down Edgar.
And the proposer of this plan was none other than Max Zigmund himself.
“I heard from my father about the class selection battle. It seems five will form a team to compete against each other.”
“…And?”
“The teams will be assigned randomly. Of course, the opponents will also be random. But I plan to manipulate the teams. One of the supervisors is from our family. I asked him to help make sure Edgar gets taken down.”
“Oh? So, Lord Fix’s teammates will all be worthless losers?”
“Exactly. We’ll quickly eliminate them and slowly roast him. We’ll make sure he feels the shame of defeat, marking his body with pain.”
“Hm… Is that really possible? It doesn’t seem like they’d allow torture.”
“So, I’ll take out the magic circle for video transmission first. Before we torture him, we’ll pretend it was an accident, breaking the magic circle. Then, the ordinary cadets won’t be able to see our match. Only the supervisor responsible for that match will be able to watch.”
“Oh? And that supervisor?”
“Yeah. Someone from our family. No matter what happens in the testing ground, they will just watch quietly.”
Max conveyed his plan while pulling out his treasured sword.
The prestigious sword passed down from his father.
An artifact forged by a dwarf who was granted the title of “Master.”
A devious smirk twisted at the corner of Max’s mouth.
“Edgar Fix, I will make you my slave. As long as I have this sword, no one can defeat me.”
***
After the entrance ceremony, when I returned to the forge.
James hugged me tightly, crying and lamenting.
He was bragging about me being the heavenly blacksmith upon hearing about my speech.
“Sigh… here we go again with the embarrassing behavior.”
However, James’s antics weren’t a good sign for me.
I thought James’s embarrassing behavior had calmed down lately, but this incident felt like it would trigger another round of full-blown embarrassing antics.
“Whom do you take after to be so cool! Whom do you take after to make me proud! You’re a great man of the Fix family! Edgar! I have no regrets even if I die now!”
“Die? What are you talking about?”
“Hahaha! Yes! I must live long! Yes! I have to see the son who will write the history of the Fix family!”
“Ah, come on.”
I could already envision it.
Meeting every person, every guest. He’d probably brag about me to everyone.
And bear all the embarrassment himself.
“The Princess cheered and clapped for you loudly, right? Every noble in the room was chanting ‘Fix!’?”
Above all, James was exaggerating things.
He would puff up any bit of praise about me to 200%.
—Voom!
Amidst all this, the messenger orb in my pocket vibrated.
It was a signal from Elena calling for me.
“Father. Wait a moment. The head professor is calling for me.”
I remarked while looking at the vibrating messenger orb.
James, with a beaming smile, said, “That’s great! Hurry and go. The professor who recommended you must be so proud.”
“…You just can’t stop, can you? I’ll be right back.”
As he playful slapped my backside, I left the forge behind him with a hearty laugh.
Passing through the academy grounds as the sun began to set, I entered the building where Elena’s office was.
After climbing the stairs, I stood before Elena’s office door, ready to knock.
“Ahhh! Noooooo~~~”
A heavily nasal voice, sounding like a woman’s.
Then, Elena’s voice, filled with irritation, filtered out through the door.
“I told you not to act impulsively. This time I won’t let it slide.”
“Ahhh~~ I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’m truly reflecting now!”
“Reflecting? What is there to reflect on? I’m really angry this time.”
“…Huh… Huhhhh… Waaahhh…”
“Not falling for it.”
“Ahhh~~ Sister! Please forgive me. Okay? Pretty, pretty please. Can you see me begging here?”
“That’s one too many times.”
“No! I was just so happy to see you after so long. I really wasn’t trying to! I was just so curious about that guy you mentioned… just wanted to test things a bit…”
“…Sephy. To you, it may be a joke, but to him… sigh. Alright.”
…From the content of the conversation, it seemed like it was Elena and the Princess.
Thus, they had a relationship more like sisters than teacher and student, as Elena had been the Princess’s tutor long ago.
That was a whopping 13 years ago, making Elena’s age fourteen and the Princess’s age five.
“So, are you not going to hug me anymore? Not going to pat my head?”
“…Sephy. You’re 18 now. How long are you going to keep clinging onto me?”
…As I was preparing to knock when things seemed to calm down, it looked like their conversation would continue for a while.
So I decided to just knock.
Knock. Knock.
“Huh! Waahhh…?”
Catching the Princess off-guard, she suddenly stopped her sobbing imitation.
Regardless, I let Elena know I was here.
“It’s Edgar. You called for me via messenger orb.”
“…”
A brief silence.
Then Elena replied.
“Uh- wait a moment.”
I could hear hurried footsteps.
Rustling. Shuffling.
After a bit, Elena’s answer came back.
“Come in.”
With a bang.
As I opened the door, the sight of the Princess gracefully holding tea and Elena beside her caught my eye.
The Princess was seated in the honored position, while Elena took the seat beside her.
However, it was clear they had hastily switched seats.
Elena’s cloak was draped over the honored seat.
“I greet Her Highness the Princess.”
Nonetheless, I pretended to know nothing and followed formalities.
Kneeling on my left knee and placing my right hand on my left breast, I awaited the Princess’s command.
As the Princess gulped down her black tea, she spoke in an imposing voice.
“Very well. Raise your head.”
Her command to raise my head.
I maintained my posture but lifted my head.
Before me stood the most beautiful woman in the empire, looking down at me with a haughty expression.
Naturally, her pastel-colored white hair was captivating, and I thought that if I could just lay my head on that fluffy-looking hair, I could fall asleep in five minutes.
“…”
However, looking into the Princess’s eyes hidden beneath those curls, such thoughts vanished completely.
The red circle, the symbol of the royal family and the strongest bloodline of the empire, was gazing into me.
One thing was certain; she was indeed worthy of being called the most beautiful woman in the empire.
Her haughtily raised nose and red lips.
Her porcelain-like skin perfectly encapsulated her stunning features, leaving me mesmerized.
If I didn’t keep my wits about me, I could easily slip into a trance, lost in her beauty, and she was a woman who commanded attention merely by being present.
“Edgar Fix.”
She called my name.
I looked at her face, but I tried to avoid locking my gaze with hers directly.
Finally, she spoke.
“Did you hear everything…?”
“…Yes.”
Of course, I had heard everything.
The scuffles from outside the door.
The evidence of a hasty seat change.
Did they think I wouldn’t figure it out?
“Yes.”
So I simply answered in a clear and concise manner.
The Princess’s cheeks turned a shade of pink.
She muttered softly.
“Is that so.”
*Gulp.*
The Princess took another sip of her black tea.
At that moment, a spit of tea splashed out.
The Princess, choked up, started laughing while coughing.
Elena looked at her with a look of disbelief and let out a long sigh.
“Sigh…”
***
The reason Elena called me was simple.
She had brought the ore I requested and wanted to hand it over to me.
“Orichalcum ore of over 85% purity. This is it, right?”
“Yes, Head Professor. Thank you so much.”
I quickly took the orichalcum from Elena.
Then, the Princess, who had been clinging closely to Elena, grinned and said, “Actually, that was obtained on my command. We had to sacrifice six lives to procure that ore.”
“Uh- no, Edgar. Don’t mind it. She plays these kinds of pranks often.”
“Ahhh, Sister! Can’t you just play along a little?”
As it was in the game, the Princess was truly an unpredictable character.
Even though I was a seasoned player of this game, I hadn’t properly completed the Princess’s route.
“Hurry and go before you get dragged into her antics. The class evaluation is tomorrow.”
“…Yes. Thank you for your consideration, in various ways.”
“Of course. I’m your sponsor, after all.”
Elena looked at me with a gentle smile.
The Princess then shot me a piercing glare and said, “Edgar Fix. How dare you try to steal the Princess’s tutor. Bring forth the poison!”
“It’ll take time to get used to it. We’ll be seeing each other often, so just bear with it.”
“Oh! Hurry and serve him!”
“Serve him yourself!”
Elena said that as she playfully slapped the Princess’s thigh.
When the Princess pretended to cry, Elena gestured for me to leave quickly.
I politely bowed to the Princess before stepping out of the room.
Thinking about how Elena would be a naive fool to indulge the Princess’s whims made me chuckle softly.
***
Orichalcum ore.
The reason I needed this was simple.
A week ago, while creating the highest-tier equipment, the “Plasma Beam Titanium Alloy Gauntlet,” my crafting skill level went up.
At the same time, I was also able to obtain another piece of the mechanic’s blueprint.
──Top-tier Combination Recipe──
“‘Superconductive Mana Fusion Engine Propellant’ Combination Recipe”:
: Mana Accelerator [Lv.4] x 4
: Mana Storage Device [Lv.6] x 3
: Current Energy Conservation Device [Lv.1]
: Orichalcum-Titanium Alloy x 10
: Mana ↔ Energy Conversion Spell [Lv.3]
…And today, it was time to create this mechanic’s blueprint mid-tier combination recipe.
To prepare for tomorrow’s class evaluation.