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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Today was different.
“Ella, I’ll be back late. Don’t wait for dinner.”
“Where are you going, Young Master?”
“…I have plans with a friend.”
Ella’s eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth in surprise. She clearly hadn’t expected me to have friends.
She tried to hide her reaction, but her initial expression had given her away.
“Okay! Have fun with your friends, Young Master! Don’t worry about me!”
“…Alright.”
‘What does Ella think of me…?’
I knew I didn’t have many friends, but I hadn’t realized Ella was worried about it, too. Though, to be fair, it was true.
I left her to her plans of preparing a meal for my non-existent friends.
Classes were the same as always: tedious and uninteresting. The only difference was the increased frequency of sparring matches.
Likely due to the upcoming midterm evaluations. Some students wanted to establish dominance, to intimidate their peers. Others wanted to gain practical experience, to identify and address their weaknesses.
As a result, combat classes were filled with the clang of steel, the professors acting as reluctant referees, constantly intervening to prevent serious injuries.
I’d received a few sparring requests myself, mostly from those who wanted to see me defeated, but I’d declined them all. There was no point. I had enough real-world combat experience.
I ignored the whispers behind me – coward, lucky, and other such insults – and focused on developing a strategy for the midterm evaluations with Lianna.
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“Ah, you’re here.”
“Y… Yes.”
“Let’s talk over dinner.”
She nodded shyly, clearly hungry.
I hadn’t visited any of the local restaurants, and Lianna, sensing my unfamiliarity, offered to take me to one of her favorites.
I didn’t have any preferences, so I followed her.
The walk was awkward. We’d never had a casual conversation before. We walked in silence, until we reached our destination.
The restaurant, “Night on the Street,” wasn’t a place nobles frequented, but the lively atmosphere and the aroma of food reminded me of a bustling marketplace. It was surprisingly pleasant.
“I… Is this place alright…?”
“It’s fine. I like it.”
“Oh… okay!”
We entered and sat down at an empty table. I ordered our food, but the waiter seemed distracted, his gaze fixed on Lianna.
I followed his line of sight and noticed several men at other tables glancing in our direction.
Lianna’s beauty was well-known at the academy. Even nobles admired her. This reaction wasn’t surprising.
She seemed oblivious, and I didn’t want to prolong our wait, so I tapped my finger on the table.
The waiter snapped back to attention, apologized, and took our order.
While we waited for our food, we discussed the upcoming midterm evaluations.
“Let’s talk strategy.”
“Okay!”
“First, Lianna, what are your abilities?”
“Um… Transformation.”
Transformation.
The ability to change one object into another. It sounded powerful, but it had limitations. The more complex the object’s structure or composition, the more mana it required to transform. And unlike me, she needed a physical medium to initiate the transformation.
“How often can you use your ability?”
“Um… not very often… My mana capacity is limited…”
“Give me an example.”
“I can transform complex objects about three times before I’m exhausted…”
Three times.
What constituted “complex”?
How much mana did each transformation consume?
Could she increase the number of transformations?
What were the limitations on the objects she could transform?
I bombarded her with questions, and she patiently answered each one.
Our food arrived, steaming hot. We were both starving, so we decided to eat first, then continue our discussion.
We both enjoyed meat, so we ordered the Grilled Bear Steak, the restaurant’s most popular dish, its juicy tenderness living up to its reputation.
As we ate, Lianna spoke.
“Um… Jenison…?”
“Just Jenison. I’m a commoner now.”
“Oh… but I can’t just…”
“Call me Jenison.”
“…But…”
“Just do it.”
“O… Okay… Jenison…”
“Good. What did you want to ask?”
She seemed to remember her earlier question.
“Um… why did you make me that offer?”
“Offer?”
“To pay me to be bullied…”
“Ah… I didn’t explain?”
She nodded eagerly, waiting for an answer.
I wouldn’t tell her. There was no reason to, and if the truth got out, it would ruin everything.
“I can’t tell you. And I won’t.”
“Oh… okay…”
“And the fact that I made you that offer… that’s a secret, too. The money I gave you included payment for your silence.”
“Oh…? But is that okay…?”
“I don’t care about my reputation.”
She looked confused, but she nodded and continued eating.
After our meal, I gave her instructions for the midterm evaluations.
“Lianna, pack light, simple items.”
“Huh? Why?”
“If there are no limitations on what you can transform, it’s best to conserve your mana. And the most efficient way to do that is to bring basic materials you can transform into more complex objects as needed.”
“Ah…”
“So pack simple, versatile items.”
“Okay.”
She quickly grasped my point and started asking more questions. What kind of items should she bring? What kind of objects should she transform them into? What would be most useful for survival?
Her earlier awkwardness was gone, replaced by a relaxed curiosity.
We continued our discussion as we walked back to the academy, arriving at the dorms before I realized it.
“We’re here already.”
“We are.”
“See you tomorrow, Jenison?”
“Wait.”
“Huh?”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the money I’d earned from selling the scrolls. Despite their high price, they were in demand, and thanks to my mass production method, I’d quickly earned a substantial sum, almost enough to cover half a year’s tuition.
“Here.”
“What’s this?”
She looked inside and gasped.
“Are you crazy?! This is too much!”
“Use it for your tuition.”
“I can’t! It’s too much money!”
She protested, but her eyes flickered with something that looked a lot like relief.
My offer had eased her financial burden, but now that it was over, she’d have to find a way to pay for her tuition. A normal job wouldn’t be enough. She needed this money.
I thought she’d be grateful, but she looked down, her voice trembling slightly as she asked,
“Why…?”
“Why what?”
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
“…”
“I’m… I’m a coward who didn’t defend you… and I gave up so easily…”
Her voice cracked, filled with guilt and gratitude.
“It’s not your fault.”
“…”
“I asked you to do this. I’m just taking responsibility.”
“…”
“You don’t have to suffer because of me.”
“But…!”
“I don’t want you to suffer.”
The money I’d offered her was payment for her cooperation and her silence. She didn’t need to feel guilty about the rumors.
She looked down, her head bowed, her sky-blue hair bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun. Her face, too, was flushed, her emerald eyes shining brightly.
Her lips parted, and her soft voice reached my ears.
“…You’re kind, Jenison.”
“Don’t be absurd.”
“Hee hee… I’ll go inside now. Bye!”
The setting sun was beautiful, so perhaps it wasn’t strange that I found her beautiful, too.
I returned to my dorm, where Ella greeted me, and the day came to a close.
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