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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Late afternoon.
“Hoo, I see.”
The first floor of Somerbadge’s library, hailed as its crown jewel, houses a carefully selected collection of the most basic of basics.
[Basic Attribute Theory]
“Hmm.”
I nodded and closed the book. My understanding was complete.
“What a thick-skulled idiot.”
This is why Wisdom Level 3 is no good.
My mouth has been getting progressively fouler due to the difficult situation, but I’ve come to realize that it doesn’t matter if I say things like this sometimes.
“You must be very frustrated.”
“He’s cool even when he’s angry!”
“I wish he would curse at me too…”
They seem to think the harsh words coming from my mouth are like thorns on a rose.
‘It’s not sinking in.’
In any case, I’m someone who has never been told I’m bad at studying.
I graduated from a reputable university with a respectable score, and I’ve lived my life without ever once shaming my parents at family gatherings during the holidays.
And yet, it took me over thirty minutes to grasp a single, most basic theory. Not one book, but one theory. Two pages’ worth.
At this point, it’s certain.
‘This guy is a dunce.’
Perhaps it was to be expected.
Lockstryn, who would have received an education second to none in the great noble house of Aindarok, a prestigious magic family.
Since he possessed the definitive ‘setting’ of having all his stats at a mere Level 3, Lockstryn had no choice but to be a dunce to fill that gap.
There’s even a bigger problem.
I may have made the game, but I’m not the one who studied the magic within it.
In other words, I don’t have Lockstryn’s memories. I have to learn everything from scratch.
My vision went dark!
“Why is he holding the Basic Attribute Theory?”
“A review, maybe?”
“No, look at that troubled expression. I think he’s definitely found a major error!”
“Gasp! But it’s been used as a textbook for 300 years?”
“Those Riden bastards, I knew it.”
This was the conversation I heard as I was banging my head against a pillar with a gloomy face.
The only physical advantage this body had was that. My hearing was unnecessarily sharp.
“I’d like to check these out.”
“Basic Attribute Theory, Introduction to Basic Magicology, Understanding of Fire, Understanding of Water, Understanding of Wind, Understanding of Earth. Six books in total, correct?”
“Do you really have to list them all?”
“Aack, I’ve made a great mistake… I’m sorry!”
I checked out six basic books.
If this goes on, I’m going to become a magic academy freshman who can’t even use magic.
I might not be able to pull my weight in the major events, but I can’t become a negative burden.
I have to study.
“Yes, all four attributes?”
“Just having dual attributes is amazing!”
“Or maybe he’s trying to create a completely new theory?”
“Nah, no way. We’re in the same year…”
Let them chatter on.
The bigger the misunderstanding, the better.
It increases my chances of survival. If Lockstryn’s pathetic talent is revealed, it’s all over.
The top priority is to be able to use at least one proper offensive magic.
‘With even the simplest 1-star magic, you can easily kill a person.’
Just as Weirein said.
Within Somerbadge, ‘magic’ is a word thrown around lightly, but in reality, it’s quite terrifying.
I have to secure enough martial power to protect myself before the episodes begin.
‘That’s also a problem, though.’
They’re just boys and girls of about sixteen, but when you think about it, each of them has the firepower of at least a rifle.
A rifle would be better.
There’s no bolt, and some of them are more like grenades with no safety pin than rifles.
One little poke and bang—
Instant bad ending.
If you want to blame someone, you have to blame the creator who made the game’s difficulty so high.
I hate myself too.
“A spell formula is largely divided into three stages: attribute, form, and interpretation…”
Returning to my room, I began to devour the theory books.
I didn’t know what the original owner of this body was like, but I’m confident in my ability to sit my ass down and study.
Classes start in three days, and until then, there’s no schedule.
Wandering around outside any more won’t produce good results.
Studying itself is difficult, but I know the answer to the question of ‘how to do it.’
Just pour in time until even the dumbest head can understand.
A whole lot of it.
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7:55 PM.
The garden of the Tower of Truth is on the 10th floor.
It’s not just the Tower of Truth; the Tower of Freedom and the Tower of Justice are the same.
All three towers have no rooms on the 10th floor; instead, there are spacious gardens, rest areas, and amenities for the students. This is also why the 10th floor has become an unspoken boundary among the students.
Because being close to the 10th floor is good.
“You look tired.”
“Ah, you were here first. Sorry. I was the one who said I’d wait.”
“It’s alright. I just got here too.”
Even in spring, the night wind was cold.
The 10th-floor garden is open on all sides and incredibly spacious, so sometimes the laughable situation of arranging to meet and then wandering around looking for each other occurs.
Perhaps because of that, her flushed cheeks stood out for someone who had just arrived. But what did it matter?
“Well, I said this before, but it’s really not a big deal.”
“But you felt the need to arrange a meeting?”
“It turned out that way.”
Actually, I hadn’t thought about what to say when I called her out. The same was true until five minutes ago.
Because there was no need to.
I came up with an excuse while coming down from the 12th floor to the 10th.
What to say was never that important in the first place.
“I heard something from my father.”
I leaned my arms on the railing and stood.
Somerbadge was built by carving out a mountain, and the three dormitories are located on the highest ground within the premises. Of course, the Tower of Truth is the highest.
Therefore, the setting is that you can see the entire campus and even the distant city when you look down.
[Faint lights scattered over the mist. It was as if stars were floating on the ground. The lights of the night are precious, and for that reason, there is a heart-wrenching-ly moving feeling to them.]
The protagonist was assigned to the Tower of Freedom, but the view I’m seeing now would be even more spectacular than that, not less.
“From the Margrave?!”
“Yes.”
Hira was genuinely surprised.
Who was Coltman Aindarok? The Corps Commander of the Imperial Army’s Magic Corps, Lieutenant General Coltman Aindarok.
An undisputed powerhouse in the Imperial Army, a big shot whose single word was said to be able to make a mountain disappear overnight.
The very Coltman, renowned as the ‘Black Wolf of the North,’ who was said to never get involved with central politicians like the Yuchsillas?
“He said that since we both defend the border, it’s not good to be too distant.”
“But…”
It’s not the same.
The weight is different.
The west of the Empire is the sea, and the north is a mountain hell teeming with magical beasts.
While one cannot take the duty of guarding the ocean lightly, comparing it to the north is not even a remote possibility.
“Well, my father is that kind of person, so it can’t be helped, but I think he meant for me to get along with my friends.”
Hira Yuchsilla is a high noble, the daughter of a marquess.
The politics of the capital are said to be venomous and insidious, where dozens of blades move behind a single word.
To look into the opponent’s eyes, to see their hand gestures, to capture even smaller movements, and to distinguish between truth and lies, or hidden intentions.
To find a weakness and strike.
She had been taught such things all her life.
“I-I see.”
But she can’t see it.
She is unable to.
To build a friendship with the House of Eindarok, which even the imperial family dares not treat lightly. It’s perhaps the dream of every politician in the world.
She is only sixteen years old.
To ask her to discern the truth of his words beyond the wall of such a happy dream and the demonic wall before her eyes is a cruel thing.
Above all, she would think there’s no reason for him to deceive her out of the blue. Aside from being from a marquessate, she isn’t exceptionally beautiful.
“To put it simply, it might sound a bit foolish. I just want us to be friends.”
I lightly extend my hand.
Hira took it in a daze. Without a single dream of what would happen next.
It’s not like my conscience isn’t pricking me, so I unnecessarily pointed beyond the railing and said.
“What do you see?”
“Huh? I don’t know. I’m not sure…”
Because the presence of Lockstryn right in front of her was too overwhelming to think of anything else.
The starlights on the ground go out one by one.
I smiled bitterly.
“The wind is cold.”
“It’s not that cold…”
“You go in first. I’m going to stay a little longer.”
“T-take care not to catch a cold!”
She seemed to have understood that I wanted to be alone. Hira left the garden, embracing her swelling expectations.
I was cold too, but I felt like I needed to face the cold wind for a bit.
Was there a better way…
I don’t know. Even if there was, it wouldn’t have been more efficient than this. I’m in a position where I always have to choose the right answer.
I need money.
To conquer the episodes, another powerful means to make up for my lack of martial power.
There is no character more suitable for that than Hira Yuchsilla.
“You.”
Oops.
A sharp voice pierced the back of my head. This was unexpected.
I turned around, smiling awkwardly like a child caught doing something bad.
“We meet again.”
Ainim, in her baggy pajamas, seemed to care little for the dignity of a princess.
Even though the top floor was the 15th, she was also staying in the Tower of Truth, so she could come down to the 10th-floor garden.
That’s why I intentionally set the appointment for a late hour, but why did this kid who sleeps so much come down?
“I thought you wouldn’t do anything bad. I was betrayed before the sun even set.”
“In what way?”
“Do you really not know? Or are you pretending not to know?”
The hair that had been beautifully curled during the day was now half-undone.
Ainim walked over, tidying her messy hair, and hopped onto the table, not a chair.
Her brilliant golden hair, sparkling in the moonlight, was certainly a contrast to my drab hair color.
It would have reached Ainim’s ears by tomorrow morning anyway, so nothing would have changed, but being caught in the act feels a bit unpleasant.
“Are you confident you can clean this up?”
“I am not.”
“You don’t lie, do you.”
Well, someone like Ainim would have noticed what I did.
It’s a good thing Lockstryn’s charm is Level 10. It wouldn’t have been strange to be met with contempt.
“Don’t do it.”
“Why not?”
“Hira is my friend. She’s cute now that she seems to have matured a little. We go shopping for clothes together. And sometimes she does my hair instead of Maria.”
I didn’t answer.
It’s for my survival.
And to save everyone.
“So don’t bully her. Got it?”
“I’m in over my head.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s just something.”
For all her lengthy talk, she didn’t seem particularly desperate. Or maybe she knew I wouldn’t listen to her.
Swinging her legs that were far from reaching the floor, Ainim was looking across the railing.
“May I ask just one thing?”
“What is it?”
“What are you looking at right now?”
“I came out to see the sky, but you’re blocking it. Move.”
I burst out laughing at her dismissive hand gesture. I don’t know why.
“I think we can be friends.”
“Eek, no way! Go away!”
I returned to my room, smiling. If I get any closer, I might have a knife at my throat again.
Three days passed in a flash.
During that time, I didn’t leave the Tower of Truth. It wasn’t difficult.
If I was hungry, there was Jinridang on the 2nd floor, and if I wanted some fresh air, there was the garden on the 10th floor.
All the time I was given was used solely to understand the six books I had checked out.
Lockstryn was a terrible dunce.
Or maybe I, having aged a little, had lost the brilliance of my youth. No way!
It’s all because of Wisdom Level 3.
“Um, Lockstryn?”
That was a clear change.
Lockstryn was a flower blooming on a cliff. A being that no one dared to approach because no one tried to get close.
But now, things were different.
“What?”
Lockstryn had now come down to the ground himself.
The fact that I had asked Hira for a secret rendezvous at night would have been widely known over the past three days.
Even if there weren’t many witnesses, Hira herself would have spread the word. So, gradually, students started talking to me.
“Do you have a moment?”
Someone who approached me with a flushed face was… well, just someone.
I only glanced at their status; their name wasn’t worth remembering.
I have no time to waste on someone like this.
“Sorry. I’m busy.”
“O-oh, right? Sorry!”
I replied coldly, without even a business-like smile.
That was the tenth person I had chased away like that. Among them, there were surely people who were desperately needed, who would have been helpful to my forces.
It’s a shame, but for now, it’s on hold.
“First class is at 1, right?”
“So they say. Until the end of the first semester, there are no separate classes, so I guess everyone takes them in the large lecture hall.”
A single year at Somerbadge consists of about 500 students.
It might seem like a modest number for a place where talented magic aspirants from all over the continent gather, but magic-users are inherently rare.
Also, Somerbadge isn’t the only magic academy.
And so, ahead of the memorable first class.
“Kanin Mage Artain…? Is this the person I think it is?”
Students were gathered in front of the 1st-year lecture hall bulletin board.
I stayed at a distance and just eavesdropped on the conversations.
Until the classes were divided, no specialized lectures were held. There weren’t many, as their purpose is simply to pique the students’ interest or academic curiosity.
Instead, the faculty lineup was jaw-dropping.
“How many people have been given the middle name of Mage? It must be the same person. It’s surprising that he’s still alive.”
“Why? Who is he?”
“Kanin? The Kanin from the fairy tale?”
Tap, tap, tap.
An old man with white hair was writing his name powerfully.
Kanin Mage Artain.
Among the non-students, he is the most central character, along with Dean Weirein.
I had imagined him with a better build and a warmer impression than Weirein, and he looked exactly as I had expected.
“It’s Kanin.”
The introduction was short.
In a way, it was to be expected. There would be no one who had dabbled in magic and didn’t know his name.
“I don’t particularly like the cowards of Somerbadge.”
Kanin lightly threw out the topic.
The children were stiff. The memory of the orientation was still fresh.
Fortunately, Kanin’s voice was gentle, unlike Weirein’s.
“Of course, I’m not talking about you students. I’m talking about those who call themselves teachers. Including Weirein.”
While it was undeniable that both were great magic-users, Kanin was a great senior, 20 years older than Weirein.
A legendary grand magic-user whose very existence was a legend. No one dared to question his arrogant statement.
“I am eighty-two years old this year. Until three months ago, I was defending the Southern Allied Front.”
Kanin was appointed to Somerbadge for the first time this year.
“Today is no different. This old man can go back and fight right now. But the professors here are all decades younger than me.”
“I have nightmares every night.”
“Countless young people die meaninglessly at the hands of rabble that would be swept away with a single move of this old hand.”
“And while I am awake, I worry. I worry if my absence has stolen the bright future of some young person.”
“Hoho, I’m just an old body that will die soon anyway. If we were to weigh what is more important, this one life is insignificant compared to any one of you.”
Kanin let out a light laugh, but no one joined him.
He looked around the audience and said.
“Have you ever witnessed a battlefield clashing with magical beasts? Raise your hand.”
No one readily raised their hand.
The Empire does not tolerate the invasion of magical beasts, so it is not easy to see them.
However, in other kingdoms, it is common to see magical beasts even when traveling between cities. It meant they were being cautious.
“Well, that’s fine. I heard that the scion of Margrave Aindarok, the proud shield of our Empire, is here.”
From here on, it’s very familiar.
It’s the part where Lockstryn Aindarok first appears. I inserted the script most recently.
It’s better to follow the official history than to miss one of the few appearance scenes and have it affect the story I know.
“I am Lockstryn.”
Woah—
It probably wasn’t a conscious sound.
The students in the lecture hall gasped in unison. I’ve gotten used to it now, so it’s nothing.
Maybe if I farted right now, I’d get the same reaction?
“Right. You would have seen it. Coltman would have surely done so.”
“Yes.”
“What did you see?”
A simple setting where Coltman, despite Lockstryn rarely going outside, once forcibly took him to the front lines when he was young.
“It was horrifying.”
“Hmm, is that all?”
“There was an attack overnight, and while my father was away, many people died or were injured.”
“And?”
Aside from his stunning appearance, this is this body’s only character trait.
In the game, it might be a joke, but for Lockstryn, it’s a memory engraved like a trauma. Reciting the script was easy.
“Empty potion bottles were rolling around.”
[Seeing that some still had contents, it seems they were ineffective.]
“Blood-red bandages were scattered like trash.”
[I don’t know if they were used to stop bleeding or to soak up blood. Or maybe they were originally red cloth?]
“A soldier cauterized the stump of his severed right arm with the torch in his left hand.”
[Blood flowed freely from his bitten lower lip. Surprisingly, the soldier did not scream.]
“An old woman was crying, clutching a head with only a neck attached.”
[It was only much later that I realized that the half-crushed and blackened thing was a human head.]
By that point, I was also immersed.
These innocent children would be running around the campus with bright faces in just a few hours, but.
“I couldn’t tell if the things lying in the sickbeds were corpses or still living humans. Because a person with nothing below their waist was screaming endlessly. And a person I thought was asleep because their limbs were intact had a large hole in their chest when my father lifted the cloth.
My father ran out of the barracks, and I was left alone. I covered my ears. Fortunately, neither the screams nor the crying lasted long.”
A heavy silence fell over the lecture hall. Wouldn’t someone understand?
“Because the barracks became quiet in less than 10 minutes.”
That this is the future they must face.
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Peak…
Deep