I Possessed a Character in an Academy Without a Protagonist – Chapter 179

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Hmm…”

The ring hummed.

The Crown Princess, wearing it on her ring finger, sighed and rested her head on her desk.

How many months had this ring been vibrating? She was starting to suspect Schlus hadn’t summoned a spirit, but resurrected the dead.

“Han Ah-reum… Han Ah-reum…”

She’d ordered a thorough investigation into the name, but it had yielded nothing. No one with that name existed among humans, beastkin, or elves.

She’d even had Schlus followed, but learned little. The only lead was that the women of House Lichtenburg, whom he frequented, seemed to know something.

“Should I swallow my pride…?”

There was a way.

She could make a deal with House Lichtenburg. But negotiating with a noble family as an equal would damage the Imperial family’s prestige. And if she made demands, the proud Lichtenburgs might refuse without sufficient compensation.

‘Isn’t this a matter of national importance?’

Any information on Schlus Hainkel, the hero of the nation, was valuable, no matter how trivial. And information about the woman he was fixated on could prove useful in the future.

The Crown Princess nodded, convinced, and stood up.

“Huh?”

A strange sensation, or rather, the absence of a sensation, in her left hand. She glanced down at her ring finger.

The vibrations had stopped. The spirit Schlus had summoned was gone.

“Now…?”

A wave of disappointment washed over her.

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Julia’s condition improved dramatically.

The constant fatigue vanished, and she regained her energy, venturing outside, which she’d previously avoided. Her recovery was so swift it seemed miraculous.

‘Those nightmares… they were a serious illness…’

Julia’s decline had been so gradual they hadn’t noticed its severity. Only now, witnessing her rapid recovery, did Erica realize how ill she’d been.

She felt a pang of guilt, the chilling realization that she’d almost lost her sister.

It was strange. Schlus had forced that spirit into her sister’s body, and he’d also removed it. Erica had no reason to feel guilty, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

Neigh!

“Huh?”

The sound of a horse whinnying made Erica look outside. Schlus sat astride his black horse at the front gate. Before the maids could react, Erica rushed out.

“Gasp… Gasp… Isn’t that… the horse you rode in the South?”

“Yes. It was a gift. I ride it sometimes so I don’t forget what it feels like. I happened to be passing by, so I thought I’d stop in.”

“…”

A lie.

He’d come here intentionally. Erica forced a smile and opened the gate. The horse nuzzled her affectionately.

“This horse… It has a thing for beautiful women.”

“B-Beautiful?!”

“Who else would I be talking about?”

“…”

Schlus’s casual compliment made Erica blush. She felt annoyed that she was the only one flustered. She watched him hand the reins to the butler.

“Are you here to see Julia again?”

“I just happened to be passing by.”

“Oh, right. Of course.”

“I might as well see her while I’m here.”

“Go ahead. I think she’s in the back garden.”

“Thank you.”

Schlus playfully kissed her hand and headed towards the back of the residence. His casual demeanor was infuriating.

How many times had he used this excuse to visit Julia? He’d continued to visit even after the spirit was gone. He must be seeing that dead woman in Julia. He’d let her go, but he hadn’t let go of his feelings.

He was using Julia as a substitute.

“Haa…”

Erica felt a pang of sympathy for him, but also a surge of irritation.

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I had a lot on my plate. The Emperor’s impending purge, the “crisis” Roman had warned me about, and the escalating violence of Asylum… But the most pressing issue was—

“I’m screwed…”

Finals.

I’d been so preoccupied with other matters I’d neglected my studies. I’d completely lost track of Ludwig’s lectures and had to rely on my notes.

I’d managed to do well on the quizzes and surprise tests. I’d aced the midterms, so I only needed to maintain a decent ranking in the finals to secure top marks for the semester…

“This isn’t good.”

I had a bad feeling.

The midterms had, thankfully, followed the original story, but there was no guarantee the finals would be the same. I couldn’t predict the questions, so I couldn’t cheat.

For the first time, I’d have to rely solely on my abilities to pass the Imperial University’s exams. Surrounded by the Empire’s greatest minds.

“There’s only one option left…”

I needed a boost. Increasing my stats was the most effective way to improve my adaptability. And I had the means to do so.

I couldn’t choose which stat would increase, but that was fine. I had plenty of shop coins.

I’d almost forgotten about the shop. I had 34 coins. The cost of the Forbidden Elixir increased by 1 with each purchase. I could buy four.

A potential 40-point stat increase. If it was distributed evenly among Strength, Stamina, and Toughness, I’d become as strong as Trie.

‘Don’t get your hopes up.’

My luck usually resulted in ridiculous outcomes, like a massive increase in Computational Ability. It would never go where I wanted it.

‘Status Window.’

I checked my stats. Had my Stamina, Strength, and Agility increased?

I couldn’t be sure. I couldn’t remember what they’d been before.

[Forbidden Elixir x4 purchased.]

I bought four elixirs. Four vials materialized, glowing faintly, and landed on the training room floor.

The sight of them made my stomach churn. My body remembered the vile taste.

“Ugh!”

I didn’t hesitate. I uncorked a vial and downed its contents. My stomach cramped, and my insides twisted, but I couldn’t stop. I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish if I paused.

I downed all four vials without stopping.

“Ugh… Ugh…”

It was the equivalent of drinking 1.5 liters of water in one go, but I didn’t feel full.

Did it dissolve instantly? The awful taste lingered. My tongue was numb. I needed to check.

‘Status Window.’

What? My Stamina, Strength, Agility, Toughness, and Magic Power were all the same. What had changed?

“Oh, come on…!”

I hoped I was mistaken.

I desperately hoped so. But no matter how many times I checked, the result was the same.

[Mana Synchronization: 41]

All 40 points had gone into Mana Synchronization. 41. Four times that of an average person. I could now convert mana into magic power or magical energy, and vice versa, four times more efficiently.

I would have been ecstatic before. It was a cheat stat, allowing me to convert all the magical energy generated by Schlus’s internal circuits into magic power. But now… it wasn’t as useful.

I could simply channel the magical energy into Vafe.

“Just the same…”

It was a pointless increase. If it had gone into Computational Ability, I could have developed spells beyond the reach of any Majin.

I cursed my luck.

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