I Realized It Was An Academy Game After 10 Years – Chapter 157

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

 
“Meow.”

Kiki.

The NPC that was supposed to appear on the third floor, not the second.

Yes, an NPC.

Its role was to guide us to the reward chamber on the third floor… or so it was supposed to be.

“What a cute cat.”

“But it doesn’t look… dangerous…”

“Karina, are cats usually this strong?”

“Of course not. What kind of strength could a cat possibly have?”

“It destroyed a golem in one hit.”

“…It’s the first headmaster’s familiar.”

My explanation was met with lukewarm reactions. While destroying the book golem was a dramatic entrance, all it was doing now was licking its paws and meowing.

“Meow.”

“…Should I have brought Sif?”

As a cat beastkin, she might have been able to communicate with it. I stared blankly at the cat, lost in thought. Kiki, seemingly oblivious to our presence, continued grooming itself.

…Was this cat supposed to be the boss of the second floor, or was it just being a cat? Even as an NPC, it would usually just sleep in a corner after fulfilling its role.

“Mister Johann, w-what should we do…?”

Shuri, her face flushed, looked up at me, her tail wagging furiously. She seemed to have a fondness for cute things.

“Rue, can you translate?”

[I don’t speak cat.]

It couldn’t speak in the original story either, so I had to rely on its expressions and tail movements. I scratched my head and cautiously approached Kiki.

It continued grooming itself, seemingly unfazed by my approach.

…This was anticlimactic.

“Hey.”

“…”

“Familiar of Andras.”

Kiki still didn’t react. Why was this cat even here? I had expected it to at least put up a fight. This was getting us nowhere.

Was there any way to communicate with it?

Should I really go get Sif?

“…Kiki, can you understand me?”

“How do you know my name, human?”

“You could have just spoken from the beginning.”

“But it’s amusing to watch humans make stupid faces.”

That cheeky cat.

I resisted the urge to flick its forehead.

It had destroyed a book golem in one hit, so antagonizing it wouldn’t be wise.

“I have some questions. Will you answer them?”

“You know what they say about give and take, meow?”

“Hmm.”

I pulled out some jerky from my bag. I had brought it as a snack. Kiki sniffed the jerky, then snatched it from my hand and started munching on it.

“Human food is too salty, meow.”

It seemed to be enjoying it, though. I watched Kiki devour the jerky and asked my first question.

“Shouldn’t you be on the third floor?”

“I’m bored, meow. And wasn’t the first floor test enough? I was supposed to adjust the difficulty based on the students’ strength, but I was surprised by the Twin-Headed Ogre, meow.”

Well, we were grateful for that… I placed another piece of jerky at Kiki’s feet.

“Can everyone receive the rewards?”

“You know about me, so you must know about the rewards, meow? Of course. Andras’s legacy is intangible, meow.”

So everyone would receive the rewards. That was good. It would be unfair if some received rewards and others didn’t. I wouldn’t have brought them here if that were the case.

…Wait.

“Does Milia receive them too?”

“Who’s Milia, meow?”

“The red-haired girl over there.”

I pointed at Milia. Kiki extended its paw.

Yes, eat it all.

I gave Kiki the rest of the jerky.

“Of course, as long as they’re worthy, meow. Unlike the one scratching at the wall, meow…”

Scratching at the wall?

Was that Bella?

Was she scratching at the entrance to the hidden archive because she couldn’t enter? That would ruin her nails.

Her persistence was admirable, though.

Misguided, but admirable. If she had a better attitude, I might have considered recruiting her, since she was ranked third. But someone consumed by jealousy and resentment wasn’t a good fit for our team.

We already had the top two students in the Magic department… What was Martina’s rank, by the way?

She was probably also in the top tier.

“Can you guide us to the third floor now?”

“Go on your own, meow. You know how it works, meow?”

…That was true.

I sighed and stood up.

“Everyone, let’s go to the third floor.”

“What about the cat… I mean, the familiar?”

“It said we should go on our own.”

The girls seemed disappointed that Kiki wasn’t coming with us. They were still kids. I carefully navigated the mountains of books and headed towards the entrance to the third floor.

What kind of reward would I receive?

A sense of anticipation filled me as I walked towards the entrance.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“This is… the third floor?”

“It looks like an ordinary library…”

“Not an ordinary library. It’s huge.”

“Miss Viola, please refrain from using such language.”

“Ah, sorry, sorry.”

“Johann! There are so many books! Are they all real?”

At Milia’s excited question, I walked over to a nearby bookshelf and pulled out a book.

[Introduction to Elemental Magic by Caranthus]

…It seemed to have actual content, but I knew nothing about magic, so I couldn’t tell if it was legitimate.

“Elisa, would you mind reading this? I want to know if the content is accurate.”

“O-Okay…”

Elisa took the book and started flipping through the pages. After a while, she closed the book and handed it back to me.

“I-It seems to be correct… It’s the same as what I’ve read before.”

“Really? So all these books are real? There might even be rare books here.”

“That’s possible.”

So this was the reward? Access to this vast library of knowledge?

Not bad.

Though it was a bit underwhelming for me.

I wasn’t exactly a scholar; reading books wouldn’t improve my abilities significantly.

It was a great reward for the mages, giving them access to rare knowledge and boosting their future growth, but it was still a bit… disappointing.

“There’s no greater reward for a mage than this library… I’m glad I came on this expedition.”

“M-Me too.”

[Contractor, I’m sensing magic from over there.]

Rue, which was attached to my belt, extended a tentacle and pointed towards the center of the library.

Was it the artifact, as in the original story?

Leaving the excited mages, I walked towards the center of the library. The wish-granting grimoire should be there.

The legendary wish-granting grimoire.

It wasn’t exactly a lie. It granted wishes, but in a twisted way. I wasn’t going there to make a wish. I planned to take the grimoire and give it to Principal Merlin.

It was too dangerous for the kids to handle, and it had historical significance, so it was better to have it sealed away under tight security.

…And I could get a finder’s fee.

It should be enough to treat the kids to a nice meal and buy some research materials.

With that thought in mind, I continued walking and spotted the ancient grimoire, encased in a glass display case.

“So this is it.”

The grimoire, just like in the original story, was bound in worn leather. The slightly yellowed pages hinted at its age. So this was it.

I reached out to the glass case, planning to discreetly put it in my bag.

[Contractor, mana is coalescing in front of you…!]

Was there some kind of alarm?

I quickly retracted my hand and stared at the coalescing mana.

The mana solidified, taking the form of an elderly man with a scholarly air. He looked at me with surprise.

[What is your name?]

“…Johann Quartz.”

[Astonishing. That name… it has survived all these years.]

…What?

What was this now?

I stared at the old man, bewildered.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

[Your Text Here]