Chapter 39

■ Chapter 38. Group Project (2) □ ᓚᘏᗢ

Is this some kind of unbelievable probability? The moment I heard Cecil's name called last, my eyes widened. It really can't be anything but an incredible probability.

What kind of probability would make these three and Jackson end up in the same group? If the lottery didn't exist, it would be an almost impossible phenomenon, but it's still hard to believe.

When Professor Virius called Cecil's name, I momentarily froze and then looked behind me. Seeing that Cecil and Lina had similar expressions, it was clear they were also very surprised.

‘Did they really manipulate it or something?’

Given this, a rational suspicion arose. If only one person was in the same group, it might be a coincidence, but with three people, it's hard not to think that way.

When Professor Virius started calling the next names, I first checked Marie's reaction before looking for Jackson. For her, being in the same group as Jackson, Lina, and Cecil must have been a bolt from the blue.

As I expected, Marie's mouth was slightly open, clearly showing her disbelief. Even I, who can hardly believe the reality, am surprised, so how must she feel?

The only difference is that I am an observer, while she is the one struggling in the fire.

‘It’s better not to console her.’

In a situation like this, it's wise to just keep quiet. Being in the same group as Jackson is already bad luck for her, and with Lina, who has a terrible relationship, it's even worse.

Moreover, since the meeting, the looks Cecil has been getting haven't been good. While not as overtly hostile as Lina, she has been wary.

‘This is going to be tough.’

It's not just tough; it's a hellish group. Marie, being from the Requillace family, which practices noblesse oblige, tends to take action herself, but what about the others? This question naturally arose.

The princess of the Minerva Empire, the princess of Helium, and the son of a wealthy baron.

These three people are more likely to delegate tasks to others rather than do them themselves. Especially Lina, who has the strongest tendency to do so, as she is more suited to a 'leader' rather than a 'team leader.'

In simpler terms, she prefers to delegate tasks to the most suitable person to complete them efficiently. However, in a group project, this could lead to free-riding.

“...Really, they won’t change it?”

As time passed, Marie, seemingly having come to terms with the unbelievable reality, muttered with a resigned expression. I could fully empathize with her feelings but didn't console her. I just gave her a sympathetic look.

Marie, though, was in a difficult position. The professor had clearly emphasized that changing group members was absolutely not allowed, and if such behavior was discovered, severe punishment would be given.

It's not wise to think that you won't get caught. The professor is not an easy person to fool, and if you do get caught, the risk is enormous. It's natural for rumors to spread in the class, and you might even get the lowest score.

“With that, I will conclude all the assignments. As I emphasized before, changing group members is impossible, and if discovered, severe punishment will be given, so please be careful.”

“...Huh.”

The professor kindly confirmed this, and Marie, seemingly giving up, let out a hollow laugh.

Seeing this, I almost laughed but managed to suppress it with a fake cough. I had never seen Marie make such an expression before.

“The presentation will be held exactly two weeks from now, and during this period, classes will be replaced with group discussions. Additionally, groups that give good presentations or ask insightful questions will receive bonus points.”

Choosing the life of Zeon as the topic is understandable, but it seems he enjoys taking it easy. Knowing that students have a very tight schedule, he seems to be substituting classes with group discussions for a break.

I listened to Professor Virius's explanation and then raised my hand slightly, as I had a question. Professor Virius, seeing my raised hand, smiled and readily extended his hand to me.

“Yes, Isaac. What is your question?”

“I want to ask if we can use visual aids during the presentation.”

In this world, not only computers but even machines are not well-developed. There are no projectors, so we can only use large sheets of paper.

Professor Virius, hearing my question, gently tugged at his mustache, thought for a moment, and then answered in a calm voice.

“It’s fine. Using visual aids also indicates thorough preparation. However, given the nature of this topic, visual aids may not be very significant.”

“Why is that?”

“This group project is about predicting the development, not evaluating it. In my personal opinion, using the blackboard is sufficient.”

That’s a relief. It seems there’s no need to go through the trouble of drawing on large sheets of paper.

Instead, I need to focus more on organizing the materials and practicing the presentation. Using the blackboard for a presentation is something I’m not familiar with.

‘...Wait. Why do I naturally assume I’ll be the one presenting?’

This is why trauma is scary. After being in group projects multiple times, I naturally gravitated towards this role.

Of course, there’s also the fact that I’m the author of the Zeon biography. There might be group members who can present better than me, so I should observe them.

‘Observing them could be interesting.’

If I’m lucky, there might be people who suggest developments I hadn’t thought of. There might be students who catch subtle foreshadowing or plot points, as I saw with Jackson during the meeting.

Although the results were strange, considering that, Jackson’s observational skills are excellent.

‘...But I’m not sure if he can do it well.’

While the professor was explaining the points to be mindful of during the group project, I glanced behind me. It seemed that Lina and Cecil had already composed themselves and showed no concern.

‘They’ll do well on their own.’

Who will suffer the most in this hellish group? I predict it will be either Marie or Jackson.

“With that, I will end today’s class. During the remaining time, get to know each other and establish a plan.”

There was still over an hour left in the class, but Professor Virius quickly ended it. It seemed he ended early to give the remaining time for group members to get to know each other.

The class ended with Professor Virius politely bowing. Before standing up, I checked on Marie’s condition.

Her face was buried in her desk, and her hair hung like a curtain, hiding her face, but I could hear her muttering.

“It’s over… I have to give up on humanities…”

“...”

“If it were Isaac, it would be doable, but why him…”

“...”

“Lord Lumines. Why do you give me such trials… I pray every day…”

Should I really console her? I noticed Marie’s deep sadness, as if she were sinking into the ground.

But, as if pouring oil on burning flames, Lina, sitting behind her, encouraged Marie in a calm voice.

“Since it’s come to this, let’s all work hard. The professor said we can’t change group members, so it’s best to give up.”

“...Bitch.”

I had never heard Marie swear before. This must mean she’s very angry. Fortunately, she said it quietly, so Lina probably didn’t hear it.

“Still, it would have been nice if Isaac was in our group.”

Lina smiled subtly and looked directly at me. I gave her an awkward smile and replied.

“Jackson will be fine. From the meeting, I felt that while he might not be good at other things, his observational and analytical skills are quite good.”

“Isn’t that true for you as well?”

This time, it was Cecil who asked me. From the confidence in her voice, it seemed both Lina and Cecil overestimate me.

Many people misunderstand, but I’m not a genius; I just have a lot of miscellaneous knowledge from my previous life. Moreover, in this world, access to information is far less developed than in my previous life.

I maintained a wry smile and replied to Cecil’s question. I couldn’t mention my previous life, so I came up with a plausible excuse.

“You’re overestimating me. I just read a lot of books.”

“I think Isaac is underestimating himself. The occasional consideration you show is something only a thoughtful person can do.”

Cecil’s mention of ‘consideration’ was more of a habit. As everyone knows, I have a bit of a clumsy side, which led to this habit of thinking twice before speaking or acting.

Of course, even with this habit, my nature hasn’t changed. You can tell from the occasional clumsy actions.

“Um… It’s more of a habit. I’m a bit clumsy, so I tend to think twice before doing anything.”

“It’s a good habit. It’s hard to develop such a habit.”

This time, it was Lina who spoke. I glanced at her and replied.

“True, but sometimes it leads to missed opportunities. Even the most talented people have hidden weaknesses. When a situation arises where they can’t use their strengths, their weaknesses become apparent.”

I often make various mistakes if I don’t think twice, even in the short term. Last time, I accidentally brought my material notebook instead of my lecture notes and almost got caught by Marie.

Lina, hearing my words, seemed to recall something and closed her mouth. Her expression also darkened slightly, as if she was thinking of something unpleasant.

I quickly gathered my notes and stood up to leave, as the class had ended and I needed to go meet my group members, as Professor Virius suggested.

“Then I’ll be on my way. I hope you all have a good outcome.”

“Isaac, good luck. We… will try our best.”

Cecil looked at Lina and Marie in turn and spoke quietly. She seemed to be well aware of the current imbalance in the group. Her trailing off at the end gave it away.

So, what am I supposed to do? I feel sorry for Cecil, but it’s not my problem. If any of them ask for my help, I will firmly refuse.

It might seem harsh, but this experience is necessary for them. As I headed towards Leona’s side, I met a male student.

“Hey.”

“Ah! Hello! I’m Benjamin Blank!”

He had dark blonde, curly hair and a simple, rural youth-like face.

Benjamin Blank, one of my group members. I nodded at his enthusiastic greeting and responded bluntly.

“I’m Isaac Duker Marshall. You can just use informal speech.”

“Ah… O, okay… But you’re a noble…”

Benjamin, taken aback by my words, started to look around. From his inability to meet my gaze, it was clear how he usually viewed nobles.

‘This class system is a pain.’

Unfortunately, Benjamin’s reaction is normal in this world. Unless they are from the same noble family, there is a clear gap between commoners and nobles.

This is why it’s not strange for Benjamin to be intimidated by me. I sighed inwardly and then spoke to him.

“I don’t care about that, so just use informal speech. It makes me uncomfortable.”

“Ah… Okay, got it. I’ll be informal.”

“Why did you immediately switch to informal speech?”

“S, sorry!”

“Just kidding.”

This situation reminded me of my previous life in the military. Benjamin looked bewildered when I added that it was a joke.

I chuckled at his expression and moved on. As I walked, Benjamin hurriedly followed.

“R, really, it’s okay to use informal speech?”

“Of course, it’s fine.”

“Got it. Really, I’ll use informal speech?”

“You’re already using it, aren’t you?”

As I chatted with Benjamin, we soon reached Leona’s desk. Leona, who was writing something in her notebook, quietly closed it when we approached. She then lifted her head and met my gaze.

As expected, her expression was not sarcastic but as hard as a rock, as if a needle couldn’t pierce it. She seemed to have a good grasp of her concept.

“I’m Leona Lyons. Nice to meet you.”

She looked at us in turn and introduced herself in a monotone. Her attitude, so different from her usual self, made me feel a bit of a disconnect, but I suppressed it.

“I’m Isaac Duker Marshall.”

“I’m Benjamin Blank. Nice to meet you.”

The three of us exchanged greetings when a bright, cheerful voice caught our attention. We all turned to the source of the sound.

A girl with brown hair and brown eyes, with a doll-like appearance, was approaching. She was quite small when seen up close.

She then looked at each of us in turn, placed her hand on her chest, and greeted us politely.

“I’m Aria, from the Matius Marquess family. And…”

Aria, introducing herself, looked at Benjamin and Leona, not at me. After a moment, she slightly curled her lips, a gesture I noticed.

I frowned slightly. She wouldn’t dare say it outright…

“Apart from Mr. Isaac, you’re all commoners, right? I’ll use informal speech.”

“...”

“Oh, right. By the way, Mr. Isaac is from the Marshall Baron family, isn’t he?”

The fact that she added ‘Baron’ after the surname suggested she had some idea. This is a conclusion I could draw from my experience with group projects.

“I hope we can work well together. I’ve been keeping an eye on you.”

There’s one person trying to free-ride by using her status.