Chapter 18

### Chapter 18: How to Steal a Wizard's Woman (1-2)

"Viola, I'll be back."

"Hmm... Will you come back?"

"Of course... I'll finish as quickly as possible and return."

I entered the warp case while Viola waited for me.

Armonia, wearing a captain's uniform, finished maintaining the machines in the warp room and said to Viola,

"Ms. Viola, during the mission, this area is a restricted zone, so you'll need to leave."

"Okay…."

Viola waved goodbye to me and left the warp room.

After Viola left, Armonia focused on me inside the warp case and began the mission briefing.

The target location is the Sutara Magic School.

The protagonist of this world is 'Louis Brandtrop,' who is said to have entered Sutara Magic School as the top student this year.

The target is 'Luna Stadtfield,' Louis Brandtrop's childhood friend.

Although they are not lovers, their relationship is so close that it can be considered as such.

According to Armonia, the teachers at Sutara Magic School are so respected that even a king would not dare to treat them casually.

Among the students, there are actual royals, but even they are just ordinary students at Sutara, paying attention to the professors' moods.

"Then, what if I don't have any magic power…."

[You don't need to worry about that. It's marked as LV 0, but it can be increased to Enel.]

"Phew…."

I was relieved, thinking I might start as a janitor.

Armonia explained that magic power is like a special talent.

Without LV 1, no amount of effort will lead to growth, but with LV 1, there is at least a minimal possibility.

The idea is to break through that talent with Enel.

For reference, the lowest-ranked student at Sutara Magic School is around LV 5.

As soon as Armonia finished speaking, I arrived at the main gate of Sutara Magic School.

***

The school's main gate was bustling with people.

From those getting off carriages and receiving guidance to commoners celebrating with their families.

I was dressed in clothes befitting a commoner.

In my hand was a letter, as Armonia had instructed.

Most people were receiving congratulations from their families or friends, but it was meaningless to me.

I just wanted to get inside as quickly as possible.

The school's exterior was grand, fitting its reputation.

The tall, black school building exuded a sense of mystery.

I handed my admission permit to the guard at the gate.

"Hmm... It's confirmed. Please proceed to the main hall over there."

I took back the permit from the guard, who had a stern expression, and entered the school.

As soon as I entered, the guard's voice came from behind.

"Hmm... Ah! Congratulations on your admission!"

"Ha-ha, thank you."

His attitude was completely different from before.

'What the heck, what’s going on?'

I turned around, bewildered.

Behind me stood a well-dressed nobleman with white clothing.

He was handsome and tall...

'...Is the guard gay?'

[No, I don't think so. His attitude changed after seeing the admission permit.]

'Armonia, give me some presence. Let's find out who this guy is.'

I need to find his weakness and make him a loser.

Just because he received different treatment, I got an additional side quest.

But Armonia, who usually responds immediately, was silent.

To think the person I need to make a loser is the protagonist. I must be lucky.

Thank you for giving me another reason to pour scorn on you.

The nobleman smiled brightly at me.

"Are you also enrolling here?"

"Yes, I am."

I responded with a bright smile.

There's no need to make a bad impression on the other person.

Inducing the other person's complacency is the basic stance of NTL.

Louis extended his hand for a handshake.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Louis Brandtrop from the Levin Kingdom."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Seong Suho."

"You have a unique name."

"Ha-ha…."

I was so angry that I vented to Armonia.

'How dare you say that after hearing my name?'

[He just seems surprised by its exoticness.]

'I should teach you a lesson with a club for being so exotic.'

[....]

While shaking hands with Louis, a woman in a simple yet elegant black dress entered, holding her admission permit.

Her dress was not overly ornate but exuded a sense of dignity.

She had long silver hair with slight waves at the ends.

Her eyes were slightly upturned, and she had a stern expression.

And most importantly,

'She's incredibly beautiful!!'

[Let me give her some presence.]

Armonia, reading my mind, immediately enhanced the woman's presence.

=======

Name: Luna Stadtfield

-Attributes-

[Magic], [Responsibility], [Calmness], [Desire to Grow], [Gratitude]….

=======

"Ah, Luna. This is Seong Suho, who is enrolling with us."

"Ah…."

Luna looked at me with a stern expression.

She wasn't completely expressionless like Armonia, but rather stern.

Unlike Armonia, her expression subtly changed.

"And Suho, this is my friend, Luna Stadtfield."

"Ah, nice to meet you."

I extended my hand, hoping to shake hers.

But Luna didn't react.

She looked at my hand for a moment, then raised her head to look at me.

"Unnecessarily…."

"?"

"There's no need to shake hands, it seems."

"…."

I don't know what she was thinking, but her actions excited me.

'Wow! Another reason to take the protagonist's girlfriend! Armonia!'

[This is expected to be a difficult task.]

Louis, looking at Luna, apologized to me.

"I'm sorry. Luna isn't very sociable... but she's not a bad person."

"I just said there's no need to shake hands."

"Ah, that's your problem."

The two of them bickered but seemed to enjoy it.

Luna's expression when talking to Louis was different from the one she showed me, with a subtle smile.

I folded my arms, feeling a surge of anger.

'...Armonia.'

[Yes.]

'I will make her taste hell with this hand that she refused…'

[That's a very appropriate attitude.]

I left the scene quietly, leaving the two of them bickering.

***

At the main hall, I listened to the headmaster's speech and the introduction of the professors, then received a tour of the dormitory.

The dormitory was separated by gender, and each student had their own room.

I entered the dormitory where I would be staying.

The dormitory didn't look in great condition.

A single bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and a private bathroom... that was it.

It felt like a single room for a college student.

"My office and this place are so different…."

[It seems to be assigned based on your ranking.]

Armonia explained that top-ranked students were given better dormitories.

The dormitories were assigned in the order of best, good, average, poor, and worst.

This system was likely designed to boost students' motivation.

And the assignments changed each semester.

"What's my ranking?"

[The worst.]

"What's my rank?"

[175th.]

"How many students are there in total?"

[175.]

"…."

I never came in last in school, even if I didn't attend a single class and slept through them.

On the bed, my uniform was neatly laid out.

The uniform consisted of a high-quality shirt, tie, vest, and trousers.

The cloak was dark blue and looked very luxurious.

The design was so good that it wouldn't look out of place in modern times.

It resembled a school uniform, but the elaborate patterns on the shirt collar, vest, and cloak gave it a military feel.

After all, wizards were once used as weapons of war.

I sat on the bed and started to organize my thoughts.

I had met the protagonist and the heroine.

And, by sheer luck, I was assigned to the same class.

Armonia said this was thanks to the help from Zodiac.

And...

"This time, I can't do it like Viola. I want to ruin things…."

I couldn't forget the expression of the girl named Luna.

Was I angry?

No, I was grateful for how it ignited my passion.

I wanted to ruin that expression.

Moreover, there were no remaining living quarters on the ship.

I had a clear understanding of that, and the next step was to increase my magic power.

A separate magic attribute had been created in my profile.

=======

Name: Seong Suho

-Attributes-

[Combat Skills], [Magic]…

=======

Armonia showed me the expanded magic attribute.

– [Magic Power LV 0], [Magic Resistance LV 0], [Fire Attribute LV 0], [Water Attribute LV 0]…–

I was shocked.

"Does it really cost 10,000 to increase it by just 1?"

[This is the initial cost for creating the attribute.]

"Phew, that's a relief. I thought it was absurdly high from the start."

I was really scared.

The lowest-ranked students were at level 5, and I thought I would have to start at level 1.

It would be a level where I could be expelled without any excuse.

"How much Enel do I have?"

[With the 20,000 Enel provided for this mission, you currently have 24,035 Enel left.]

"I have no choice... Let's start by increasing my magic power to level 1."

As soon as I said that...

Nothing happened, as if it were a lie.

You're so great...

When I checked my attributes, [Magic Power LV 1] was there.

"Then, how much does it cost to increase it further?"

[For Magic Power, the cost starts at 100 and doubles each time. The same applies to other magic attributes.]

"Wow! So, at level 100, it would be 100 times 2 to the power of 100. How much Enel is that…."

[Don't worry. You don't need to reach that level, and the cost doesn't always double. The system adjusts as you level up.]

"Ah, right... I won't be reaching level 100 in magic anyway."

It would be more beneficial to max out my combat skills.

"Then, let's at least get to level 5."

[1500 Enel has been consumed to increase Magic Power to level 5.]

"At least I need to be at the lowest level…."

Phew... This should be enough to save face tomorrow.

The next day, the first words from my professor shocked me.

"Magic is forbidden for a week."