Chapter 93

<092. Companion of Belief>

Most students at Jefrin could feel the winds of change, either directly or indirectly.

Their lifestyle and environment hadn't changed.

What they mainly felt was the change in people.

The names floating around in society had changed.

The top student in the third-year Magic Department had changed. Her name began to rise and fall more frequently.

The top student in the second-year Knight Department was reportedly aspiring to become a Royal Guard, and there were rumors that the recommendation letter was already prepared.

The top student in the first-year had changed. Although their status was low, they were said to possess overwhelming power.

Originally, celebrities are determined from birth.

It's impossible to transcend one's birth status.

Social mobility.

In Loengrin, where the royal authority has reached divine might, this is not something easily seen.

However, just two months into this semester, there were too many changes.

It all started with Wolfram von Loengrin, the student council president, being overthrown.

Even though he had fallen to the level of a regular student, no one thought of him as just a regular student.

Certainly, his royal bloodline played a part, but he, who had been the worst dictator of a student council president, was once again building his position and influence.

Even after being expelled from the first dormitory, Glastheim, he was riding a steel giant, touring Jefrin, and gathering his forces.

And there were even rumors among insiders that Yeb von Loengrin, who had been calling for his downfall and justice, had formed a friendly relationship with him, leading some to think:

'Could Wolfram von Loengrin actually be the mastermind behind everything at Jefrin?'

It was an opinion held by a very few, but considering his actions, it wasn't entirely baseless.

And how terrifying must Wolfram von Loengrin be to those students who have reached the 'truth'?

Scary, but I want to know what they are doing even more!

Fear and admiration are born together!

So, what are these people, who are currently making the academy buzz with their activities, doing...?

"My status isn't rising..."

"The Royal Guard class is tough..."

"The spicy seasoning is running out. The sisters eat a lot..."

"To become a better fit for my senior, what should I do?"

"Go away."

They were leading lives that weren't much different from before.

***

When I worked part-time at a convenience store as Yeongjin.

The store manager was a hero to the nearby high school students.

He ran three convenience stores under his name and made good money, but he didn't show off his wealth.

He often took care of the discarded items and gave life advice to high school students who came late at night after their classes ended.

To the extent that the nearby high school students didn't come to his store to get cigarettes. If this store disappeared, their mental oasis would be gone too.

He was such a person, and I often thought that I wanted my convenience store to be like that.

I want to be a convenience store manager who always greets customers with a smile!

What a perfect plan.

"Even with strength training and running, the only things affected are strength and stamina... Maybe my strength will rise soon."

"The Royal Guard is like a comprehensive civil servant. Why are there so many things to learn...?"

"Wolfram, do you have any leftover seasoning?"

"Is maintaining the top position not enough?"

However, when they all came running to me for advice, it turned out to be more troublesome than expected.

"Aila, first aim to match your strength and stamina to 17. That will give you a bit more potential. Nephthys, the annual salary is 200 million. Rudyka, I'll definitely give you a good price later. Millefeuille, being the top student is the pinnacle of the first year. Stand tall."

After giving advice to the four of them, they all started studying with a "Ah, I see."

A few days after becoming the top student, Millefeuille started smiling more and naturally talking to me more.

She said, "Now I can stand tall as a junior to my senior!"

No, you were always a junior.

"No, it's nothing."

"Yes, if it's nothing, please let me know when it becomes something."

She then returned to her studies.

"Ugh, 98 points... Maybe it will rise higher. This kid's rebellion is on the rise. Is my rebellion kid broken?"

Aila muttered incomprehensible words, but I didn't attach much significance to them. The word 'rebellion' was in there, so it seemed fine.

The reason Millefeuille confused my mind was just one.

She had become the top student of the year.

She had knocked Kelters down twice and made Kunters, the second-best student, fall.

The boss of Act 2, "Top Student Kelters," had activated a curse centered around the "celebrity heroines" around him.

But now that Millefeuille had taken the top position, the curse could be activated centered around her.

Then the targets would be...

Aila, Nephthys, Rudyka, Millefeuille. If we broaden the scope, Vanilla and Yogurt.

If we include the original heroines, Yeb, Izzolde, Regina, and Siella.

"There are too many."

This is quite a problem.

It's been a while since I've had to use a trick.

"Nephthys."

"Yes, senior."

"I'm going on a business trip tomorrow. Please accompany me as my guard."

"Um, I have a Royal Guard assignment tomorrow..."

"Three hundred thousand per day."

"Devotion. Loyalty. This spirit is for my lord alone."

Nephthys bowed her head.

Isn't her price getting a bit too high?

***

The next day, we arrived at the Black Market.

Wearing the same mask as before, we arrived here, but what we were looking for was not an item.

We needed to find out the latest trends, which was quite complicated.

In the corners of the Black Market, there were tents painted with blue dye. According to the rules of the Black Market, these were sleeping rooms.

To be precise, they were slightly uncomfortable sleeping rooms.

Inside, a man, or perhaps a woman, with an indeterminate gender due to various transformation spells, was waiting.

"Welcome to the sleeping room. Please come in."

"I hope for a special sleep. It would be nice to have a good dream."

"...Who are you looking for?"

"Who has been giving the best dreams recently?"

"The recent selections are as follows."

"Is this the latest trend?"

"Ah, you're looking for the latest, not the classics. Here it is."

He then showed me the recent selections of people who had been giving the best dreams.

I frowned.

Inside, I saw the faces of Millefeuille, Nephthys, and Aila. Yeb and Regina were also there.

"I'll dream next time. Here's the fee."

"Thank you."

After saying that, I left the sleeping room.

This could get quite troublesome.

***

As we left the Black Market, Nephthys cautiously asked:

"Senior, what was that place just now? It looked very ominous. It didn't suit me at all. And... I saw my face in there."

"Hmm? I'm sorry, I didn't explain. Simply put, it's a sleeping room."

"A sleeping room?"

"Yes, a sleeping room that gives you good dreams."

The residents of the Black Market are those who have dropped out of Jefrin. They are, in a sense, losers.

However, to dream of becoming a winner, they use fake faces or fake voices and pretend to be those people.

But for those who can't be satisfied with just that, there are sleeping rooms that let you dream of becoming a celebrity.

"To fulfill a dream, even if only in a dream... is that it?"

"Expressing it that way makes it sound beautiful, but it's actually just a curse."

"A curse...?"

"Yes."

This curse is very complicated.

Basically, curses and blessings are based on the concept of 'faith' and operate as a separate power from 'magic.'

Faith borrows the power of 'gods' and their opposites, 'demons.'

So, without items like 'blessing' or 'curse resistance,' even Yeb, with a magic value of 22, can easily be cursed.

Think of it like attribute tables in online games.

Water - Wind - Earth - Fire are like rock-paper-scissors. This is a national rule.

However, Darkness - Light.

In some games, these two only play rock-paper-scissors with each other.

That's the idea.

And this dream curse is even more malicious, as it gathers the admiration of the losers for the celebrities and gives the celebrities a mental shock.

"So, curses actually exist."

"Hmm. It's funny for me, a prince, to say, but gods and demons do exist. It's written in the literature."

"I'm surprised... But how do you know so much about it, senior?"

Nephthys looked at me anxiously.

Ah, is she worried that Wolfram might have had such dreams too?

...Hmm. Yeongjin, of course, has never used it, and I, as Wolfram, have never used it either.

And the original Wolfram... probably never used it either.

He allocated budgets for artists who couldn't pursue the path of swords or magic and was a guy who stuck to his dreams.

"No, I've never used it. In fact, I'm hostile to it."

Because of them, I've seen bad endings so many times.

Honestly, the reason I did so much with Emilun was because I couldn't find a heroine in Act 2.

Damn.

"...Hostile?"

"Yes, they are very annoying. Honestly, I want to reduce them as much as possible until graduation."

"Then... could it be...?"

So, the solution to this curse is indeed 'blessing,' but it's much more expensive and difficult to obtain than expected.

"Then, senior, are you... eliminating the threats to Jefrin in the darkness and saving the students...? By setting up Yeb as the student council president and choosing to remain in the shadows... Senior, you also have a belief for the weak... Then, protecting this person is not much different from my belief..."

Ignoring Nephthys' muttering, I fell into thought again.

I should definitely make a blessing item.

Let's see, what's the quickest way to get one?

"Senior."

"What is it?"

"I'll do my best in the Royal Guard class."

Why did the conversation turn this way?

...

"Try your best."

"Yes, sir!"

Well, whatever.

Try your best.

If you're going to work hard, I should support you.