Chapter 35

EP.35 Lucie (3)

It was a very refreshing morning.

It had been a long time since I had slept so soundly, ever since the day I defeated the recluse Garzia.

The fever had quickly subsided, thanks to the healing magic Lucie had cast on me.

I left the inferior students' dormitory, Doris Hall, suppressing the urge to run, feeling so light on my feet.

Even though Doris Hall was known for its outdated facilities compared to other dormitories, the lush gardens and Corinthian columns around it created a beautiful atmosphere.

I headed towards the dormitory gate with light steps. Suddenly, I noticed something odd about the male students leaving the gate. They were also from Doris Hall, heading to school like me.

They were glancing sideways at a corner outside the gate as they passed by.

‘What’s making them all blush like that?’

I recognized Dorothy Heartnova. Thinking it was a playful coincidence, I stepped out of the gate.

I looked in the direction the male students were staring. For a moment, I was blinded. They say that when you see a handsome or beautiful celebrity, it’s like a halo surrounds them. It felt just like that.

A female student stood there, holding her bag with both hands. Her long rose-gold hair was adorned with butterfly-colored ribbons on both sides. She looked like the perfect example of a noble lady. The bright sunlight made her beauty even more striking.

The moment her ocean-blue eyes met mine, I caught my breath.

“Hi, Isaac.”

It was Lucie Eltania.

She greeted me with a bright smile, waving her right hand.

The male students’ gazes now turned to me.

…Trouble.

“The weather is nice today, isn’t it?”

I looked at Lucie helplessly as she pulled out a cliché line, as if she had prepared it in advance.

I was in a position where I needed to be cautious, but I ended up drawing widespread attention unexpectedly. I had let my guard down.

“Why the long face? Is the weather bad?”

The weather in my heart is bad, you brat….

……

The reason I didn’t want to be seen with Kaya by the students was clear.

I am still a commoner in Class D.

If someone like Kaya, from the noble Astraean family in Class A, were seen eating or walking around with someone like me, it would naturally catch the students' attention. This would be perfect fodder for the freshmen’s gossip.

And such gossip could reach Alice Carroll’s ears.

I don’t need to consider the possibility of Alice overhearing it by chance as she walks by. She is busy with student council duties, doesn’t go to the student cafeteria, and takes her breaks in secluded places.

What I need to be most careful about are Alice’s subordinates among the freshmen. They are potential student council members recruited by the student council and report every move of the freshmen they know to Alice.

Not only the student council, but there are also other student factions in Merhen Academy called the 'Four Constellations.'

To put it in terms of our country’s political system, the student council, which is one of the Four Constellations, is like the ruling party, while the other Four Constellations are like the opposition or other political parties. Of course, the details are different.

The Four Constellations also have freshmen they have recruited in advance. These freshmen collect information and pass it on to their factions, acting as a kind of spy.

They do this for two reasons. First, to gather information on students they want to recruit into their faction. Second, to identify potential candidates who would be good to recruit into their faction.

Their ultimate goal is to produce a student council president from their faction, which would give them immense power within the academy.

Alice is likely using this pretext to find an obstacle, namely me.

The information that I used a 5-star magic during the combat evaluation probably reached her ears as well. But with so many other outstanding students, that information might have been buried.

However, however….

“Let’s have lunch together, Isaac.”

It was during lunch at the magic department student cafeteria. Suddenly, Lucie approached and placed her tray opposite mine, sitting down.

The gazes of the students around us were intense. They all looked surprised. One student was so flustered that orange juice was dripping from his mouth.

“Lucie Eltania is having lunch with Isaac…?”

“No way….”

“I’ve never seen the top student smile before.”

“Me too….”

“What kind of combination is this…?”

Of course, I didn’t receive such attention when I ate with Amy or Matteo’s group.

But Lucie is the top student of the first-year class in the prestigious Merhen Academy’s magic department, a source of admiration for many students.

Especially since she is known for being always aloof.

The dramatic change in her demeanor, showing a bright side only to me, couldn’t help but catch the students' attention.

‘It feels like having lunch with a celebrity.’

The expression “I don’t know if the food is going into my mouth or my nose” fits this moment perfectly. It really felt that way.

“Did you understand the lecture well?”

Lucie smiled and threw another cliché line.

“I have something to do. I’ll go first.”

“Ah…!”

I quickly picked up my tray and hurried away.

Lucie reached out as if to stop me, but I couldn’t react.

……

Orpin Hall, Class D lecture room.

All the students were looking at me. Even Ian, who had a bandage on his cheek from fighting his familiar Rex yesterday, was no exception.

This was because the top student with rose-gold hair was sitting next to me, staring at me intently.

She had her arms crossed on the desk and her cheek resting on them. The original owner of the seat was standing behind, unable to speak and fidgeting.

“Lucie, class is about to start. Aren’t you going back…?”

“I’ll go when class starts.”

This is the Class D lecture room. Lucie belongs to Class A, where only the top five students can enter, and she is the top student among them.

Her presence alone in this lecture room made the atmosphere extremely heavy.

“What’s the relationship between the top student and Isaac?”

“It’s exactly that feeling. She wants to stick close to the person she likes….”

“Top student?”

“Is this a country?”

I could hear the students whispering. Really… it makes me feel uneasy.

Was this painful result caused by a single moment of relief, when I didn’t reveal that I was a game character?

“Lucie, I told you not to draw so much attention….”

“But I want to be closer to you….”

I spoke softly, but the students with good hearing widened their eyes.

“Did you hear? Isaac is pressuring the top student…!”

“Is the top student begging instead?”

“Is this the end of the world?”

I can’t say anything here.

Fortunately, Professor Fernando Frost entered the lecture room.

“I will start the class now…, hmm?”

Professor Fernando, who was about to start speaking at the lectern, paused when he saw me and Lucie.

“Are you Lucie Eltania from Class A? What are you doing here?”

“…….”

Goo─.

Lucie’s gaze turned to Professor Fernando. It was a cold, almost threatening look.

For a moment, the students in the room must have felt the heavy mana presence. From their frightened expressions, it was clear even without using [Psychic Insight].

I was so chilled to the bone….

Lucie instinctively takes a defensive stance when someone speaks to her, even if it’s a professor.

Professor Fernando, who evaluates the first-year magic department students’ practical assessments and exams, must be aware of Lucie’s tendencies. He only narrowed his eyes slightly and showed no other reaction.

“I’ll go. See you later, Isaac.”

That’s why you don’t have any friends, you fool.

Of course, I didn’t say that out loud. I just waved her off. I was scared.

The owner of the seat Lucie had been sitting in finally reclaimed it and let out a sigh of relief.

He was about to confront me but then fell silent, realizing that provoking me would be like provoking Lucie.

After that,

Professor Fernando cleared his throat and began speaking.

“Before we start the class, I will announce the practical assessment.”

It’s the final practical assessment before the end-of-term evaluation.

“I plan to evaluate your magical craftsmanship skills. As I mentioned in the last class, magical craftsmanship is a highly efficient method for training mana control.”

Magical craftsmanship involves creating artifacts using mana.

Though called craftsmanship, it is an art that pursues ‘transient beauty’ rather than practical utility. The difficulty varies greatly depending on the design, and it is mainly used in performances.

Shaping elemental mana into the desired form requires high mana efficiency and control ability. These two combined are called mana control.

For reference, higher mana efficiency means less mana consumption per spell cast.

Higher mana control ability allows for more precise shaping of a spell’s form according to one’s will. For example, I could make a much better ice ladder than the poor one I created when escaping from the Charles Hall.

It also has the advantage of faster spell casting. In my case, it would reduce the preparation time for [Ice Burst].

‘In the game, it was just a dialogue, but here it’s real.’

Well, thinking of it as part of training is a good thing.

“The theme is ‘elemental flower.’ For those with ice or rock elemental attributes, it will be level 3, and for others, it will be level 2.”

That makes sense.

For those with ice or rock elemental attributes, creating an elemental flower once is enough to see the result.

For those with fire, water, lightning, or wind elemental attributes, maintaining the shape of the elemental flower continuously requires a higher level of mana control.

“Refer to the textbook for examples. It’s more effective to practice in pairs, helping each other. The practical assessment will be held in three days at this time. Practice thoroughly. That’s all. Let’s start the class.”

When a student asked, “Professor, what if I don’t have a friend?!” Professor Fernando coldly replied, “Then do it on your own.”

My mana control is still immature. It would be good to focus on improving it over the next three days.

……

“Is class over?”

As soon as class ended, Lucie greeted me at the lecture room entrance, as if she had been waiting.

A shiver ran down my spine, but I took a deep breath and maintained my composure.

To my knowledge, this is the first time Lucie has made a friend. Always keeping her heart closed to others, she doesn’t know how to gauge psychological distance, so she gets uncomfortably close to me. Her lack of common sense also plays a role.

‘What should I do?’

In *Merhen’s Magic Knight*, Lucie never makes friends. Even when she overcomes her outsider status, it’s only because of her romance with the protagonist.

So, living as friends with Lucie is a realm where my game knowledge doesn’t apply. I thought I would naturally have a carefree friendship with Amy or Matteo’s group, but that was a mistake.

A sigh escaped me.

In the end, I ended up going home with Lucie.

During the walk through the academy grounds, I had to bear the gazes of the magic department students.

Envy, admiration, and curiosity were all directed at me.

It was only natural, given that Lucie is not only the top student of the first-year magic department but also one of the top five beauties in the department. She shows a smile only to me and follows me around like a puppy.

You guys, my heart is burning….

If this were a normal situation, I might have felt proud, but considering my situation, I just feel lost.

‘What should I do?’

I don’t dislike Lucie, but it’s problematic for her to stick to me like glue.

“Lucie, I have to go….”

“Can’t you stay a little longer?”

Lucie answered as if she had anticipated what I would say, with her head bowed.

“I know you need to practice, but I’ve had a lot of fun today….”

Oh, don’t stimulate my emotions. My heart is already pounding.

Judging from Lucie’s reaction, breaking away from her now might have the opposite effect.

Her desire to spend more time with a friend might push her to be even more clingy tomorrow. After all, kidnapping and imprisoning the protagonist due to her emotions is Extra Bad Ending N.13.

This is an emergency mission. I need to reduce the time I spend with Lucie, to the level of my current friends.

So, it would be better to spend time with her today and have a serious talk.

Fortunately, I had a good reason. It would help me, and it would also satisfy Lucie’s desire to spend more time with me.

“I’m going to practice elemental flower crafting now. Isn’t it part of the practical assessment for Class A too?”

“Yes, can I help?”

Her first response wasn’t “Can I join you?” but “Can I help?” It seems elemental flower crafting is a piece of cake for Lucie.

Still, having someone with excellent mana control like Lucie help me would be a great advantage.

“Thanks.”

A gentle smile spread across Lucie’s face.

Lucie and I returned to Orpin Hall and found an empty lecture room.

The door to a small lecture room was open, so we went in and sat facing each other at a table, taking off our coats and hanging them on the back of a walnut chair.

Evening. The sunset light was seeping through the windows into the lecture room. It wasn’t yet dark enough to need the lights.

“First, the elemental flower will be level 3, right? Since you have a water attribute, it will be level 2 for you.”

“Isaac, can you do it?”

“I can manage up to level 2, but level 3 is a bit challenging.”

I took out the textbook and opened the magical craftsmanship section to look at the level 3 elemental flower example.

There was a hydrangea model, which looked incredibly difficult just by looking at it.

“Let’s start with a warm-up.”

I rolled up my shirt sleeves and started creating ice sculptures on the desk by flowing mana from my hands.

“Ice Creation (Ice Attribute, ★1)”

I started with an easy baby hippo and cannon model.

“What’s this? It’s cute.”

“A baby hippo. Anyone who touches it will be in trouble.”

“There’s such a thing…? Then what’s this? I’ve never seen it before.”

“It’s the Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon.”

“I don’t know what it is, but it looks well-made.”

Good, I can do this.

Next, I smoothly created a level 1 elemental flower with a few petals and a slightly more difficult level 2 elemental flower. Lucie clapped quietly, exclaiming, “Good job.”

Feeling confident, I moved on to the level 3 ice hydrangea.

“I’ll try too.”

Lucie also started creating an elemental flower from her seat by flowing water mana.

“Water Creation (Water Attribute, ★1)”

Focusing on the design of each petal was almost mind-numbing. Controlling mana so finely was incredibly difficult.

In the end, what I created was just a chunk of ice with holes here and there, like a piece of granite. Level 3 was too much for me….

On the other hand, Lucie’s creation was an incredibly intricate and clean hydrangea model. The water element was maintaining the hydrangea’s shape with very fast and complex currents, as if a new set of physical laws were established within the flower.

“……”

“……”

Faced with the best and worst results, Lucie and I remained silent.

“Not bad.”

I broke the silence with a compliment. Her work was truly impressive….

My pride was a bit hurt, but with Lucie’s help, I could improve my magical craftsmanship much faster than on my own.

“I’ll help you, Isaac.”

“Thanks…, huh?”

Suddenly, Lucie placed her hands on the backs of my hands.

Startled by the sudden physical contact, I was taken aback.

But as Lucie started flowing mana to create a water mold, I quickly composed myself and began flowing ice mana.

“Don’t elementalize the mana yet. Just flow it comfortably and remember the sensation.”

Lucie’s gentle voice tickled my eardrums.

Her pale, slender hands felt soft and warm. Her water mana was also flowing through my hands, giving off a gentle warmth.

The unelementalized light blue ice mana was forming into a delicate hydrangea, fitting into the mold created by Lucie’s water mana