Chapter 75

EP.75 Social Gathering (1)

"Mr. Isaac, are you stupid?"

Kaya glared at me with a displeased expression, berating me.

She said that if I chose her, Janya’s staff would naturally follow.

I couldn’t choose Kaya, even as a joke. It would seem like I was taking her feelings lightly.

Fortunately, Kaya’s expression soon relaxed, as if it had been a joke.

We chatted about various things and then parted ways.

Before leaving, Kaya said, “You’ll probably think of me a lot before you go to bed tonight,” with a meaningful tone, and gave me a lecherous smile.

‘This is awkward.’

I was lost in thought all the way back to the dormitory.

Kaya’s expression of affection was too aggressive. It made things difficult.

I needed to figure out how to deal with her… I had to take a clear stance.

The next day. As expected, Kaya had returned to her original personality.

“Hey, I’m sorry for being so arrogant yesterday──!”

As soon as she saw me, her face turned red, and she ran away. It was a sprint in heels.

I have no idea when I’ll be able to have a proper conversation with the usual Kaya.

Evening. The sky was filled with the colors of the sunset.

After finishing my classes, I headed to a corner of the butterfly garden. It was to test Janya’s staff, aside from the Kaya issue.

The corner of the butterfly garden, which I hadn’t visited in a while, was very quiet. The only sound was the rustling of grass in the autumn wind.

It was a stark contrast to the noisy training ground, where many students gathered to practice. It felt calming.

“Wow….”

A female student sitting against an oak tree caught my eye, and I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

Her long, light purple hair flowed gracefully from under the dark blue cap she was wearing.

She was sitting with her legs stretched out in front of her, quietly gazing at the evening sky, lost in thought.

It was Dorothy Heartnova, a second-year senior and my favorite character.

[ Dorothy Heartnova ]

Lv: 181

Race: Human

Attributes: Wind, Rock, Starlight

Danger Level: X

Psychology: [ ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆ ]

‘Geez.’

There’s no comparison. Where Dorothy is, there’s beauty. Big sister, I’m dead.

By the way, I had already talked to Dorothy about the Elt Island incident. I told her the same false testimony I gave to the investigation committee.

Dorothy warned me to avoid dangerous actions and also mentioned that she was glad I was safe. She had a senior-like side.

Anyway, while I was admiring my favorite character, Dorothy’s gaze turned to me. Soon, a radiant smile bloomed on her face like a flower.

“President!”

“Senior.”

I responded with a smile.

Dorothy jumped up and approached me, then leaned in close as usual.

“Have you eaten…?”

“Let’s be partners!”

Dorothy interrupted my greeting and suddenly shouted.

‘Partners? Oh, she’s talking about the social gathering.’

The scenario was about to enter Act 5, Chapter 1, “The Four Constellations.”

The Four Constellations refer to the four student groups involved in the academy’s administration, excluding the student council. Each group is named after a constellation in this world.

Act 5 of the scenario is where our protagonist, Ian Fairytail, joins the Blue Wolf constellation, “Seiran,” and goes through a chaotic and bewildering part.

Originally, the final boss of this part was Henkel the Glutton, but since I had already defeated him, it was unclear how the scenario would unfold.

Soon, the Four Constellations would start recruiting new members from the first-year students.

Before that, they would hold a social gathering, a large-scale party that has become a tradition at Merchen Academy.

The main desire of the students, who are in the prime of their youth, is to attend the party with a partner, forming pairs. It’s similar to how people get excited and their romantic desires are stimulated before a cherry blossom viewing or a festival.

Anyone can attend, but to enter the center of the party, you need a separate ‘invitation’ from the Four Constellations. Inside, you can meet the key figures of each constellation.

‘Being a partner would be great.’

In <Merchen’s Magic Knight>, the events would differ depending on which heroine you brought as your partner. I remember it was a fun episode.

It seemed Dorothy wanted to bring me as her partner to the party.

“Are you talking about the social gathering?”

“Of course.”

“I’m deeply honored.”

I answered sincerely, with a gleam in my eyes. I meant it.

For Dorothy to want to bring me as her partner to the social gathering meant she had opened up to me.

If I were to express my feelings through body language, a headspin wouldn’t be enough.

Dorothy seemed satisfied with my reaction and smiled.

“Huh, as expected of a fan, you’re straightforward!”

“But I probably won’t be able to go.”

“Why?!”

Dorothy shouted reflexively. Her face quickly filled with disappointment. It hurt.

“I need to train.”

I shrugged and answered firmly, like a studious person who would go to the library to study during the festival.

I wanted to hang out with Dorothy more than anything. Taking a break once in a while wouldn’t be bad.

However, going with Dorothy would be very noticeable.

I was already drawing attention from the first-year students because of my involvement with Lucy.

Moreover, the social gathering is a place where all the students of the academy gather.

If I attended the social gathering as Dorothy’s partner, a prodigy who is said to be the academy’s greatest power and blessed by the god Manhala… I would undoubtedly be the center of attention for all the students.

Even the student council president, Alice Carroll, would be there. Therefore, it was necessary to avoid attending the social gathering with Dorothy as a partner.

Dorothy glared at me and then let out a short sigh. She seemed upset.

“Training freak. Boring.”

“Sorry.”

“Alright, where did you get that?”

Dorothy glanced at Janya’s staff in my right hand.

“I received it as a gift. I plan to practice using it properly for a while.”

“Hmm….”

She didn’t seem interested in who gave it to me. Probably because it wasn’t an interesting part.

Dorothy turned and started walking back to the oak tree.

“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to go to the social gathering either.”

“Why, Senior?”

“Since it’s no fun without a training freak president, the social gathering without you would be even less fun. The lesser evil is better than the worst.”

Dorothy leaned back against the oak tree and pulled out a book from her witch’s hat to start reading. I wonder how she fits so much in that hat.

Anyway, I had to proceed with my planned activities.

Before handling Janya’s staff, I decided to practice rock magic first. I felt like I would learn a new skill today.

As I channeled rock mana, the rock magic began to take shape.

After some time,

[You have learned the Rock Attribute Magic [Cliff Wall (★4)]!]

[You have learned the Rock Attribute Magic [Rock Collapse (★4)]!]

‘Yes!’

I had learned new rock magic.

[Cliff Wall], a defensive magic that creates a wall of rock, and [Rock Collapse], an offensive magic that powerfully extracts rock to destroy anything.

I was learning magic much faster than in the first semester. I felt I could easily learn 5-star magic.

Perhaps I could even aim for 6-star magic like [Golden Rock Shower] this semester.

[Roar!]

[ Eden ]

Psychology: [ I am pleased to see your growth. ]

Eden, the small golem servant I had summoned earlier, cheered at the sight of me using [Rock Collapse].

Eden had already reached level 85 due to the high-quality rock mana he consumed on Elt Island. His growth was impressive.

‘Ah, what’s the [Fusion Power] now?’

I naturally touched the status window, careful of Dorothy’s gaze.

[Servant]

Eden (Lv: 85)

Rank: ★4

Race: Beast

Attribute: Rock

Intimacy: 90

Fusion Power: 75

Mana Consumption for Summoning: 350

“Wow, it’s increased a lot.”

A higher [Fusion Power] means I can use some of the servant’s abilities.

It’s like partial summoning. For example, if you have a high [Fusion Power] with a bird servant, you can manifest its wings on your body.

In Eden’s case… I could probably manifest a rock fist. Eden’s specialty is detaching and reattaching rock.

Eden’s rock armor might also be useful, but it would be extremely difficult to manage the mana, so let’s skip that.

Coating my fist with rock and wrapping my body with rock in a way that doesn’t hinder movement… the difficulty in mana management is worlds apart.

‘Next…’

Today’s purpose.

I picked up Kaya’s gift, Janya’s staff, which I had left beside me. The heavy grip felt very satisfying.

[Janya’s Staff]

: A rare magical weapon made from the wood of a sage tree, adorned with a magic stone filled with the natural mana of dawn. It is highly effective against water, ice, wind, and rock attributes.

Rank: 2-Tier

I quietly gazed at Janya’s staff. Its stylish appearance was right up my alley.

Alright, let’s try it.

I gently extended the magic stone part of Janya’s staff and began to channel mana.

‘This way… …huh?’

Somehow… the mana I channeled into the staff couldn’t find its way. The flow of mana was tangled like a ball of yarn.

Magical weapons enhance the power of magic but are difficult to handle due to the complex mana management. I could feel why.

This is quite intense…?

“Ugh…”

[Roar?]

I clenched my teeth and tried to pour magic through Janya’s staff.

The incantation for [Frost Flower] barely materialized at the tip of the staff.

[Frost F?ower? (Ice Attribute, ★4?)]

Whoosh─.

What emerged was a faint, cold flame.

A gas stove would be more impressive than this.

“Nya!”

Suddenly, a unique laugh erupted from behind me.

Turning my head, I saw Dorothy sitting in front of the oak tree, her face lighting up.

“Nya-ha-ha-ha-ha! What’s that? It’s not even a fart!”

Dorothy clutched her stomach and laughed heartily.

Despite the intense embarrassment, Dorothy’s laughing face was incredibly beautiful, so it was somewhat worth it.

“Aww, what do I do? President, you’re so cute….”

Dorothy even wiped away tears. It was that funny.

I had to admit, it did look like a fart.

“Thanks for the motivation, Senior. I appreciate your laughter.”

“Nya-ha-ha, I can laugh at you anytime you want.”

[Roar!]

Eden also seemed ready to laugh at me whenever I wanted.

“Well, what just happened… I just started using the staff, so it’s inevitable. Even if it starts as weak as a fart, it will end up grand.”

“I wonder how long it will take to become grand. Nya-ha-ha.”

Eden raised one arm in response to my words. Indeed, Eden was the only one on my side.

……

‘I feel like I’m going to lose my mind…’

Dark night.

I walked slowly to the lower-middle dormitory, the Bricks Hall, tapping the ground with Janya’s staff.

Handling a magical weapon requires complex mana management, which was quite exhausting.

To give an example, it’s like solving a series of equations written in tiny letters on each page of a book through mental calculation.

“Hm?”

Just as I was about to enter the Bricks Hall.

I stopped when I saw a small magic stone in my mailbox emitting a faint blue light.

The light in the magic stone meant there was something in the mailbox.

‘Is there something for me?’

There shouldn’t be.

When I put my hand into the mailbox, I felt a letter.

I pulled it out.

“…?”

My brain, already overworked from handling the magical weapon, instantly went blank.

A red letter envelope. It had the mark of the Red Elephant constellation, “Jiseang,” one of the Four Constellations. It was a constellation symbol.

‘Why did this come to me?’

This letter was an invitation to the social gathering, which the Four Constellations host, allowing entry to the center of the party.

It also served as a qualification to join the Red Elephant constellation, depending on my choice.

In <Merchen’s Magic Knight>, Act 5, Chapter 1, “The Four Constellations,” starts when Ian Fairytail receives an invitation from the Four Constellations.

The invitations are mainly sent to outstanding students or special students like Ian, who has the light attribute. The purpose is to recruit them into their own groups.

In other words, it was something I shouldn’t have received.

“…”

My intuition radar started working.

The Act 5 scenario, which I had planned to breeze through, now seemed likely to take unexpected turns.