Chapter 31

The classroom was somewhat empty.

Popular lectures were always packed with students, even those who weren't majoring in the subject, but Ilya's major wasn't like that.

Ilya's lecture, "Properties of Magic," was a non-combat major and thus not very popular.

Mages were divided into combat and non-combat majors, and combat mages were overwhelmingly more popular.

Becoming a renowned combat mage meant being a national hero and a superstar.

'Wanting to be loved is a very natural desire, after all.'

Personally, I opposed this setup, but...

Anyway, for that reason, Ilya's major, which was both non-combat and difficult, was treated as a minor subject.

However, the difficulty came with a definite advantage.

Mages with a high understanding of "Properties of Magic" could handle any type of magic and cast high-level spells at an extremely fast speed.

Outstanding non-combat major mages were much stronger than combat major mages.

'Ilya and Clyde are living proof of that.'

Since I was late, I quickly sat down in the nearest seat.

Unfortunately, it just so happened to be next to Clyde, which was a very unfortunate coincidence.

Yes, it was just an accidental incident.

Clyde always sat in the front row, and since I entered the classroom after the professor, I had to sit down somewhere quickly.

So, I think it's only fair to consider that the seat I chose happened to be next to Clyde.

Instead, I didn't look at Clyde or greet him.

Clyde seemed to have decided to treat me as completely transparent, not even turning his head toward me.

He even exuded a colder atmosphere than yesterday.

Worried, I glanced at Clyde and quickly checked his affection level.

[Affection: ♥♥♥♡♡]

...What? Suddenly?

Before I could be shocked, it seemed Clyde felt my gaze and was about to turn his head.

I quickly lowered my eyes to the book.

My heart was pounding.

'Dangerous.'

Three black hearts weren't a death sentence, but they indicated a stage with the potential for a bad ending.

'What about joining the Student Council?'

If I failed, I'd have to commute from the mansion.

That was something I absolutely didn't want.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

Outside, the chattering voices of the Clyde Fan Club members could be faintly heard.

They were probably waiting for the lecture to end so they could follow Clyde around again.

'Actually, seeing them in person, they seem even more annoying than I thought...'

I could understand why Clyde's black hearts had increased.

'Maybe if I dissolve the Clyde Fan Club, his black hearts will decrease?'

However, to dissolve the Clyde Fan Club, I would also have to get rid of Damian.

If I only dissolved one, either Damian or Clyde would definitely have their black heart gauge rise.

This would naturally lead to events heading toward a bad ending, and the probability of a demon appearing would increase.

It would be even worse.

'I don't know... Let's just focus on the lecture for now.'

As soon as I lifted my head with a troubled expression, I met Professor Ilya's eyes.

'Was he looking at me...?'

He slowly raised the chalk, as if he had been waiting for me.

It was very likely just my imagination, but it felt comforting to think that at least one person in this world was friendly toward me.

When I picked up my pen, Professor Ilya said calmly,

"Let's begin the lecture."

* * *

"Ugh..."

After the lecture, I groaned and slumped over my desk.

My eyes felt like they were going to pop out, and my fingers ached from using the unfamiliar quill pen.

I couldn't tell if this was torture or a class.

Moreover, Professor Ilya was the type who relentlessly pushed through the material.

He seemed to believe that if you couldn't keep up with the lecture, it was because you were stupid.

I quickly skimmed my notes, put them in my bag, and stood up.

Unfortunately, this coincided with Clyde standing up, which was an unfortunate coincidence.

'Let's avoid getting involved. I'll act like a transparent person.'

I left the classroom before Clyde could think I was bothering him again.

This wasn't a particularly good choice, though.

The front of the classroom was bustling with Clyde Fan Club members.

"Finally, Lady Terese! That torturous lecture must have been very hard for you, right?"

I looked around in surprise.

I didn't want Professor Ilya to hear that.

'Luckily, he's already gone.'

But the relief was short-lived.

Now, I felt absurd.

'Don't they have classes? Why are they always here?'

At that moment, a young lady with dark brown hair tied up with a large green ribbon shyly spoke to me.

"Lady Terese... You didn't come out with Clyde today...? Cough."

She had a strangely gleaming, dark gaze and a sickly thin body.

"...Miss Lumio."

This young lady was the [Demon Contractee] we created in our team.

'Not yet a contractee, though.'

The male protagonists had complex backstories, so unlike Lumio, they acted relatively logically.

However, the Demon Contractee, a one-time villain, was different.

This character was a time bomb, fully prepared to summon a demon as soon as a simple condition was met.

The condition for Lumio to contract with a demon was 'Clyde not connecting with Terese.'

If Clyde got close to another person or showed too much distance from Terese, a demon would appear.

'Why did they set such a condition? It's driving me crazy.'

I made a plausible excuse to avoid upsetting Lumio.

"I had to discuss something with Professor Ilya, so I left early. It was a bit urgent."

The easiest excuse to use in a difficult situation was to blame the advisor.

"Cough, I see... I wanted to see the two of you together... Cough."

At that moment, another young lady pushed Lumio aside and approached me.

"Lady Terese! Why didn't you come to the club room today? We had a tea time with precious tea leaves in the morning!"

I quickly checked on Lumio.

Lumio was glaring at the young lady who had pushed her with a terrifying gaze.

Ding!

[Seat 'Black Flame Noble' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[Hehe! I can feel the sweet hostility.]

Just then, the last person I wanted to see, Clyde, came out of the classroom.

"Move."

The Clyde Fan Club, of course, screamed and gasped, seemingly overwhelmed by his appearance.

"Ah! He's so handsome!"

"Wow, he's dazzling today...! My eyes are going blind...!"

"Marry me!"

"Can't you just go away?"

It's really embarrassing, Clyde Fan Club...

Before Clyde's anger could turn toward me, I quickly took out my watch.

"Oh, the assignment is due today, and Professor Ilya will be leaving soon. I'll go first!"

Everyone was so focused on Clyde that no one paid attention to what I said.

Except for Lumio.

"Ah...! Ah..."

Lumio looked at me and Clyde with a very disappointed expression, then quietly stepped back.

Seeing that her expression didn't have a sinister look, it seemed she accepted my need to find the advisor.

'Phew. Lucky.'

Just as I was about to leave, I turned my head and met Clyde's icy blue eyes.

Clyde was looking at me openly.

"..."

Even though I knew it was the only chance to escape, I was held by his gaze.

It was irresistible.

Clyde was like a pale star in a dark night sky.

No matter how dark it was, his presence was clear and bright, making it hard not to look at him.

'Being the son of a succubus is this dangerous, huh.'

I forced myself to look away with a stiff expression.

I had to be careful; Clyde might do something unpredictable.

'Clyde is a transparent person. He never sparkles. Even if our team created him, he's not my child...'

I repeated these almost self-hypnotic sentences and fled.

Unaware that Clyde's gaze was still on me.

Ding!

[Seat 'Romance Path' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[Love often starts from hate... By the way, I like Damian...]

What kind of crazy talk is this?

Hate doesn't lead to love; it leads to death.

Ding!

[Seat 'Face Discriminator' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[Clyde has the best face.]

Ding!

[Seat 'Stock Genius' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[In my opinion, it's definitely Ilya. Let's go for a big win.]

Ding!

[Seat 'Minor Expert' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[My heart reacts to Oz x Terese.]

This seat is the craziest.

It's not even worth reacting to, so I turned off the notification.