Chapter 32

[The thrones are wondering where BJ is going.]

I answered as I descended the stairs.

“To the library. There’s no better place to hide from students.”

The mages of <God’s Play> valued practical experience over theory.

That’s why the library would be empty.

It was an extreme setting to make it a place for Clyde to hide and build a teasing narrative with the player.

That doesn’t mean students don’t use all of Valhalla’s libraries.

The most frequented one was the first-floor library.

It was the largest main library and also received visitors from outside.

In any case, it was the place students visited the most, even if just for assignments.

‘Clyde would never go there.’

Moreover, the first-floor library had individual study rooms that could be used immediately upon application.

My target was precisely those individual study rooms.

I planned to read the books Professor Ilya lent me there until the Clyde Expectation Club members returned home.

I crossed the lobby.

The lobby was always bustling with people, and it was no different now.

‘At least this place is safe.’

Even if Lumio chased after me, we couldn’t have a conversation here, so I could easily shake him off.

Another advantage of the market-like lobby was that murmurs would be drowned out by the surrounding noise.

“Can everyone hear me?”

[The thrones nod.]

I held up the book.

To others, it would look like I was muttering to memorize.

“The noble lady I called Lumio is a ‘demon contractor.’ Oh, she’s still a prospective contractor, I should say.”

[The thrones are curious about what a demon contractor is.]

“Humans make contracts with demons to fulfill their wishes, right? It’s the same in <God’s Play>.”

Ding!

[Throne ‘Detective’ has donated 1,000 coins.]

[Lumio seems to envy Thérèse to an unusual degree and hopes to be connected with Clyde. It’s likely she will make a wish related to this.]

“You’re right.”

Lumio’s personality is the opposite of Thérèse’s.

She greatly admired Thérèse, who was not just bold but also rude.

She interpreted Thérèse’s boldness as a noble lady’s dignity.

Healthy, beautiful, and bold Thérèse and cold, indifferent Clyde.

Lumio enjoyed fantasizing about connecting the character Thérèse with Clyde, whom she considered the most perfect man.

It’s like imagining two celebrities dating.

[The thrones are curious about what happens when a demon contractor summons a demon.]

“That’s...”

‘Explaining it would be long and boring.’

Since it was something that would inevitably happen in the scenario, I thought it would be more vivid and enjoyable to see it firsthand.

‘Oswald also said not to explain too much.’

“It’s better if you see it for yourself.”

[The thrones respect BJ’s judgment.]

‘I hope today’s session will end here.’

I was tired from all the events of the morning.

It might have been worse because of lack of sleep.

‘Still, I’m curious about what the first-floor library looks like.’

Curious about what kinds of magic books might be there, my steps toward the library quickened.

Then, a familiar voice came from nearby.

“It’s you? You’re the one who sneaked into Damian’s lab this morning?!”

‘...A familiar voice?’

Turning my head, sure enough, it was Mimosa, fuming.

“No, I’ve already told you that for the fourth time, senior.”

On the opposite side, Livie was calmly refuting.

I was taken aback.

‘What? Why are they together?’

Mimosa, with a face as red as her pink hair, was shouting at the top of her lungs.

Thanks to her, I could clearly hear what she was saying even in the noisy lobby.

“The lipstick color in the coffee cup is from a limited edition by Jeanne’s Workshop that was recently released. I’m talking about the color on your lips right now!”

“A limited edition doesn’t mean there’s only one.”

“It’s a limited edition of ten?!”

...That’s what it was. I’ll have to throw away my cosmetics when I get back to the dorm.

Anyway.

‘It seems Livie used the same lipstick as me today and was suspected by Mimosa.’

It felt wrong to ignore this and run to the library.

‘Since it’s because of me, I should take care of it.’

I sighed briefly and approached them.

“I have that limited edition too, Mimosa.”

“Sis...!”

Livie looked at me with relief, while Mimosa was annoyed.

“Are you taking your sister’s side now? When did you become that kind of person?”

Thérèse wouldn’t be that kind of character.

I shrugged indifferently, and Mimosa, looking between me and Livie, narrowed her eyes.

“I get it now. Did you deliberately send your sister to approach Damian?”

Mimosa was now treating Livie as a spy for the Clyde Expectation Club.

‘What could she gain from that...? Well, if Livie and Damian were connected, it would be easier to monitor the person Thérèse dislikes and is wary of.’

The original Thérèse wouldn’t have thought of such a high-level strategy, but the excited Mimosa seemed to be giving her high marks.

‘Should I be grateful?’

I left Mimosa, who was freely fantasizing, and looked at Livie, extending my hand.

“Livie, come here.”

“...Yes!”

Reacting to such unreasonable demands would only make me more tired.

I intended to leave with Livie, who quickly approached me.

Ding!

[Quest: Get an apology from Mimosa]

▸Reward: ???

▸Failure: Expulsion due to retaliation from Damian

...Before this quest window appeared.

‘They really make anything a quest.’

Moreover, it was unclear why the reward wasn’t clearly stated.

My already low motivation plummeted.

‘To get an apology from Mimosa, who prides herself on never losing to Thérèse, is impossible.’

Making Mimosa admit her mistake and repent was impossible.

The only way was to force her to apologize through a losing argument.

I really didn’t want to engage in such a pointless verbal battle...

“Mimosa, you really know how to pick on people.”

Mimosa narrowed her brows, thinking about what I meant.

Her expression, which initially seemed to question why my compliment felt bad, gradually turned demonic.

Finally, Mimosa, understanding my meaning, was very indignant.

“How dare you mock me?!”

Ding!

[Throne ‘Conspiracy Theorist’ has donated 1,000 coins.]

[The more I see Mimosa, the more she seems like a child of a high-ranking official who got into a prestigious university through corruption;]

Ding!

[Throne ‘Mad Fan’ has donated 1,000 coins.]

[Surprisingly, I like it]

Surprisingly, Thérèse’s grades were even lower than Mimosa’s.

If <God’s Play> had been released, there would surely have been complaints about why the villains were so stupid...

Rustle, rustle!

“Another fight between the Clyde Expectation Club and Damian?”

“Hey! Isn’t that the new student representative? Could she be getting bullied?”

The commotion didn’t show any signs of stopping, so naturally, the number of onlookers increased.

As someone who dislikes being the center of attention, this was a very unpleasant situation.

‘If the Clyde Expectation Club members gather here...’

I had come here to avoid them, and if the Clyde Expectation Club and Damian’s group also gathered here, it would be a disaster.

There was a way to quickly end this argument.

Revealing that the person who entered Damian’s lab was me.

‘But if I do that, I’ll be the one attacked by Damian, and the Clyde Expectation Club will suspect my loyalty.’

The biggest problem was Lumio.

Lumio might think I switched from Clyde to Damian and summon a demon.

There was a way to avoid all these problems, but using it would mean getting personally involved with Damian, which I didn’t like.

‘There’s no other way now.’

I lifted my chin, showing a look of complete disregard for Mimosa.

“Are you sure Livie entered Damian’s lab?”

“Of course! No one else in this school uses Jeanne’s Workshop lipstick!”

“Really? No matter what, even if you die, it’s Livie? You’d stake your honor on it?”

My strong stance made Mimosa hesitate, sensing something was off.

However, out of pride, she couldn’t retract her statement and instead put on a more defiant expression.

“Yeah! I’ll stake everything on it!”

A murmur spread among the students upon hearing Mimosa’s declaration.

Now that she had created a situation where she couldn’t retract her words, I pressed further.

“Then let’s make a bet.”

“...A bet?”

The mention of a bet made Mimosa realize something was wrong, and her confidence wavered.

However, backing down now would be problematic.

“If it’s proven that the person who entered Damian’s lab today wasn’t Livie, you’ll write an apology and post it on the bulletin board.”

I crossed my arms arrogantly and continued.

“And if I’m wrong, I’ll do the same.”

Mimosa hesitated, reluctant to accept.

“If you’re not confident, apologize to my sister right now.”

Ding!

[Throne ‘Pro Coach’ has donated 1,000 coins.]

[True gamblers bet on a game they’ve already won]

I moved closer to Mimosa to apply pressure.

“Are you not moving?!”

We had a significant height difference.

Mimosa was much shorter than average, while Thérèse was slightly taller than average.

“Hurry up and choose.”

To get what I wanted, I couldn’t give her an open-ended question.

It had to be a binary choice.

‘And both choices should be advantageous to me.’

This method worked better the more impulsive the opponent and the less time they had to think.

Unable to think deeply, they would choose one of the options I presented.

‘A skill I learned from dealing with my unreasonable younger sisters. Although it stopped working once they grew up.’

“Hurry!”

Pushing her further, Mimosa, trying to hide her flustered state, shouted.

“F-fine!”

She took the bait.

Ding!

[Throne ‘Soda Pass’ has donated 1,000 coins.]

[Big catch]

I said to Mimosa with a sympathetic look.

“The person who went to Damian’s lab today was me.”