Chapter 67

The smell of metal filled the air, stinging my nostrils. I was hammering away, working on some scrap metal.

Clang!

Sweat formed on my forehead. I took a break, sitting down to gather my thoughts.

[Fella of Loss]

Rockefeller easily sealed away any thoughts of the body he lost. The location of the seal was kept a secret for security reasons, and I was also sworn to silence for the same reasons. Rockefeller emphasized multiple times,

– If you reveal what happened today, I will follow you to the ends of hell and destroy you.

His wariness stemmed from the Forbidden Library. It was Rockefeller who taught a student like me its location, essentially putting his life in my hands. Even so, knowing that he wielded such strange magic, I didn’t plan on exploiting it. I feared that provoking him could lead to my brain being magically altered. Besides, he was a magician like me, belonging to a peculiar group.

Rockefeller had reached an unknown level. It would be a waste to get rid of him now. Instead, I did receive some compensation for my efforts.

– Wasn’t that tough work? Anything for me?

-…You can use the cafeteria for free for three months.

-Is that all?

Perhaps feeling guilty, Rockefeller offered something decent.

-Tch. Fine, if you cause any trouble next time, I’ll pardon you once.

So, I received three months of meal tickets and a pardon. And one very small favor.

That was the outcome and the reward. Now, it was time to piece together the cause of this incident.

The start of the incident was undoubtedly Leana being brainwashed, something she would normally never have succumbed to. She had a strong will, determined to become a knight against her family’s opposition. How did she end up consumed by thoughts?

The answer was surprisingly simple to find. In the Hall of Memories, aside from observing the painting of the hospital room, I also paid close attention to a painting of Leana’s room.

The content of the letter I read there would have shaken anyone’s mental state. Leana read it with anticipation, hoping for her father’s approval, only to find it full of hateful talk about Hersel. On top of that, the thoughts, sensing an opportunity, crumpled her armor, which she cherished and believed in. The incident of it being thrown out the window brutally crushed her spirit.

Losing to the Schlaphe House on top of that likely plunged her into despair and doubt. Was this path right? Had she made an irreversible choice?

Despite that, she unconsciously struggled to escape the comfortable illusion, driven by her unfulfilled desire. It was just that Feldira’s tricks made her forget what her dream was.

So, if we pinpoint the cause clearly…

It’s me who brought this body, which should have been dead, to this point.

But what can I do? Enrolling wasn’t a crime.

“Well, shall we continue?”

The scrap metal I had been hammering was actually Leana’s armor, which I had picked up from the junkyard. There wasn’t any particular reason. It was just a piece of armor she held on to until the end of the story, and I thought it might cause a variable if it was missing, so I decided to fix it just in case.

Clang!

After a few more strikes, it looked pretty good. Well, that’s just my amateur opinion.

Satisfied, I took out the skull I had brought from the mansion.

– Hmm? What’s that?

‘This?’

[Cursed Giant’s Skull]

● Attribute: Curse.

Objects hit by light shrink. Shrunken objects return to normal when exposed to light again.

A trophy from the first assassin. Now that I was a magician, I could handle it.

“I thought I’d make a miniature.”

– Mi-miniature? What’s that…?

“It’s a thing.”

I aimed the skull at the chest armor and recalled the words Leana had engraved on it when she was full of girlish dreams.

[Let’s become a knight.]

It didn’t matter if it was unreadable. That sentence was already deeply engraved in her heart.

* * *

When Leana opened my eyes, she was in the infirmary again, surrounded by white furniture and sheets. Leana hurriedly got up, wondering if the same things were repeating.

“Ah.”

Her muscles ached, especially her wrists. She had never been this injured before, so this must be reality. Still, why did her eyes keep drifting to the infirmary entrance?

Even now, it feels like a man in plain clothes with simple shoes might cross the threshold.

‘Could all those things have been dreams?’

The new pains couldn’t be explained away so easily. Those vivid memories were too real to be dreams.

Leana placed her numb legs on the floor and struggled to get up.

“Le-Leana, you shouldn’t be moving yet.”

The medical professor approached, trying to stop her. Her knees buckled at his touch. Just as she was about to voice her confusion, the sound of footsteps echoed from afar.

“Ah, so you’ve awakened, Leana Rel Derevian.”

Rockefeller, with a bruise around his eye, glared menacingly. The medical professor, embarrassed by his presence, quietly retreated.

“I just remembered something urgent I need to attend to.”

As the professor left, Rockefeller pointed his staff at her neck.

“I don’t want to do this, but this is his request.”

His face was full of humiliation.

“I’ll cast a healing spell, so relax.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Warm light seeped from the tip of his staff into Leana’s body. The tingling pain remained, but the numbness in her wrists and muscle aches significantly subsided. Leana looked up at Rockefeller and asked innocently,

“Why is your eye like that?”

Rockefeller, looking baffled, gritted his teeth and muttered, ‘This girl…’

“You don’t need to know that! Instead, tell me exactly what you remember from yesterday. Every detail.”

“Remember?”

Leana blinked and explained everything to Rockefeller. How Feldira had invaded the hospital room, how she was deceived and trapped in the past in a daze. She also described the man who came into her memory of the hospital room.

“He had black hair, plain clothes, and wore a unique watch on his left wrist.”

“A watch on the wrist? Can something like that even be attached to the wrist?”

“Who was that man?”

When Leana asked, Rockefeller’s eye twitched.

“You don’t need to know.”

His reaction confirmed that the man was a real person.

“Then, who was the person that asked the professor to help me?”

“Leana Rel Derevian, do you think a student like you can question me?”

‘Is it so strange for a student to ask a professor a question?’

“Stop these pointless thoughts. Focus on recovering and attending classes.”

‘If he wouldn’t answer, I would find another way.’

So, she called out to Rockefeller, who was about to leave.

“Professor, there’s something important I need to say.”

“What is it?”

Leana took a deep breath and spoke with a serious expression.

“I don’t think I deserve to stay in the Adelle Hall. I’ll move to the Buerger Hall and start from the bottom again.”

The position didn’t matter when it came to practicing the sword. Recognizing one’s inadequacies and striving to improve was the true path of a knight. As long as she didn’t lose the spirit of becoming a knight, she could always overcome obstacles.

But unexpectedly, Rockefeller said something different.

“No, you are a fitting member of the Adelle Hall.”

As he rubbed his bruised eye, he seemed to remember something and exclaimed,

“Ah.”

He threw a small box onto the bed.

“This is something that person wanted you to have.”

Ignoring Rockefeller as he left, Leana carefully opened the small box. Inside was a glass bottle with a miniature armor in it, still bearing its distinct engraving despite being badly dented.

“…This is.”

It had been so long. Her face, usually set like a mask, broke into a broad smile.

-You still want to become a knight? I’ll be cheering you on from afar.

Leana hugged the glass bottle close to her chest. Just then, professors began entering the infirmary in droves, each wearing a wary expression.

“Huh!”

“Ugh.”

“Argh.”

Their faces were pale, and their behavior was strange. Some even had their hands on their sword hilts…

Leana blinked, pretending to be oblivious.

‘Why are they acting like that?’

* * *

I walked briskly towards the dining hall. With the meal tickets, I could choose anything. It made sense to pick the most expensive item.

Today, as usual, the woman who worked at the Schlaphe Hall’s dining hall greeted the regulars.

“The usual, please.”

“I’ll bring it right over, miss.”

The attendants here were personal servants who had followed the freshmen. In Frostheart, nothing was free, so even the servants had to work like this. However, since only elites were sent from the families, the food and service quality were top-notch.

Once the line cleared, I handed my meal ticket to the dining hall lady.

“The most expensive one.”

She looked at the meal ticket, then waved her hands in surprise.

“Ah, no. You can’t use that here, sir.”

“What do you mean I can’t use it?”

“That’s for the dining hall managed by the Adelle Hall only…”

In the end, it was a wasted trip. I had no choice but to head back to the castle.

When I entered and ascended the floors, a professor blocked my path.

“I haven’t seen you before. Only Adelle Hall members can enter here. Show your student ID.”

…Are they telling me not to use my meal tickets?

Just then, a professor next to him saw my face and spoke to the one blocking me.

His lips were bruised.

“This is Hersel Ben Tenest. Professor Rockefeller has given his approval, so remember his face.”

“Pr-Professor Rockefeller?”

To professors, Rockefeller was an awe-inspiring and fearsome presence. Just hearing his name made the professor smile and grant me entry.

“Hahaha, please go ahead. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Thus, I smoothly entered the dining hall managed by the Adelle Hall. Just stepping on the carpet made the grand doors automatically open. Inside, there was a chandelier sparkling above, swans carved from ice, and tables covered with expensive wooden furniture and snow-white linens like an opera house.

A man who seemed to be a waiter looked me over and squinted his eyes.

“Excuse me, young sir, but may I ask what brings you here?”

My clothes must have seemed suspicious to him. They were originally expensive, but living here had faded them, and they were now wrinkled and worn. Even Selly’s diligent washing couldn’t fix that.

“I’m here to eat.”

“Excuse me once more, but may I ask how much coin you have?”

I showed the waiter my meal ticket. He gasped and hurried towards the kitchen. About ten seconds later, he returned with a somewhat tense demeanor and guided me.

“Hmm.”

The table he led me to was quite surprising. It was the longest table, with a particularly different, well-cushioned chair. Moreover, it was located in a prime spot with a view of the landscape outside the window and the paintings on the wall.

…This was a VIP seat, rare even during gameplay.

I never imagined the meal ticket Rockefeller gave me would be valuable enough to sit here.

“Senior, that table…”

The Adelle Hall members eating there began to murmur.

“Why is he sitting there?”

“That seat is not just for anyone. The menu there is different. The base price is at least 800 coins.”

“800 coins?!”

Three months’ allowance from Adelle Hall for one meal; no wonder they were surprised.

The waiter opened a menu with a gold cover in a refined manner.

“The standard is a course meal. What would you like to order?”

“The most expensive one.”

“It will take some time. But once you taste it, you’ll understand why it’s worth it. Please look forward to it.”

Confidently, he left, and about an hour later, the food began arriving.

“Sorry for the wait.”

The waiter brought a waitress along to carefully place each dish on the table. There were so many that the table legs seemed ready to break.

When he opened each lid, the aroma made my mouth water.

“This is the finest coq au vin, made from the highest quality turkeys.”

The sweet sauce and perfect cooking were incredibly delicious. It was comparable to the food I had at the Tenest mansion.

“Hmm, the slight tanginess eliminates any greasiness.”

As I savored the meal with formality, the Adelle Hall members watching started to gulp and ignore their own food.

“This is bouillabaisse, made from fresh fish delivered directly by a magician.”

After devouring the dishes one by one and finishing the meal, I started to rise from my seat. The waiter, surprised, asked why I was getting up so soon and mentioned that the course meal wasn’t over yet.

“Was the meal not to your satisfaction?”

“It’s not that…”

“Ah, just a concern then. Please wait a little longer as more dishes are on their way. We’ll also bring dessert when you’re nearly done.”

The plates were cleared, and more food arrived.

…These guys seemed to enjoy a bit of food torture.

Just as I wondered how to handle this, the dining hall door opened, and Erucel walked in.

I waved lightly at him, and he asked in surprise,

“B-Brother, what are you doing here?”

“Ah, perfect timing. Sit down. Let’s have a meal together.”

“Are you crazy? Eating with you?”

“Suit yourself.”

I had intended to treat him since the lady of the house asked, but…

[Take care of Erucel, Hersel.]

However, as soon as the new dish’s lid was lifted, Erucel’s eyes lit up and he started drooling.

“Fine, I’ll pretend to be crazy just this once.”

“Rude brat. If you don’t want to scavenge my leftovers, speak nicely.”

“…Alright, alright, just give me that fish dish.”

Well, this was a rare opportunity, so I might as well ask him about the current state of the Adelle Hall members.