HTACS 29

Chapter 29

The time when Wolfram von Lohengrin could purely call himself Wolfram.

That is—before twenty-nine-year-old blazing-life Lee Young-jin intervened and became a super convenience store clerk, Student Council President Wolfram.

His evil deeds were heaven-piercing, but the most representative one was sowing discord between the Magic Department and the Knight Department to profit from the rift.

There’s a region called Afterimage Forest.

Located deep within the Eastern Forest, its characteristic is being a material-farming spot. Since you can mine Magical Light Wood and Magistone there, the forest is a territory that the Knight Department, Magic Department, Maestro, and Yggdrasil all want—but it’s under the direct jurisdiction of the Student Council.

Wolfram profited from the mining, excavation, and logging rights there, extracting countless bribes. Not me—Wolfram. Well, I am Wolfram now, but anyway.

So how could a pathetic Wolfram with stamina 2 and will 4 have pulled that off?

The secret was the Tier 1 skill: **Imperial Bloodline**.

This is a skill possessed by the Lohengrin clan, including Eve. On its own it’s mediocre, but when multiple conditions overlap, it becomes quite good.

One of those is priority in negotiations—and it has a surprisingly interesting effect.

It compares the opponent’s bloodline with your own, and if you’re superior, it’s a type of charisma skill that can pressure the opponent.

From what I remember, about three conditions are needed for this skill to work.

First—your bloodline must be overwhelmingly superior to the opponent’s. In other words, the opponent must be a commoner or a slave.

Second—the opponent’s will must be lower than yours. The success factor is the will stat.

And finally—a hidden condition not in the tooltip—third: the opponent must have some affection toward you.

So Zolf is a commoner, as a rampaging graduate student his will stat is lower than mine, and thanks to the doughnut incident, he has some degree of favor toward me. I can reasonably assume that.

In the end, even though this is 1-1, I’ve gained the authority to directly negotiate with the boss.

I can’t show any intention to attack. If I did, it’d be a one-second death ending.

So complete non-resistance. I plopped myself down in front of Zolf.

Let’s resolve this through conversation. Talk can solve everything. We’re intellectuals, after all.

“I swear on the pride of Wolfram von Lohengrin—I have no intention of attacking whatsoever. Now. Let’s begin our conversation. Zolf.”

—

Nephti was dumbfounded.

She couldn’t be sure how much longer she could block the attacks of the black mane. She had said she’d manage somehow, but honestly, her will was wavering and her conviction was about to crumble.

Even Nephti didn’t have much real combat experience, this was her first time facing such a monster, her sword was broken, and the number of people she needed to protect had increased.

And then—he appeared.

*Why is the prince coming out from there?*—she almost asked aloud, so unexpected was Wolfram’s appearance. And the pressure and presence that emanated from his body for a single moment.

The mysterious black mana manes that had been attacking her until just now smoothly *slipped* back into the main body’s form—Nephti’s eyes widened.

Before someone who could have killed her if he wished, he approached with a body whose stats didn’t even reach 10, and sat down.

*”Your Highness, it’s dangerous. Run away.”*

Nephti swallowed her words.

If she drew attention instead of Wolfram here, there was no telling when that black thing would go berserk again. She wanted to pick up the longsword dropped by that useless junior Coolpiss to attack, but the unconscious Eve and Coolpiss were in the way again.

*Protective Formation requires a sword to use—just as Nephti was slowly reaching for Kelterus’s sword—*

[“I swear on the pride of Wolfram von Lohengrin—I have no intention of attacking whatsoever. Now. Let’s begin our conversation. Zolf.”]

Wolfram’s words made her hand stop dead. Then she looked up at Wolfram with disbelieving eyes. He spoke calmly to the man who had lost his reason.

“Instead, don’t touch the people behind me. Between us—let’s resolve this through conversation alone.”

Nephti saw it from that spot. Felt it. Was certain.

There stood a prince with the bearing of a ruler embracing all his people.

—

It worked.

IT WORKED!

Now, unless I attack first, Zolf won’t touch me, Nephti, Kelterus, or Eve.

I clenched my fist internally and took a deep breath.

The plan is simple: stall until Eve wakes up, or until Zolf frees himself.

Because Wolfram can’t fight!

There’s no choice.

That utterly incompetent brat Kelterus went and got himself knocked out, Eve’s unconscious, and Nephti’s sword is broken. If Rudika were here, she’d have slit its throat; if Aila were here, she’d have destroyed the dormitory and finished it spectacularly—but neither of them is here right now.

So Wolfram will do what Wolfram can, in the way Wolfram can.

Without giving up on thinking—let’s talk our way through this.

“…I, I really, tried to live, properly. Yes. Yeah. Really…”

He has the eloquence of a forty-year-old man who’s downed four bottles of soju alone. Good. I’ve roughly grasped his mental state.

“I see. Tell me more. Speak freely.”

“Ugh… B-but, you know? Even if graduate students work hard, they don’t get any reward. Yesss.”

Here, I can’t say I understand. If I brush it off with something like “What would I know” or get snippy with “You don’t know anything!”—Wolfram dies on the spot. So…

“I’m sorry I don’t know much. What’s difficult for you? I’d appreciate it if you could explain.”

“…Well, you seee.”

Wolfram von Lohengrin is a ‘prince’ with negotiation skills.

Lee Young-jin is a ‘convenience store clerk’ who’s dealt with all sorts of crazy customers.

Alone, neither could do it—but together, we can.

“Ughh… I, I mean. I… wanted a doctorate certificate and a graduation ring so baaad… Hic.”

“Is that so. I see. A doctorate certificate and a graduation ring.”

“Yes. Yesss… I wanted them so bad… Because, if I had them, I felt like I’d be satisfied… Or maybe I wanted to become a freshman again…”

I got the hint.

I dealt with this drunk—no, this Zolf—while simultaneously organizing my thoughts. I pulled out my notebook from my pocket, picked up a pen, and quickly scribbled something down.

“…So I’m sayyying, the professor told me to submit it by today so I stayed up until four in the morning and sent it, and the next daaay… she said she’d review it within the weeek…”

“Is that so. I see.”

“Then if it’s within this week, that should be fine, right!? EEEEH!?”

*CRASH!* Black mana formed into a fist and struck the floor. Stone fragments hit my cheek.

My body flinched. Terrifying. Scary. Intimidating.

Calm down. Calm down. Let’s stay calm and talk, friend.

“That’s too much from the professor. You’re right. You’re not at fault.”

“Hic. *Sniffle.* Your Highness!”

The graduate student suddenly started crying. Seizing the moment, I tossed the notebook I’d quickly scribbled in—low, as if laying it on the floor—toward Nephti.

Go, my strength of 4! Stamina of 2! Deliver this notebook to Nephti!

The notebook spun and flew in a graceful arc, safely arriving in front of Nephti.

It’s been delivered. Now the rest is up to Nephti!

**【Immediately move Eve and Kelterus to a place out of the enemy’s range. The dormitory entrance area should be safe.】**

**【Run to the convenience store and quickly bring the two items in the leftmost drawer of the display cabinet.】**

**【I know this is difficult.】**

**【But if you succeed, I’ll pay an additional 250,000 rin.**】

Nephti read the memo and stared blankly at me.

What is it. …Ah, I see. Not satisfied with the number? Three. Would three satisfy you, you greedy thing.

I raised three fingers.

Soon, I heard rustling from Nephti’s direction—and a glance showed her hoisting Kelterus and Eve in both arms and running straight out of the hall.

“…U-uh? What was that sound?”

“Zolf. Let’s continue our conversation. Now, pour out all your grievances freely.”

“Yes, huff. So I’m telling you… Last time, she called me to the Knight Department’s outdoor bar at three in the morning…! Damn it, DAAAMN IT!”

*CRASH! BAAAAAM!*

Unable to control his emotions, the black mana struck the surroundings once more. This time, a slightly larger stone flew right past my shoulder.

*Wheeeew.*

I’m seriously going to die.

“Yeah. Let’s talk while you calm down a bit.”

“Yes. *Hic.* So…!”

Nephti.

I’m counting on you.

Come back before I die.

—

Nephti ran.

She didn’t know exactly what Wolfram von Lohengrin’s instructions meant, but she was certain that his convenience store—that miraculous place—held some kind of secret plan.

Three fingers.

That probably meant she had only three minutes.

“…If it meant 300,000 rin, I’d be happier, but still.”

As if this were a carefree matter.

Student Council President Eve von Lohengrin, with mana 22, had been taken down in one blow, and even she herself was barely managing to block. That probably meant the time Wolfram von Lohengrin could buy through conversation was extremely limited.

So Nephti ran.

Because of her naturally low mana, she could normally only use two skills at a time.

But at this moment, she had to use it.

“**【Body Enhancement: Leg Strength Enhancement: Sprint Specialization】**”

So she ran. Ran and ran, and ran some more.

The place she had worked part-time. The place where all of Wolfram von Lohengrin’s mystery, wit, and resourcefulness were gathered.

“Phew. Phew. Hah.”

Arriving at the convenience store, Nephti opened the drawer as instructed and checked its contents.

There were just two items. She hesitated for a moment.

“…A magical tool? And this—is a scroll…?”

Now was not the time to think about what these were. She grabbed them and turned around.

Faster than when she came.

“…Please stay safe and wait for me. Wolfram-nim. Your Highness… No. My lord!”

—

Zolf’s hatred and rage grew ever larger, as if piercing the heavens.

“A-are you aware? Graduate students aren’t even treated like humans. They say we’re n-not, not human. You know why? Be-because…”

His words were trembling, his hands trembling, the dark mana trembling, the surrounding stones trembling, and soon Wolfram’s neck would probably go flying too.

“Graduate students voluntarily choose to s-study. Th-that’s why, under Lohengrin’s sacred Imperial law, we are n-not students. We cannot receive support as protected persons.”

“I see.”

“Haha, b-but we’re not full-fledged workers either. B-because we still seek learning—for that reason, we can’t receive support as working adults either. S-so we’re neither workers nor students—just people who’ve gotten older, n-not even human!”

*CRASH! BAAAAAM!*

Oh. That stone just grazed past my head.

If this continues, I’m really going to die.

Sorry, Nephti. If you’re even a little late, well—I think it’s really over.

And Eve shows no sign of waking up. That useless student council president…!

“I, I just wanted a doctorate certificate—no, a graduation ring. Ah, or I wish they’d turn me back into a freshman. What should I do now? Your Highness. I…”

“Hmm. I see.”

Don’t ask me what to do—don’t ask me that.

It’s a truly sad story, but there’s nothing I can do for you.

“WHAT SHOULD I DOOOO!!”

Oh. The black mana is scattering.

This is the 1-1 boss’s final phase—the rampage of resentment.

Wow, this is the instant-death pattern that triggers when you can’t finish it within the time limit.

And I get to see it here.

“I’ll, I’ll kill you.”

Oh, he’s saying that line too.

In the original, this is where the area attack comes down and the first-year building collapses.

“I’ll kill that professor and burn this rotten Zephrin to the ground with purifying flames—kill everyone!”

“You’re going too far. Calm down.”

“Ugh, UGHH! N-no one acknowledged me—tonight the professor dies!”

Well, the professor dying doesn’t really concern me—but I’m going to die first, aren’t I?

It’s terrifying enough to die, but the Imperial Bloodline skill won’t allow any disgrace in any situation—so right now, I just sat there watching Zolf’s rampage.

That’s when—from afar—the sound of something sprinting echoed.

The knight I’d been waiting for so long.

A knight who staked her own conviction and was never late.

The knight who had just earned 300,000 rin in barely five minutes made her appearance.

“Wolfram-nim!! Are you safe!”

“I’m still safe. The items?”

“Here they are!”

Nephti threw the items to me, and I reached out and caught both of them.

No trouble catching them. My dexterity is 10!

Staring at what I held in my hands, I faced Zolf, who was on the verge of exploding.

“A- no one acknowledged me. The diploma, the doctorate certificate, the graduation ring—nothing is left!”

“Is that so.”

*Phew.* Now is what truly matters.

An homage to the final battle of Zephrin 1-1.

Not that useless brat Kelterus lying over there—the Kelterus I played would say this before the fading ghost:

*’We can’t afford to stop here.’*

And—

*’We’ll carry your regrets with us.’*

And the fading lingering thoughts would answer the hero of light:

*’Thank you.’*

It’s a fairly common ending scene—the ghost finds peace and the protagonist reaffirms their resolve.

It’s just been twisted a little.

It should work.

Taking a deep breath, I channeled mana into the skill and opened my mouth.

Wolfram’s mana is 3, but I should be able to use it.

**【Imperial Bloodline】** is activated.

The skill switches to **【Active】**.

Now, when negotiations begin, **【Mana】** will be consumed!

With only 3 mana, the duration won’t be long.

“**【I shall bestow this upon you】**”

“…Huh?”

Whoa, just that one phrase consumed all 3 mana at once. Insane body.

My head is spinning, but thanks to that, the skill activated effectively and I succeeded in stopping Zolf just before his rampage.

I catch my breath again.

From now on, every single word matters.

“In the name of Wolfram von Lohengrin of Imperial Blood—I bestow this upon you. This is your graduation ring.”

I have no real authority.

It’s just a graduation ring I roughly made with dexterity 10.

But here—take it.

“In the name of former student council president Wolfram—I present this doctorate certificate.”

I’m just an ordinary student now.

It’s not that impressive.

Take this too. I wrote it with my own hands.

“Take it, Zolf. You’ve worked hard enough.”

“Ah.”

What Nephti had brought.

The fake graduation ring I’d made to sell to graduate students for dexterity improvement—and the forged doctorate certificate.

But the final words—those were genuine.

Instead of depleted mana—with stamina. I could voice them.

“**【Congratulations on your graduation. You’ve worked hard.**】”

“Ah, ugh. Aaaah.”

Immediately after.

The black mana behind him began to scatter.

The howling face settled. The black mana dissipated, and what emerged from within was a single graduate student wearing a perfectly peaceful smile.

To him, I left my farewell.

“Rest in peace.”

In your next life—don’t go to graduate school.