HTACS 92

Chapter 92

Most students at Zefflin were feeling the winds of change, either directly or indirectly.

Their lifestyle or environment hadn’t changed.

What they mainly felt was in the people.

The names circulating in public had changed.

The top student of the third-year Magic Department had changed. Her name began to be mentioned more often.

The top student of the second-year Knight Department was said to be aiming for the Royal Guard. Rumors circulated that the recommendation letter was already prepared.

The first-year grade top student had changed. Her stats were low, but she was said to possess overwhelming power.

Celebrities are originally determined from birth.

They can never surpass their birth status.

Movement between classes—

in Lohengrin, where imperial authority had reached divine status, was not something easily seen.

But in just two months of this semester, there had been too many changes.

It all started with Wolfram von Lohengrin, whose student council presidency was usurped.

Even though he fell to the bottom and was treated on par with ordinary students, no one thought of him as an ordinary student.

Part of it was certainly because his bloodline was imperial, but he—who had been the worst tyrannical student council president—was once again building his position and foundation.

Even though he was expelled from Glastheim, the first dormitory, he rode a steel giant around Zefflin, gathering his forces.

And rumors among insiders said that even Eve von Lohengrin—who had once called for his overthrow and justice—now maintained a friendly relationship with him. Some even began to think:

‘Isn’t Wolfram von Lohengrin actually the mastermind behind everything in Zefflin?’

It was an opinion held by a very few, but considering his actions, it wasn’t entirely unconvincing.

And among those who reached that “truth,” how fearsome must Wolfram von Lohengrin be?

Ah, how frightening. But more than that, they want to know what they’re doing!

The unknown breeds both fear and admiration!

So, what are these people currently making the academy buzz from the shadows up to?—

“Stats won’t go up…”

“Royal Guard classes are hard…”

“The spicy seasoning is running low. My sisters eat a lot…”

“What should I do to become a better junior worthy of Senior?”

“Go back.”

They were living lives not much different from usual.

—

When I worked part-time at a convenience store as Lee Young-jin,

the owner hyung was a hero to the local high school kids.

He ran three convenience stores under his own name and made decent money, but he didn’t flaunt his wealth.

He often gave them expired items, and when high school kids came late at night after cram school, he’d give them life advice.

To what extent? The local high school kids didn’t come to him to buy cigarettes. Because if his convenience store disappeared, their oasis of the heart would disappear too.

He was that kind of hyung, and I often thought I wanted my convenience store to be that kind of place.

I want to be a convenience store owner who can always greet customers with a smile!

What a perfect plan.

“Even with strength training and running, only strength and stamina are affected… My strength might go up soon.”

“The Royal Guard is literally a comprehensive civil servant. Why are there so many things to learn…?”

“Wolfram, could you spare some leftover seasoning?”

“Is maintaining the top student position not enough?”

But in reality, when all these kids come running for advice, it’s surprisingly troublesome.

“Ayla. First, aim to raise Strength and Stamina to 17. That’ll open up more possibilities. Nephti. The annual salary is 200 million. Rudika. I’ll give you plenty later. Mille-feuille. As top student, you’re at the peak of all first-years. Hold your head high.”

After neatly advising all four, they went *aha* and started studying each on their own.

Taking that opportunity, I also fell into thought about the future.

The upcoming Act 2. And these four people.

Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to ask.

“Come to think of it, you four have more or less found your positions, haven’t you?”

“Wolfram, what do you mean by position?”

“Ayla, Rudika, and Nephti already had some recognition, and Mille-feuille—you’ve become the grade top student now.”

“Aha, that’s right.”

“Yet you seem to have too many humble worries and petty concerns for that.”

“Yesss, Senior. The reason we have to stay humble is—”

They all stared at me.

Me? What about me?

“Wolfram, you’re an imperial family member, yet you live so quietly.”

“I-I also wouldn’t have made it this far without you, Senior.”

I see.

Because I, with the advantage of being imperial family, live quietly, they all stay quiet too.

It’s not that I want to live quietly—I just don’t want to get stabbed somewhere for being too flashy.

“I don’t want to live quietly.”

“Hehe. Wolfram and his jokes again.”

“Ah, so that was a joke? Hmm, hmm. Too high-level for me.”

“…Is Rudika supposed to laugh at this joke?”

“I-if you want to live that quietly, there’s a nice village in the east, Senior.”

No, I’m serious.

—

Anyway, I’ve gotten used to those four coming to the convenience store every day and chattering away.

Without understanding a thing about people’s hearts.

What’s messing with my head is Mille-feuille von Sabre.

Noticing my gaze, Mille-feuille looked at me and gave a very small smile.

“What’s wrong, Senior?”

“Hmm. Nothing. I was just thinking about the new grade top student.”

“Hehe. Yes. I’m Grade Top Student Mille-feuille von Sabre. Now I can hold my head high as your junior, Senior.”

With that, Mille-feuille smiled lightly.

It’s only been a few days since she claimed the top spot, but she smiles more often now, and she’s become… more naturally talkative.

She says, 【Now I can hold my head high as your junior!】

But she was my junior from the start, you know.

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Yesss. Let me know when it becomes something.”

With that, she returned to her studies.

“…Ugh. 98 points… No, it might go higher. This girl’s rebellion is on the rise. Is my Rebellion Eye broken?”

Ayla was muttering her usual incomprehensible things, but I didn’t pay it much mind. Since the word “rebellion” was in there, I figured it was fine.

The reason Mille-feuille was messing with my head was just one thing.

Now, Mille-feuille had become the grade top student.

She’d beaten Kelterus twice and turned him into a second-place Conterus.

The Act 2 boss used to cast curses centered around the 【celebrity heroines】 around 【Grade Top Student Kelterus】.

But now that Mille-feuille holds the top position, the curse could be centered around her.

Then the targets would be…

Ayla. Nephti. Rudika. Mille-feuille. If we widen the scope, Vanilla and Yogurt.

And if we count the original heroines, Eve, Isolde, and Regina Sierra too.

“Too many.”

This is troublesome.

Time to use a trick after a long while.

“Nephti.”

“Yes, Senior.”

“I’m going on a business trip tomorrow. I’ll need you as a guard.”

“Hmm. Tomorrow I have Royal Guard assignments…”

“Daily wage: 300,000 lin.”

“Loyalty. Faith. This life is solely for my liege.”

Nephti bowed her head deeply.

Isn’t her price getting a bit too high lately?

—

The next day, we came to the Black Market.

Wearing the same masks as before, what we need to find here isn’t an item.

It’s a bit complicated, but we need to find the trends.

In every corner of this Black Market, there are tents painted with blue dye. According to Black Market rules, these are sleep rooms.

To be precise, they’re somewhat unpleasant sleep rooms.

Entering, a man with a sleeping face was waiting.

To be precise, it was unclear whether it was a man or a woman—various transformation spells were cast on them.

“Welcome to the sleep room. Please come in.”

“I seek a special sleep. I hope for a good dream.”

“…Who are you looking for?”

“Who’s been giving the best dreams lately?”

“These are the current selections.”

“Is this the latest trend?”

“Ah, you want the new ones, not the classics. Here you are.”

With that, he showed me the current selections for those who gave good dreams.

I frowned.

Among them, I saw Mille-feuille, Nephti, and Ayla’s faces. Eve and Regina were also there.

“…I’ll have my dream another time. Here’s the introduction fee.”

“Oh my. Thank you.”

Saying only that, I left the sleep room.

This might become quite troublesome.

—

After leaving the Black Market, Nephti cautiously asked.

“Senior, what was that place? It looked extremely ominous. It’s a place that doesn’t suit me at all. And… I thought I saw my face too.”

“Hmm? Sorry, I didn’t explain. To put it simply, it’s a sleep room.”

“A sleep room?”

“Hmm. A sleep room that lets you have good dreams.”

Those who reside in the Black Market are the ones who failed at Zefflin. Literally, losers.

But to dream of becoming winners themselves, they use Fake Face and Fake Voice to play as if they’ve become those figures. However, for those who can’t be satisfied with just that—there are sleep rooms that let you dream of ‘becoming a celebrity.’

“Even if it’s only in a dream, that wish to be fulfilled…”

“Putting it that way sounds nice, but it’s simply a curse.”

“A curse…?”

“Yes.”

This curse is quite tricky.

Fundamentally, curses and blessings operate on the concept of ‘faith,’ a power separate from ‘mana.’

Faith borrows the power of ‘divine’ beings and their opposing ‘demon gods.’

That’s why without items like ‘blessings’ or ‘curse resistance,’ even Eve with Mana 22 can be affected by curses.

Think of it simply like an online game’s elemental table.

Water – Wind – Earth – Fire are rock-paper-scissors. That’s a universal rule.

But Dark – Light—

Depending on the game, sometimes they just play rock-paper-scissors with each other alone.

Something like that.

And the curse of this dream is even more vicious—it gathers the losers’ admiration for celebrities and deals mental damage to the celebrities themselves.

“So curses really do exist.”

“Hmm. It’s amusing for an imperial grandchild to say this, but gods and demon gods certainly exist. The records… say so.”

“I’m surprised. …But Senior, how do you know all this?”

Nephti looked at me uneasily.

Ah. Is she worried that Wolfram might have had that kind of dream too?

…Hmm. Lee Young-jin never used it, and I as Wolfram haven’t either.

And the original Wolfram probably didn’t either.

That guy budgeted for artists who couldn’t walk the path of sword or magic, and was devoted to dreams until the very end.

“No, I’ve never used it. Rather, I’m opposed to it.”

Because of them, I’ve seen countless bad endings.

Honestly, I ran Emily’s route so many times because I couldn’t save the heroines in Act 2.

Damn it.

“…Opposed?”

“Hmm. They’re extremely annoying guys—honestly, I’d like to reduce their numbers as much as possible before graduation.”

“Th-then, could it be…”

Now, the solution to this curse is ‘blessing’—but it’s surprisingly expensive and tricky to obtain.

“Then, Senior, to eliminate those who threaten Zefflin from the shadows and protect the students, you’ve taken it upon yourself…? Outwardly installing Eve-sama as student council president while yourself operating in the shadows… Senior also has a conviction for the weak… Then protecting this person is no different from my conviction…”

Ignoring Nephti’s muttering beside me, I fell back into thought.

I really need to make blessing items.

Let’s see—what’s the fastest way to obtain them?

“Senior.”

“What?”

“I’ll do my best in the Royal Guard classes.”

Why did the conversation go that direction?

……?

“Do your best.”

“Yesss!”

Well, I suppose.

Do your best.

If you say you’ll work hard, I should cheer you on.