Chapter 83
Everyone was startled.
Lérang was known to be a kind teacher.
Diligent and silent, yet kind in his own way to students.
That was precisely who Lérang was.
It was the first time he raised his voice like that.
"You have no sense of moderation! When someone speaks, you should listen! This is not a place for your private tutoring!"
"...I'm sorry. I was just too curious."
"If you continue to behave like this, I will formally raise an issue with the Rownter family! Do you understand?"
"...Yes."
Lérang lifted his left hand and irritably pushed up his glasses.
"It doesn't seem like we can continue with the class in this atmosphere. That's all for today's lesson."
With that, Lérang left the classroom.
His steps were filled with annoyance.
"Such a foolish girl. Earning penalty points on purpose."
"Teron, it seems we don't have to worry about the midterms."
"Tsk."
Teron's clicking tongue could be heard from behind.
It meant he was displeased with something.
'Come to think of it, it's been strange since before. Why does Teron react like that?'
As Yuridia fumbles more, it should be to his advantage.
"Eh? What? Is the class over?"
"Keke, it seems so."
"It seems? Aren't you going to pay attention in class? You'll end up last at this rate."
Luna, really.
Wipe your mouth before you speak.
* * *
At the training ground.
I spoke to Luna, who was warming up.
"By the way, I have a gift for you."
"A gift?"
I pulled a pendant from my pocket.
A small pendant with a spirit engraved as if it was alive and breathing.
An S-grade artifact, 'Spirit's Breath.'
"Eh? What's that?"
"It's an artifact. It has the effect of nullifying a fatal attack once."
"Don't lie. Do you know how expensive those kinds of artifacts are? And not just mitigation but nullification? If that's real, it would be worth hundreds of thousands of gold, right?"
Yes, that's right. I'm giving you that artifact worth hundreds of thousands of gold.
You'll feel burdened and won't be able to accept it, right?
"Keke, then there's no helping it. I'll use it myself..."
Whoosh-.
A gust of wind passed by, and the Spirit's Breath vanished from my hand.
Luna had snatched it away in an instant.
She began examining the Spirit's Breath, one eye closed.
"Hmm~ I definitely feel a strange aura. But nullifying damage? That's a bit too much of an exaggeration. Zero, you might have been scammed."
"Scammed?"
"Yeah. Did you buy this from a street vendor? Geez, there are still people who fall for these scams?"
Caron could scam me, but the system couldn't scam.
The effect of Spirit's Breath is undeniably real. It's an end-game item of this game.
And to think it ends up in the hands of a child who doesn't recognize its value.
Truly, it's like casting pearls before swine.
Maybe we should update the saying to 'Spirit's Breath on Luna's neck.'
"From now on, stay with me. Believing such lies... How are you going to survive in this harsh world? Anyway, you can't do without this big sister, can you?"
"Keke, if you dislike it, you may return it."
"A gift from a friend? Even if I don't like it, I have to accept it. Just hurry up and put it on me."
Luna turned around and offered her white neck to me.
My hands were trembling.
Not only do I have to deliver this precious item, but I also have to put it on her myself.
"Well, for something sold on the street, it's pretty."
"Hu, keke... I'll find something prettier next time. We can exchange it then."
"Alright, alright. Seeing your sincerity, I'll wear it for a long time... No, for life. How about that? Are you satisfied now?"
No, not at all! I'm asking for it back!
My own (so to speak) raised Spirit's Breath!
'Silver Flash isn't bad either...'
After Caron left, I experimented with Silver Flash in the room.
By pressing a small button on the side, a strand of mana would shoot out.
The speed was so fast it was barely visible.
"Well, it did make a small hole in the wallpaper."
The important thing was that it didn't require time to gather mana.
Meaning it didn't consume a turn.
'Mana consumption is about 10.'
Currently, my Magic Power stat is 39. That gives me a total of 390 mana.
Considering the use of other skills, I can use it more than ten times.
Depending on how the party is formed, it could be used till the end.
An incredibly good artifact indeed.
However.
"Keke, wouldn't something prettier be better? It falls far short compared to Miss Luna's beautiful appearance."
"Well, that may be true. But what can I do? It's a gift. The kind-hearted me has to use it. A gift from a friend, even if it's cursed, I'll use it. That's my principle."
Yeah, that's a pretty lousy principle.
And typically, people don't call that a principle, but stupidity, you know?
It was when I slightly sighed.
"Wait! Something's strange here?"
Luna's eyes sparkled.
Oh, did she notice it was from Caron?
If so, that's trouble.
The only excuse I have is "Because Mr. Caron is a lolicon, that's why."
'I wanted to protect Caron's honor but...'
I can't say Renia and Caron have an unknowable relationship, can I?
That would only anger Luna more.
No matter how you slice it, "Because he's a lolicon" seems to be the answer Caron himself would prefer.
'Caron, just trust me. I'm a man who keeps secrets.'
I shall never succumb to Luna's physical strength.
Firmly resolving, Luna slowly opened her mouth.
"Adding to the restaurant reservation, now a gift... Do you perhaps like me?"
"..."
I had forgotten.
Our Luna is someone who lacks any sort of intuition.
Above all, the idea that I like her.
It's absurd.
"Keke, haven't I told you before? I prefer skinny types."
"Hmm~ How should I interpret that? Does it mean you like me because I'm skinny? Or..."
Luna approached closer, her eyes shining.
Obviously, it's the latter.
But I couldn't say that.
Luna was twisting her mouth, meaning if she doesn't get the answer she wants, she's ready to bite.
"Hu, keke... Of course, Miss Luna is skinny."
"Right? But don't fall for me too hard, okay? Being too attractive is also a problem, you know? At this rate, I might lose all my friends."
Luna, what are you talking about?
You only have me as a friend.
Shouldn't you make some friends first before worrying about losing them?
"Then watch my training well. If you see something strange, tell me."
Luna headed to the center of the training ground.
It was quite a lengthy conversation, but the conclusion was one.
'Retrieving the Spirit's Breath is impossible.'
Luna, who would do anything I want.
But showing such a reaction.
The hidden piece between Caron and Luna.
It might just be that.
'It's getting more interesting. Caron... What secrets are you hiding?'
Caron and the Lester family.
Found a few more pieces of the puzzle.
The overall picture is complete, but the most important piece, the 'why?', is missing.
The reason Caron, known as the Killing Machine for his lack of emotion, is protecting Luna.
'If I could just find that out, I might be able to exploit Caron even more.'
Caron, who picks up S-grade, A-grade artifacts right from chapter 1.
If I could grasp his weakness, more might be possible.
'But a wrong move, and my neck could be snapped. I have to approach carefully. Well, that's not the main concern right now.'
The most important thing right now. That is.
[Main Quest #4]
- Defeat the first chapter's boss, 'Lérang de Fleur'!
Defeat the teacher controlled by the magic sword, Lérang de Fleur.
Clear the mission by defeating not a regular boss but a hidden boss!
If Lérang de Fleur is repented before being defeated, an additional reward is given.
Lérang de Fleur (0/1).
Reward: 200exp, 10 gold
Additional Reward: Eye Opening (F) > Eye Opening (E)
Penalty: All stats decrease by 5
※This quest cannot be refused.
This was the problem.
Not the issue of murder.
Although I've taken Luna's advice into account, in this game, murder is inevitable.
'I need to use this opportunity to adapt. That way, I can play without hesitation.'
Whether it's dark mages, bands of thieves, or anyone else.
If you hesitate to kill, you don't know what consequences that might bring.
-If you find yourself in a situation where you must kill each other, don't hesitate. Kill. That's how the person next to you survives.
Advice not for my sake, but for my companions. To kill for them.
Pretty decent advice coming from Luna.
And I intended to follow that advice.
'The burden of killing Lérang is something I must bear. So, the remaining issue is...'
-If Lérang de Fleur is repented before being defeated, an additional reward is given.
That phrase was the problem.
How exactly am I supposed to make him repent?
Should I read the Bible to him?
'I know why Lérang touched the cursed sword.'
When you start playing at the academy, the boss of Chapter 1 is 100% Lérang.
So, it was natural to know stories related to him.
Lérang de Fleur.
But now, he is simply referred to as 'Lérang'.
He declared he would not continue his family lineage amidst its downfall.
This was common in the aristocratic society.
Third-rate nobility.
Literally, people who are ashamed of maintaining a title in name only.
Instead, many nobles choose not to continue their family lineage to avoid various obligations such as taxes, labor, and duties that come with nobility.
They volunteer for the downfall of their nobility.
Still, being of noble blood, many places treated them as equals to nobility, so it was natural for fallen nobility to become common.
'Lérang is a bit different, though.'
One day, Lérang left his family of his own accord and made a name for himself in the empire as a wandering knight.
Not only because he won many honorable duels, but there was another reason he became truly famous.
"Please teach me your swordsmanship."
Regardless of the outcome of the duel, he would bow and ask his opponent for teachings.
There were times when he lived with families famous for their swordsmanship as a member of their household.
Normally, such behavior would be seen as shameful.
However, Lérang boldly requested and left after learning the techniques.
Duels, learning, wandering.
That lifestyle repeated for nearly 10 years.
Suddenly, he returned to his family and fought a duel with the head of the Fleur family.
And he won. Overwhelmingly so.
After winning the duel, instead of asking for teachings, Lérang is said to have spoken thus:
-If I hadn't learned such garbage swordsmanship from the start, I could have become a greater person. Perhaps even a hero.
No one present at the time disputed Lérang's words.
Because he defeated the head of the Fleur family using only the swordsmanship of other families.
Since then, he gained a nickname.
'The Mimic Lérang.'
Yes, Lérang was.
The one who brought his own family to ruin with his hands.
A traitor to his family.
--TL Notes--
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