Unedited
“There is a limit to the level of favorability that can be achieved with cheats, especially in the second semester.”
Kyle said as he carved a simple magic circuit into a clay golem kneaded into the shape of a human being. Then, just as Kyle had designed, the golem dutifully pulled out a strand of Professor Dwyer’s mustache as he dozed in the corner.
I did the exact same thing, but my golem kept trying to pluck my eyebrows. I quickly snatched the mana core from the golem that was swinging its arms foolishly and turned it back into a lump of clay.
“Also, she has already used too many cheats to increase her possessions and abilities. Did you know that Rose–Blossom was the top student of the first semester?”
“Wow, really?”
As far as I could remember, Rosemary Blossom had won many honors at Fitzsimmons Academy, including queen of the banquet, but she had never been the top student in her class.
As I stuck out my tongue in surprise, Kyle’s clay golem attempted to throw Professor Dwyer’s mustache at it. Kyle became very serious as he watched me engage in a melee with a lump of dirt that looked just like its owner.
“Cheats disrupt the natural progression of the game, so every time you use them, the system becomes a little more unstable. Seeing as how it cut off Keran’s thread and mistook you for the main character, it shows it’s already on shaky ground. It’s impossible to use cheats to get the maximum level of favorability, and even if it were possible, there’s no way the game would be sustainable… That much is clear.”
Even without Blossom abusing cheats, I was getting closer to her little by little. At first, the ‘Status Window’, which had nothing to reflect on other than how stupid I was, now gave me even more reason for self-reflection.
According to the status window, I was a poor girl with extremely high physical strength, an average level of attractiveness, and a very low intellect. It was fortunate that personality was not expressed in numbers.
Also, after throwing myself into Lake Fraswell and travelling to Florence Belle’s world, a strange phenomenon occurred where I started seeing Kyle in a strangely appealing light. His face seemed to glow, as if someone were following him around with a spotlight. A halo even formed around the back of his head, reminiscent of the saints in the murals of the Stia Temple I visited as a child.
But he was closer to a blasphemer than a saint. When I asked him about it, too flabbergasted, Kyle laughed for a long time before explaining, “That’s because I’m a target for you to capture.” Then he became insufferably smug.
“You’re lucky, hey. This handsome guy is all over you.”
He was so obnoxious that as soon as school started, I started staring at Keran Illestia. When I vividly conveyed to him how incredible the effects were, Kyle raised the white flag, saying he wouldn’t act out anymore. I swear by the Salamander’s rainbow scales, there must have been more flowers blooming on Keran’s face than in the <3,600 Flower Dictionary for Novice Potion Makers>.
“So, what’s going on with that?”
Anyway, that was it. The fact that I was getting closer to Blossom was consistent with the fact that she was moving away from her position as the main character. Nevertheless, as I entered the second semester, what greeted me was the lovey-dovey Kerrose couple.
“No idea.”
According to Kyle, who was able to confirm the feelings of the targets to capture for Blossom, Keran’s usually sluggish favorability meter had skyrocketed for some unknown reason. Even now, at a table far away, he was attaching clay ribbons the size of fingernails to Blossom’s clay golem.
“What is certain is that the system did not intervene while Keran’s favorability rose to that point.”
“You mean magic was used?”
“As you know, you can’t use magic to manipulate people’s minds. Maybe a potion, but not magic.”
Without the use of cheats, there were only two reasons why Keran could be attracted to Blossom. Either he fell in love with Rosemary Blossom without the help of the system through a romantic experience that went beyond a kiss with a drunkard, or he drank a love potion. Neither of these was very good news for me.
It would have been better to have the former. In that case, the only thing that would be harmed would be my feelings. In the latter case, the situation becomes much more complicated. There were hardly any individuals who could obtain a love potion without the Tower’s permission and make the Crown Prince of Ilestia drink it. If someone with such influence was backing Blossom, my and Kyle’s plans would not go smoothly.
In a fit of depression, I tinkered with the clay golem’s magic circuits and ended up crushing its arms. As if the pain were transmitted through residual mana, the golem opened its crudely pierced mouth wide and screamed.
Keran’s amber gaze rested on me for a moment as Professor Dwyer woke up and gave me a scolding. It was so fleeting that I almost doubted it happened. Blinking my eyes once, Keran was looking at Blossom again.
Flower petals fluttered behind him as he smiled brightly. I think some of them were begonia flowers.
***
The reason why Blossom, from Illestia, was enrolled in the magic tool-making course was solely because Kyle was taking it. Just like how she took magic science in the first semester. Since Kyle was the reason she had not been able to get the ‘true ending’ until now, Blossom was in a position where she had to capture Kyle at all costs.
Keran Illestia became a variable in this situation. His favorability rose so much in a short period of time that even Kyle, who had played the game countless times, couldn’t understand it.
I don’t know for what purpose Blossom did that; paradoxically, it didn’t only bring about favorable results for her. Keran was greedy, as he said himself, and could not bear to see his lover with someone other than him.
While Blossom was tied to Keran, it would be easy for me to approach the remaining targets. I applied for courses for the second semester entirely to match the student council’s schedule. It was the same with Blossom. Keran then followed Blossom and revised his entire course list accordingly.
We ended up taking all of our classes together, except for Theory of Magic Tool Operation and Elemental Magic Defense. It was a farce that wasn’t even funny.
“It seems like you’re really bothered.”
“Me? About Keran? Not at all.”
Even in the Arts of Barrier class, the two lovebirds were affectionate with each other. I quickly swallowed my excuse, realizing I’d been mesmerized again by Keran’s hand tucking Blossom’s curly blonde hair behind her ear.
“I never said Keran.”
Edgar responded calmly as he finished drawing the makeshift defense barrier I had drawn in my notebook. Then, when I rolled the inkwell containing correction fluid into the barrier, ironically, it went right into the side where I had drawn and bounced off the side where Edgar had drawn.
The method of drawing a barrier was similar in many ways to the method of constructing a magic circuit. Just as an old dwarf is better at hammering than a young elf, I thought that as a Miluanian, I would excel at Arts of Barrier to some extent. It was a mistake to overlook the fact that if the old dwarf’s strength was 2, he would not even be able to hold a hammer.
“Why would someone so talented forget their textbook?”
“I forgot the locker combination again.”
“Oh, Eddie. Since you forget your password so often, I—”
Edgar, who seemed to have early-onset dementia despite his youth, frequently forgot the combination to the lock on his locker. I was so generous that I sold the magic lock, which had helped countless students at Fitzsimmons survive the Leprechaun Festival, for a profit of just 50%, no more, no less.
I was teasing enthusiastically when my consciousness suddenly extended to something completely unexpected. I closely examined the brown skin, wheat-colored hair, and reddish-purple eyes of the man sitting right next to me, looking at me. A chill ran down my spine.
“Who are you?”
(T/N: The twists and turns… my gosh, Author-nim.)
Since the magic lock was opened by detecting the user’s mana, Edgar no longer had to memorize the password. If he is indeed Edgar Ramos, that is.
Why didn’t I notice it until now? Until he sat down next to me and interfered with my defense barrier! I thought I was good at distinguishing between the twins.
I replayed everything that had happened from the moment he walked into the classroom until now. My God, there was nothing to recall. All that was etched into my memory was Keran’s neatly trimmed hair, the way he pronounced Blossom, and Keran.
I scolded myself and shifted my thoughts. Come to think of it, it was at the birthday banquet that Nadon was injured enough to prevent him from returning to Fitzsimmons. Edgar Ramos impersonated his twin brother at most public events. That was because he was the best impersonator of Bryce Nadon on the continent.
“Well… why do you ask?”
There was no guarantee that the opposite would not be true. The person who was the best at impersonating Edgar Ramos on the continent asked back. His leisurely speaking habits, crooked smile, and posture of leaning his upper body back with his arms on the backrest were exactly the same as Edgar’s.
“No way, the injured one—”
“Shut up.”
Nadon growled menacingly. Although his way of speaking may be similar to Edgar’s, the content of his words was anything but. Also, unlike Edgar, he was able to use some auxiliary magic. My lips pressed together as Nadon cast a spell without drawing a magic circle.
If he dared to think that he could subdue Dalton’s tomboy with magic like that, he was mistaken. As soon as I felt the hold on my tongue, I wasted no time in running to Professor Conley. I was trying to explain the attack I suffered through body language, but I couldn’t because Nadon quickly picked me up (literally!).
Unfortunately, since it was widely known in the academy that I was on friendly terms with Edgar, Professor Conley only scolded me for fooling around during class.
A considerable commotion ensued at the back of the classroom. Nadon forced me into a chair and cast a posture correction spell, making sure I wouldn’t be able to leave the seat. When my buttocks and back could not come off the chair, I raised my body and tried to send a rescue signal through the sound of the chair legs hitting the floor.
Only after Professor Conley warned that he would not tolerate a third time did Nadon lift the silencing spell and posture correction spell he had placed on me. I felt a slight sense of victory as I saw him curse under his breath.
T/N: Hello, this is your translator, Choco! Since we’re almost half-way the novel, I decided to do a little fun activity(?) and it’s none other than *Insert drumroll here*….
A popularity contest among Ariel’s Men!!! BWHAHAHAHAH
And yes, I’m calling them Ariel’s men cuz they are
or they will be anyway? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯Going back, simply cast your vote in the poll under. I’m just curious who’s y’all picks and who’s the most popular right now. You can also comment the reason behind your picks!
P.S: Do not abuse the poll so we can see a productive result :>
*Me voting for everyone cuz me wants everyone*
