TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 135
Dead of Night.
Sitting at my desk, pondering the cause of my magical failure, I let out a deep sigh over the unresolved questions.
“The theory is perfect, so what’s the problem…? Tsk, is it too perfect, and that’s the issue?”
Messy handwriting filled the notebook.
[December 23rd]
Practiced Magic: Fireball
Outcome: Successfully implemented the magic circle in empty space, but it disappeared before reaching the target. Failure.
·
·
·
[January 13th]
Practiced Magic: Fireball
Outcome: Successfully implemented the Fireball, but due to lack of accuracy, burned Gomtangi’s tail. Result: Failure.
[January 15th]
Practiced Magic: Meteor
Outcome: Nothing appeared. Failure.
A month of grueling effort resulted in just one Fireball, and even that was a dud that didn’t hit its mark.
“Haha… F*ck.”
What is this?
Blocked right from the basics.
I wanted to learn the fundamentals step by step, but the reality of not even taking my first steps made me laugh bitterly.
The contents I wrote in today’s notebook were no different from yesterday’s… Though I thought my efforts were meaningless, seeing slight progress made it impossible to give up.
In battles, even a small spark could be the key to victory. Just like how bringing a single 1,000-won rose instead of showing up empty-handed could increase your chances of forgiveness when late for a date, having more hidden cards made dealing with others much easier.
“Is the juice all gone now…?”
As I thought about how the world seemed to be against me, I was about to raise my middle finger in reverence to the god who might be watching from somewhere.
-Ding!
A clear notification sound rang in my head.
“What the hell.”
Even an omniscient god doesn’t want to hear curses? If it had been a moment later, I might’ve committed blasphemy—what a shame.
“But why a quest all of a sudden?”
It was a notification I hadn’t heard in a while.
A notification I thought had abandoned me after not appearing for so long. The clear alarm seemed to greet me, as if saying the Possessor’s Privilege was still intact.
‘If you’re going to appear, do it more often—why only occasionally?’
It’s an odd date to show up for a New Year’s greeting, isn’t it? I gave an awkward smile at the belated Blue Window.
“F*ck off.”
-A quest has been generated.
“Not doing it.”
-A quest has been generated.
As I tried to ignore it and scribble in my notebook, the persistent alarm made me slowly lift my head.
The Quest Window would keep ringing noisily until I checked it.
When I was a kid, this thing woke me up more than once. Just as I was about to greet my Growth Plate, ‘Ding.’ When I lay down for a nap, ‘Ding.’ I think this thing shares some blame for me not growing taller than 190 cm.
“Sigh…”
What kind of request have you come with this time?
The most recent quest was to rescue Yuria from a dungeon.
Thinking back, I couldn’t refuse because of the enormous reward, Rehabilitation’s Touch.
It was an infuriating quest that shattered my resolve to never help anyone again.
Honestly, I wanted to ignore this quest.
I didn’t want to interfere with the growth of the Protagonists, and it was time for them to grow on their own. I couldn’t spoon-feed them like a mother bird forever, so my desire to refuse was about 80%.
But at the same time, I was a little curious.
The Status Window always dangled rewards that weren’t easy to obtain.
The penalties for failure were relatively light, and the rewards for success were generous—that had been the Status Window’s pattern so far.
In my younger days, it had even offered the absurd trait Genius of Weaponry as a reward, and Aura, something unattainable at a young age, had also been a prize for success.
During my Academy Days, it had offered rewards related to raising the Favorability of key figures or improving stats.
None of the rewards were ever easily attainable.
It takes different amounts of time for people to increase their Physical Strength by 1, but I knew that going from 100 to 101 took an unimaginably long time.
As the novel progressed into its later stages, everyone’s stats became standardized, and even a difference of just 1 in stats could create a gap as vast as heaven and earth.
Knowing how important it was to pay attention to such details, I was honestly both glad and annoyed to see the quest window appear after such a long time.
‘What is it this time?’
I hoped it wasn’t something that would significantly impact the story.
With a trembling heart, I slowly lifted my head to gaze at the Quest Window before me.
And.
“F*ck.”
I cursed.
*
[Q. The Knight Who Always Protects Her.]
There is a beautiful Girl.
A Girl with a smile like Fully Bloomed Cherry Blossoms and delicate beauty like Baby’s Breath.
This Girl has never faced great hardships in life. Because of her outstanding appearance, people treated her with care and regarded her as a gem.
Of course, after stepping into the larger world, she was scratched and wounded by the hands of those who envied her.
For the first time, she experienced criticism.
Bullying.
Neglect.
It was truly difficult, but even so, the Girl loved and cherished people. That was the dying wish of her Mother and the love her parents had taught her.
She doesn’t think deeply about her appearance. She considers herself average and believes her friends see her inner self rather than her looks.
A fool. A complete fool.
A fool who doesn’t even use the weapon of her beauty. Well, that’s part of the Girl’s charm, though.
One day, a Ball is held at the Academy the Girl attends.
At the Ball, many Ladies show off and refine their weapons. The Girl did the same.
Even though she thought appearance wasn’t everything, wanting to look pretty was instinctive for women.
But what if.
What if a day comes when the Girl loses her beauty?
Her once-beautiful skin turns into skin full of freckles.
Her vibrant smile transforms into one like a Rotten Pumpkin. Would the people beside her stay in their places?
The Girl cries.
She cries sorrowfully.
She becomes isolated.
And…
The shadow threatening the Girl is drawing closer and closer.
(!) Protect the Girl, ‘Yuria,’ who has lost her beauty.
1. Find ‘Yuria,’ who has temporarily lost her beauty, at the Ball. (0/1)
2. Protect ‘Yuria’ from the Heretics. (0/1)
Reward: Information of Vitality/Hidden Magical Talent/Mana +100
Yuria: White Magic Lv.1
Failure: The Saintess of Light, ‘Yuria,’ undergoes Darkening.
Ah…
I trembled slightly as I stared at the brightly glowing blue Quest Window.
“F*ck.”
*
By nature, a Ball is one of the most frequently featured settings in fantasy novels.
It’s a place where many Sub Male Leads fight to dance with the Heroine first or where Villainesses plot schemes to torment the Heroine.
The novel I possessed was no exception.
The Academy’s Ball was meant for Fresh Youths to unfurl their passions, but beneath the surface, it was pitch black.
It was a place where Commoners’ dresses were mocked, Fallen Nobles’ evening wear was ridiculed, or wine was poured over a Noble Lady’s dress out of spite—a place where violence was practically sanctioned.
And the Ball Event mentioned in the Quest Window carried such Heavy Content that those acts seemed like mere jokes in comparison.
Sitting at my Desk, twirling my pen, I was lost in deep thought.
“Why, of all things, this Episode?”
There were so many other Episodes, after all.
This Episode was closely tied to Ruin.
Just a little…
It was concerning.
***
[Ball D-3]
Outside the Academy grounds, a Girl with pink Hair stood on tiptoe in front of a Dress Store.
“Wow… So pretty.”
Yuria, gazing through the Glass Window at a White Dress with Melancholic Eyes, let out a mesmerized sigh.
Three days until the Ball.
Yuria, who had come to buy a new dress to replace the Tacky Dress that always drew ridicule, couldn’t bring herself to leave the vicinity of the Dress Store.
The Pure White Dress seemed to hold her in place.
It was far too expensive, a Luxury Item that seemed like it should charge you just for looking at it.
It was a Dress beyond Yuria’s impoverished wallet, but looking didn’t cost money, after all.
Yuria shook her head with a faint smile creeping up her lips, as if scolding herself, and turned away with difficulty.
“Yeah… What kind of dress would suit my situation anyway?”
Yuria envied the other Students.
She envied the excited Back Figures of the Academy’s female Students entering the store to buy dresses.
If she had the financial means, she would have loved to buy at least one, but such extravagance was out of reach for someone living off a Scholarship.
Suppressing her bitter feelings, Yuria trudged along.
After walking for quite some time, she arrived at the bustling Market Stalls. Letting out a Deep Sigh, she rolled up her sleeves.
“Well… Second-hand isn’t so bad, right?”
A Thrift Clothing Store piled high with discarded garments from Nobles.
With her sleeves rolled up, Yuria briskly walked in. Buying Used Clothing that someone else had worn and discarded was embarrassing, but she wanted to avoid the ridicule for wearing a Tacky Dress this year.
As she stopped in front of a mountain of clothes, Yuria plunged her hand deep into the pile and pulled out a crumpled Yellow Dress that looked like an old rag.
It was full of wrinkles.
The Dress had a Musty Smell, but it was still somewhat better than the one she currently owned.
“Found you…!”
‘Ah…’
Compared to the Pure White Dress she had just admired, it was a pitiful dress.
She regretted not coming here right away instead of looking at the dresses in the store.
It made her feel even more miserable.
Choosing clothes in a place like this.
Feeling happy about finding a decent dress here—it all just felt pathetic.
As she hung her head in dejection for about a minute…
“Hmm…”
A pleasing, deep voice reached Yuria’s ears.
The Man, standing beside Yuria, asked in a Small Voice.
“Are you planning to buy that?”
“Ah… Yes.”
“Hmm…”
Yuria didn’t lift her head.
She was ashamed of herself.
The Man, unbothered by Yuria’s demeanor, started digging through the pile of clothes.
-Rustle.
-Rustle.
“Personally, I think…”
The Man pulled out a Red Dress from the pile and held it up.
Unfolding the Dress and holding it against Yuria to check the fit, The Man nodded and spoke again in his pleasing voice to the still-downcast Yuria.
“I think this dress would suit you better.”
“Ah… Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“But who…”
Yuria turned her head to look at The Man who had chosen the dress for her. She wondered who could be speaking so kindly, and she was curious because his voice was so sweet.
And the moment she saw The Man’s face.
“Huh…?”
A foolish sound escaped her lips.
“It’s been a while, Miss Yuria.”
“The most handsome Butler in the world.”
Ricardo stood before Yuria.