Chapter 105

The next morning, one day later.

The free mission period—which had run for close to a month—officially ended with the second-year students gathering once more.

Mikhail grabbed nothing but his writing supplies and headed for the lecture hall. This session would just be reviewing grades and handling the paperwork for the next academic activity, so he wouldn't need textbooks.

Drrrk.

The lecture hall was still sparse. Mikhail walked over to a figure curled up against the corner of a desk and sat down beside him.

"I thought you said you were feeling better."

CLUNK.

The pink head of hair jolted upright with a groan.

Mikhail smirked and added:

"At least you're on time today. Julien."

Julien dragged his head around and rubbed at his disheveled bangs.

"Yeah. Didn't need to go buy any relics this time."

Mikhail answered with nothing more than a light laugh in Julien's direction, then fixed his gaze forward.

Students had started filing into the lecture hall. The quiet atmosphere didn't last long before it turned noisy and chaotic.

"Hey! It's been ages! How'd everything go?"

The entrance door had swung open and shut three or four times when Edwin dropped into the seat beside them, greeting everyone at full volume.

Mikhail was exchanging hellos with Edwin when a book sailed through the air and landed on the desk in front of him.

Thwap.

"Hey, my pillow divined that seat for me today."

The book belonged to Lloyd. He sauntered over with easy confidence, cast a casual glance around the room, then settled into the seat in front of Mikhail.

"Hey there."

Lloyd's greeting came with his usual effortless charm. Julien and Edwin seemed mildly surprised by the friendly overture from someone they hadn't interacted with much, but they returned the greeting without any fuss.

Mikhail watched the three of them for a moment, then shifted his gaze one row over to the aisle.

Ethan was moving toward the front, wearing the same blank expression as always.

"Hey."

The call cut through the air like a whistle. Ethan stopped and looked at Mikhail.

Mikhail kept his face perfectly casual and spoke.

"Morning."

Ethan didn't respond at first. But a flat reply followed soon enough.

"Yeah. Morning."

Ethan continued down the aisle, and Mikhail returned his gaze to the front.

Lloyd snickered quietly and leaned toward Mikhail.

"What's the saying—the ground hardens after the rain?"

"……"

"That aside, try paying a little attention to the people around you. Seems like plenty of them want to talk to you."

Mikhail slid a sideways glance to his left.

Just as Lloyd said—students clustered nearby kept stealing looks at him and whispering among themselves. They were curious about his sudden surge in the rankings, no doubt. Mikhail puffed out a dry breath and said:

"I don't think I have much to tell them."

"That's what the exceptional ones always think. They'd disagree."

Lloyd jerked his chin as if urging him to engage, but Mikhail played oblivious and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. He had no interest in making small talk beyond what was necessary, no matter who it was with.

FLASH!

A message materialized before his eyes.

[Quest: [Sub] Answer Your Classmates' Questions]

• Reward: Shop Currency +1

The timing was almost spiteful in its irony.

Mikhail glared at the hovering text, paused for a beat, then craned his neck toward the nearby students.

"Hey. Get over here."

The students who'd been hovering nervously swarmed in like bear cubs who'd spotted a honey pot.

Mikhail swept a less-than-thrilled look across their faces and spoke.

"If you've got questions for me, let's hear them."

"…Huh?"

The ones who'd thrown punches at him. The ones who'd sneered at his abilities. They exchanged baffled glances.

But the hesitation didn't last. They seized the opening and fired off questions one after another.

"How'd you ace the written exams all this time? Is there some secret trick to memorizing the material?"

"How do you get that kind of firepower out of your mana?"

"How'd you score so high on the mission evaluations? What made the people at the request sites rate you so well?"

Mikhail sat through the flood of questions with a thoroughly unimpressed expression, then stretched both hands wide and beckoned them closer.

The students swallowed hard and leaned in.

Mikhail let his hand drift from one face to the next, pointing at the first questioner.

"You—stop sleeping through class and commit to devouring every page of the textbook. Second—stop only doing the exercises you enjoy."

"?"

"And third. Quit strutting around in front of everyone. Keep it up and you'll get slapped in the face and humiliated in public. Trust me on that one."

The students were still processing their answers, faces twisting into complicated expressions, when—

BANG BANG BANG!

"You lot! Huddled together like a school of fish—what are you doing? You spend a few weeks in the field and come back completely undisciplined!"

The old professor's thundering shout rattled the lecture hall, and the students scattered in a panic.

[Quest: [Sub] Answer Your Classmates' Questions — Complete]

• Completion Reward: Shop Currency +1

While Mikhail scanned the reward message, Lloyd sat with his arms folded, snickering to himself.

Meanwhile, a student near the front was stammering a question at the professor on the podium.

"Um? Professor? I don't think you're assigned to our class today…?"

"Your professor had some things to sort out with the Guild side, so I'm filling in."

The old professor cut off the inquiry in a single stroke, then swept his gaze across the students.

"I'm handing out your consolidated grade reports and application forms for the next academic activity. Everyone sit down and get your pens out."

Things proceeded according to the professor's instructions. Mikhail accepted the two sheets of paper passed his way.

One was a grade report listing the overall magic department rankings. The other was an application form listing activities available based on academic standing.

[○ Guild Alliance Joint Suppression Campaign (Top ~5%)]

[○ Magic Research Institute & Knight Order Field Study (Top ~20%)]

[○ Ruin Expedition (Mid ~40%)]

Already know what I'm picking.

[⊙ Guild Alliance Joint Suppression Campaign (Top ~5%)]

Mikhail marked his selection on the Joint Suppression Campaign and turned his attention to what would follow.

The events that would unfold. The people he'd encounter. The ripple effects and the rewards.

What surfaced in connection was the letter from Julien he'd received in Melphendes. More precisely, the single paragraph written at the very end.

[Whether the legitimate heir of the North—standing behind a curtain of stagnation and failure—will produce deeds worthy of washing away his disgrace. It seems a few more watchful eyes will be following you.]

A few more watchful eyes, huh.

Mikhail tapped the desk and began narrowing down who those eyes might belong to.

Julien was the type to be oblivious to invisible things like grudges and political friction—yet even he had picked up on it early enough to drop a quiet warning. That meant whoever it was had been making enough noise to catch even his attention.

Someone who wouldn't want a single whisper of the Northern heir's reputation being restored.

Someone who'd move to confront him early and try to crush his momentum before it could build.

The more he traced the interests and the profile, the more clearly a single figure emerged.

Mikhail tilted his head as the name crystallized in his mind.

The young lord of the noble house that governed the North before Joseph. Verte Fischer.

---

The Guild Alliance headquarters in the kingdom's east.

Commerce in one wing. Research and exploration in another.

At the heart of the building—ringed by civilian-born bureaus spread out like wings—sat the Guild Master's office.

Knock knock.

The man seated at the center of the office, German Lowell, granted permission to the knock requesting entry.

"Come in."

The firmly shut door swung open, and an aide wearing round spectacles perched on a hawkish nose stepped inside.

"As instructed, I've brought the documents regarding the suppression campaign's operational zone, the current proliferation status of the magical beasts, the applicable rules of engagement, and the supplied equipment."

German gave a nod, and the aide approached to present a neatly organized stack of papers.

German accepted the documents outlining the campaign's composition and began flipping through the contents.

"Hmm."

Those olive-colored eyes traced lines of text, charts, and tactical maps for roughly ten minutes before German curved his lips and spoke to the aide.

"By the way—has the participant roster not come through yet?"

"My apologies, but… no, sir. The number of participants exceeded expectations, so compiling the full roster is taking longer than anticipated."

German stroked his beard and let out a contemplative hum. The aide hastily bowed.

"I'm sorry. I'll have it completed as soon as possible."

"No, no. I wasn't trying to press you. It's just… I heard rather an interesting story recently."

German waved off the concern with an easygoing laugh, and the aide cautiously straightened up.

"An interesting story…?"

"Mm, how to put it. An inescapable blood feud, perhaps. Or a one-sided grudge. Something along those lines."

German shrugged like a theater barker drumming up intrigue—but the amusement drained from his face a moment later.

He laced his fingers together and let a glint of interest surface in his gaze.

"The current heir of the North and the former heir of the North. I hear those two might end up clashing at this campaign."

---

But Verte never appeared in the original storyline. So this is how the deviations creep in.

Mikhail narrowed his eyes, threading a faint hum through an exhale.

"If everyone's done writing, pass them forward from the back."

The application forms seemed to be wrapping up. The sound of pens being set down rippled through the hall.

Mikhail submitted his form, then listened to the professor's briefing on precautions for the upcoming activity. The professor's delivery was long-winded, but the key points were clear enough.

Follow the rules of the dispatch site. Don't let stubbornness cause conflicts. And come back without getting hurt.

"That's it for today! If you have additional questions, direct them to the professor managing whichever activity you've applied for."

The session concluded before long.

Mikhail told Julien and Edwin to meet up before the next schedule began, exchanged a farewell with Lloyd in the front row, and stepped out of the lecture hall.

"……"

Mikhail walked alone along the outer road, organizing everything he knew about the opponent he'd be facing.

The depth of emotion and resentment Verte likely carried. The range of disruptions that could cause to the main storyline's progression. The optimal timing and degree of control needed to manage it…

"!"

A shudder ran through his shoulders, jolting him out of his thoughts.

Tap-tap-tap-tap. A patter of footsteps—light as a drizzle—had been knocking against the marble surface of his concentration.

"Snf."

Han and Ul had crept up to his feet without him noticing and were walking alongside him, peering up at his face.

Mikhail met those black eyes—still as water without a single ripple—and let his expression soften.

"Come to think of it, I promised we'd go get those beef meatballs when we got back, didn't I? Would it be okay if we went… tomorrow instead of today?"