Chapter 42

Mikhail followed the path leading to the campus crossroads.

He moved forward, expressionless, running through his to-do list.

I need to establish contact points for growth, meet with Lloyd, and get in touch with Ethan again.

Rustle.

That's when it happened. Sensing a presence, Mikhail turned his head to the side and took in the scene.

An almond-haired boy sat alone on an isolated bench, staring blankly up at the sky.

That guy is...

Mikhail studied the familiar profile. But he soon pulled his gaze away and kept walking.

"......"

The person he'd just spotted—Edwin Lowell.

As a key player in the main storyline, it would be wise to let the old bad blood fade.

But not now. Other matters took priority.

For now, I'll just focus on building the contact points I need for growth.

Mikhail gave a small shake of his head and picked up his earlier train of thought.

Just as Ethan had dramatically improved by partnering with Lloyd during this period, Mikhail needed someone who could serve as a worthy opponent.

Through the process of taking on requests together and acquiring items along the way, he could raise his body's stats by a significant margin.

I already know exactly who has the best value for that purpose.

What surfaced next was a scene from the past.

Not long after the semester began. A boy with pink hair and violet eyes, walking up to him with purpose.

He'd held out a letter with scarred fingertips.

When Mikhail had readily returned his hesitant greeting, the boy's face had lit up instantly, breaking into a bright smile.

Julien Leventia.

Julien was the illegitimate child of a southern great mage family that harbored a one-sided grudge against the North.

His talent for mana and his ability to manifest magic were both severely lacking, earning him sneers about how even his half-blooded lineage was wasted on him.

A bottom-tier extra in the Magic Department.

Then at some point, he'd been processed as withdrawn from the academy, and after that, all word of him simply vanished...

"Hmm."

Mikhail narrowed his eyes slightly. From the series of settings tied to Julien, he pulled up the keywords most immediately useful.

Top-grade mana. Disguise. And the great mages of the South and North.

He walked on for about ten more minutes.

A bustling café appeared on a sunlit clearing.

Café Adnic.

A place known for refreshing drinks and delicious pastries.

Mikhail glanced at the signboard, then weaved through the tables packed with chattering students.

Before long, he stopped behind a group huddled together at a corner table.

"I'm telling you, let's stay out of Julien's sight for a while, okay? The free mission period starts soon—what do we do if he latches on again and keeps pushing to form a team?"

"But we've been hanging out with him all this time..."

"Are you kidding? That's exactly how you get dragged down! Up till now it was mostly individual evaluations, and sure, he's from a well-known family even if it's only half-blood, so we put up with it... but this time it's different! Individual skill is your score. We can't afford to babysit someone who's useless at both fighting and thinking!"

Mikhail looked at the five students seated around the table.

Boys and girls from his same year were deep in heated conversation, completely absorbed.

"Hey, you know this round of grades determines who gets into the Guild Alliance tournament's subjugation battle, right? It's a golden opportunity to build your reputation. If you want in, this isn't the time to be hung up on casual friendsh—"

Mikhail leaned down and stuck his head right into their circle.

"Hi."

"WAAAAAH!"

The group nearly jumped out of their skin, whipping their heads around to stare at him.

Mikhail swept his gaze slowly across their startled eyes, then asked in an even tone.

"I have a question. Where's Julien?"

"...J-Julien?"

The group exchanged uneasy glances.

Then one of the boys cleared his throat, looking sheepish, and answered in a slightly gruff voice.

"I, I don't really know."

"You don't know?"

Mikhail leaned in closer and deliberately sharpened his gaze.

The boy flinched under the direct stare.

His expression went stiff in an instant, and he shook his head frantically.

"I-I'm not lying! I seriously don't know! Julien's always been the type to wander all over the place."

"That's right. Day before yesterday he said he was going to meet some traveling merchant, and yesterday it was something about a peddler coming through... anyway, he does whatever he wants!"

The girl beside him chimed in hastily, eyes darting around.

Mikhail studied the two of them as they swallowed nervously, then let his expression soften.

"Yeah? Got it. Thanks for telling me."

Mikhail straightened up from his lean and turned away from the table.

"......"

But after a few steps, he stopped.

When Mikhail slowly looked back, the group—who had been openly watching him go—flinched in surprise.

An awkward silence hung in the air.

Mikhail tilted his head as if considering something for a moment, then spoke to them.

"You don't need to go out of your way to avoid Julien."

---

Roughly thirty minutes passed after that.

Mikhail was walking along the main road toward the shopping district.

Based on what he'd just learned, it seemed Julien had already visited both the traveling merchant who came by twice a month and the peddler who showed up at the square once a week.

That meant his next stop should be Haeron's magic tool shop.

CLOSED

Mikhail stopped in front of the shop door and eyed the sign hanging stubbornly in place.

A system message appeared before his eyes.

【Quest: [Sub] Establish a Useful Contact Point】

• Quest Reward: Shop Currency +1

"......"

Mikhail glanced at the message, then craned his neck to peer through the glass at the interior.

A white-haired old man and a pink-haired boy sat across from each other with a chessboard between them.

Mikhail studied the pair carefully.

The old man, playing the black pieces, had his eyes fixed on a favorable position and kept the corners of his mouth pulled upward the entire time.

The boy with the white pieces rubbed the back of his neck as if troubled, scanning the whole board—

...Only to flick his eyes sideways, reading every last nuance of his opponent's reactions.

Click.

The boy picked up a white piece, deliberated, then set it down in a position that looked like a desperate scramble to survive.

The old man's face brightened even further.

Mikhail pulled his gaze from the scene and pressed his hand against the firmly shut door, pushing it open.

Creeeeak.

The sound of the hinges cut across the interior of the magic tool shop, crowded with aged timber.

Mikhail flashed a grin at the old man and the boy, both startled and turning toward him.

"Hello, Haeron. Julien."

"What the—I was wondering who it was, and it's you? Go grab a chair from over th—"

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-WHAT—?"

Julien's eyes flew wide and he shot to his feet as though struck by lightning.

His wildly swinging arm swept across the chessboard.

CRASH!

The chess pieces caught by Julien's arm toppled and scattered everywhere.

Haeron let out a shriek and clutched at his hair, but Julien paid him no mind and rushed over to Mikhail in a single bound.

"M-Mikhail? Is it really you? I never thought you'd actually come here! Haeron mentioned you every now and then, but... I honestly only half believed it! There's no way you'd show up at a run-down place like this. Right? But here you are! I think I can trust what Haeron says a little more now!"

Mikhail watched Julien, who hadn't paused for a single breath between sentences.

The violet eyes boring into his face sparkled with fierce excitement.

"More importantly, I heard you were badly hurt—are you okay now? I wanted to visit, but they kept turning me away saying only authorized people could enter—"

"You little shit! You knocked over a game I already had won?"

Smack!

Before Julien could finish unloading everything on his mind, Haeron's palm connected solidly with the back of his head. Julien whimpered and clutched his skull.

"Ow!"

"Ow my ass! You flipped the damn chessboard! How are you going to make up for ruining my fun? Put my black pieces back where they were! Put them back, you brat!"

Haeron seized Julien by the collar and shook him. Julien flopped back and forth like a worn-out paper doll.

Mikhail watched the noisy chaos unfold, then rolled his eyes toward the table and studied the chessboard.

Julien's flailing arm had scattered most of it, but a few placements remained untouched.

"......"

Positions that deliberately left openings, one after another.

White pieces that had pulled back just when they could have pressed the attack.

He was reading both the board and his opponent the whole time.

Mikhail soon looked away from the chessboard, bent down, and began picking up the chess pieces rolling across the floor.

Clatter, click.

He'd placed four or five pieces back on the board when he noticed the commotion beside him had gone quiet. Mikhail glanced over.

Apparently a little embarrassed by their scuffle, Haeron had released Julien's collar and was scratching the back of his own head.

"Tsk, forget it. What am I doing at my age. The mood's completely dead anyway. Let's just clean up and go have some tea..."

Mikhail cut him off mid-sentence.

"Sorry, Haeron. I actually came here to play chess."

"Huh? You want to play chess?"

Haeron blinked in surprise, then shifted his eyes to Julien standing in front of him.

"With me? Or... don't tell me, with this little snot-nose?"

"Julien."

Mikhail answered without hesitation, picked up a black pawn from the floor, and looked at Julien.

Julien wasn't even trying to hide his shock.

His eyes had gone round as a goldfish's, blinking rapidly, and he raised a tentative finger to point at himself.

"...So. Me. Chess. Right now?"

"Yeah."

Mikhail nodded and sat down in front of the chessboard.

He set the black pawn on the board with a firm click and looked at Julien.

He planned to create a useful contact point for what lay ahead—while getting a firsthand look at Julien's real skill.

"Sit down. Let's play a game."