Chapter 47 – Peaceful Midterm Week (4)

“Hey, Liv. “What’s good?”

Liv shook her head in response to Karen’s question about the library being crowded during exam periods.

“Not really.”
“Not really-. What is it? “Do you have to be out of your mind to laugh while watching that?”

The book Karen pointed to was a paper to be used as a reference for the ‘Practical Operation of Black Magic’ exam that would begin in three hours.
Liv hesitated to answer for a moment.
As her friend said, her good mood was due to another reason.

— No, it was really great. Is this the first time I have seen something like that in my life?
— Hey, if you’re as good as Baron Greenwood, what’s new magic? Are you just writing something like that?
— Then, would you like to show it to me again later?

‘I was praised.’

In fact, as much as Liv was popular at the Academy, she was often the object of people’s envy, envy, or jealousy.
A nobleman in name only, with a low title of baron and no fiefdom at best.
Because there are people everywhere who look at such a person with disapproving eyes as he stands on their head.

Her professors also tried to recruit her to their magic tower, but at the same time, there was no reason to give her more favors than necessary when she had not yet chosen either side.
It would certainly be a disaster if Liv were to enter another magic tower after carelessly spreading the magic theories and teachings of their school.

Most of the time, what was showered upon her was her purposeful favor and public affairs, nothing more and nothing less.
That’s why Liv, who was always short of money, never opened her hands to anyone, including her friend Karen.
If you can’t return her favor, she might as well draw a line from the beginning.

Therefore, the pure praise she received from Louis was like a sweet rain in a drought for Liv.
Of course, he may not have understood what he said about imagery magic, but he was saying that his magic was amazing.

“Right? Something’s going on. “Have you ever received a confession?”
“It’s not like that.”

Of course, if she tells her friend about this, her anger will pour out again.

“It’s just comfortable. “I feel safe just by being together.”
“That is… ?”

Karen looked at the book Liv was holding with an expression as if she had chewed a bug while eating bread.

‘Ah, I guess I didn’t get a grade because I took classes with these kids.’

If her friend had gone that far, she had nothing more to say.
I can’t believe academics are that good. Just looking at him, he was a man who would grow old and die from working alone.

“Anyway, how many tests are left now?”
“I have three. “If you finish today, all you have to do is finish ‘War History’ and ‘Magic Circuit Theory.'”
“I envy you… War history is a replacement for reports, right? Liv, can you help me?”
“I can’t do it because I’m busy. Oh, by the way, I need to borrow a history book, so I should apply for a loan now. For a moment.”

Liv stood up. All books with a security rating had to be approved for loan through a librarian.
Normally, it would be served right away, but when there are a lot of people like now, it may take some time.

This time the topic she chose for her essay on military history was the Second Great Battle of the Lavière Line, in which none other than her father, Paris Greenwood, was killed.
The two battles, commonly known as the ‘Battle of Hill Ravier’, were the largest-scale battles that brought humanity to the brink of extinction.
Reeve’s father lost his life in the second of these battles and was given the title of Baron in recognition of his services.

“I’d like to borrow some books.”
“Yes, can you give me a list of loans?”
“Here you go.”
“The waiting list is full now, so please come back in the evening.”
“Yes.”

The last greeting he shared with his father as he left his hometown of Greenwood Forest when he was young was still vivid.
Although he never returned, and it was unclear where he lay in the forest where a huge canal had now formed, one thing was certain.

His father was a hero who saved the country.

***

After returning to the canteen, I started making traps in earnest.
Even though I didn’t know much about magic and was unfamiliar with the world, I was confident that I had some knowledge about everything related to battle.
Of course, I knew how to make a trap. Especially since there was no thief in the party, I would take on half of this work.

When you needed to hide or be on guard on the battlefield, traps made from twine or corpses lying around were quite effective, but now that we have an abundance of materials, we can make better ones.

A noose is woven and passed over the branches, and skewers with sharpened ends are placed tightly under the floor.
Hang a thin thread between nearby trees and hide a can with a spark stone and a scroll containing explosion magic wrapped around the end.

As the sun went by, I was busy making traps and finally transformed the area around the canteen into a place reminiscent of Vietnam and optimized for guerrilla warfare.

Of course, the main street and the front door of the cafeteria where students would normally pass by were left empty, but if you clumsily wander through the windows or back doors, you won’t be able to find a single bone.
Even if you avoid one trap, other traps will operate in conjunction with it, and there are also traps installed in the reverse direction in case you escape from the inside.

Of course, there is no certainty that this level can stop all of Rochear’s soldiers or knights, but the killing power can be increased as much as possible.
The reason I hadn’t gone that far yet was because friendly fire occasionally occurred.

Wow!!

While I was working hard, I heard the sound of a trap operating outside.
I sighed and went out to see Adela, who had bitten the bread that had been hung as bait, and was caught in a noose and hanging in the air.

“You got caught.”
“Ugh.”

Isn’t it normal to think it’s strange when there’s bread left in the middle of the street?
I’m glad I didn’t leave any thorns around the line just in case. She almost got seriously hurt.

“You told me not to come back until after the exam.”
“I didn’t come to the canteen. “I was passing by.”

The answer is very clear water.
The subject is wandering around in the distance and stepping on each trap one by one to set it off.
I twirled Adella, who was floating with a rope wrapped around her waist.
This guy screamed at her like she was having fun riding an amusement ride.

“Are you doing well studying for the test? “They say if your grades are low, you’ll be fired.”
“I’m doing it! Thanks to the princess’s help, I was able to win the senior position… Wow, I’m dizzy.”

It’s so damn salty.
If Adela wins the title of top of her grade, will she have a future at this academy?
At the very least, Lehel should take responsibility and step down from his position as chairman.

When she stopped spinning and rummaged through her bag she was carrying, a crumpled piece of paper fell out.
A warm test paper with the ink not yet dry, as if the test had been taken a while ago.
Considering the extremely difficult content and the answers that even I can understand, it doesn’t seem to be a high score at all.
A nagging feeling inevitably came out.

“What if you don’t study like this and your grades drop? Then you can’t even go to the magic tower you want.”
“Ugh… !”
“Last time, Baron Reeve didn’t let go of the book even when he was working at the canteen. “Try at least half of that.”
“Teacher… ?”
“At this point, what are you going to do for a living later? Huh? Are you going to join a small adventurer’s guild somewhere in the province and live by killing monsters?”
“Well, I’m going to live with you, so it doesn’t matter!”

It was like the feeling of a parent scolding a child who cannot study. Valjean, who did not listen to this, even shouted that he had no intention of becoming independent.

If I had left him alone, Rochear would have made someone for him.
I felt like I finally understood the big meaning of Ice Snow Ball.

Esthelle Sylvester de Rocheard… Still, I don’t miss it.

“Adella.”

I had no choice but to lower my standards a little more. As she bent down, her eyes met hers as she looked at her side, dangling from her rope.

“Are you really confident that you will continue to stay here?”
“There… “Yes.”
“Really?”
“…”

Her face grew darker.

Yes, I wonder if there is something I don’t know after watching the students here for so many years. Parenzia Academy is harsh on those without talent, and even harsher on those who do not try hard.
Being able to use magic that most people living in this world cannot handle is tantamount to proving one’s talent.
So I felt even more sorry for Adela. She was already the original mage of the Rochear family, and even though she inherited her abundant talent, she wasted her time.

‘Of course, I had no choice but to survive.’

Now that everything has been resolved, why not try harder from now on?
I thought I would give this little North Sea flower a little help so that it could bloom beautifully.

“If you don’t fail this exam, I will grant you one wish.”
“Really?”
“Okay.”
“What kind of place!? Really!?”
“I heard you will listen.”
“Really… Ha… ?”

I lightly covered my mouth as I kept asking loudly. I could feel her movements as she flailed in surprise at the twine that she was holding with one hand.

Her tongues tangled lightly, but there was no movement of her karma. Now that you think about it, was this the first time you had an innocent kiss?

“Hey…”

Unlike before, Adela now closed her eyes. Her blue eyes fluttered open again, unable to look at this direction properly.

“Can you do something more than this?”
“That’s right.”
“…”
“Are you going to study hard?”

Nod.

Adela’s head dropped lightly. She seemed to have gotten some of her intelligence back and I was happy too.

***

“Yes? “What now?”

Liv, who stopped by the library after taking the last test of the day, was surprised by the unexpected results.
Her librarian shrugged, handing her her red-lined circulation list.

“The loan was denied. “The only books you can borrow right now are the two books above.”
“Why? Even if someone has already borrowed it or the original has been damaged…”
“No, the books you requested are available in both Parencia and Thessalon. However, in this case… “It’s a security level violation.”

Security level? It would be understandable if it was a high-level magic book, but the book Liv borrowed was simply a history book. Even students taking the same class borrow a history book that is rated B at best.

“I want to know why.”

Liv had no choice but to weigh in on this result. But the librarian shook her head as if she didn’t know.

“I don’t know. “Sometimes, even the same book may be refused loan depending on the situation.”
“Ha… “Then I will apply again.”

After trudging out of the library for the umpteenth time, Liv opened the list of books that had been rejected by her.

[Reason for rejection: No viewing rights.]

A seal stamped with bright red letters. The ink was smudged and it was hard to tell, but it was clearly not the royal family or the emblems of the Seven Magic Towers that refused to approve the book.

A broken sword, a black shield with arrows stuck in it, and a long mountain range surrounding it. Liv’s slender fingers searched there.

“This… Ravière Mountains?”