076 – Rumors

Although I couldn’t use magic, the character the player controlled was capable of overwhelming close-quarters combat.

That’s why I thought I could somehow teach the arcane investigators…

But when I recalled the combos I mainly used at the Arcane Campus…

Whoosh~ Boom

Wooosh~ KABOOM

Thump- Whizz crack-

Whizz whizz, crouch swoosh

‘…Well, I’m screwed.’

It was a moment when I couldn’t even begin to grasp what kind of guidance I should offer.

“…”

—

Hugo (33)

—

Look at him.

That man, watching me with eyes that shine like a child’s.

How can he possibly be thirty-three? Judging by the sparkle in his eyes alone, I’d swear the arcane investigator Hugo was thirteen.

While I pondered how to navigate this situation plausibly…

“This is my weapon of choice,” he announced, proudly displaying the mace.

“Hmm…”

Was it the fourth? Or fifth?

I couldn’t say for sure, but my experience wielding a mace during my time playing Arcane Campus was minimal, to say the least.

Even then, it was purely to complete quests.

Any mace-wielding tips I knew wouldn’t likely be of much help to Investigator Hugo, who’d probably spent his whole life with one in his hands.

“Shall we take a look, then?”

First, I’d observe Hugo’s mace-handling skills.

If it looked perfect, I could simply say, “I’m not terribly familiar with maces, but it seems you’re already doing everything I know,” and excuse myself.

Hugo would likely be satisfied with that.

…

*Whoosh-* *Whoosh-*

I watched Hugo diligently practice with the mace.

Each strike landed with weighty impact. Clearly, he’d had proper training somewhere. That much was obvious.

However…

“That’s it,” he declared.

“Hugo.”

“Yes…!”

“Could you use it like that in a real fight?”

I knew a thing or two about maces.

Namely, that nobody would just stand there and take those heavy blows in actual combat.

“Haha… well, it’s difficult to put that much weight behind it in a real situation…”

The mace was meant to deliver heavy attacks.

But in a world of aether, where enemies moved quickly, the mace wasn’t exactly the most agile weapon.

Therefore…

“Could you show me how you’d use it in a real fight?”

“Yes, sir…!”

*Whoosh-* *Whoosh whoosh-*

As Investigator Hugo was demonstrating now, in reality, the mace was best used as a lighter, blunt-force weapon.

“That’s all,” he said.

It was good movement.

Isabella or Nephira might find it boring, but to an average person like me, it was almost flawless.

But there was one issue with Hugo’s attacks, at least from a player’s perspective.

Just so…

“Mr. Hugo, you seem to be doing wonderfully.”

“Yes…!”

“There’s just one more thing that could improve things.”

“…What is it?”

“How about predicting where your opponent will move and attacking them there?”

It was an attack commonly called a “prediction shot.”

“…Prediction?”

“Yes. By utilizing the strengths of the mace, a heavy, unexpected attack landed predictively can ensure victory in any battle.”

Weapons that can deliver multiple quick attacks don’t need to care about the exact position of the target.

No matter how quickly an opponent moves, it’s almost impossible to move faster than those swift weapons.

However, the weapon Hugo was using was a mace.

Each strike, a heavy, deliberate attack, would be met with futility if aimed squarely at the opponent’s current location; very few fools would simply stand there and take it.

That’s why players who use maces must observe the opponent’s movements.

They must exaggerate their initial motion, but accelerate the impact speed of their downward strike or swing, catching the opponent off guard.

“…What happens if the prediction is wrong?”

“With other weapons, a failed prediction can be very dangerous. But not with a mace.”

Furthermore, a mace is also an excellent weapon for defense.

Weapons such as swords and daggers, upon striking the mace, will either shatter outright, or.

The impact would force the opponent to drop their weapon.

“…What if they use a longsword or an axe?”

“Just dodge. Since the mace you wield, Mr. Hugo, is a smaller war mace, you should be able to evade longswords or axes with superior speed, shouldn’t you?”

“Ah…!”

In truth, my words were merely gleaned from observing godlike players in action.

These were insane veterans who watched the pre-emptive actions of hostile NPCs and preemptively predicted where and how they would move, before landing their attacks there.

Of course, Hugo, a Magus Investigator with extensive experience fighting criminals, likely already knew how to react to an opponent’s attack.

As evidenced by…

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Hugo wore a truly satisfied expression, as if he had attained enlightenment.

…

Whether fortunately or unfortunately.

No other Magus Investigators approached me for guidance after witnessing Hugo pay me 60,000 shillings.

That price, 60,000 shillings for a single lesson, was simply too steep for them.

“Haaa… another fulfilling day.”

Having finished everything, I was on my way back to the Academy.

“Lord. If I may, would it be possible for me to receive your tutelage as well?”

“We’ll do it sometime, if the opportunity presents itself.”

“Thank you!”

I pushed off the event for the distant future, and then.

“Include me too!”

“What is it you want me to see?”

“Anything!”

“Haa… I suppose there’s no helping it. I shall impart the Ultimate Kneading technique to Isabella.”

“Ooh! Is that a good thing?”

“Of course it is.”

Isabella-ssi decided to teach me the Ultimate Kneading technique.

“You did well, Nephila. I’ll call on you again if I need you.”

“I shall await your Lordship’s call anywhere.”

“Take this.”

“What is this?”

Because a vampire couldn’t enter the academy with me.

“Your pay.”

“..Pardon?”

“Don’t sleep in some shady place, pretend to be human and sleep in a nearby inn.”

“It’s alright, Your Lordship..! We are a race that does not require sleep..!”

“Ahem. It’s an order. You can fight better when well-rested. That’s the first lesson.”

“!! Thank you, Your Lordship!”

After handing Nephila a fair sum for protecting me from escapees today, and for helping catch other escapees.

I watched Nephila, who was delighted like a child, head off to find an inn with an amused gaze.

“Vampires are all so cute.”

“The only human who’d say vampires are cute is you, Master.”

“Of course, Isabella-ssi is the cutest.”

*Myaong~*

Gently stroking Isabella-ssi, who was purring contentedly.

As I resolved to perform a body control experiment on the sleeping Isabella-ssi and turned to return to the dormitory…

“..Hm?”

I could see 5-6 students gathered near my dormitory room.

‘What’s going on?’

I was curious, but it seemed unrelated to me, so I ignored the students, opened the door, and entered my room…

“…It was that guy.”

“Wow… it was a freshman who did it.”

From beyond the closed door, I could hear voices in an ominous atmosphere.

‘A freshman is the culprit? Did they steal something?’

I wondered if a freshman had been caught stealing something, piquing my curiosity.

Unable to resist the urge, I pressed my ear against the closed door and began eavesdropping on the students’ conversation…

“How could he even think of taking a minor into his room…”

“He’s a shameless b*stard.”

‘Which crazy guy is…’

The conversation was more serious than I expected… …Wait a minute.

“Lillian Aisoldae is only 15 years old.”

‘So, *I* was the madman, huh? Aha…’

I brought Lilian Eisolde to my room to create a new magic core for her…

It seemed she’d woken up and, leaving my room, caused a misunderstanding with the other students.

“Tch… I wanted to see his face, but from his face alone, you can tell exactly what kind of guy he is.”

‘This is unfair! My real face doesn’t look like *that*! I take after my mom and have been told I’m pretty, even as a guy!’

Before I knew it, I seemed to have acquired the nickname ‘lolicon’.

Well, those words weren’t even true.

Instead of getting angry and denying it, I figured the rumors would just die down on their own.

“Tch… messing with a kid like that.”

“Saw his face, that’s enough. Let’s go.”

Coolly ignoring the gossip floating from outside.

“Should I kill them?”

“Really cleanly tear them limb from… no, I shouldn’t. Um… no. Let’s leave it.”

Anyway, coolly ignoring it, I went into the bathroom and started to wash up.

After washing away the exhaustion of the day, I chased away the cat trying to invade the bathroom and climbed into bed.

“Shall we sleep?”

“Good night, Master.”

“Alright~ Isabella-ssi is going to dream now.”

“What kind of dream?”

“A dream where I appear.”

“Wow!”

“You’ll be manipulated by me in all sorts of ways in your dream.”

“Uh… waah?”

“Sleep~.”

After putting Isabella-ssi to sleep…

Just as I was about to infuse her body with aether and manipulate her,

completely out of the blue, I felt a phrase flash through my mind.

– Words without feet travel a thousand *li.*