008 – A Condition Too Good to Refuse
—
[Does this game have any hidden pieces?]
Like, any super secret ones that are gorgeous, flashy, expensive, the kind that make women swoon at first glance?
The girl I’m trying to win over is so haughty that your run-of-the-mill gift bombardment won’t work.
Hah… I want to take her as a concubine, but I can’t think of anything good enough?
[Comments]
– I came here thinking you found a hidden piece based on the title, but you’re just one of the countless guys on this board who wants to bang.
– A guy looking for a hidden piece just to bang it, now that’s a first haha.
– There is one.
ㄴ (OP): Where?
ㄴ (OP): Answer me.
ㄴ (OP): Answer.
– This game has a hidden piece? Like, one that lets you use magic if you eat it or something?
– I heard there are maybe two hidden somewhere in the academy.
ㄴ (OP): If I search the entire academy and it doesn’t appear, what’ll you do?
ㄴ If it appears just by searching, is it really a hidden piece then?
ㄴ (OP): ㅇㅎ
– Cha Eunwoo.
ㄴ Ah…
ㄴ (OP): An alpha male, I see…
ㄴ Starting today, if you quit gaming and exercise hard, you might become even a toenail of Cha Eun-woo’s.
ㄴ (Poster): You son of a b*tch…
—
“Who is this child?”
“The child is named Mihan.”
“…Impossible.”
“I thought so at first, too, but…”
“Perhaps he glanced at a nearby student’s answer sheet?”
“There were no students taking the intermediate, advanced, or top-tier exams near where Mihan was seated. Therefore, it was impossible to cheat on those three types of tests.”
I understood the Tower Lord’s reaction.
The academy’s exam papers… even for the Tower Lord, only the highest-level questions would be discernible.
“Even though I created the exam, I myself can only see the most difficult problems.”
“Yes.”
“My head is starting to ache…”
I knew it was an unusual occurrence.
But to see the Tower Lord so troubled… I was perplexed, if only for a moment.
“This information is still kept secret by the Holy See, but I will share it with you, the Blade of the Mage Kingdom.”
“..That name is a bit embarrassing. Would you please refrain from calling me that anymore?”
“A Saint has appeared. It is said that the Saint wields the Goddess’s flail with their fingertips.”
The Tower Lord, completely disregarding my words, uttered top-secret information.
My eyes widened momentarily upon hearing this information.
“And to top it off, a student who understands the essence of the exam paper has emerged.”
“…Is there any connection?”
“Could all of this be mere coincidence? Hmm…”
“?..”
The Tower Lord’s following words caused tension to coil throughout my entire body.
“Leighton, I don’t want you to ask questions or object, can you keep this student, Mihan, confined to the academy?”
“..If it is the Magic Tower Lord’s command, I will ask the Headmaster to cooperate to the best of his ability.”
“No, no, the Headmaster won’t do.”
“..May I ask the reason for this?”
“There are rumors that doppelgangers are lurking everywhere among humanity now.”
“..!!”
“Frankly speaking, I am no longer certain if the Academy Headmaster is even human.”
“..What makes you so certain that I am human?”
“If you were a doppelganger, you wouldn’t have shown me this exam paper in the first place.”
The Tower Lord, fluttering the exam paper, picked up a pen and some paper and began scribbling something down.
“This should suffice, in name only, I shall become the sponsor for this child, Mihan.”
“Understood.”
At the Tower Lord’s request not to ask any more questions, I refrained from doing so.
“I must leave for the Holy See by tonight, so forgive me for excusing myself.”
“Certainly not, Tower Lord.”
I watched as the Tower Lord slowly rose from his seat.
A question bloomed in my mind, wondering if Meehan truly was a doppelganger. Just as that thought sparked:
“There’s a saying, Layton.”
The Tower Lord started…
“That when humanity faces the brink of destruction, the Goddess sends us a Hero and a Saintess for our salvation.”
“…Isn’t that what the Church always says?”
“Indeed.”
He left with those weighty words.
My head began to spin.
Because…
‘If the Saint has appeared, then the Hero…’
If a Saint had emerged, then the Hero who should appear simultaneously… could very well be Meehan.
*
“Ah…”
“…”
“My name…isn’t here…”
There were those, saddened by their failure in the entrance exam.
“Yes!!”
“200th place! I’m 200th! I passed!”
“A predictable outcome.”
And those who had passed, rejoicing in their success.
Amidst these two kinds of people…
‘…What is this?’
I stared at the paper the proctor had just given me.
– Please proceed to Men’s Dormitory, Room 507.
‘…?’
My name was definitely not on the list of successful candidates.
Which meant… I’d failed the exam and was supposed to simply go my own way.
But he was telling me to go to the dormitory?
‘Is it because of the exam…’
Did they want to see the face of the person who answered all five questions incorrectly?
I started moving towards the Academy’s Men’s Dormitory, Room 507.
…
“Interviewer?”
“You can call me Professor. Professor Layton.”
“Ah, Professor Layton?”
Upon opening the door to room 507.
There, seated in a chair, was Layton Eisulde, the interviewer from my entrance exam.
“From now on, you can use this room as your dormitory.”
“Huh?”
Unable to keep up with the sudden turn of the conversation, I blurted out the question.
“…Out of the blue, sir?”
“Indeed. It may not be to your liking, from your perspective. Would you accept this, perhaps?”
Before I could suppress my bewilderment and even ask for a reason, Professor Layton handed me a document.
“…Might I ask what this is?”
I posed the polite question, about to examine the paper.
“It is a testament that the Archmage will become your patron.”
“????”
More information that my brain couldn’t process kept pouring out.
“The Archmage… will?”
“That is so.”
“I don’t know the Archmage, though…?”
“The Archmage knows of you.”
“???????”
Could it be… that answering five questions on the exam sheet had drawn too much attention?
Just as I was about to confess that I didn’t possess the kind of abilities that would warrant the Archmage’s interest.
“I am not… what the Archmage might think—”
“From this moment forward, consider that the Archmage will be covering the costs for Student Mikhail’s uniforms, the magical tools he’ll use, the food he’ll eat, and the comfortable place where he’ll sleep.”
“Thank you!”
It was too good of an offer to refuse.
“I will strive to meet the Archmage’s expectations!”
Alright!
Kidnapper Mikhail’s first day of reformation!
I can do it!
…
I can’t do it.
“…I’m trash.”
The Archmage, in their boundless grace, had provided me with free room and board.
But I possessed neither the skill nor the courage to live up to their expectations.
All I had was…
“No…! What if I proudly displayed my magic before the Archmage?!”
Only Mikhail the foolish kidnapper’s ‘Kidnap’ and ‘Spy’ magic, though.
And even these were difficult to show off due to the risk that I had to speak the magical names out loud.
“I’d probably die on the spot, wouldn’t I?”
One in a thousand.
In a magocracy where there were roughly 500-600 people who could use magic.
I was one of the proud mages who could use magic.
But of all people, it had to be Mikhail, the one with a bounty on his head.
It was always the case, the spell wouldn’t work unless you spoke the incantation aloud…
“Ttaheuk…”
How could someone like me, with nothing to offer, possibly catch the eye of the gracious Tower Lord? Lost in such agonizing thought.
A memory surfaced… from my days of browsing the web, something I’d seen about hidden pieces.
“…Hidden pieces?”
I’d only glimpsed it in passing, but supposedly, there were two hidden pieces within the Academy.
The only question… was it true?
Or just some throwaway comment meant to stir things up?
“If I had those, could I…?”
No more worrying about food, clothing, or shelter.
And nothing really keeping me here, in particular.
Perfect timing, too, since all the lectures and classes were over, and no one was around.
“Just you wait, hidden pieces. This humble body, the very one upon whom the Tower Lord has pinned all his hopes, will personally conquer you.”
Alright!
Adventure, commence!
…
Alright!
Someone, please save me!
“…”
I may be wandering all over, trying to find those hidden pieces…
But prowling through near-empty buildings late at night is scarier than I thought…
Way scarier than I thought.
Like, really, really scary… Just plain scary…
“Giga Chad… This is way too scary, what should I do?..”
‘Quitting’s for counting cabbages… Ooh yeah. Fighting, meepbee.’
“Giga Chad?”
See?
Even my dearest, most manly-man of a friend is ditching me because it’s so terrifying?
Left with no other choice, I continued my solitary search, diligently scouring the Academy’s most secluded corners.
After wandering the Academy for roughly an hour…
“…Ugh, I really can’t do this.”
I decided to call off the hidden piece hunt for the day.
The Academy is vast, and I still have plenty of time to explore it.
“I’ll just look again tomorrow. Right, Giga Chad?”
‘Of course, meepbee! Tomorrow we time a lot will have!’
Deciding to resume the search tomorrow, I headed back to my dorm.
Even at this late hour, I could still see students wandering around the Academy buildings.
“Everyone’s working so hard.”
Someone was carrying books, heading toward another’s dormitory.
Someone else was sharing takeout with a friend.
Someone whispers sweet nothings on a bench.
Someone else…
“..Huh? What’s that?”
Over there, near the classroom doors, the ones that are closed, two people are talking…
And I could see the strange phenomenon, the status window only showing information for one of them.
—
Daisy Ruin (25)
[Abduction] – Active
[Scry] – Designate Target (Max. 1)
—
‘..Why does it only show up for one person?’
I glance at the couple on the bench, and the status window normally shows information for both of them.
Feeling something was off, I look back at the man and woman near the closed classroom.
“..Eh?”
The woman’s information showed in the status window.
But the man’s information… It was nowhere to be seen.
“A glitch?”
Thinking it might just be a bug in the status window, I dismiss it and turn to head straight to the dormitory… Just then, I realize something.
This status window… Only shows information about people. Humans.
“…”
*Whip!*
—
Daisy Ruin (25)
[Abduction] – Active
[Scry] – Designate Target (Max. 1)
—
“..Scry.”