“It’s mountains over mountains.”
Due to drifting on a deserted island, the timing of the Saint’s enrollment has changed.
The protagonist’s relationships have changed so drastically.
The story has tangled itself into a mess.
Staring blankly at the ceiling, I fell into thought. Since Karina drifted onto the deserted island, I had a hunch, but seeing the completely altered relationships made my mouth sour.
There was no guarantee that things would unfold as they did in the original story. After all, the original events that occurred in the first semester appeared before me in subtly twisted forms. I thought the big picture might stay the same, but the minor incidents seemed likely to change.
For example, the mastermind behind an incident might change.
An unexpected person might die.
The timing might shift.
I can assert that the last part was the biggest problem.
What if the upcoming library incident suddenly gets pulled forward a month? Or pushed back behind another incident?
No, before that, is the mastermind of that incident still alive?
The Hellhound incident that happened before we arrived. That was the biggest issue. Since a lot of people died back then, I had to check if the mastermind was alive or dead.
If they’re dead, the library incident won’t happen.
That would mean the protagonist’s growth opportunity would vanish, so I had to find a way to compensate for that.
“…Should I hit the dungeon again?”
It would be tough during the semester, but maybe I could devise a plan during winter vacation. It might also be wise to keep Lewis as a knight escort. Although our connection is severed, he’s one of those rare male students who doesn’t have feelings for Karina, and it would be much easier to boss him around or, I mean, groom him.
I also wanted to raise Shuri to be a wizard who could use second-level magic by her second year if possible. Having two second-level wizards would greatly enhance our party’s strength, plus we could use combined magic to cast first-level spells.
The problem was that I couldn’t teach magic.
Whether Shuri becomes a second-level wizard or not entirely depended on her. I could provide experiential knowledge, but she had to fill in the theoretical side herself.
I might have ways to accelerate Shuri’s growth, but it wouldn’t be easy…
Still, I should at least give it a try.
It’s something that needs to be done.
I closed my previously wandering eyes. Since I had to be up and moving from early morning tomorrow, it would be best to get as much sleep as possible.
“…I hope tomorrow’s class isn’t too sleepy.”
———————–
“…Status window.”
I quietly opened the status window in the classroom where only the monotone voice of the old professor could be heard. It was time to think about how to allocate my trait points.
I had already spent 3 points to raise my B+ to an A, so boosting from A to A+ would cost more than that. Assuming it’s double, I would need about 18 trait points to reach S rank.
However, raising my trait to S rank wouldn’t be the best approach.
To be blunt, I couldn’t even figure out the effects of my current S rank trait, Survival. This damn status window forgot its purpose and was horrifically unfriendly, making it difficult to gauge its effects unless I experienced it firsthand.
What was certain was that the Survival skill was foundational to all my traits and skills.
After all, my entire ten years on the deserted island were a continuous fight for survival. Survival being at S rank was surely because I managed to survive in that hellhole. The crafting skill seemed to have come from the very act of making everything myself.
…Should I invest everything into crafting?
If possible, it seemed crucial to boost my crafting skill to S rank first.
That was an obvious presumption. From combat to daily life, I was living through using my crafting skill. So, strengthening it would directly correlate with boosting my combat power. I wasn’t sure how it would be enhanced, but I could confidently say that if I invested indiscriminately, crafting skill would be my top priority.
I clicked on the crafting skill without hesitation.
[Would you like to invest a trait point in the Crafting skill?]
YES / NO
Should I press this? Or not?
Once the window popped up, my mind got filled with thoughts. The points I had were ambiguous, so I could probably only raise one rank.
Should I boost a high-rank skill or upgrade several low-rank skills? I could discard things like anatomy and pharmacy, but both metallurgy and dexterity weren’t bad skills at all.
If my assumption was correct, raising crafting-related traits would also strengthen the crafting skill.
In the end, it was a question of whether to raise the crafting skill directly or to evenly boost its traits, which would lead to upgrading the crafting skill in the long run.
…This option seems better.
After pondering, I tapped the status window without hesitation.
—————-
“Martina, do you have a moment?”
“Perinne, of course.”
The people around them stared at the meeting of the two noble young ladies with curious eyes.
Perinne from the prestigious Neiraid family in the southern empire.
Martina from the renowned Raymond family in the western empire.
The meeting of these two influential figures among the first years attracted enough attention. Both young ladies were aware of this fact, so they exchanged glances and immediately turned to walk out of the classroom.
The conversation they had would likely contain many matters better not overheard by others. It could be described as the melancholy of heirs from prominent families.
They walked aimlessly toward the garden located in the corner of the academy. They determined it was the most optimal place for a secret conversation at that time. The two took their seats at a small tea table located deep in the garden.
“It’s been a while since we’ve talked like this.”
“It’s my first time since the break. So, what did you want to talk about?”
Martina gazed at her childhood friend with blue hair, whom she had been close with due to family ties. Even now, her childhood friend looked more like a fairy than a person.
The blue hair and blue eyes, symbolic of the Neiraid family, emanated an otherworldly aura.
“I wanted to catch up and share something.”
At Perinne’s response, Martina narrowed her eyes as if trying to grasp her intentions.
‘Something to share, I wonder what it is?’
Matters between families likely spread through communications between heads, but Martina drummed her fingers on the table, waiting for Perinne’s answer. For some reason, Perinne hesitated to speak.
She looked as if she were debating whether it was okay to say this, so Martina couldn’t help but press her.
“Do you really need to hesitate like that with me?”
“…The Halphas Cult has appeared in the east.”
“…The Halphas Cult? Why on earth are those blasphemous people in Neiraid territory—”
“You didn’t know? There have been apostates emerging among the eastern nobles lately.”
Apostates.
It was a term far too heavy for mere students to mention, and Martina’s face darkened.
While she was aware of the Halphas Cult’s recent activities, she had never anticipated such an incident infiltrating the east. If Perinne’s words were true, it wouldn’t be strange to mobilize the defense forces stationed in the east.
But Martina looked at her, puzzled that she had received no news about this.
“Why hasn’t there been any news on our side…”
“We’ve only just noticed it recently. Even that was purely by chance, so it’s hard for us to determine how many apostates there are among the eastern nobles. I ask that you inform your father about this matter.”
“Right. I’ll reach out immediately. But can’t the Neiraid family contact through the communication network first? There’s no need to involve me…”
Martina’s innocent question was met with a disapproving shake of Perinne’s head.
“We couldn’t relay news recklessly since we don’t know how many apostates might exist in other regions. If we mishandle it, there’s a chance the news might not even reach them. So, I thought it safer to convey it verbally.”
“…The situation seems serious.”
A tumor was spreading within the empire.
The future heirs of the empire rubbed their foreheads at that fact. Though they couldn’t do anything as mere students, they needed to be aware of this truth. The two exchanged somber glances.
“…Perhaps, war may begin again.”
“I hope not.”
The rapidly shifting state of the continent filled them with anxiety.
They couldn’t shake off the feeling that this chilling atmosphere might eventually reach their families and, further yet, extend its malicious grasp towards Kalon Academy.
“…We’ve talked enough about grim matters. Let’s share some lighter chatter now that we’ve met after such a long time.”
With an awkward smile, Perinne suddenly spoke up.
“Sounds good.”
To shake off the ominous feeling, Martina accepted her long-time friend’s suggestion. Once given the green light, the young lady with blue hair voiced her first thought that came to mind.
“Have you heard the rumors floating around school lately? For example, about the ‘magic book that grants wishes’ in the library… or the rumors that a ‘witch’ is hiding within the academy…”
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