CH 23

Meanwhile, at that moment, having left the Dean's office, Ulan returned his cloak to the guard who had stopped him earlier at the entrance. Then, just as he was about to head towards the dormitory, someone blocked his path.

"Hello. Can I bother you for a moment?"

Someone stood in front of him - a neatly pressed school uniform, dark hair, and a slightly melancholic young man. Amidst this encounter, there was something that caught Ulan's attention.

‘A purple necktie.’

That meant he was in the third-grade.

Just as he was retrieving the information he had stored in his mind, the young man extended his hand with a smile.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Mond Parcheka, an executive member of the Arsene Student Council."

"I’m Ulan."

He offered to shake my hand.

But when Ulan stretched out his hand, Mond swiftly withdrew his own hand as if in the blink of an eye.

What? Didn't he initiate the handshake?

Ulan tilted his head, puzzled. At that moment, Mond approached him with a smile once again.

"By the sounds of it, you passed the entrance exams as the top sorcerer, is that true?"

"It happened to turn out that way."

"Wow, it's true. That's impressive."

After exchanging a few casual words, Mond revealed the reason he had approached.

"I came to see you today because I have something to pass on to you about tomorrow's entrance ceremony."

"Entrance ceremony?"

"Yes. Every year, the Arsene Student Council delivers a welcome speech to the new students. And there's a tradition where the top scorer responds as a representative of the new students."

After finishing his explanation, Mond handed something over to Ulan. It was a document enclosed in an envelope.

"This is the speech I'll be giving at the student council tomorrow. You can refer to this and compose your response."

The words were scrawled on a white sheet of paper.

When Ulan glared at it, Mond burst out laughing.

"Haha, there's no need to feel overwhelmed. It's just an ordinary speech and response. Just think of it as delivering a few words in front of the students."

Just as he finished his short pep talk, Mond turned around.

"Since I've clearly explained everything, I'll take my leave. See you at the entrance ceremony tomorrow!"

Mond quickly disappeared from sight.

Ulan watched him go and thought to himself, ‘What a peculiar fellow.’

It was quite understandable.

Throughout the conversation, Mond smiled, but his eyes didn't share in that smile at all. Worst of all, there was no kindness in his eyes. Instead, they emanated an emotion closer to disdain, much like Professor Dirac whom Ulan had encountered yesterday.

‘More than that, what's this about a speech?’

Though he might not know the details of speeches and responses, he did understand what a speech was.

Before hunting or engaging in large-scale battles on the grasslands, they often attempted to boost the morale of the warriors with speeches.

‘Just….’

That was a battlefield speech.

It was not the same as a commencement speech.

Is that why?

Even though he was given a script in advance, he still had no idea how to write his response.

He was walking down the aisle as he pondered this.

"Hmm?"

Just then, the perfect person to ask for help in this area came into view.

Unlike other students who were chatting in small groups, a lonely dark-haired girl was sitting alone in a shaded area.

It was Noah.

* * * * *  * * * * * 

The sunny weather cast a radiant glow as Noah eagerly anticipated the dawn.

There was only one reason for her excitement - today marked the first morning after entering the dormitory.

‘The morning before the entrance ceremony.’

Students trickle out into the square.

One by one, students emerged onto the square, driven by curiosity about their unfamiliar surroundings and the desire to catch a glimpse of their future academy peers.

Noah shared the same sentiment. She had a purpose, after all.

‘First, I need to make some friends.’

Before arriving in this world, Noah had experienced failure in school life. It wasn't her fault, of course. She had merely caught the attention of the mischievous kids while spending time alone in a corner of the classroom.

Soon after, hell began for her.

Unpleasant memories she'd rather not recall. She attributed it to her failure to make friends at the beginning of the semester.

Haunted by these traumatic memories, Noah was gripped by an obsession to make friends at all costs.

‘So, I originally thought of getting to know my roommate first…’

She thought that sharing a room with a fellow student would make them closer much quicker than others.

However, her expectations were dashed.

『Don't talk to me casually.』

Belkina Rudishant.

She was the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Rudishant and Noah's roommate. With hair as red as a coveted apple, she glared at Noah with disgust.

『Don't come near me. Maybe you should cut that ominous hair of yours. You never know when a curse might spread.』 

There were two reasons for her aversion. 

The first was the fact that Noah was from a barbarian tribe, and the second was Noah's hair color.

Hair as black as the night sky.

In the Empire, such hair color was superstitiously associated with bad omens and death.

Noah sighed.

‘Should I…dye it?’

Even if she did, it didn't seem likely to change Belkina's attitude.

Despite the initial setback, Noah remained determined. She still believed she could make friends on the square. Surely, not everyone in the dormitory was like Belkina.

But even that hope was crushed.

"Hey......"

"We should go somewhere else to talk."

"Yeah, I guess we should."

Students skillfully avoided eye contact and conversations with her. Some even moved to different seats, as if being in the same space as Noah was repugnant.

And the result.

Noah didn't make a single friend. All because everyone avoided her.

"Haahhhh."

A heavy sigh escaped her lips.

Seated in a corner, Noah absentmindedly gazed at the sunlit square. In contrast to her current shaded spot, the square was bright and warm.

Light and Shadow. Today, that boundary felt particularly distinct to her. Noah gazed at the line with a somber expression.

‘What the hell did I do to deserve……’

Just as she was trying to swallow the pang of sadness, voices of some students reached her ears.

"Hey, don't stare for no reason."

"What if her curse rubs off on us?"

"This is so annoying."

"Why did someone like her get accepted?"

Gazes of disdain poured toward Noah.

A line had already formed between her and the others.

This was a terrible sign. Once such a line was established, no one would attempt to cross it.

Even if someone outside the line was being bullied, everyone would simply watch from the other side.

Yes, just like in her previous world.

‘Can I not fit in here either…’

All sorts of negative thoughts swirled in her mind and a wave of gloom enveloped her body.

As the weight of gloom pressed down on her shoulders, Noah's pupils gradually lost focus.

However, as she buried her face in her clasped hands…

Thud!

…suddenly, she heard heavy footsteps.

The square fell silent in an instant. The thud grew louder as the source of the sound approached. Instinctively raising her head, Noah saw someone advancing towards her…

…With steps that knew no hesitation.

The moment Noah recognized the owner of the footsteps, her eyes widened and a familiar voice tapped in her ears.

"Noah."

Chestnut hair and crimson eyes.

A man with a robust, muscular upper body walked confidently. The man she could rely on the most in this place right now. It was Ulan.

"Why are you sitting there?"

"Oh, that, well..."

Startled, Noah struggled to find her words.

She bit her lip lightly, avoiding Ulan's gaze, and replied, "It's just, I'm comfortable here…… Ugh!"

However, she couldn't finish her sentence.

It was because Ulan had suddenly grabbed her wrist. Pulled by his formidable strength, her body lifted almost on its own.

"Come with me. I have something to say."

She found herself dangling in an awkward state.

Panicked, she attempted to break free, but it was a futile effort. His strength was on par with that of a giant's.

Meanwhile, Ulan continued to stride purposefully, heading toward the square. As they walked, a murmur reached Noah's ears.

"By the way, did you hear that?"

"That barbarian just smashed a golem with his bare hands."

"What? R, really?!"

"And during the Great Brawl, he sent all his opponents to the hospital. The one who got hurt the most apparently needs two months of recovery."

Most of these stories were attributed to Ulan.

As the stories spread, students began to discreetly distance themselves from him. Yet, the protagonist of these stories seemed completely indifferent, continuing to walk.

A little while later...

…the two arrived in the center of the square.

"Why come to such a place..."

"Because here, the sun shines the most."

A simple reason indeed.

Thereafter, Ulan intended to broach the main topic of bringing Noah along. However, Noah's inquiry took precedence.

"Didn't you get called into the Dean's office earlier? With Dilia Arpen?"

"I was."

"What were you called in for?"

"To get permission to walk around with my clothes off."

"Huh…?"

What does that mean?

Noah's baffled gaze prompted Ulan to explain; from what happened at the specialty test to what happened in the Dean's office.

A moment later, as the explanation concluded,

Noah cried out in astonishment.

"So, she said she was going to grant you a wish?! Dean Deflyn herself?"

"Yes."

As Noah absorbed the remarkably matter-of-fact response, she urgently sifted through her past memories.

‘Did this event happen?’

To her knowledge, there was none.

To begin with, Deflyn was a minor figure in the Academy. She appeared briefly as the Star Witch, Dilia's mentor, but that's about it.

‘Or could this be a variable introduced by Ulan's enrollment?’

That was most likely the case.

And there was nothing Noah could do about it.

For variables were, by their nature, variables.

And since he'd already used his wish, it was just a one-time event.

As Noah organized her thoughts along these lines,

Something caught her eye. It was a paper envelope held by Ulan.

"Hmm? But what is that?"

"That's why I called you."

Ulan explained what had happened with Mond.

A short while later, as the explanation came to a close, Noah nodded her head, as if understanding roughly what it was all about.

‘Ah, the entrance ceremony event.’

It was an event Noah knew about.

A hidden event that only occurs when a commoner enters the academy as the top-seat.

However, the conditions for triggering it were rather demanding, and Noah had not personally experienced it due to its elusive nature. She had merely encountered it on the strategy boards.

‘A turning point where one interacts with the existing Student Council.’

The current student council of Arsene Academy was composed of scions from renowned noble families.

Given their lofty pride as nobles, if a commoner were to outshine the nobility in any way, they would try to interfere somehow undermine you.

‘...Childish, really.’

They're such childish people.

They had no intention of winning through merit.

Regardless, if the event unfolded as she knew it, the student council's interference will begin with the speech.

‘They'll surely deliver a speech with content entirely different from what they handed to Ulan.’

The interference would continue thereafter.

During the inspection tour, intentionally creating a distracted atmosphere or similar tactics.

In other words, the student council would try to embarrass you in front of your classmates and professors.

‘But if you respond well, you'll be able to get the job done……’

If you could navigate the Student Council's machinations without faltering and conclude the inspection smoothly, you would reap rewards.

Catching the attention of the next Student Council president, you would gain an invitation to join the newly forming Student Council in the following year.

'I think there were also treasures that could only be obtained by being a member of the student council.'

She couldn't quite remember what it was, but in any case, this was an opportunity.

Noah was motivated.

"Alright. I'll help you."

"Really?"

"Sure! Ulan and I are friends, right?"

The word ‘friends’ seemed to carry an unusual weight.

Ulan smiled slightly and spoke, "Thank you for your help."

"Yes! You can count on me."

Noah replied cheerfully.

Staking her pride as a gamer of [Arsene Continental War] and a Korean liberal arts student, she would flatten the noses of those Student Council rascals.

With that resolve, Noah set forth.

And so, until evening descended, the two of them poured their efforts into drafting the script.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

And the next day.

It was the morning of the entrance ceremony.

As soon as the dormitory curfew was lifted, Noah went to see Ulan for a final rehearsal before the ceremony began.

"Greetings, I'm Ulan Bator, Arsene's freshman representative. I sincerely thank the professors and seniors for their warm welcome."

With Noah standing before him, Ulan read through the content of the response with a serious expression.

"Though our origins and backgrounds may differ, as we all stand at a new starting point, I hope we can strive to foster camaraderie and dedicate ourselves to studies."

As he smoothly continued the response,

Suddenly, Ulan closed his mouth.

"What? Why did you stop talking?"

"I've memorized up to this point."

"What?"

"It's just that I can't remember anything beyond this."

"......."

The moment Noah heard those words,

Noah realized anew.

Ullan was an idiot.

She'd gotten so caught up in writing the script that she'd forgotten. However, there was no need to worry.

"Well, that's still alright. Just take the script with you and recite it as it is!"

"That seems like a good idea."

Of course, having the script on hand was perfectly fine.

However, Noah couldn't just let it go at that.

"Also, I'm mentioning this just in case."

"······?"

"If you find yourself in a situation where you can't read the script, just greet them warmly, say it's nice to meet them, and let's get along well in the future."

"Why would I……"

"It's foresight."

Explaining things was a hassle, but going around it like this usually resolved the matter. As Noah had anticipated, Ulan accepted the advice nonchalantly.

"I see. I'll keep that in mind."

Noah was relieved to hear back.

Alright, we have some insurance now.

Now, all that was left for Noah to do was to observe what the student council would do.

Anxious eyes turned to Ulan.

Some time later.

The entrance ceremony for Arsene Academy had begun.