ALL NOVEL Chapter 22
Claris Academy, Liris’s Study.
The furniture crafted from only the finest quality hardwoods of Dale Mountain.
The elegant space, harmoniously unified, was now shrouded in a dense fog.
“…Hoo…”
With her enchanting black hair and expressionless face, Liris emitted a decadent aura just by gazing ahead and lighting a fine tobacco with her petal-like lips.
Naturally, smoking and other actions that could detract from the students’ studies were absolute taboos within the academy, but…
“Hoo…”
Ever since she heard the news about Lev Denec, this was all she could do while sitting here.
She had acted too rashly.
Investing such resources into rags was, to put it simply, emotional.
Right now, the academy was in the process of uncovering the truth behind the recent demon commotion.
From now on, pulling such pranks would become even more difficult.
Moreover, Lev Denec was fully aware of the student council’s corruption.
But the one who had cornered Liris strangely had not shown up yet.
It was hard to discern his intentions.
Lev Denec had…
Not turned into a demon, nor was he targeting Edwin.
He might not have even been angry to begin with.
It was all just smoke and mirrors.
In the end, was his purpose somewhere else?
‘Junior…’
Perhaps everything Liris had built up was in his hands.
So, should she go now and plead with him to keep it a secret?
“Hoo…”
Liris momentarily imagined crawling beneath him.
It was thrilling yet… her lips kept curling into an awkward smile.
What she wanted, she had to have without fail, and what she couldn’t obtain had to be smashed so no one else could have it—this was her nature.
Until now, acting emotionally had always brought her satisfaction.
This was the first time she felt such interest in a junior, and that too in a second-rate male.
This feeling emerged ever since she met the red-haired man, Caeran.
And that blind stress began to flow through her spine, starting to cloud her thoughts.
Like when she first decided to worship a demon, she felt a surge of exhilaration.
Liris’s cheeks flushed.
It was hard to say this was the typical emotional state of a girl.
“I’ve grown to want you…”
She wanted to get more entangled with him.
She wanted to swear absolute allegiance to the one who had humiliated her like this.
“Caeran… Lev… which one of them is the real deal…?”
-Huu…
Once again, the smoke exhaled from her mouth shrouded her own world.
*
Yeriel is depicted as good at cooking in both [Reincarnated Hero] and [Reincarnated Academy].
However, when she has too many thoughts, she tends to fumble, which can make situations somewhat messy.
Perhaps because of me, she was flustered, and during the meal prep, she only got a little help with the dishes…
“Thank you for the meal.”
“It’s nothing! It’s plenty…!”
“Feel free to speak comfortably.”
“Okay, got it!”
What has happened?
Aria and Yeriel.
A scene where two fundamental characters are introducing themselves before my eyes.
In a way, it’s like a painting, and as a fan of [Reincarnated Hero], it’s the best gift.
Though they are both kindly characters similar to their names, they seemed oddly disconnected in [Reincarnated Academy].
They each had their own routes, and moreover, the author had left both of them alone, so there was no mention of them.
At least as far as I remember…
Aria wouldn’t open up easily due to her past trauma, while Yeriel, before her corruption, always showed a gentle smile like an angel.
By the way… amidst the awkward meal,
Aria was looking at me as if saying, “Can you explain why you are here?”
“Do you two know each other?”
Quick-witted Yeriel caught that fleeting glance.
“Yes, we were in the same group for a test.”
“Oh. I see. What a coincidence. Lev decided to stay here at Black House starting today.”
“Excuse me…?”
Aria froze, holding onto the dish, reflecting the naive smile of Yeriel.
“Are the other students…?”
“Honestly… there are just the two of us.”
With her words fraught with misunderstandings, Aria’s gaze began to shake violently.
[‘Aria Bluebell’s’ surveillance level of ‘Lev Denec’ rises to 2.]
“Just the two…?”
While it undoubtedly meant that only two people lived in the dormitory, it didn’t carry a sense of shame…
Sigh.
In the end, I had no choice but to speak nonchalantly.
“I was just assigned here by the professor after being kicked out of the dormitory. We’re meeting for the first time.”
Yeriel seemed to grasp something from my resolute tone as she began to muddle her explanation.
“Um, um, anyway, the girls use the third floor and… the boys stay on the second floor, so there won’t be a problem between genders…”
“…”
“And Lev… I know why he came, but regardless of that! He helped with the food preparation… and said it tasted good… And… and he liked the dormitory…”
“…”
Somehow, the more Yeriel spoke, the more Aria’s expression soured.
“So, there’s absolutely no reason for Aria to worry about such things!”
“…Yeriel.”
“Uh… Yes?!”
And this trust and consideration from Yeriel toward me seemed to turn into poison, as Aria fixed her gaze on me and began to speak.
“I, I came to look at this dormitory because I was interested.”
“Really?”
Ding, ding!
That’s a lie. You came because of my magic wave, didn’t you…
“So, can I also stay in this dormitory?”
*
-Can I also stay in this dormitory?
Once I entered the room, I roughly unfolded some papers and sorted out the current situation.
Yeriel < Lev (me) < Aria I'm watching over Yeriel to prevent her corruption, while Aria thinks of me as the mastermind and is keeping an eye on me. The start of living together for three people… Although I'd really like to tell Aria that I am nothing in this, logically, how could a third-rate villain that always picked fights with Edwin only remain in the academy and then justify, "I accidentally caught a Great Demon! So I inherited that power!” It's impossible to convey that context. With the addition of villain traits, if my affinity status is added, I’d probably be reported to the academy immediately. So for now, I need to keep this hidden until some degree of the story progresses... Wait, no? This is actually good. After all, tomorrow the class divisions will be decided, and the formal curriculum will begin. In other words, it means I’ll encounter characters like Caeran, who the author is pushing hard. But according to [Reincarnated Academy], the fundamental characters, Aria, Yeriel, and Selena, will be drawn to Caeran and then discarded.
It’s much better that I hold onto that interest instead.
And to back this up,
‘I need to get stronger.’
In Claris Academy, events occur every quarter.
Ultimately, Caeran consistently stacks flags with the heroines, and it’s because he is stronger than Edwin, who is perpetually unconscious, that he can progress in the story.
I pulled out the Water Dragon jewel I had gotten from the hidden dungeon.
[The water dragon jewel consumed by darkness.]
A jewel with a foul energy that would terrify Aria or Melissa if they saw it.
Fortunately, Aria went off to complete the dormitory registration, so this was my chance.
[With its alien magic, it could be dangerous. Will you really use it?]
“Use.”
As I shouted to use it,
-Cha-ching!
The jewel shattered instantly and began to absorb into my body.
[Alien magic is being converted into stats.]
It didn’t hurt at all.
———————————————————
Status
[Strength]: 1.9 -> 2.3 (new)
[Stamina]: 2.2 -> 2.5 (new)
[Dexterity]: 1.55 -> 1.95 (new)
[Magic Power]: 1.05 -> 1.45 (new)
[Mana]: 1.3 -> 1.7 (new)
[Mental Strength]: 1.30 -> 1.7 (new)
[Sensitivity]: 1.05 -> 1.45 (new)
[Luck]: 2.6 -> 2.9 (new)
[Specialization]
Circle Magic (1)
Crossbow – Mastery (5)
———————————————————
I allocated all the remaining supporting role points to luck, and this is how it turned out.
The average of my stats, excluding luck, is 1.86.
Still quite lacking compared to the main characters, but it seems to be about the average level of students attending the academy.
Next, what’s the status window…
[You have obtained one of the spoils from the Water Dragon Poseidros.]
[You inherit the traits of the Water Dragon Poseidros.]
[Trait – Gamer activated! You can register skills.]
[Luck activated! You gain a higher grade.]
[Water Dragon Poseidros’s tendon.]
[Rarity: S]
[A tendon that Poseidros possessed in its physical form. It has qualities that make it both catchable and elusive like water.]
[Combination Item]
I checked the item first. It’s funny that using the essence would yield an item too, but this is part of the Gamer trait.
While dragon slayers primarily aim for jewels embedded in the dragon’s forehead, its skin, jewels, or hidden treasure chests…
For archers, the coveted item would definitely be a dragon’s tendon.
It’s sturdier than any bowstring, making it perfect for creating a bowstring.
Anyway, the weapon to use outside the academy was an issue, but that seems to be solved.
———————————————————
[Blessing of the Water Dragon Poseidros] [Lv.1] (Active) (Basic Skill)
: One of the elemental traits of the Ancient Dragon. By consuming the caster’s mana, it grants additional water attribute damage proportional to the magic power. On/Off skill.
Exp: (0/200)
Difficulty to obtain: Very High
———————————————————
The skill inherited was a reasonable elemental attack skill dropped by the Four Elemental Dragons.
With this skill, Caeran would become an unstoppable magical swordsman.
Since it applies to all attacks, it ends up contributing to the [Reincarnated Academy] power inflation, but thanks to that, I can use it too.
Moreover, the fact that it can be combined with the hermit passive is also significant.
Perhaps because of the luck trait, there was one more skill.
———————————————————
[Abyssal Healing Method] [Lv.Ex] (Active) (Ultimate Skill)
: Consumes all mana to lift curses up to level 8.
(1-time use only)
Exp: (0/0)
Difficulty to obtain: High
———————————————————
“Simple.”
Usually, high-ranking magicians, meaning academy professors, can only dispel curses up to level 7 with their own skills.
Beyond level 8 or 9 is impossible to even detect if it’s been cast, requiring high-grade intermediaries and rare catalysts that are difficult to obtain since they are the curses of demons or witches.
This is usable once, but where would be the most efficient usage for it?
…There’s one single person that comes to mind.