In the Pitiful Mansion of Yeong-Ae, Bad Omens Lived.

TL/ED: Lolz

"...Hey, Ian."

"Yeah?"

"Do you still like Lina Rosewell? A lot?"

Ian intended to hide his feelings about Lina Rosewell.

The reason was simple.

Criticizing Lina with Pongpong's body would only be a loss for himself.

But should he also hide information about Lina from Danya?

Ian pondered for a moment before lightly shaking his head.

"No. I don't like her."

"So, things aren't good between you and Lina right now?"

A serious tone.

Ian looked at her, meeting Danya's eyebrows that gathered in concern.

Looking at that expression, he felt there was no need to hide the truth.

"We can't say things are good between us."

"To the point of fighting?"

"Yeah."

A moment of silence followed.

What could Danya be thinking?

Danya, holding her own fingers, fidgeted.

She opened her mouth with effort.

"I debated whether to say this or not, but you should know. It seems like Lina initially tried to attack you. Well, it's not certain. But when the magic flew, it seemed like Jacob hadn't turned blackened yet, at least from what I saw."

It was probably difficult for Danya to talk about from her perspective.

For Pongpong, who was crazy about Lina, she had to say that Lina might have attacked him. Especially when it concerned Lina Rosewell, who was praised as kinder than anyone. It must have been genuinely appreciative.

“I see. Thank you.”

At the same time, a curiosity arose.

Why was she being so kind?

He asked, and she answered.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, okay?"

"Speak."

"I, I..."

Gulp. Danya swallowed.

She bit her lips a couple of times, fidgeted her fingertips, bowed her head, then raised it again to look at his face.

Then, with a loud declaration.

"I trust you more than Lina!"

Was it a somewhat puzzled expression?

Danya quickly poured out an explanation as if defending herself.

"Well, it's not like I completely trust you! It's just that, compared to Lina, you're more trustworthy, I think. Right? Just leave it at that! Yeah!"

Why did she make it so difficult to say what she believed in?

Ian tilted his head at her, but was honestly grateful.

A heroine who remained popular no matter what she did, and the overwhelming power of the Bloodstone Cult villains.

And, above all, the fact that the story was slowly changing because of him.

It felt like a massive wall had been placed in front of him.

Of course, there was no confidence that he could navigate through it. It was just that the enormity of the situation in front of him made it daunting.

However.

Seeing Danya, who said she believed in him, somehow alleviated the overwhelming feeling. Did a sense of camaraderie emerge, bringing a sense of reassurance?

'Anyway, I guess I have to accept it.'

The inevitability of the story changing was acknowledged. There was no desire to actively intervene or play a major role in the storyline. But.

'From the sidelines, I can subtly alter the currents.'

He would intervene minimally while maintaining the major flow. And gradually gain some advantages.

Like the task of rescuing Danya, who disappeared from the story due to the dungeon explosion during the 'Combat Training Exercise’. In reality, Ian did it to provoke Yurran's curiosity.

"Well, don't ponder over my answer so much! Just say something!"

Ian muttered unconsciously.

"It's not bad."

Ian whispered to himself.

Danya seemed somewhat misunderstood.

"Not bad? Is that your evaluation?"

"Yeah, not bad."

"I went through so much trouble to say that! Just saying 'not bad' after all that! Just consider it an honor! Say, 'Thank you, Danya!' or something!"

Ian raised his hand over the excited Danya's head.

He ruffled it a few times.

The touch of her ears against his palm was soft.

"What's the big deal? I trust you too, obviously."

"Tr-trust?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're comrades."

Pushuk-

Danya lowered her reddened face.

He wondered if she heard the last words, but it didn't seem important.

Seeing her tail swaying, Ian thought she didn't seem to be in a bad mood.

It was just that trusting someone had a deeper meaning for a beastperson than he had initially considered.

"Thanks for trusting me."

A comrade to trust and rely on. It was necessary, not just to rival the heroines, but also to survive.

If Danya had the potential, a bit of refinement could turn her into a formidable force. Establishing contact with the Catsnesia tribe could bring many benefits.

But he didn't make calculations like that. Really.

The Lunar, now fully charged, regained its radiant silver glow.

The moon, just about to become completely full, was vivid.

The first act of the scenario was approaching.

◆

Like most story-type gacha games, the scenario of Fantasy X Academy had a substantial volume.

Thanks to the large-scale updates every quarter, the depth and variety of the story were comparable to a full-length novel.

The difficulty sharply increased as it progressed, making it a filter for newbies but providing seasoned players with rich content to explore.

The first chapter of the scenario was [Chapter 1: Traces of Darkness].

The player had to recognize the existence of one of the major villains, the Bloodstone Cult, and thwart their activities at the academy.

The combat training exercise was the prologue to this first chapter, with the clear condition being 'survive’.

'I managed to clear it somehow.'

Next, the first act, ‘Act 1: A Night with a Full Moon’, would soon begin.

A unique feature of this story was that the main villain changed with each episode. While normally identifying the villain was quite challenging, Ian seemed to know who it was.

"Counting on you."

Nod.

[Pharmaceutical Magic - Suzi Dismal]

Leaving the research professor's office after bowing, Ian left the academic building.

The scenery of Lichten Academy was somewhat quiet for a weekday.

The academy had publicly announced an investigation into the incident that occurred during the combat training exercise. Externally, the reason was to prevent excessive fear of the Bloodstone Cult.

However, Ian knew the academy had deep-rooted villains within.

The incident would be covered up as an unavoidable accident during the practical training.

One peculiar point was that, thanks to it, the compensation (or punishment?) for Lina Rosewell, who had defeated the transformed student, ended up being praise from the professors.

Anyway.

As a consequence of the incident, Lichten Academy had given the students a break from classes.

Enjoying the rare weekday break, the students would likely forget about the unpleasant events and immerse themselves in the city.

"If you're not going to have classes, refund the tuition. Not attending classes is a loss for the students, right?"

A rare weekday break.

Having briefly visited the research professor's office, Ian headed to the library.

He sighed softly.

"Ah. You need to attend classes to improve your skills."

If another student had said that, he would have received a scolding while walking to the library.

As always, the cold librarian greeted him. Or, did she greet him? Anyway.

"Do you know anything about the Bloodstone Cult?"

"......"

Blink, blink.

After blinking slowly twice, the librarian opened her mouth.

"Religion, not interested."

Thud.

Unconsciously, Ian lightly slammed the desk, and he quickly bowed towards the librarian, people around them probably thinking, 'Did that guy never receive any upbringing on library etiquette?'

"...What do you think of me?"

The distance had become so close that her breath could be felt.

With white eyelashes that seemed to have settled like fallen snow, Blink, blink, she blinked her eyes a couple of times and opened her mouth slightly.

"Confession, rejection."

Today, she was still sharp.

While Silvia's straightforward way of throwing a curveball seemed to be bearable as long as you endured it for a moment. The librarian had an image of someone who could objectively judge a person, like an artificial intelligence evaluating someone.

Did it feel like being evaluated by an AI?

Ian found himself making excuses.

"Wait, what I meant by 'What do you think of me' wasn't a confession line..."

In the midst of making excuses, Ian noticed the book she was reading.

[In the Pitiful Mansion of Yeong-Ae, Bad Omens Lived.]

On the cover, a figure in a shaman's attire, holding a whip, was smiling mysteriously.

Although she had covered it with another book, it seemed slightly tilted.

'Just one quick look.'

No matter how annoyed he was, he thought he should respect her taste.

Ian sighed and swallowed his excuses.

"Alright, tell me some books related to the Bloodstone Cult."

"Here."

She handed him a neatly written note that had been prepared without him noticing. As he turned to leave, a small voice reached his ears.

"The Bloodstone Cult is dangerous."

"Are you concerned about me?"

Nod.

Nodding slightly, she made a subtle gesture.

Her genuine concern made Ian's heart ache.

"So, what's the problem?"

"The information has been corrupted."

Information corruption.

He wanted to ask what it meant, but she was already absorbed in the book.

'Was she reading it so openly...'

The figure on the cover, the shaman with the whip, seemed to deny any further questions.

Holding the guide note, Ian moved towards the bookshelves.

Confirm information about the Bloodstone Cult.

Plan the sale of existing information.

Collect items for preparation of Act 1.

And keep the promise with Danya.

Even without classes, it was going to be an unusually busy day.

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