Chapter 108
“Mwahaha.”
After lunchtime passed, during the fifth period everyone just gathered together and talked. Teacher Baek Sangjun was nowhere to be seen, so we all just sat huddled on the mats and chatted about this and that.
Teacher Baek Sangjun is apparently a somewhat high-ranking teacher, so this kind of thing happens sometimes. Yeonwoo unnie, who'd been at the school the longest, told me.
Since everyone here awakened at a young age, there were plenty of things to talk about, too. Shared topics? That kind of thing.
“Then, did Senior Gyeongwon and Senior Byeongho know each other back when they were still non-Awakened?”
“Ah, not Gyeongwon. Gyeongwon had already awakened when I first met him in fourth grade.”
“Really?”
Senior Gyeongwon had already awakened in fourth grade, and his rank was pretty high, but his family was quite conservative, and he himself didn't really have any intention of risking his life doing Hunter work.
Mages are the sort of job where even if you Awaken, one wrong move can get you killed. More than anything, Senior Ahn Gyeongwon was apparently incredibly good at studying.
They weren't even close at first, but when Senior Byeongho awakened in fifth grade, he apparently went and pestered the only Awakened student at the school, Senior Gyeongwon, to join Seoul Aegis together.
“What about Yeonwoo unnie?”
“Unnie awakened in her second year of middle school.”
“Gasp….”
A high-rank single-target curse skill in middle school? This was enough to guarantee she'd go down the Sana-unnie route, and yet she looks completely normal.
“When she first awakened, she cried her eyes out? She was like, ‘Why did I have to awaken with a power like this~’ and stuff.”
“Oh, I see….”
“Honestly, I don't like my skill either. But what can I do?”
Choa is on the side of not liking her own skill either. Her hair and eyes clearly turned red, but instead of becoming a fire mage, she ended up as a berserker.
But I feel like it'll suit her a bit better later on. She's just too young right now; she might grow into a super tall, muscular unnie someday.
‘No, but why am I not growing taller? If I end up not even reaching 130 cm by the time I'm twenty….’
As we talked about each person's troubles, the fifth period passed before I knew it. For a whole hour Teacher Baek Sangjun never showed his face, and he'd basically turned into a kind teacher who'd given us a break.
“Eve! Choa! Let's go back to our class.”
“Yes, unnie. If you're tired, we can just go by ourselves.”
“You're okay? You won't get lost?”
“Unnie? I've been going to school here for three years already, you know?”
“Right, Choa has been, hasn't she? Choa, make sure Eve doesn't get lost, okay? Eve has to stick close to Choa, got it?”
“Ah, yes!”
I'm not really a little kid either, and the halls weren't that complicated, so I could probably find my way back easily. Sure, I was a little confused, but things like that are the sort you remember once you've actually been there..?”
“Eve, hold on. I need to use the restroom for a second. You can go on ahead!”
“Uh, uh-huh….”
Which building was our class in again…. I guess I'd better wait for Choa.
* * * * *
“Princess, is school bearable for you?”
“Hmm... I think it's fun.”
Honestly, because of my special circumstances, it's hard to say I'm really doing any meaningful learning. But since I get up early, wash up, eat, and even cut down on nap time a bit while walking around diligently, it makes me feel like I'm living pretty healthily.
After meeting people and talking all the time, how should I put it—it feels like I'm getting a little better. This is why people need to get some sunlight.
Now that the weekend's here and I'm resting at home, I'm feeling the happiness of a day off to an incredible degree. Eating the meals Ophelia makes and then just rolling around the house in pajamas is the best.
Still, I can't resist teasing the Awakened Gallery guys.
[Insaeng Anmanghetda: Awakened Gallery guys should talk to people a bit tooㅡㅡ
I'm going to school diligently, so what are you guys even doing?]
-ㅇㅇ : There are already a ton of people on the Awakened Gallery, yeah?
ㄴ MyLifeIsntRuined : Go outside and talk to people, not on the internet;
ㄴ ㅇㅇ : @MyLifeIsntRuined If I dress up, are you covering the costs of looking good and the emotional labor?
ㄴ MyLifeIsntRuined : @ㅇㅇ Even if you dress up, you still won't look pretty, so don't bother
ㄴ ㅇㅇ : (mint twin-tails emoticon going, “Waaah….”)
-Doshungjwak : Is school fun lol
ㄴ MyLifeIsntRuined : Honestly, it doesn't really seem like I'm learning much, but it's good for making friends
ㄴ Doshungjwak : Yeah, you should go out and make some friends
Well, Han Dohee lives pretty diligently, so I don't really have anything to say. If anything, I feel like she's living more diligently than I am?
-Gyahong : Where's that schoolㅠㅠ?? I want to enroll there too ㅠㅠ
ㄴ MyLifeIsntRuined : You should awaken too ㅎ
ㄴ Gyahong : I'm an Awakened though?
ㄴ MyLifeIsntRuined : That's just your act, right?
ㄴ Gyahong : (reading the room....)
“Sigh, if I hadn't awakened, I'd probably be living like this too..?”
I might still be living in that tiny studio room, with the mold, lying on a thin mattress and spending all day on the gallery.
Suffering through summers in the heat and winters in the cold, too. It wasn't even just a maybe—it was almost certain. I already lived like that for four years; what could change in just three months?
I really have no idea how I used to live in that house back then. Thinking about it now, I'm amazing too.
“Princess, using a mobile phone during meals is bad for your eating habits.”
“Yeeees.”
While I was going to school, I spent the weekend agonizing over what to do. This to do, that to do—it felt like I had a huge pile of fun things waiting for me.
When I was working at the convenience store, there was no such thing as weekends or anything like that—I had to clock in at 10 p.m. every single evening—so I never really felt it, but I think I finally get what office workers mean when they keep shouting about weekends.
I should do some Hyper Shot for the first time in ages, and maybe try that game I updated recently too….
‘Heehee, I’m excited.’
I was happily daydreaming like that, wondering what game I'd spend the day playing when—
“Princess, are your relationships with your peers going smoothly?”
“Hmm... my friends? Pretty well, I think. I get along well with the kids in my regular classes, and the Hunter-class seniors are really kind to me.”
“I see. That's a relief.”
Ophelia gave a brief nod, then stood up from across the dining table and said,
“I have something to tell you after the meal. Princess, please take your time and eat slowly.”
“Mmm.”
The atmosphere made it seem like something serious was going on. Suddenly my throat tightened, and the food wasn't going down very well.
‘What is it..? Did I do something wrong..? Did I make some mistake at school..?!’
Could Teacher Baek Sangjun be about to reprimand me for my bad attitude..? Had he written some absurdly terrible things in my school record, and was Ophelia furious about it..?!
Or had I forgotten to give Ophelia one of the notices..!!
“O-Ophelia..? What is it about, by any chance..? Can't you tell me now..?”
“It seems like this will take a while, so I think it's better to talk after the meal.”
I still had no clue what Ophelia was going to say. I quickly finished my meal without really savoring it, then sat down beside Ophelia, who was seated on the sofa looking at the papers on the table.
“Um.... Ophelia..?”
“Princess, have you arrived?”
“Y-yes..!”
As soon as I sat down beside her, Ophelia handed me a sheet of paper she was holding. There was a huge amount of writing on it, and at a glance it looked like some sort of official document sent from somewhere else.
“This is paperwork sent over by the Nova Guild. Right now, the Korea Dungeon Management Association is putting together the second preliminary survey team for the public auction of the Silence Laboratory, located on the outskirts of the Sobaek Mountain range. And to secure suitable personnel for that, they seem to have sent an official request to Nova asking for a raiding party to be dispatched.”
“Uh, uhh..?”
“However, Nova also seems to be having trouble securing hunters at the raiding-party level, so they've contacted us. They're asking whether you'd be willing to participate in the preliminary survey of the Silence Laboratory.”
“Uh...”
So they're asking whether I'd go along for the preliminary survey of the Silence Laboratory..?”
“Is that all..?”
“If you were to join the preliminary survey raid team, one problem would arise.”
“W-what kind of problem..?”
“Princess, you may not be able to attend school for at least a week, and possibly for nearly three weeks. Would that be all right?”
If I join the raiding party, I won't be able to go to school..?”
“Why would that be a problem?! If I don't have to go to school, isn't that great!”
I mean, that's obviously great. It's unbelievably great. Exactly what I'd been hoping for, a dream come true!
“Yippee~~~~ No school!!!”
“School.. wasn't that something you wanted to go to?”
“W-well, I mean.... School is fun once you're there, sure, but..? School is the kind of thing you always want to skip!”
Besides, at Aegis, if you miss school because of Hunter activities, they count it as attendance anyway. In other words, you can skip school and rest with no penalty at all.
“I knew it! I thought Ophelia was going to scold me about school or something!”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“N-not really, but....”
Talking like that with such seriousness makes even someone who hasn't done anything wrong tense up a little, you know. Anyway, it seemed Ophelia had been worried that I wanted to go to school and would be disappointed if I couldn't because I joined the Silence Laboratory raiding party.
“Hehe, joining the raiding party?! Of course that's great!”
I get to skip school, and since it's government work, the compensation should be really, really generous too. This is totally killing two birds with one stone.
It's like tossing a puppy and catching two eagles.
More than anything, lately I haven't even been raiding dungeons, and there are fun things at school, sure, but I still want to do Hunter work. I wonder if some kind of manga-style academy invasion might happen or something.
“Understood. If that's what the Princess wants.”
“Yay!”
“And there is one more thing I'd like to ask of you, Princess.”
“Huh? What is it?”
A tablet appeared in Ophelia's hands, and on it were some kind of incomprehensible images.
“These are the blueprints for a new engine currently under development.”
“Ohhh, I see.”
“I would like you to study this blueprint.”
“Mmm.”
“Why do I have to..?”