Chapter 2: Possession (2)  

Screech-

As I stepped out of my room, a woman with long black hair dressed in a spacious uniform stood before me.

She had lifeless eyes, resembling an emotionless doll.

Upon making eye contact with me, she bowed her head at a 90-degree angle.

"What can I do for you, young master?"

Her voice was impassive, devoid of emotion.

"..."

Of course, I knew her well.

Her name was Amy Watson.

In most routes, she was a named character who silently protected Neike, the protagonist.

She was so popular that countless users lamented her lack of romantic involvement.

Originally, she served as Theo's personal attendant, becoming active after the academy's story.

Amy had also been involved in many of Theo's countless deaths.

There were at least two explicitly described routes, possibly more.

Amy was actually an assassin disguised as a servant of the Viscount Waldeurk House.

She was a woman who must never be provoked.

Having said that...

Would it work?

[Name: Amy Watson]

Gender: Female

Age: 17

Race: Human

Affiliation: Waldeurk Viscount House / Equilibrium

Strength: 7

Stamina: 7

Mana: 9 Tenacity: 14

Traits:

Light Movement (Passive effect / Bloodline Ability) [View Details] Patience (Passive effect) [View Details] Mana Control (Passive effect) [View Details] Stealth (Passive effect) [View Details] Acrobat (Passive effect) [View Details]

...Phew.

Fortunately, it worked.

Still, the fact that a mere personal attendant of the current worst young master in terms of ability and character had such stats was impressive.

Named characters truly were a cut above the rest.

[Tenacity: 14]

Her tenacity was high even now. The protagonist's starting tenacity was 11, so it was obviously natural talent.

The difficulty of raising stats increased significantly after 10.

Even in the middle of the story, a stat of 14 was quite rare.

She was certainly worthy of being a named character.

Or maybe, Theo was just an idiot...?

"..."

As if expecting a response, Amy's brown eyes stared at me.

"No, nothing important."

I wanted to sound warmer, but due to my trait, this was the best I could do.

"···I heard a loud noise from your room."

"You don't need to worry about it."

"···I apologize for overstepping. Are you going out?"

"Yes."

"I understand. I'm truly sorry, but could you wait a moment? I'll prepare to accompany you right away."

With that, Amy attempted to enter her room.

I casually glanced inside.

Her room was about one-fifth the size of mine.

It was stark and devoid of any feminine touch.

Her room was filled with items for serving me, like umbrellas and textbooks.

It was more like a storage room for Theo than Amy's living quarters.

"You don't need to prepare."

"Even so, wouldn't it be better to bring an umbrella, young master? The sun may have set, but your fair and delicate skin could still be damaged."

Amy politely clasped her hands in front of her and bowed her head.

Fair and delicate skin... Ugh. Theo is certainly handsome, but he's still a man.

And a parasol? I don't want that. I have to go alone.

I can't take Amy with me while searching for Neike.

I looked into Amy's eyes and said,

"You don't need to prepare. Don't make me say it again."

"Understood. I apologize for overstepping, young master. I hope you will forgive me with your generosity. I'll attend to you immediately."

Amy stood in front of me.

"Since you said to take today, Sunday, off, I've canceled all your plans. Where do you intend to go─"

"Rest."

"Truly sorry, young master. Could you please repeat that?"

"Rest. I don't need your assistance."

A slight crack appeared on Amy's previously expressionless face.

"Did I somehow offend you, young master? I'm truly sorry. Due to my foolishness as a servant, I've failed to understand your─"

"Enough."

Amy's eyes wavered. I continued.

"It's because I have to go alone. I'll say it once more. Rest."

Amy hesitated for a moment and then bowed her head.

"I understand, young master. I apologize for my foolishness in making you repeat yourself. I'll wait for you at the dormitory entrance until you return."

Amy firmly closed her lips, as if enduring humiliation.

Ah, this is really tiresome.

I expected it to some extent, but it's worse than I thought.

How spoiled have I acted for her to behave like this?

I patted Amy's shoulder─

"No."

And held it.

"Rest. In your room."

"..."

"No need to wait."

"..."

"Answer me."

Amy's eyes trembled. Eventually, her tightly closed cherry-colored lips opened.

"I understand. Until you return, I'll reflect on my mistakes that have displeased you─"

"I'll say it one last time."

I bent my knees to meet Amy's eye level, but she avoided my gaze.

Sigh. It won't be easy to fill this emotional gap.

"Rest. Don't think about anything."

"I understand."

After confirming that Amy had entered her room, I left the dormitory building.

It's evening, but Neike is a hardworker. He's likely at the training ground.

The dormitory building I live in and the training ground are quite far apart.

It's too far to walk. There's no academy carriage on Sunday either.

But I have to check Neike's route as soon as possible.

I have no choice. I'll run.

I hope the trait activation is minimal.

***

Gasping for breath, I finally saw the entrance to the training ground.

My entire body was drenched in sweat.

"Haah, haah...ugh, ugh..."

A lingering pain still coursed through my body.

I took out a handkerchief to wipe off the sweat and caught my breath.

I checked the time on my wristwatch.

Two hours had passed since I left.

The original plan was to arrive within an hour, but my body's trait was the problem.

Running without dignity on the streets naturally activated my trait.

I had to endure and keep running since Neike might leave if I took too long.

As a result, an even stronger pain tormented me.

It was unbearable, so I alternated between running and walking.

If it weren't for this trait, I would have arrived much sooner.

...Damn it. Thinking about it only makes me more irritated.

After wiping off the sweat and calming my breath, I grabbed the handle of the training ground's door. Creeaak-

I opened the large door and entered the lobby, where multiple passages came into view.

The passages were long. I couldn't see what was at the end with my naked eye.

It was a sight I had seen countless times in the game.

Magic, archery, spearmanship, martial arts, throwing, enchanting... Elinia Academy had many talented individuals.

As such, the training grounds were specialized. There were various types of them.

Among these numerous training grounds, where could Neike be?

I headed to the magic training ground first, desperately hoping that I could collect more hidden pieces from the mage route.

An hour passed like that.

***

"Haah, haah..."

Constantly running and walking down the long corridors left me out of breath.

In the game, it would have been summarized as "trained," but I had no choice but to run in reality.

But I still hadn't found him.

Neike, where the hell are you?

...Only one place remained: the physical training ground.

He couldn't have gone back already, right? I prayed that wasn't the case.

I opened the door to the physical training ground.

Hoo, hoo...

Hee, hee...Eek!

Fortunately, he was there.

But there were two people. Besides Neike, there was someone else.

Of course, I knew this person all too well.

With short, red hair, silky skin that seemed to blend white and yellow, and a lean yet toned figure, she was a noble young lady.

She was Piel, a fellow Hero Department student of Neike's and mine.

In most routes, Piel started as Neike's rival and became an important ally as a named character.

Neike and Piel were considered the epitome of talent in Elinia Academy, where countless talented individuals gathered, competing for the first and second place.

Hoo, hoo... Ugh, ugh...

Whether they were too immersed or deliberately ignoring me, they didn't even glance at me while doing their strength exercises.

Hmm, let's see.

[Name: Neike]

Gender: Male

Age: 16

Race: Human

Affiliation: Elinia Academy Hero Department Strength 12

Stamina 12

Mana 12

Tenacity 12

Traits Descendant of the Hero (Passive effect / Bloodline ability) [View Details] Weapon Master (Passive effect) [View Details] Mana Ruler (Passive effect) [View Details] Plus 17 other traits

[Name: Piel de Chalon]

Gender: Female

Age: 15

Race: Human

Affiliation: Elinia Academy Hero Department / Chalon Ducal House

Strength 11

Stamina 11

Mana 11

Tenacity 11

Traits Gambler (Passive effect / Bloodline ability) [View Details] Weapon Master (Passive effect) [View Details] Mana Ruler (Passive effect) [View Details] Plus 15 other traits

·····Phew.

I already knew this information, but it's still impressive when I see it again.

I have to compete with these people.

Of course, these two possess the greatest talents in Elinia Academy's history.

With a little more experience, they'll quickly surpass even the top-ranking active heroes. They are truly gifted individuals.

Moreover, they are both geniuses and hard workers who sweat it out in the training hall late on Sunday nights.

There are roughly 100 graduates from the Hero Department each year.

In all routes, these two are within the top 10%. In the end, there are only about 8 spots left to the others.

Anyway, I couldn't tell which route Neike was taking just by looking at his information window.

Neike possesses exceptional talents in every field. If he wants, he can become the best in any field.

Now that it's come to this, I have no choice but to ask him directly.

But their workout doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon.

Feeling awkward just standing there, I began strength training within earshot of their conversation.

The barbell with its numerous plates was easy to lift. Well, I am a student in he hero department, after all.