Chapter 78

Chapter 78

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 78: Second Betrayal (4)

He sat down next to Merhen, ignoring the murmuring students behind him.

“T-Thanks...”

“Are you eating that weird lunch again today?”

“Um... yes?”

“You know, the one with just a plain potato in it. Do you actually eat that?”

Merhen’s face turned bright red.

“H-How did you...?”

“I saw it. By chance.”

Even though there was a separate cafeteria, she always ate her meals in hiding.

So he followed her and observed.

Watching her force down nothing but plain potatoes was quite pitiful.

“Let’s eat together today. I’ll buy it.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay...”

“Nonsense. People need to eat well to live well. Just come with me.”

After a moment of hesitation, she quietly followed me to the front of the restaurant.

Among the menu boards, numerous food models were displayed.

“Pick something. Anything over 5 silver.”

One silver was roughly equivalent to ten dollars.

Thankfully, Cairn seemed to have quite a bit of money, even if he didn’t have any on him.

You could always sell items from your inventory for silver and gold.

Perhaps because nobles were the main customers, the prices for meals increased steeply as they became fancier.

Yet, it was rare to see nobles opt for cheaper meals.

It was like a form of maintaining dignity.

“I-I’m really fine...”

“You like meat, right? How about this one?”

He pointed to a hearty beef stew filled with chunks of meat.

Gulp.

He heard her swallow.

As expected.

It’s rare to find someone who doesn’t like meat.

Merhen was no exception.

They placed their order.

After a short wait, the stew, brimming with meat as shown in the model, arrived.

It was a bonus to see plenty of vegetables added for health.

“Eat up.”

He scooped some stew into his mouth first.

The tender and rich aroma of the meat spread.

“Delicious.”

Merhen, watching him, quickly started eating the stew too.

A happy smile appeared, indicating that it suited her taste.

Well, it’s definitely better than just plain potatoes.

When they were almost done with the stew, he asked,

“Is life at the academy very difficult?”

“Huh! Um, y-yes?”

“I asked if it’s tough.”

“It’s, um, it’s okay.”

“From what I see, it doesn’t seem okay.”

“....”

She looked at the stew in silence.

Then, raising her head, Merhen asked,

“Is this why you helped me?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“...Isn’t Cairn doing this to me? Buying me food like he’s pitying a beggar, trying to mock me?”

“It’s not a mockery.”

“...Then why are you asking me this?”

Her previously bright eyes, which had been enjoying the stew just moments ago, now looked gloomy, as if implying that he was lying.

“If I say I’m having a hard time, will anything change?”

“Yes. A lot.”

“No. It won’t. At best, I’m just a half-penny compared to everyone else.”

Sponsorship.

He heard that students at the academy are encouraged to seek sponsorship.

Usually, the higher the status of the noble parents and the higher the student’s talent, the more sponsorship they receive.

From that perspective, Merhen had no corner to receive sponsorship from.

A commoner and a half-penny mage.

It was like throwing money on the street.

“You’re shallow.”

“...What did you say?”

“I don’t have a rigid sense of pride, nor have I completely abandoned it. I haven’t given up on being a mage, nor am I passionately pursuing it.”

“....”

“I may not know everything about you, but one thing I’m sure of: someone who isn’t themselves ultimately becomes nothing.”

Her life had become so tangled up, like a tightly wound ball of yarn that she couldn’t unravel.

—So amateurish.

Cairn’s words pierced her heart like a dagger.

He was right.

She truly wasn’t anything special.

Just a common girl who lucked out, nothing more, nothing less.

Then, realizing that luck was an illusion, she crumbled like a fool.

Did she work hard enough to deserve that?

No.

She just followed along with classes like everyone else, whimpering in the library.

If that could be considered effort, then maybe, but it certainly didn’t warrant the descriptor “working to death.”

—Just because she was scared?

Yes, she was scared.

Family?

As the fifth child, she didn’t even receive proper treatment from her siblings.

She was just a commodity to be sold off.

Her peasant father’s eyes gleamed with anticipation at the prospect of selling her off to an old noble.

Her mother was no different.

If she hadn’t undergone the aptitude testing, Merhen would likely have been sold off as a concubine to some fat noble by now.

Did she endure for her family?

Merhen smiled bitterly.

;What a foolish girl I am.’

She wasn’t that worthless, really.

She had her reasons for acting that way, or at least she felt she needed to justify herself to Cairn, as if he could read her mind.

She already knew she had hit rock bottom.

Today just made her confront it once again.

But why did it sting so much?

It was beyond her comprehension.

Then, it happened.

“Hey, peasant girl.”

A familiar voice echoed from somewhere.

When she turned around, she saw a familiar face.

Dolores.

And her entourage.

Five girls were approaching her, but Dolores’s eyes, in particular, were sharp and accusatory.

“If you can’t do magic, then just quietly disappear. There’s not much time left until expulsion. Have you decided to latch onto a man now, hoping to save yourself? Huh?”

“Oh, my, Your Highness. You know, vulgar blood never disappears, does it?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Do you want to catch a man to fix your rotten luck? He’s famous, you know. The ending is obvious.”

As if trying to restrain her, Dolores’s entourage subtly teased her words.

Then, Dolores approached closely, poking Merhen’s chest with her finger.

Each time, Merhen recoiled.

Of all the days to meet her, it had to be today.

Everything was irritating.

Dolores in front of her, and those giggling idiots beside her.

‘What am I enduring for?’

Since she couldn’t use magic anyway, and would soon have to leave here for good, what was the point?

Was her life even worth that much?

After all, if she left the academy, a miserable life awaited her.

Upon careful consideration, she realized there was absolutely no reason for her to endure.

No.

If she were expelled just for enduring this, she felt she would truly regret it for the rest of her life.

“You wretched girl! What am I going to do with you? Should I just kill off your family? Huh? If I tell Daddy...”

“...Do it.”

“What?”

“If you’re going to do it, then do it. Just kill them all. You dog-like girl!”

Suddenly, Merhen grabbed Dolores’s newly cut hair tightly.

She shook her hand vigorously, causing Dolores’s head to jerk around like a balloon.

“Ahh!”

“Your Highness!”

“Is this lunatic out of her mind?! Let go?!”

Surely, all the women gathered here were mages.

But none of them had thought to use magic.

They had never expected Merhen, who had been quiet for so long, to do something crazy like this.

Using magic on others outside of class was prohibited.

The noble girls were already accustomed to this rule.

But in the end, it was Merhen’s most familiar hand that acted out.

She grabbed Dolores’s hair and clung to her body like a madwoman.

“Die, you bastard!”

“Let go! Aaaah!”

Six women tangled in a brawl.

It was only a matter of moments before students and professors rushed in to break it up.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Gun]