Arff… I really should stop doing this.
I sighed, sprawled on my back across the bed.
The room, as always, was spotless. I couldn't go long without cleaning it, my misophobia simply wouldn't allow it. Everything smelled good, organized, in the right place. A small, controlled refuge amid the chaos.
At the moment, I had just skipped two classes out of pure laziness.
I knew I should stop doing that… but honestly? I didn't think it would matter in the long run. Sleeping felt like a much better use of my time.
That said, I couldn't miss the next one.
After all that trouble, I had finally chosen an elective. Food Exploration. Yes. Exactly what it sounds like: an elective focused on food.
The choice wasn't driven by genuine interest. Far from it. The real reason was simple. The next event involving djinns would take place there. Ren, Amanda… and Elijah Turner would all be present.
The villain of the moment.
Under normal circumstances, this elective would never have been my first choice. But for now, I needed to keep an eye on the main events. It wasn't time to stray from the route yet.
Thinking about that, I remembered something important.
The investment. The return was close.
The assassination of Tobias Church would happen soon, and when it did, the stocks I had bought would skyrocket.
…Come to think of it, wasn't it kind of messed up that I was looking forward to someone's death?
I mean, it wasn't like I could stop it. The one responsible would be a rank 37 djinn. I wouldn't stand a chance against something like that. So at the very least, I'd turn that lemon into lemonade.
A few days ago, I had that meeting with Smallsnake at the cafeteria. That was when I invested ten million U, far more than what Ren himself had put in. He had invested something around one hundred thousand.
I had no idea what the exact return would be, but one thing was certain. Money wouldn't be a problem for quite some time.
With that, I could finally buy those absurdly expensive fortification potions, making my training much more efficient. Of course… I still needed to plan all of that carefully. I didn't want to spend recklessly.
I'll deal with it later.
Click.
The sound of the door closing marked the moment I left the room and headed down the hallway.
Anyway… I'll think about that later. Right now, I need to go to the elective.
Would it be a problem if I slept during the lecture?
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The elective was held in room B17.
When I entered, the rows were already practically full. Around forty first-year students, thirty-two of them girls.
The reason for the disparity was obvious.
After observing for a few seconds, I walked to the back and sat down a few seats behind Ren and Amanda. The front row chairs? Completely occupied by girls, as expected.
Not long after, the door opened. An elegant young man stepped into the room.
Well-groomed hair, impeccable posture, a gentle smile. His appearance sat comfortably at the very top end of the spectrum.
…The club president, at last.
He walked calmly to the podium, set his belongings down, and studied the students before him. Then he smiled.
— It's a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Elijah Turner. I'm very pleased with everyone's participation in our food exploration elective.
Elijah Turner, third year. Club president.
As soon as he spoke, nearly all the girls, except Amanda, visibly blushed.
I rested my head on my arm, watching him carefully. Most people there were ignorant of his true nature.
I wasn't.
Elijah Turner was a djinn, second-in-command under Professor Thibaut.
Several incidents would occur at the academy because of him. One of them was directly linked to Amanda. Elijah would be the mastermind behind it all.
Elijah had made a pact with a demon of the Charm Clan, a sub-branch of the demonic Lust Clan. In exchange for selling his soul, he received that perfect appearance… and an ability called Enchantment.
It was very similar to Professor Donna's enchanting art.
The difference?
Enchantment only worked on women. Donna's worked on anyone. And at the moment, his primary target was obvious: Amanda.
Talented, spotless record… exactly the kind of soul demons coveted. That was why his contractor was a high-ranking demon, even though Elijah's talent was, honestly, mediocre.
— Since today is our first day, I'll give a brief introduction about myself and what this club is about.
His voice echoed through the room, smooth, enveloping, almost hypnotic. It slipped into the ears like a perfectly tuned note.
Instantly, the girls' eyes sparkled even brighter.
— In food exploration, we study the composition of monsters and plants. We identify which ones are edible, how to prepare them, and how they benefit the body.
— We'll cover monster identification, preparation methods, poison extraction, ideal combinations, and plant recognition.
— It might sound a bit boring…
He smiled.
— …but don't worry. That's just the boring part.
The smile widened as his gaze slowly swept across the room, lingering for a moment on Amanda, who listened in silence.
— With the academy's permission, we'll travel to different regions and…
A brief pause.
— Taste incredible foods.
The room practically sighed in unison. I simply closed my eyes.
"Yeah… this is going to be a long semester."
A wave of applause swept through the room almost instantly.
The male students cheered at the prospect of finally leaving the academy, while the female students applauded for a very different reason.
Food exploration, as strange as it might sound, was one of the most sought-after electives, especially in low-cost academies. Not only did it pay well, but it also carried far fewer risks compared to dungeon hunting. That made it extremely attractive to those without combat talent.
Even without martial aptitude, it was still possible to achieve social recognition. After all, the most renowned chefs held celebrity status that easily rivaled S-ranked heroes.
Walking to the table at the front of the room, Elijah lightly pulled at the sleeve of his blazer.
— I'll show you a quick demonstration. Let's start with this steak. As I believe most of you know, this is the meat of a rank D creature: the Warhorse.
He tapped his ring twice.
Instantly, a massive steak appeared on the table.
The cut was roughly the size of a wheel, streaked with fine white veins of fat spreading like spiderwebs. It looked dangerously similar to top-grade wagyu.
Just one glance was enough to make my mouth water.
Even if I preferred sweets… who could resist a steak like that?
With another tap, a holographic image appeared in the air.
A gigantic horse materialized before the class. Just as the name suggested, the Warhorse was an evolved version of the common creature. Its body was colossal, tall enough to rival three people stacked on top of each other. A rank D monster of tremendous power.
The biggest issue, however, was its ferocious temperament. Even the slightest provocation was enough to make it attack without hesitation.
— As many of you probably know, the Warhorse is extremely difficult to kill… and even harder to capture. If it weren't for a weakness discovered after extensive research, the value of this steak would easily reach five figures.
As he spoke, a wave of exhaustion washed over me.
Part of it was simply… me always being sleepy. But the other part came from the fact that I already knew all of this.
— Huaaah…
A yawn escaped before I could stop it. My eyes watered slightly.
The sound was loud.
Too loud.
Elijah's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.
Moments later, half the girls in the room turned their heads toward me with pure hatred in their eyes.
The other half looked… confused.
For some reason, probably related to my appearance, I had gained a strange reputation among the girls. It wasn't like I was a model or anything.
It was more like they saw me… as a mascot.
A curious feeling, I'd say.
Their gazes were split between indignation at me interrupting their "prince" during the lecture and confusion over the fact that it was me who did it. Maybe it was like when your cat knocks an expensive vase off the table… but it's too cute to scold.
An oddly uncomfortable situation.
But honestly? I didn't care.
I rested my head between my arms and closed my eyes. For the rest of the class, I only listened vaguely as I dozed off. The only one who remained completely focused on the hologram was Amanda, ignoring everything around her.
— Ahem…
Elijah cleared his throat before continuing.
— Due to the creature's diet, rich in highly fatty foods, the Warhorse's meat, as you can see, has a high level of marbling…
…
Ding! Dong!
Fifty minutes passed, and finally the loud chime of the bells announced the end of the lecture.
I stood up, organized my things, and prepared to leave.
I was almost at the door when I saw Elijah approaching Amanda.
My steps halted.
— Junior Amanda.
— …hm?
— Here. A small welcome gift for the elective.
He pulled a small black box from his pocket and held it out to her.
That wasn't just an innocent gift. It was probably something valuable, enough to leave a good impression.
— Ah… thank you.
Amanda took the box and left the room with indifference.
And that was it.
…Well. Much more anticlimactic than I expected.
In fact, I knew what was inside.
If I remembered correctly, it was something related to a clue about Amanda's missing mother, something that would inevitably lead her to seek Elijah out again.
Of course, in the end, all roads lead to Rome.
That was probably just a false lead that would amount to nothing.
Shaking my head, I left the room.
It's not like I cared, anyway. As I exited the building, I thought for a moment before deciding to head back to the dormitory.
I deserved some rest. Overworking myself wouldn't do me any good.
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Click.
Arriving at the dormitory, I opened the door and stepped inside.
Pomf!
After hanging my keys on the wall hook, I lazily threw myself onto the bed. The room was dimly lit by the light filtering in through the window.
Ding!
— …hm?
I grabbed my phone and unlocked the screen.
[Announcement — Classes A25, A24, A23]
Dear students, we inform you that in two weeks we will be holding a field trip to the city of Hollberg. We will visit its famous monster processing factory. The trip will last approximately one week, and all students are required to come properly prepared…
— …ooof.
I dropped the phone onto the bed, feeling a headache quickly approaching.
In two weeks, our entire class would be heading to Hollberg, a city about two hours away from Ashton. The goal was to show how monsters were processed and turned into weapons and artifacts.
It was, without a doubt, a useful class. Seeing everything in person always made learning easier… too bad the trip wasn't as simple as it sounded.
— Just… ugh…
I covered my eyes with my arm and let out a deep sigh.
— This is going to be so much trouble…
Even as I said that, my expectations were low.
That trip was something I would definitely have to participate in, whether I liked it or not.
— Let's hope for the best…