CH 25

I closed my eyes tightly. The tears that had just barely filled the corners of my eyes and then rolled down were very hot and wet. The tears moistened my cheek.

That son of a b*tch. Damn it. I want to kill him. Please, I want him to be dying like me!

The intense feeling of hatred filled me like a raging wave. But my anger and tears have always been powerless. Knowing that fact well, I instantly sorted out my feelings.

My eyes opened slowly. The dinner that had been set on the table had disappeared without a trace. Only the sandwich scattered across the floor remained as proof of his visit.

I have to get rid of this first. I picked up the sandwich in the paper bag and wiped the dirty floor with a damp cloth. It was fortunate that the sandwich wasn’t with sauce.

I changed my clothes, rubbed my tired eyes, and picked up the magic book I had randomly placed on the dressing table.

“Ah.”

It was only then I belatedly remembered that cleaning up the mess could have been done with magic. That made me feel a little down.

I put a cushion behind my back and sat down on the bed. Then, I lit the lamp just enough to read the book and looked up at the ceiling for a while.

“It’s just the first day.”

It was such an eventful for the first day in Valhalla. A dizzying fatigue weighed down my entire body. I wanted to lie down and fall asleep as if I were ignoring reality, then open my eyes and wish it was all a dream.

“It can’t be true,” my murmuring voice was astonishingly cynical.

I let out a long breath, just like spitting out the poison that filled my inside. Soon, the sound of paper being turned filled the silence.

This place was a game on Earth that freed me from reality for a while. Magic played its part here. I was very grateful for the punishment Professor Ilya gave me. Because I really wanted to forget this reality right now.

* * *

6. Damian

Knock, knock.

“Lady, are you awake?”

I opened my eyes busily to the voice from outside the door. Seeing the sun shining, it seemed to be morning. I remembered reading the book until the dark dawn. After that, I seemed to have fallen asleep.

“Ah… In the end, I couldn’t read them all.”

I sighed as I looked at the last book I couldn’t finish. I don’t think I’ll be able to read it all until today’s lecture.

If the professor who told me to read all the books was just a professor, I would bow my head, and pretend to be sorry as if I really tried. Still, unfortunately, the professor who told me to do that is an archdemon. He won’t kill me for not reading the books, right?

“Come in, Eloise.”

Eloise entered the room with a tray of breakfast. I sat at the table looking disheveled and had breakfast. I was so hungry that I stuffed the sweet bread and butter in my mouth, but I actually longed for the spicy kimchi stew. However, I didn’t dare to cook it myself.

Making it was a steady challenge, but the reason I didn’t dare to cook it myself was because of the splendid record of me giving birth to strange food that couldn’t be eaten. I mean, what’s wrong with cooking with the mathematical approach? I was born in a country where the delivery culture had developed, and I didn’t know how fortunate it was.

After eating and washing, I changed into the new school uniform that Eloise brought. Eloise, who was helping change, said upsetly, “I think the school uniforms are a very uncivilized culture. When Lady was at the Duchy, Lady even changed your dress at least twice a day.”

Eloise is the daughter of my family’s vassals, so she is also a noble. Therefore, the uniforms that weren’t distinguished between morning and afternoon dresses disappointed her.

It looks the same, but there are ten more school uniforms… It took time to wash and iron it, so you had to have at least 10 uniforms to keep your clothes looking new all the time. Moreover, I wore them only for one semester.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I like it.”

When I was a college student, I wanted to wear a school uniform. How comfortable that you don’t have to worry about what to wear every day.

I wore the school uniform with the feeling of becoming a noble lady, then stuffed the magic books in my bag.  The last book I had only read in the beginning would be read on my way to the main building, so I held it.

At that time, Eloise took out a gorgeous jewelry box.

“Lady, you haven’t worn the brooch yet.”

Inside, it was a silver butterfly brooch, which meant you were part of Clybe. I shook my head. “Put this brooch away. I’m not going to wear it in the future.”

Eloise paused with surprised eyes. If Raul saw Theresa wearing that brooch, he would have grabbed it and crushed it off right away, that’s why she didn’t wear it in the Duchy. It must have been very surprising to hear she didn’t want to wear something she always wore until today.

Eloise replied with a look of delight, “I’ll do as you say.”

How crazy was Theresa to be a fan club president because she wasn’t allowed to have a crush on the successor of her enemy family? Even though it was just a setting.

As soon as I left the dormitory, I sighed on the way to the main building of Valhalla. It was because I suddenly remembered the quest. To join the student council…

There was not only Clyde in the student council, but also Damian, the vice president of the student council. That gave me a headache.

Let’s put out the urgent fire first. The urgent fire was to read through the magic books lent by Professor Ilya.

It was when I was walking with my eyes fixed on the book as I thought I should finish read it quickly.

Thud!

If you walk without looking straight, you will have an accident. I hit my forehead on the stone wall. No, I thought it was a stone wall.

“…Uh.”

“…Ah.”

It was Damian that I bumped into.

[The Constellation ‘Romance Pass’ likes this development.]

[The Constellation ‘I hate romance’ hates this development.]

I bumped into him again. Yesterday, Damian bumped into me, and today I bumped Damian. So were we tie?

I quickly checked Damian’s likeability.

[Likeability: 2]

…Uh? There was definitely only one black heart yesterday! How come it increased to two just in one day?!

[The Constellation ‘I hate romance’ likes this development.]

[The Constellation ‘Romance Pass’ hates this development.]

Was it a mistake to run away yesterday? Things had already happened. The way to get rid of it… I didn’t know. Let’s just apologize for bumping into him before his black hearts increased to three.

“Sorry. I didn’t know there was a person in front of me because I was reading a book.”

Damian also frowned slightly as if he didn’t expect to see me from the morning, and shook his head with an apologetic face. “No, I should have been careful.”

How could you be careful not to let the person behind you bump into you? Ah. If it’s him, it’s possible. A vice student president whose main job is a student and side job is an assassin. When I made it into a game, I thought Damian’s duality was his attractive point. But who knew it was a dead point.

Why is there no ordinary male protagonist in <God’s Play>? If I had known that I would be possessed like this, I would have made more common male protagonists, who were loved in happy families and have soft personalities. Damn it.

I smiled awkwardly. “It’s because I bump you from the back. Did you get hurt?”

“I’m fine, but your forehead is red, Theresa.”

Damian reached out to my forehead with a worried look on his face. Swish. I pulled my head back unknowingly.

“…”

“…”

We looked surprised at the same time and an awkward silence came.

This is all because of that demon, Ozworld. I was forced to ignore the unpleasant memories of yesterday. However, it was difficult to smile, so I muttered with a firm face. “You don’t have to worry because it’s not hurt… Then, goodbye.”

The dormitory used by commoners and nobles were different, but they were in a similar location, so they used the same way to the main building. Therefore, even if I said goodbye, we had to walk side by side on the same road in the end.

But there’s nothing more to talk about, and I have to read the book. Damian didn’t bother to talk to me when I lowered my eyes to the book again.

It was still early, so there was no other person on the way to school. The sound of our footsteps, the sounds of paper turned over, and the sound of birds chirping filled the silence. Well, it was too peaceful for a peaceful situation.

“…Hooaam.”

It was to the point my drowsiness was pouring out.

Wiping away tears from my eyes, I felt frustrated. I can’t concentrate because I’m sleepy. Still, I thought I slept for an hour, but maybe because I read a book, terrible sleepiness kept clouding my vision.

I was used to staying up all night. Originally, developers and stayed all night were something couldn’t be separated. However, it could be achieved only when they are accompanied by a high caffeine drink called an energy drink.

Doing tasks in this caffeine barren land was a bit harsh…  I need to drink coffee in the morning. The thought of iced coffee, the modern people’s potion, made me desperate for it.

“I don’t know if I have time to drink coffee…”

Other than me, there would be students who go to cafes in the morning, and in this worldview, coffee wasn’t likely to be served at a very fast pace like modern times. And most importantly, the cafe was a place like a hideout for professors.

There are often events where you meet Professor Ilya at the school cafe. I hadn’t read all the books yet, but I didn’t want to meet Professor Ilya. No, I didn’t just want to meet the professor…

Damian, who then heard my murmur, made an unexpected suggestion. “Coffee, do you want me to make it for you?”