‘Th-this wasn't part of my plan….’
The girl was bewildered, and the ghost roared in fury.
[You should have touched when you had the chance! You're always so slow, that's the problem! You premature ejaculator!]
‘…That's not how you use that term, is it?’
[Then when are you supposed to use it?]
‘H-how would I know!’
[Why are you getting mad? You could just say you don't know. Sheesh, what a temper….]
‘!!?’
Irene Windler almost grabbed the back of her neck.
Who was the one who started this, yet she could be so shameless?
She wanted to pick a fight and argue back, but.
"Sir Knight, look over there. Miss Revi is giving her speech!"
"Bear Girl speaks well, doesn't she."
"Does that mean she won?"
"I'm not sure if there's such a thing as winning or losing in a debate, but logically and from the crowd's reaction, Bear Girl is definitely receiving a positive response, so I suppose she probably won."
"Hehe!"
Right now, the presence of the interrupter took priority.
The giggling maid.
If someone else laughed like that, they'd look a bit slow, but as a human vitamin boasting 100% positivity and purity, she exuded a natural goodness that made observers smile.
Leira Winter.
The pretty maid, whom braided hair suited exceptionally well, was glued to Ihan's side, enjoying the debate, and Ihan responded appropriately.
…By the way, Irene Windler was eating the pretzel Ihan had gotten for her, all alone and lonely.
‘I can't even blame the maid, sigh! And why is this pretzel so delicious?!’
Thus, most of the pretzels Ihan purchased from Bear No. 7 went into Irene Windler's stomach,
And the next day, the girl screaming upon seeing her swollen face was a predetermined course of events.
* * *
Irene had originally dreamed of a date disguised as coincidence, but the world never goes according to plan.
Forgetting the existence of the maid who always stuck by his side was undoubtedly Irene's critical mistake.
"Miss Maid, don't you rest?"
"I'm Sir Knight's exclusive maid, so it's only natural I'm always by his side?"
"Y-you weren't here before though…."
"Hehe, I couldn't help it because of housework. Ah, Sir Knight! I didn't break any furniture while cleaning today! That's a relief, right?"
"Not breaking things should be the norm, but I'm not sure why I'm happy about it."
"But the hammer broke. It fell on my head, and I couldn't dodge it and accidentally broke it, I'm sorry…."
"…Should we go see our priest first?"
"Why?"
"……."
A hammer fell on her head, and instead of her head getting hurt, she broke the hammer—this stone-headed, no, iron-headed maid went through such a process and ended up accompanying them, and Irene cried like a dog inside.
However.
"Miss Irene, do you not need to study?"
"There is an exam I need to take, but I've studied in advance, so."
"Wow! As expected of the top student! Amazing!"
"W-what do you mean…."
"Miss Irene seems like an amazing person. You're pretty, smart, good at cooking, and you even try to learn when there's something you don't know…! You're truly an amazing person, Miss."
"…Miss Maid, is there perhaps anything you want?"
"Noope?"
Leira Winter was a woman you couldn't hate even if you tried.
As mentioned earlier, she's like pure human vitamin.
She was also like a golden retriever who, if she had a tail, would probably be wagging it ceaselessly even now.
All her words were 1,000% pure sincerity, not flattery, and anyone receiving her praise would inevitably let their guard down unless their personality was completely twisted.
A natural talent that proved how she could earn the princess's trust despite her lack of brains.
For such a golden retriever to disarm Irene Windler, ten minutes was more than enough.
[Arin is so simple….]
‘Could you dislike someone like her?’
[…….]
The ghost, who always rebutted point by point, was speechless for the first time.
Leira Winter.
She was a formidable opponent even for the ghost.
* * *
"Th-thank you, Instructor. For coming here in person."
Revi Folt bowed her head with a shy expression.
Ihan acted gruff, asking why she would thank him for something like this, while handing her a flower.
A red rose that contrasted nicely with the girl's hair suited her quite well.
"I came because I was free, so there's no need to thank me. More importantly, your eloquence was quite impressive."
"W-what. I just spat out what I knew. It's nothing special."
"That's what makes it impressive."
"That's right, Revi! You were excellent!"
"Miss Revi, you were amazing. I don't understand the topic at all, though!"
"…Haha."
Revi Folt finished the debate with high marks.
Not only her eloquence, but the girl was someone who produced results commensurate with her studying.
While some people can't demonstrate their true abilities even after studying, there are also those who produce results equal to their efforts.
In that sense, Revi Folt was undoubtedly an excellent hard worker and a promising talent.
Because she always accomplished whatever task she took on.
"If you're free, let's grab a meal together."
"T-then, can I just watch the next debate and then go? There's someone I really want to see…."
"Oh ho, a man?"
"N-no! Not like that!"
Revi Folt flustered and rarely raised her voice.
However, the girl's panic only served to fuel suspicion, and the knight's gaze narrowed.
‘Has spring come for Bear Girl too?’
Has spring finally come for the girl?
While he had no interest in his own romance, as an ugly adult who found others' love lives fascinating, he felt delighted. Just then, the next debaters appeared on the debate stage.
"…Women?"
Disappointment spread across Ihan's face.
"S-so I told you it wasn't like that…."
Revi Folt grumbled in a whisper with unnecessary embarrassment.
"The person I wanted to see is her. Lady Karin."
"Hmm, you mean her?"
"You pinpointed it exactly? Have you perhaps already made her acquaintance?"
"No, I just thought her aura alone was different."
He had precisely identified the object of Revi Folt's interest.
That was only natural since there was a woman who stood out exceptionally.
Rather, it would be stranger if he hadn't noticed.
‘What a flashy color.’
A cadet with impressive deep purple hair and eyes.
She gave a strong impression of being a beauty at first glance, and the more you looked, the more her fresh charm gradually revealed itself.
However, what was more intense than her beauty was the presence of the woman named Karin.
An overwhelming aura reminiscent of a modern top star.
"Lady Karin Alencia de Guinevere, daughter of Marquis Guinevere. She is also the daughter of the current Prime Minister."
"An impressive status."
"She's not someone impressive merely due to her status. As for how brilliant she is, she's so intelligent that she can debate with eminent scholars."
"…You know more than I expected?"
"There's no woman my age who doesn't admire her. Ah, of course Lady Irene is also an object of admiration!"
"……Her?"
"Yees, she's the top student of the Magic Department, isn't she? And she's also the daughter of the Galahad family."
"……."
…A sickly chick is an object of admiration?
To Ihan, it was baffling what there was to respect about a mage.
Mages were a breed you shouldn't be good to, so why didn't they know that?
‘I just can't understand the sentiments of young people these days….'
As Ihan made a reluctant expression, the debate soon began and a quiet atmosphere settled over the room.
And a short while later.
"…Is this a Purple solo concert?"
Ihan showed reluctance in a different sense.
"D-don't call her Purple…."
Ignoring Revi Folt's objection, Ihan observed in real-time the atmosphere of the venue focusing entirely on Purple—that is, Karin.
- [Karin Alencia de Guinevere greets you. Our debate topic today is none other than
…It was a provocative topic.
With remnants of the Kingdom of Britain still causing trouble, and the citizens of Britain potentially rising up in rebellion at any moment.
What to do with Britain, which had barely been digested over the past three years, was a subject of intense debate even among the upper class, and it was a headache-inducing conundrum that had thrown the kingdom into an uproar.
Yet that sensitive issue was being addressed right here, and furthermore, the current Prime Minister's daughter was representing the 'Opposition.'
Truly….
"That's some nerve, don't you think?"
"……."
"Don't pretend you don't know, I'm asking you."
"…A-are you speaking to me?"
"Yeah, you."
"……."
"Don't play dumb. I can tell you're trying to act like you have nothing to do with Purple, but you're obviously worried."
"……."
"And what's with that expression of being caught while sending such a burdened gaze? You suspicious bastard."
"……."
Ihan looked at the boy who had sidled up to sit beside him and was staring at him.
He looked like a somewhat frail person.
However, Ihan's eyes gleamed as he held back a scoff.
This guy….
‘You sat next to me and muttered [Status], didn't you?’
Ihan's ears hadn't missed even the tiny whisper that had escaped those lips, and he instantly realized with intuition.
‘So it's this guy.’
…The Status window.
* * *
Derek was sweating profusely.
Extremely timid, even facing acquaintances was difficult for him.
Therefore, the current situation of facing a complete stranger was inevitably terrifying, but he was sweating noticeably more than usual.
The reason?
It was nothing else.
‘I-is this… a person's specs?’
The status he confirmed with his
━
Name: [Ihan Turtle]
Race: [??]
Traits: [Vajra Ascetic (Lv.7), Strong Regeneration (Lv.5), Beast's Instinct (Lv.6), Veteran Intuition (Lv.6), Poison Resistance (Lv.4), Seed of a Patriarch (Lv.7), Spell Slayer (Lv.5)]
Vajra Ascetic: A trait only ascetic monks who survived adversity by destroying their flesh and risking their lives can possess. Increases physical abilities. The more one views women as stones, the more lust is converted into durability.
Strong Regeneration: A trait only those who have succeeded in refining their flesh can possess. Increases the regeneration of the entire body including skin, bones, muscles, nerves, and organs. The more painful physical training is repeated, the tougher the body becomes.
Beast's Instinct: A trait only those with the blood of beasts can obtain. Grants beast-like instincts.
Veteran Intuition: A trait given to those who have survived more than ten wars with body and mind intact. Aids in detecting danger and discerning truth from falsehood.
Poison Resistance: A trait given when one survives ingesting poison. Grants resistance to most poisons.
Seed of a Patriarch: A trait given to those who spread and birth new martial arts. Greatly aids in creating independent martial arts. Supplements lacking technical talent.
Spell Slayer: A trait given to those who achieve the mage's natural enemy quest. Grants magic resistance and instills psychological terror in mages.
━
Whoa….
Even seeing it again, his mouth gaped open.
A whopping 7 traits!?
Considering that a normal human rarely has more than 3 traits, this was an absurd number.
Traits were determined by the 'years lived,' 'effort,' 'trials,' and 'pain' a person had endured, so most people had few.
But 7 of them?
Did he live being tortured from birth?
‘T-the number of traits is one thing, but why are the trait levels all so high…?’
Considering that the average [Trait Level] of an elite knight was barely 3 to 4, this was enough to make him faint.
To use a game character analogy, a character who finished their 4th job advancement having specs at Lv.4.
Yet this person had 'Lv.7' among their trait levels.
This effectively meant this person was a warrior character who had completed their 7th job advancement.
Lv.5 was the level to become a knight commander of a territory.
Lv.6 was a champion class worthy of representing a territory.
And Lv.7 was…!
‘Hero class.’
A hidden class so rare even in this 'game'!
But Derek, who remembered all the hero classes, had never heard of a hero character named Ihan.
No, before that…!?
‘Why is the race name a question mark? What's Vajra Ascetic? This isn't a wuxia novel…, and Spell Slayer? …I know that's a hidden trait you need to kill at least 30 mages to obtain, and he raised it to Lv.5…?!’
Just how many mages did he have to kill to level up like that-?
Derek swallowed dryly as he even confirmed the unique trait 'Seed of a Patriarch' that granted special abilities to those with lacking talent.
He still couldn't understand why even he, the [Developer], was seeing traits and a hero class with those traits for the first time.
‘This is fucking terrifying.’
It was clear this man had massacred at least a hundred mages.
……Derek instinctively lowered his eyes.