In a Civilized Manner

No. 48 eyed the fragile-looking man in front of her.

Even though he was a head taller, No. 111 appeared as sickly as one who hadn't eaten in days. His skin was pale as paper, almost glowing under the library's study lights as it revealed the purple veins flowing underneath.

Contrasting with his vulnerable appearance was his gaze, rippleless and serene as they directed straight ahead.

No. 48 licked her lips.

She wanted to break that calmness.

Her persona was someone who'd resort to extremes to achieve her goal. No. 48 considered herself a mild person back in the real world, so she thought it'd be difficult to grow accustomed to acting.

However, it was surprisingly easy to adapt.

Alton had suggested that she picture herself as not a player but the student herself. That way, it'd be less difficult to immerse into her role and sustain affinity.

So, that was exactly what she did.

Ranked 48, she'd gotten a firsthand taste of power in this Labyrinth, one which she never had in the outside world. The gazes of the lower ranks filled with admiration and jealousy as they fawned over her, all competing to gain her favour just for a few pieces of paper.

From the looks of his state, the dark-haired man would surely have trouble surviving in this environment if he failed to find support by the next ranking reveal.

She'd never seen him attend class, and most players had already established their own groups.

Indeed, the power disparity between the higher and lower ranked would only grow from here.

No. 48 was fortunate to be a part of Alton's organisation, home to over half of the players in the top twenty ranks. Every day, lower-ranked players and natives approached her, begging her to join the team.

An indescribable sense of fevour arose within No. 48 as she imagined No. 111's stoic face replaced with a grateful expression of joy at her proposal.

"Wanna be my pet? I'll make sure your ranking never falls again."

Less than an arm's length apart, No. 48 brushed her fingers past his neck slowly. The man's skin was cool, which was strange, but made him all the more unique. She stepped back, expecting to see the man's look of surprise.

When they locked eyes, the girl froze.

The man gazed at her with a windless look, almost as though she was an inanimate object. No, if she looked closely, she could see a hint of something else.

…Annoyance?

"Miss, I'm not into those things." He stepped back with a soft sigh. Light flashed across his pale eyes as he glimpsed her through his lashes.

"You should go find someone else."

"Are you aware of what you've just refused?" No. 48 frowned. "As my pet, all you have to do is stick by my side, and you'll get all those extra pages. Do you know how many players would kill for my offer to you just now?"

"Is that so..?" The man paid no attention to her incredulity as he muttered in half-heartedness. His focus seemed elsewhere as his gaze reached past her as though she was invisible.

No. 48 clenched her jaws, face flushed from the rejection.

"You now…!"

"Master!"

A youthful voice echoed through the study space, causing heads to turn. Many students had gone to the cafeteria for food, so the library had emptied quite a bit.

No. 48 blinked as she peered toward the source of the voice. A young man waved in the distance, his golden hair fluttering with the movement.

The bold, glowing number "1" floated on his head.

No. 48's eyes widened.

"Number one?"

What was the top student doing here? No, more importantly, who was he calling "Master"?!

"Celio."

A gentle voice sounded behind her, and she spun around to see the dark-haired man give a slight wave in response. His eyes swept past her, toward the approaching top student.

"Keep your voice down. We're in the library."

"Ah, I’m sorry!" The boy rubbed the nape of his neck. "We were looking for you in the cafeteria, but Ives said she saw you heading toward the library."

At the "we" in his words, No. 48 turned her head. A few meters from their table, a group of students walked toward them. One was a boy with freckles and curly hair, the number "12" following after him as he trodded forward; beside him was a petite child, and she was tugging onto the sleeves of a white-haired man.

"Professor 004?"

The top student, the seven-year-old prodigy, even the professor—they were all here for the feeble-looking No. 111.

No. 48 could only stare dazedly as they approached their table. She then turned to the man beside her.

How did he know all those people?

"Ives and I have no class this afternoon, so I figured it'd be more convenient to have our meeting there instead," the top student said to the dark-haired man. "I had the butler bring your food to your room. Is that okay?"

As he spoke, his eyes landed on the girl standing beside him. Even though the boy was much younger, his face full of innocence, No. 48 found herself swallowing at the sharpness of his gaze.

"Master, who's this?"

No. 48 stiffened. Her mind flashed back to everything she had said to the man less than five minutes ago, and a layer of cold sweat form on her back.

Perhaps sensing her nervousness, the dark-haired man turned to her with the same gentle demeanour.

"Is something wrong?" He smiled.

No. 48 opened her mouth several times, but no sound came out.

Dismissing her dumbfounded expression, No. 111 waved a leisure hand and turned toward the golden-haired boy.

"Just another player," he said, and No. 48 felt her knees grow weak. The next second, the man gave her a side glance. "She was trying to help me. Offered quite an interesting proposal too, I must say."

No. 48's blood ran cold.

"Proposal?" No. 12 tilted his head. "What proposal?"

The dark-haired man strode forward. Standing in the group's center, he turned around to face her.

"As you can see, miss—I'm not exactly in a position where I need to become someone's pet."

Under No. 48's petrified gaze, Edris smiled.

"Now, if you'll excuse me."

***

"Master, what was that just now?" Celio asked on their way to the dorms. "Pet? She wasn't trying to be sketchy, right?"

Edris shook his head a negative.

"Just a little diversion. Nothing to dwell on."

"Come to think of it, the test is tomorrow," the freckled boy said with a shiver. "I'm so nervous that I didn't even have an appetite today."

"You ate four bowls of noodles and also a bunch of snacks from the [STORE]," Celio said flatly.

"You're free to eat as much as you'd like." Edris glanced at the freckled boy. "As long as you get into the top 10."

The latter turned to him with a wink. "Just count on me, bro. I already said it—I got you."

Edris smiled in return.

"I'm counting on you."

To assist Celio in completing his main task, Edris had asked No. 12 to partake in his plan. The beast tamer's task involved blowing up the music tower, and since mana use was restricted in the Labyrinth, they needed to find a substitute.

Since the freckled boy turned out to be an obsessed fanatic in alchemy practice, he was the perfect person to go to for the occasion.

After all, what better way to blow something up than with a bomb?

But of course, to No. 12, he was merely helping to create explosives for a firework show, which Edris was planning to execute in confessing to his unrequited love.

According to the freckled boy, the academy's lab was only available during alchemy class under the supervision of Professor Moss. However, the room could be rented out during after-school hours by students in the top ten rankings if they wanted some extra practice on class materials.

Currently, the freckled boy was twelfths on the chart. With a test every two weeks, as long as he achieved in the top 10, he and Celio could both enter the lab.

"Oh shit." The boy stared at the clock on the classroom building. "I forgot I signed up for a tutoring session today.."

"Wait." Celio blinked. "With who?"

"With you, dumbass!" He sighed in exasperation. "And you too, Miss Prodigy!"

"Who're you calling dumbass?!" Shooting him a glare, the beast tamer then turned toward Edris with an apologetic look. "Master, I will have to go for the sake of my affinity. Are you okay with eating alone?"

"…"

What type of person do you think I am?

"Of course." Edris merely nodded with a smile. "Ives, you should go too. Be careful."

The seven-year-old had consciously trampled her reputation to fit her role description, but she still needed to know the material just in case the plan flunked and she had to finish the test in Edris's stead.

"Remember. Always put yourself before anyone else," he said calmly. "Ditch the plan immediately if you sense any possibility of danger, or if the professors grow suspicious. Even if I do end up in detention, I have an alternative, so there's no need to worry."

He needed the seven-year-old to maintain her affinity for his final plan, so [DETENTION] was the last place he wanted her to end up.

As for himself, Edris could always turn to the Sacrificial Hourglass as a last resort.

Ives gazed at him in silence, then nodded.

"Got it."

After parting ways, Edris and Ace were the only ones left.

"Professor." Edris turned to the white-haired man with a smile. "I have some romance-related questions I'd like to consult you with. Are you free at the moment?"

"What bullshit," Ace said. "There's no one here."

"Just in case a native was listening." Edris's smile grew wider after seeing his reaction. "Anyway, did you find out anything new about the campus? Because I have."

Ace stared at him, and Edris continued.

"They say that the students at MW Academy are divided into three years. But have you actually seen any students in the other years?"

Edris looked at the campus roads spread before them. There were 216 students in the first year, including players and natives. There should be a similar number in the other two grades as well.

At the thought, Edris's gaze landed on the classroom buildings from afar. Even though he could make out students' outlines through the windows on each floor, he'd never actually bumped into any in the other years.

It almost seemed as if they were just background objects existing for the sake of the Labyrinth setting.

"Professors, too," Ace stated. "Aside from those four, no others have been sighted."

"Exactly. So I've been wondering something…" Edris regarded the white-haired man. "The difference between you and the other professors is that you're still on what they called the 'probation period,' which puts certain information out of your range of jurisdiction."

"Everything except curfew check and class supervision."

"What does 'everything' include, exactly?"

"According to Magenta, test-marking, rank organisation, lesson planning…" Ace's voice trailed off as he turned to look at the dark-haired man.

"You've realised too, haven't you?" Edris said. "All the classes are just reviews of the book material. What is there to plan?

"The tests we have are all based on this single book, The Story of Weisha. Given that the book's contents are already predetermined, wouldn't that mean the same for the test content?

"The professors don't teach. They only act as mediums of knowledge," he concluded. "The reason why they have such a strong presence in the academy is that they're the literal holders of knowledge. In other words—they create what's on the tests."

Ace raised an eyebrow. "Other than their class shifts, the four slacks around the lounge all day."

"So what happens when they're not on shift or in the lounge?" Edris asked.

"…"

The dark-haired man recalled the Principal's speech at the opening ceremony.

At the time, the old man had called professors the pillars of support, the books of knowledge, and the students' guides.

Drawing the words from his memory, Edris gazed towards Ace.

"Professors are the keys that sustain the system," he said. "Those four are where our focus should be."

A gust of wind blew between them, lifting strands of his dark hair into the air. Edris glimpsed the white-haired man with a thoughtful expression, and the latter narrowed his eyes.

"What are you planning this time?"

"The last time I visited your balcony, I noticed you have quite a fancy living space. I've been quite curious since about what the other professors' rooms are like…"

Edris cast his gaze toward the dorm building in the distance. A glint flashed across his eyes.

"What do you say, professor?" He smiled. "Down for a room tour?"