NOVEL WEB Chapter 13
13. I Can’t Be the Only One Suffering (2)
Why did she come to find me this early in the morning?
Could it be that Travel is already trying to approach me…? I felt a bit worried.
However, if there are no variables, that guy won’t come for another week. Right now, he’s probably plotting a secret plan for revenge against Lyman.
“Is nobody inside?”
A little girl’s voice came from beyond the door. Mary Ryudshiel, what could be her reason for seeking me out?
She is Jenny’s best friend. It must be around the time she realizes that Jenny’s state has worsened and needs to take action. There’s no way she would seek me out, a guy like me.
Still, it felt a bit ominous to just send her away, so I opened the door.
“Hello! I’m Mary Ryudshiel from Class A of the Magic Department. You’re Radon Crawler, right?”
The moment I opened the door, I saw a girl who looked familiar from countless games.
She was so small compared to other students that she looked like a grade schooler.
Her long pink hair resembled cherry blossoms, and her blue eyes sparkled. Her delicate skin looked smooth, as if it would glide softly upon contact with raindrops.
A girl endowed with exceptional beauty and talent that would earn her high expectations for the future, Mary Ryudshiel stood in front of my room.
“Can I come in?”
Since I couldn’t just stare blankly at her, I let her into my room.
Considering her status, my shabby room was nothing to look at, yet she joyfully bounced around and sat on the floor.
Born with a silver spoon as the esteemed daughter of the Empire’s highest Mage Tower, her foolish personality was the hallmark of Mary.
Thanks to that, unlike students from noble households, she had no sense of superiority.
Perhaps that’s why she was quite friendly with Lyman, who is of unknown status.
“Want some tea?”
“Really? Thank you! Thank you!”
This was not just any ordinary guest, but one of the playable characters. Even just giving her a cup of tea felt like an elaborate gesture.
Watching Mary slurp the tea, I asked,
“What business does a Class A student like you have with someone like me in Class C?”
“Hey~ don’t be too hard on yourself about being in Class C.”
“Surely you know who ruined Jenny’s necklace.”
“Well… that’s true.”
Mary should actually find me rather unpleasant.
Why would she greet the culprit who troubled her close friend Jenny with a friendly face?
“But I got curious watching you clash with Jenny during the practical exam.”
Despite the bad taste, that was why she came to find me… what could that mean?
“What caught my eye was you getting frozen by Jenny. So, here’s the thing.”
“……”
“I want to examine Radon’s body, which fell victim to that mana. I hope I can get your permission.”
As she said that, Mary shot a sparkling glance at me. It looked earnest yet silly at the same time.
I couldn’t read the mind of such a carefree Mary at all.
‘But why does she want to examine my body?’
If this were a proper narrative, now would be the time to investigate the strange symptoms occurring with Jenny. There should be no delay in that.
Because soon, Travel would also have his eyes on the Silver Age and start plotting.
Mary needed to learn how to control that ability as quickly as possible. Did that somehow relate to me?
“Why me? That’s Jenny’s mana, so she should be the one you ask.”
“That won’t do. Jenny would never allow it.”
Jenny sees that power as a curse. She wouldn’t mention it even if asked.
If she had any awareness, it wouldn’t be normal to make such a request casually.
If she can’t squeeze it from Jenny, then we’d have to find someone else to extract it from…
Ah, so that’s why Mary came to find me.
“None of the other students have experienced it like I have?”
“Coincidentally, Jenny is struggling to avoid using that power. Since she has never used it, no one has experienced it. But surprisingly! She used it for the first time during this practical exam!”
In other words, I was the first student to have encountered the Silver Age. The seriousness began to show on Mary’s face as she conveyed that fact.
“I was, of course, surprised, but the other students in the same department were too! I have no idea why she used the power she disliked so much, but from that moment on, she will likely use it more frequently.”
If the frequency increases, what happens? I didn’t bother to ask. I could already guess.
Jenny couldn’t control the Silver Age. That’s precisely why the faculty kept their eyes on her.
“If she accidentally uses it again, a major disaster might occur! It’s not just dangerous; Jenny herself considers it a curse.”
According to the main storyline, Mary must have recently noticed Jenny’s strange symptoms. If Mary possesses mana sensitivity that differs from others, it is entirely possible.
To prevent a possible rampage, the current Mary’s point of view is to gather clues about the power of ice.
So… it means she approached me to acquire those clues.
The fact that I became the first student to experience the Silver Age, resulting in Mary seeking me out… a development that doesn’t even exist in the original story!
“In short, you need my cooperation to help Jenny?”
“Yeah! I met Jenny yesterday, and she felt really cold. I couldn’t just sit still!”
I was torn over whether to agree or not. Anyway, even without my help, Mary would find a way to control it herself.
Getting involved further would only confuse the story. So, I was about to decline…
“Wait!”
“Yeah?”
“Did you just say Jenny was cold?”
“Yeah, so?”
My thoughts had to be corrected.
If this were the main storyline, Jenny shouldn’t have had any problems for several days yet.
Specifically, there should be no signs that would lead one to think everything was fine.
‘Unless Mary has exceptional talent, she wouldn’t be able to notice those signs.’
At least at this point, she should be fine.
If her body suddenly turned cold, and whatever she touched froze, the Silver Age malfunction would only occur days later.
It was still too early for that event to happen.
‘But something seems off here compared to the main storyline? Ah, could it be that her mental state has deteriorated since the relic was destroyed?’
With the loss of the relic and the fact that she had used the dreaded Silver Age by mistake.
The trauma has now doubled compared to the original storyline, so the chance of a rampage has significantly increased.
‘Oh no, damn it…!’
I know very well how terrifying a rampaging Silver Age can be.
When Jenny was a child, she mistakenly used that power and turned the entire village into an Ice Age. In the middle of summer, no less.
I was lucky. If Jenny had hesitated even a little back then, my heart would have frozen entirely.
‘If that Ice Age descends upon the Academy…?’
… it would recreate a frozen kingdom.
“If we leave things as they are, we’ll all be in danger, won’t we?”
“Of course.”
The moment the Silver Age rampages, an unstoppable blizzard will sweep through. The civilians around here will be in danger, and Jenny could enter a game-over scene where she self-destructs.
Naturally, the Academy students, including me, would also be in danger.
“Then, are you going to cooperate with me?”
I want to help Jenny. The reason Mary is trying to research the Silver Age is that simple. I knew she was one of the few friends I had, but I lacked the ability to solve it in my younger days.
Mary wasn’t just a silly character.
After this chapter ends, Jenny would be able to control the Silver Age, and that would be thanks to Mary’s talent.
Of course, there were routes that could lead to failure. If they lost that final battle, the rampage would peak, and a game-over scene would show Jenny freezing and shattering into pieces.
Nothing is more troublesome than such a route progressing.
“Alright, I get it. I feel guilty, so I’ll cooperate for the time being.”
“Really?”
“I made a mistake last time by spreading false news, so I’ll help out as a form of atonement.”
“Thank you! From now on, we’re friends!~”
The justification was solid! Even I think it’s great. However, I wasn’t too pleased with her openly hugging me and considering me a friend.
“I definitely do not want the Academy to become a frozen kingdom.”
“Right? But I didn’t know Radon had such feelings. You’re known as a scammer.”
“I’m not lying this time, so don’t worry. I feel uneasy about scamming a little girl like you.”
That apology was genuine.
But what is this? This chilling, eerie aura…
“Hmm…? What did you just say?”
“What?”
“Small? I feel like I just heard something I shouldn’t have…”
“Ah…!”
Oh no! I had completely forgotten. Although I’m 16, I hadn’t matured… I shouldn’t point out that complex in front of Mary.
It’s fine if I do it just once, but if I do it continuously, her smile would twist into something deranged, and she would become a magic-slinging terminator.
So it was not too late even now!
“No, no! I mean I can’t scam a glamorous lady like you! You must have misheard!”
“Hmm… is that so?”
The deadly aura gradually faded away as Mary returned to her usual self. I almost ended up in big trouble.
She is so determined to deny her height that her game profile outright records her as having a glamorous figure.
“Did you just say something ridiculous about me being short…?”
“Who said that! Who! Who would malign the fine adult Mary!”
I should flatter her as much as possible.
-Level 5 Awareness
A passive skill activated to say just that.
[Erosion Rate Decreased: -5%]
[+500 Credits]
[You have exceeded a certain experience threshold. You have gained 1 stat point.]
Of course, the system popped up naturally since I lied.
Now that we would be working together for some time, there were more than a few things to be careful about. Whether I could handle Mary’s madness from now on depended on my will.
*
There were many students who occasionally skipped morning classes.
If they overslept the night before, they wouldn’t be late, and they could wake up at lunch and slowly enjoy breakfast.
It was fine to use sleep time just like holidays.
Students who aren’t hard workers often fulfill their desire for relaxation in this way.
However, there also existed students like Jenny Chain Silver, who would abandon such desires to train in the morning.
“Ugh…!”
Somehow, despite it being 9 o’clock, Jenny was… still in bed. For her, who usually wakes up at 7 even on holidays, this was quite unusual.
Still, she didn’t look comfortable for someone who had slept long. Her closed eyes were tightly scrunched, and cool sweat beaded on her forehead.
She muttered and thrashed around as if she were not a sleeping person.
She was struggling to escape from a nightmare. Caught in a strong obsession, she could not escape reality.
What she saw there was her past. The ruin of when she lost her mother.
It was when the carriage was climbing a mountain road. In an instant, a monstrous beast appeared, and the escort knights were helplessly slaughtered.
It was a one-sided hunt by the beast, making it shameful to say they fought back.
The beast’s power was immense. There was no way it could lurk around these mountains.
Ignoring any thoughts, Jenny’s mother wielded her sword to protect her daughter.
But just like the escort knights, her sword shattered when faced with the beast’s might. With the loss of her weapon, all she could do was evade.
All Jenny could think while watching was one thing.
-I have to help my mother.
Zzzzzzz- The Silver Age activated, and the ground turned to ice. With this, the beast would freeze its legs and be unable to move, allowing her to escape with her mother.
Perhaps it was due to failing to control the output, but her mother’s legs frosted over as well. The distance between her mother and the beast wasn’t very far.
Her mother, completely immobilized, couldn’t do anything…
FWOOSH!-
She was impaled by the spear on the beast’s hand and died. If her mother could have moved her legs, or if she hadn’t used her power at all…
It was as if she had killed her mother.
Perhaps because of that, even while being pierced, her mother was looking at her. That beautiful face rotted and decayed into a corpse, yet she stared straight at her.
‘Gasp!’ Jenny woke up with her eyes wide open.
She tried to calm her heart, relieved that it was just a dream, but…
“Ah?”
Her hands were cold. In the air floated a white mist.
Jenny felt a chill at that realization and looked around.
Zzzzz–
The room was frozen like a refrigerator.
Surviving as an Academy Scammer