Chapter 10

Jacqueline Dogwood was a brand-new freshman at the Academy this year. And currently, a lost one.

She stared blankly up at the sky, then lowered her head and calmly assessed her situation.

“…I’m screwed.”

She never imagined she’d get stranded inside the Academy.

There were only fifteen minutes left until the entrance ceremony at the main auditorium.

But Jacqueline had somehow ended up in a completely unfamiliar location.

It was a forest without any paths. No, maybe part of a garden?

“Why? Why does a garden have to be so unnecessarily huge that it turns people into lost children…?”

Every year at the Royal Academy, she heard that a few students got lost and died of starvation.

When her uncle back home told her that, she thought he was just trying to scare her.

Jacqueline had laughed it off, thinking “Who could possibly be that stupid?”

And yet—

“I can’t believe I’m that person…”

To be honest, Jacqueline felt a little cheated.

She had done everything she could to prevent something like this from happening.

Even before leaving her countryside home for the city, she’d checked her supplies several times and studied the booklet from the admissions office while getting carsick on the cargo wagon.

She even stayed the night before at her aunt’s house on the far side of the city and woke up at dawn to walk to the Academy.

Lodging near the campus was outrageously expensive, after all.

Everything had gone smoothly…. up until she reached the front gate of the Royal Academy.

That’s when Jacqueline completely lost her composure.

Everything was so big, so shiny, so extravagant.

And there were so many people.

Flustered, she forgot the route she had memorized and even lost the booklet with the map.

Still, she figured if she just followed the crowd, she’d eventually arrive at the auditorium…

At some point, the people walking ahead of her had disappeared.

“How long can a person survive without food again? I should’ve brought some snacks… At least I have pen and paper in my bag. So I guess I can write a will. What should I say? ‘Jacqueline Dogwood, foolishly lost and now resting here forever’? Ahaha, my parents would probably laugh out loud in disbelief reading that… Wah!”

Rustle, rustle.

Just as Jacqueline made her way through the trees and bushes in half-giving-up mode, a wide intersection suddenly opened up before her eyes.

At last, she had escaped the forest….or rather, the garden!

Someone was standing in the middle of the intersection, and Jacqueline who was delighted to finally see another person shouted without thinking.

“Hey there!”

She stared waving excitedly and ran toward the figure who turned around. She was a girl with elegant style and pretty blonde hair.

Even just standing still, her posture radiated elegance and refinement.

She looked like a student at the Academy which was perfect.

Jacqueline energetically waved both arms and called out for help.

“Help! Please help me!”

“…What?”

“I’m lost! I’ve been stranded!”

“Stranded… on campus? You’ve got to be kidding me…”

The girl who looked like her senior tilted her head at first, but her expression shifted to utter disbelief when she got a good look at Jacqueline emerging from the bushes.

“What are you supposed to be?”

“I’m Jacqueline!”

“I didn’t ask your name.”

“Then what…?”

The older student narrowed her eyes and looked Jacqueline up and down before frowning and asking,

“You came to see the professor too, didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

“Professor Winslet. I’m asking if you came to see him.”

“Who’s that?”

“Hah? Playing dumb now? Come on, if you’ve made it all the way here, it’s obvious. This is the path Professor Winslet takes to work.”

“I really just got lost…”

“Well, give it up. The professor doesn’t like messy, ugly girls like you anyway.”

“…What did you say? Was that really necessary?!”

Jacqueline finally snapped at the unexpected insult.

She’d only asked for directions. What kind of person responds with a personal attack?

Are all city folks like this?

“Hey!”

“What, are you mad now?”

The senior’s attitude clearly dared her to talk back, so Jacqueline fired right back.

“Is being pretty all that matters to you?”

“Say whatever you want—wait, what did you just say?”

“Is being tall and having a good figure everything?”

“What are you even talking about, seriously?”

“I’m asking if being rich-looking, with perfect skin, and smelling all nice is all that matters to someone like you!”

“Uh… uh—thanks?”

“That wasn’t a compliment! You’re seriously the worst!”

“……?”

Jacqueline had a habit of blurting out whatever came to mind when she got worked up.

And though she hadn’t meant to, she’d clearly left the other girl flustered.

“Y-You brat! Would you just get lost already?”

“Why should I?”

“Because the professor’s about to arrive! If you get in the way, you’ll—”

Just as the senior raised a hand to shove Jacqueline aside—

“Who’s making all this racket on campus first thing in the morning?”

A tall man appeared from the northwest corner of the intersection.

Jacqueline, who had just turned to look in that direction, forgot all about nearly getting into a fight with her senior and fell silent.

It wasn’t for any particular reason.

It was just… well, how should she put it?

The man’s face… was kind of shocking.

Do people from the city all look like this?

His features were remarkable. Eyes as deep as wells. A nose high like a rooftop. And a jawline as sharp as if it was carved with a blade.

His blond hair swayed gently as he walked. It was longer and more graceful than even the female senior’s hair.

To Jacqueline, who had grown up in the countryside, such looks were completely unfamiliar.

That was a feast for the eyes.

She nodded to herself, thinking it was a good decision to come to the academy.

“P-Professor Winslet!”

Meanwhile, the senior who had been so full of confidence just moments earlier now spoke in a meek, sheepish tone.

Professor Winslet?

Jacqueline made a mental note of the name.

The professor spoke.

“The new semester starts today. It should be a busy day for everyone, and yet the two of you seem to have plenty of free time. Arguing in the middle of the street, no less. What year are you?”

“I-I’m Stephanie, a third-year at the Magic Department. From the House of Wells…”

“The Wells County?”

“Yes! My father is a great admirer of yours, Professor. So if you’d ever consider visiting our mansion sometime…”

“I have no business at boring places.”

Jacqueline’s mouth fell open.

Wasn’t a count’s house supposed to be a big deal?

The lord of the province where she lived was also a count.

She glanced sideways at her senior’s stunned expression and felt slightly relieved.

Phew, I guess even in the city, not everything is different.

This time, Professor Winslet motioned his chin toward Jacqueline.

His golden hair swayed like curtains, drawing her gaze.

“You?”

“Me? Uh… I’m Jacqueline Dogwood. I’m just from a little village in the countryside…”

“Equally unremarkable.”

Professor Winslet, having said that, turned his head and began walking away, as if he’d lost all interest.

It was clear that he no longer had the two of them in mind at all.

“……”

Watching his back, Jacqueline felt a strange sensation.

She had been ignored… and yet, oddly, it didn’t feel all that bad.

Winslet—that was the professor’s name, wasn’t it?

No matter how important he might be, he had dismissed a noble lady from a count’s house as unimpressive.

And then said the same about her.

But if we were both dismissed equally… doesn’t that mean I’m actually gaining something here?

It was confusing.

Why did it feel good to be ignored?

Strangely enough, she thought she might actually like that professor.

She began to wonder what subject he taught.

As long as it wasn’t math, she might even be willing to sit through one of his lectures.

That was what she was thinking as she kept her eyes on Professor Winslet’s retreating back.

Then, suddenly, the professor turned around and called out to her.

“Jacqueline Dogwood.”

“Y-Yes!”

Jacqueline jumped in surprise.

Did he have eyes in the back of his head or something?

She felt embarrassed like she’d been caught staring.

But with the professor’s next words, Jacqueline promptly forgot all about her embarrassment.

“You’re ugly.”

…Did that bastard just—?

What did he just say?

“If you’re a student of the Academy, it would be best to keep your appearance and attire a bit more proper. Try taking Miss Wells there as an example.”

Pfft. Her annoying senior beside her struggled to hold in a laugh.

Scratch what she said earlier about liking him.

Winter Winslet, was it?

He was a completely annoying professor.

***

While I was on my way to the auditorium to attend the entrance ceremony, I happened to run into two students by chance. Shortly afterward, a sudden headache hit me, and I sat down on a bench to rest for a moment.

[Warning]

[Willpower and Health have temporarily decreased.]

[Activated Trait: Diehard Aristocrat]

At first, I had no idea what this meant. But it turned out the cause of the sudden headache was a trait from Winter Winslet’s character: a so-called “Trait”.

[Winter Winslet]

Strength: D Health: E

Dexterity: A Wisdom: B

Intelligence: A

– Talents: [Magical Power S] [Magic A] [Element: Ice S] [Black Magic B] …(omitted)…

– Traits: [Diehard Aristocrat] [Innate Pride] [Lack of Humanity] [Aesthetic Eye] [Always Elegant] [Top-Class Gourmet] [Obsessed with Cleanliness] [Heroic Will] [Glass Cannon] [Prodigal Son] [Archetypal Mage] [Genetically Alluring] [Most Handsome Man of the Century] …(omitted)…

[Diehard Aristocrat]

– Someone whose sense of class hierarchy runs deep to the bone is highly sensitive to others’ backgrounds.

-Willpower and Health temporarily decrease when talking with someone of lower status.

Winter Winslet.

This guy was way more messed up than I had thought.

Seriously? Just talking with a commoner gives him a migraine?

Willpower was one of the hidden stats that didn’t appear on the surface. When it dropped, various penalties would apply to the character’s abilities.

And if Willpower hit zero, it was game over.

You’d become a vegetable. You would effectively suffer a mental death, according to the setting.

[Heroic Willpower]

– You will not die even if your willpower is reduced to critical levels. However, the penalty time will increase and permanent damage to your abilities may occur.

Fortunately, Winter Winslet also possessed a trait that compensated for this, so there was no chance he would end up becoming a vegetable just from talking with a commoner.

However, if he actually did something like that, he’d suffer for a week from nausea, stomach pain, various inflammations, and memory loss.

Winter Winslet’s system-based traits—

They were the ones controlling my body.

Another notable example was language.

He used polite speech, but always in a rude tone.

And to make matters worse, it came out sounding incredibly arrogant, completely against my intention.

It had just happened, too.

Was her name Jacqueline Dogwood?

I saw a student on the street with her hair all messy, covered in leaves, looking like she’d just been chased by a wild boar. I meant to express concern.

But instead, out of nowhere—

“Ugly.”

My mouth just blurted it out on its own.

Of course, this kind of outburst was likely not just the fault of [Diehard Aristocrat], but also the combined influence of traits like [Obsessed with Cleanliness] and [Aesthetic Eye]. Still…

…Could I really manage like this?

After much deliberation, I remembered something that might help.

[Would you like to open the Achievement Shop? (YES/NO)]

[Achievement Shop]

– You can use achievement points to purchase perks.

– Achievement points can be earned by clearing death flags.

[Currently available points: 24]

That was the existence of the Achievement Shop.