Chapter 12: Stray Cat (1)
As was common knowledge, games were usually played from the protagonist's point of view. This meant there weren't a lot of things I could do since I've already had my downfall, played my part, and essentially left the stage.
However, the great news was that since I've already played the game several times from the protagonist's point of view, I could roughly guess what event was currently happening, just based on the timing and the academy's schedule.
This meant there was no reason for me to feel frustrated from not knowing the state the academy was in or what was going on. I felt comforted by this fact.
On the contrary, I was surprised by how many things I didn't know because the game progressed from Taylee's point of view.
An example would be the Magic Department's curriculum.
As the main character, Taylee was a student of the Combat Department, hence the game's title, 'Failed Swordmaster'. This meant there was no way for the player to know what kind of life the Magic Department students had.
Another example was the things that happened outside of Taylee's activities.
Like the new buildings and statues being built under the sponsorship of ‘The Golden Daughter, Lortel’. As well as the royal knights stationed at the entrance of the academic district to escort ‘The Benevolent Princess Penia.’
Even though these things were not part of the main story, they made the world look and feel alive.
In fact, I had quite a few stories I was curious about that were never revealed in the game.
There were countless of them, but if I had to pick just one… it would have to be Yennekar Palerover.
As the final boss of Act 1, the story of her being possessed by the high-ranking dark spirit Velosper was not seriously fleshed out.
She might have been considered the final boss on paper, but the real boss was Velosper, whom she summoned, the right-hand man of the highest-ranking dark spirit Glasskan
But high-ranking dark spirits descended through an Elementalist's pessimistic thoughts or the darkness in their heart.
And while there was darkness in everyone, no matter how big or small… wasn't Yennekar someone who was completely removed from such darkness?
She had a bright personality by nature, born with such liveliness and joy.
Just what in the world happened to Yennekar that she would fall under the influence of a high-ranking dark spirit?
… not like I had the time to pay attention to that.
Whatever it may be, Taylee would take care of Velosper and save the student center.
* * *
“This is too hard…”
It had been ten days since school started.
“Wouldn't I die at this rate? Like, seriously…?”
I was resting on a bench in the academic district, the sun setting over the horizon, when I was hit with a moment of post-nut clarity* out of nowhere.
* TN: metaphor, a moment of realization
My daily routine every school day was as follows:
I would wake up before sunrise and thoroughly wash myself in the stream, making sure to clean every nook and cranny as I was afraid of smelling.
I would then run to the academic district through the northern forest wearing casual clothes that I could wash every day.
I would always be covered in sweat by the time I arrived, so I would secretly wash up in the bathroom of Glockt Hall.
Then I would change into my school uniform, and hide my casual clothes in the grass in the Rose Garden to take with me after school.
After all of that, I would head to the hall where my classes took place. It was where I met and mingled with children from noble families and top students alike, so I had to be careful of maintaining an upright behavior.
My reputation was already rock bottom in the academy, so I had to deal with all sorts of gossip whenever I passed by. I even started feeling empty when I didn't hear such gossip around me these days.
I also got used to being invisible in my classes.
After focusing on my studies, it was lunchtime.
I would eat lunch boxes because I couldn't afford the expensive and luxurious cafeteria at Ophelis Hall, nor the cafeteria in the student union building. My lunch boxes were my usual wild meals I brought from my camp.
I had been using rock salts to make beef jerky lately. I would hang the cured meat for about three days in the simple drying rack I crafted. This, somehow, enabled me to make decent beef jerky.
There was no better and simpler food than a jerky as it was a portable meal that also satisfied my hunger. My cooking proficiency also increased due to it, which was a bonus!
After filling up with lunch, I would finish the afternoon lectures like an invisible ghost, all the way to the end of the school day.
I would then take the casual clothes I hid and head back into the northern forest. Leaving around sunset allowed me to arrive at my camp just as it was getting dark.
I tried training my Vitality stat in the beginning by running back home as much as possible. But ever since we started magic practical classes, the use of magic power left me without much energy so I've had to walk back home slowly.
The first thing I would do when I returned to camp was wash the sweaty casual clothes I wore that morning. I always had to dry it in advance so I could wear it again the next day.
I would also inspect my school uniform to make sure it was kept elegant and neat at all times. I had to make sure there was no dirt on it, nor any tears. And if any was found, I would immediately repair it using thread I took from other fabrics.
After dealing with my clothes, I would then do everything else I needed to do for the day, which differed from day to day.
I would check if I was running out of any herbs or medicinal plants, and if I was, I would then go out and collect some. I also always checked the condition of the pile of wood I had trimmed.
I would also check the cave for my meat supply. If I noticed I had started to run out, I would take my bow and go out to hunt. It was actually more convenient to hunt using the harpoon and spear I previously made. But with my future in mind, I forced myself to hunt using the bow because I knew I had to level up my proficiency for it.
But if the results for that day's hunt were too abysmal, of course, I would use a different weapon. I needed to eat to live, after all.
And after the sun had fully set, I would light up the campfire so I had a secure light source. Then it was time to do my homework.
I would go over the practice assignments on a wide stone plate I had fashioned into a workbench. My strong suits were areas where writing was an important factor like Magic History and Elemental Studies. Thankfully, I was still a quick thinker.
It had been a while since I held a pen, but there was also a time when I was a test-taker, going through the rough period of studying to pass Korea's college entrance exam. It was as if my body still remembered all my study habits from that time. Hurray for South Korea’s private education craze…?!
I used a small poker to write on the stone slab with ashes. I had also borrowed books from the student library since there was no way I could afford my own personal books, nor a quill pen and ink.
And as the moon rose high in the sky, I would practice magic alone.
My first goal was to get my elemental beginner magic proficiency to level 10. The second-year curriculum already introduced intermediate magic, so there would be nothing I could do if I was stuck struggling with beginner magic.
I trained my magic practically by using Wind Blade to trim trees and controlling the campfire using my fire-type magic.
I would start feeling sleepy at this point, but I knew it wasn't time to sleep quite yet. I still had a lot of work to do before I could go to bed.
I would inspect my simple shelter and check for any problems, then I would replenish the firewood in the campfire to make sure it had enough through the night. After this, I would check the beef jerky I bring to school the next day, as well as my water container, which I refill as needed.
I would then go over tomorrow's timetable and organize my thoughts on how I will spend the next day. After that, I would fill the shelter with campfire smoke to drive the bugs away. Then I ventilate it and finally go to bed where I would get about four hours or so of good sleep.
Thankfully, I never overslept no matter how tired I was. Owing to having gone to the military, I got used to this routine pretty quickly.
This was the life I led for the last ten days.
My whole body had been screaming from the muscle pains.
I looked up at the sunset sky as I sat on the bench, taking a short break from my current situation. When I go back to camp, there would be a mountain of work I needed to do.
“At the very least, I should move the camp a little closer…”
I thought about it for a moment and shook my head no. Nothing good would come out of living among the other students' living areas. Plus, the long-distance I travel to and fro every day helped with my vitality. No, don't be weak!
“Aghhhkk!”
I could barely get my creaky body up from the wooden bench to get back on the road again. But what more could I do when I possessed a body like this?
I had to accept this much.
Surely, better days were bound to come.
* * *
Translator - Plumper
Proofreader - kianianian
* * *
But a fortunate thought came to mind as I traversed through the northern forest.
That the past ten days had given me confidence in my ability to sustain this lifestyle.
I had somehow managed to keep at it, no matter how fucking difficult and tiring it had been.
It was probably because my student life had been calmer and more peaceful than I had imagined.
Everyone would gossip and look at me with contempt wherever I went. In the end, I didn't really care anymore.
What could I even do about it? It wasn't even me who did those things. And besides, Ed Rothstaylor was just unlikeable, to begin with.
It was a much better situation than with the first-years, where chaos would break loose left and right, always out for an adventure.
As it was early in the first semester, ‘Spear from Nature Ziggs’ must have already blown up the Research Building, and ‘Lazy Lucy’ had already electrocuted the dean's cat with lightning magic. Their year already had a lot of events happening.
Additionally, the first-year students of the Combat, Magic and Alchemy Department must have already had their first hands-on class against monsters. Soon enough, the main character Taylee would start meeting the other main characters and getting acquainted with them.
Taking a step backstage, my surprisingly calm and regular life continued. Yeah… it wasn't so bad when I thought about it this way.
After all, if one were to keep reliving a hard and tiring day by day, they would eventually get used to it.
All I had to do was stay away from the main characters and continue on with my life. Then, I would earn my diploma, and when the academy goes into chaos…
Bye bye!
Well, not that the academy would collapse. It was an ordeal that would resolve on its own, so not like there was a reason for me to deal with it.
When I thought of things like this, I couldn’t help but think I've been doing a good job thus far.
Yeah, there was no reason to feel frustrated over anything.
Except for one variable.
Yennekar Palerover.
“Hello!”
“What are you eating?! Dried meat?”
“Good Morning!”
“What’s your next class? Elemental Studies?”
“Do you want to eat at the student cafeteria with me?”
These past ten days, whenever Yennekar saw me around the academic district, she would always give me an unchanging lively greeting.
Of course, her two best friends would always appear and drag her away soon after.
“Hmmm…”
This wasn’t part of my plan. There shouldn’t be a reason for her to be this interested in me… Did I make some type of mistake? Or was there an aspect I hadn't realized?
“Well… it should be fine.”
Through the forest, the sun had begun to set. And across the branches, I began to see my camp that had now comfortably become my home.
But it was still a long way home.
I had said this before, but I was a foreign entity in this world who would follow its authentic story.
If I were to become a variable that could change the flow of the world, then I would have lost my advantage of knowing the future.
Therefore, it was only right that I maintained a certain distance from the important people of this world. Well, it might have been awkward to forcefully try to become close, but it was easy to keep my distance.
I could do this!
The post-nut clarity from a while ago had begun to fade to some extent. And the hope that I would be able to do well took its spot.
Yes, one way or another, everything would work out!
I had been keeping my distance from other people, so much so that it had become so boring, but that's okay! I could do this!
With my heart filled with hope and the drive to live today to the fullest, I took a step into my camp.
“Zzz… Zzz…”
It was then that I found a girl curled up and sleeping in my simple shelter.
Her neck was covered by the brim of her witch's hat, so wide that it could cover the entirety of her face. And her breathing… that breathing that sounded as if everything was bothering her… I was able to figure out her identity as soon as I heard it.
I sat down on a rock.
“Sigh...”
It was a sigh from the depths of my heart.
“Just why… why is this girl sleeping here?!”
It was the first time meeting her, but how could I not know her? She would play an active part from the beginning till the end of ‘Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster’.
She was such an important person that she could be considered on the same level as the other four heroines. She was someone with an important presence in the main story.
It might be hard to judge by her appearance, with how she seemed lazy and uninterested, but she was overwhelmingly one of the most important characters.
So why the fuck was she sleeping here?
“......”
I looked around my camp.
We were in the northern forest of Acken Island. A faraway place where nobody went. But to a student who was as genius as she was, to use her magic power to traverse through space so quickly was as easy as breathing. This forest wouldn't have been that far for her.
First of all, her behavior could be likened to that of a street cat.
Due to her small body and her talent to bounce around using magic swiftly, she could go to the top of the clock tower, or the rooftop of Glockt Hall, or any great place for naps where she would get the perfect amount of sunlight… she could literally go anywhere.
So why the hell is she here?!
To this place where there were no people, which was far away from the academic buildings, where a shelter with a roof was, where you could hear the cool wind and the pleasant sound of the stream…
There was no better place to skip classes and take a nap.
......
“Fuck! It was my own fault!”
I shouted out too late, my monologue meaningless.
I could hear ‘Lazy Lucy’ gently exhale as she slept, as if in a whisper.
I covered my eyes with one hand in exasperation.
I had no choice but to sit still for a while.
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