Interacting with important characters.
I already knew this would happen sooner or later.
I even made sure it would happen—even if I had to be the one to start the conversation first.
But...
"I never thought it would happen in the prologue."
It felt truly burdensome.
Being surrounded by important characters I usually only saw from afar made my courage vanish just like that.
Of course, I didn't show much of a reaction.
Maybe it was just my inner thoughts that were noisy while I ate calmly.
Just a little, I glanced ahead of me.
There were two figures who had become Leon's friends by now.
One of them was a childhood friend from when Leon was still a noble.
Hestia Ferlouch.
Her appearance was very gentle, with long pink hair. Her golden pupils emphasized her innocent look.
That matched her description in the game.
"She's really beautiful."
In the prologue of the game—
Hestia didn't know that Leon was still alive. She only knew that Leon's family had fallen and that Leon's whereabouts were unknown, so he was presumed dead.
But they met again at the academy and had a somewhat emotional reunion.
Hestia, who used to be a tomboy, had now grown into a beautiful girl, surprising Leon when they met again for the first time.
Meanwhile, beside Hestia, was a bookworm girl who always prioritized books no matter the situation.
Seeing her read even while eating made that nickname not an exaggeration.
That girl was Melissa White.
Melissa in the story loved books very much. Although her appearance was also stunning, with silver hair that had a slight green hue, unfortunately, she wasn't very popular because she kept to herself.
Of course, being "not very popular" didn't mean she wasn't popular. Melissa had a lot of secret admirers.
That was because she had the perfect figure for a girl.
Her body was so slim it looked like it could break at any time.
However, to men, Melissa's slim body looked fragile and tempting. It made many men feel captivated by her delicate frame.
Aside from that—
Melissa was the daughter of the current head of the White Magic Tower.
It was undeniable that behind her bookish demeanor, she was actually a magic genius.
Unfortunately, she was too lazy to study magic and preferred to spend her time reading.
Despite being lazy, Melissa was a good companion for Leon.
"Leon, what will you do after eating?"
Melissa's soft voice rang out.
Leon seemed to pause from eating for a moment, then smiled toward the others.
"...Training."
Melissa's face clearly changed to show annoyance.
"You've been training since this morning. Shouldn't we continue our research?"
Hearing that reminded me that besides her talent in magic, she spent time reading because she was a mad girl who loved doing research.
She studied things about the human body, then discovered Leon's unique body.
Because of that, Melissa got interested and approached Leon.
That's how they became friends.
"Still, I have to train..."
"You're pushing yourself too hard. How about resting for a bit?... In my research room, of course."
"Melissa, your words are scary, so sorry, let's do it next time."
At that moment, Hestia, who had been silent earlier, finally spoke:
"Then, Leon, how about we go watch a theater performance? I heard something good is being shown there!"
"Sorry, Hestia, but I really have to go train."
"Leon, it's a holiday! Why are you living like your life is only for training and training?"
Seeing Hestia pout, Leon smiled strangely.
"You know very well why I keep training."
Hearing that, Hestia fell silent with a sad expression.
Of course, she knew the reason.
Leon wanted revenge, and Hestia knew that very well.
At that moment, I felt extremely awkward.
"I need to finish my meal quickly."
After this, I still had a lot to do. Time kept moving forward, and I didn't have the luxury to keep delaying.
"Ahem..."
Hearing that, I glanced to the side and saw Leon looking at me. He looked curious...
"...?"
While I wondered what was going on with him, he gave a slightly awkward smile.
"Sorry, sorry, I was just a bit surprised because you don't match the rumors I've heard."
Rumors?
Ah, I see.
Farley was always rumored to be a bad person to be avoided, so that's why Leon was surprised by how quiet the "Farley" he saw was.
That didn't match the rumors going around.
I took a napkin and wiped my mouth and hands. Then I looked at Leon.
"And what kind of rumors have you heard?"
I gave a crooked smile.
Leon went silent—my response seemed to confuse him.
He was also unsure how to respond.
Saying something bad in front of me would be an insult to a noble, so he hesitated on how to mention the rumors about me.
"You have a bad reputation. A sadist who likes to torture women. I don't know why you're troubling Leon, but is that okay?"
I glanced at Hestia, who was calmly staring at me.
Even though she acted innocent in front of Leon, she never liked those who caused him trouble.
Because she was a higher-ranking noble than me, I couldn't talk back or do anything.
Of course, I could if it were something sneaky—but unfortunately, I had no intention of doing that.
"Alright, sorry for bothering you, Leon, and Hestia."
I apologized casually, then left with my tray in hand.
In this case, I could say I handled it well.
I must not let the situation reach a point where Leon views me positively.
Because if that happens, Leon would consider me an acquaintance, or even a friend, and greet me every day.
If that happens, I'll be in trouble.
I also don't intend to become their enemy.
Depending on which route comes later, I'll remain neutral until then.
***
I had too many weaknesses after coming to this world. Starting from my lack of combat skills, magic, stamina, and even connections.
To cover all of that, I trained and studied hard. I learned all kinds of combat techniques by watching students fight or by reading books. I also studied magic Runes as my only chance to advance in the field of magic. From day to night, I spent my time training my physical body.
Physical training was the hardest part of my schedule. Since Farley's body was relatively weak, I decided to focus on building his stamina.
In battle, stamina is extremely important. Many things can happen in a fight just when I feel exhausted from the lack of stamina.
That's a fatal problem in battle.
Fortunately, the academy had facilities that supported everything I needed.
One of them was, of course, physical training. The academy provided two types of training.
The first was indoor training.
The training room was filled with all sorts of modern and useful facilities. Leon always spent his time there.
Meanwhile, I...
I was in the second option.
Under the direct pull of the sun, I carried out my training in a rather outdated way.
Of course, not without reason.
Because Farley's body was absurdly weak, it struggled to adapt to modern tools.
That's why I started with a simpler approach first. I had also been doing it consistently for just under a week.
Because of that, even though it was still very difficult, at the very least I felt much better than I did when I first started doing it.
"Hoo..."
I looked up at the bright sun. The sun was slowly setting, showing an indescribable view.
I could also feel the wind constantly hitting my body. My sweat soaked my skin, and my chest rose and fell heavily as I struggled to breathe.
"I should probably end today's physical training."
Since noon, I had been training for a long time, and now the day was turning into night.
I didn't have much time, and tonight, I had several things to take care of.
Struggling to stand, I returned to the academy dormitory. It was a dorm that was incredibly luxurious and extraordinary.
The dormitory had several facilities of its own. Like private bathrooms, personal cooling and heating systems.
It was equal to the service of a high-class hotel.
I entered the bathroom, washed away my sweat, and let the cold water run over my body.
It felt incredibly refreshing.
After a quick shower—
I then sat in a chair with a wooden desk in front of me. I took a book and marked an X on a specific number neatly arranged inside a box.
"A peaceful day has ended."
Starting tomorrow, it would be the day the main story of the game begins. You could say it marked the end of the long prologue.
Different from the small chaos that had happened over the past few days, what's coming next would arrive in a different way.
The first chapter would begin tomorrow morning.
Group Evaluation.
Supposedly, Farley would trigger trouble with Leon, the protagonist, tomorrow. But since I'm Farley now, that won't happen.
So the only path that would continue the storyline is the Group Evaluation.
Leon would showcase his incredible abilities. Even though he wouldn't get first place, at the very least, he—who had been a low-ranked student—would suddenly stand out and appear strong.
The professors would take notice of him, as would the other students. And with that, Leon would gain more friends—and trouble.
A certain side-villain, just like Farley, wouldn't be able to accept Leon's success and popularity. That would spark hatred, and he would start provoking and mocking Leon.
In the original story, Farley was supposed to side with that villain because they shared the same goals and found it entertaining.
But once again, that won't happen.
Whatever happens next, no one will know.
My next schedule is...
I smiled.
I looked at a clean scroll without any Runes on it. Now, I would create a few magic scrolls to train my magic.
Also, this would be useful for me.
I picked up one of the scattered scrolls. Then, with my finger, I wrote using the magical energy I had.
Magic scrolls had four tiers, with D being the lowest and A the highest.
In the future, there might be S-ranked scrolls, but that's for the future.
Back to the previous topic—
Creating magic scrolls was actually easy as long as I knew what to draw and how much magic energy to pour and distribute evenly on each line of the diagram.
It's worth noting—
The less magical energy poured into the drawn lines, the lower the value of the scroll.
With my current capacity, I could only make one C-rank scroll and three D-rank scrolls.
Though they were low-rank, at the very least, they would be useful for me and my development.
I moved my finger with focus. Sweat dripped from my face as I entered a deep state of concentration.
My finger drew with magical energy, making sure the energy amount was precise and evenly distributed across every section and edge.
After several minutes, I finally finished.
"There it is!"
I smiled in satisfaction.
Even though it was just D-rank, it didn't mean it was a failure. It was a good step forward.
In the future, I'd have many ways to develop it.
I looked at the magic scroll. It had green Runes forming roots that spread out, with a green heart in the center.
It was a healing scroll. Though the effect wasn't strong, at the very least, it would be useful to ease pain temporarily.
My eyes then turned to the remaining blank scrolls. A smile appeared on my face.
And... I continued working until midnight making magic scrolls.
My body was exhausted. My mind also felt the same.
After finishing everything, I had no strength left to stand, and then I fell asleep at the desk still sitting upright.
The night wind felt so cold, but my weary body ignored it.
My vision slowly darkened, and I drifted into sleep.