Chapter 36. Preparation

Chapter 36. Preparation

The disgustingly long weekend finally ended.

The dorm felt smaller thanks to that crazy succubus, but since she was pretty, at least she made for good decoration.

Is this what it feels like to raise a bonsai? Or is it something different?

This morning, I set up the streaming equipment that was delivered. She should handle the rest on her own.

Last night, I had her try gaming. She adapted within an hour and was already cursing at the jungle, so I wasn’t too worried.

“Oh, damn. I forgot to visit the orphanage.”

Well, skipping a week should be fine.

Baek A-Young was going to the dungeon helper this week anyway, so I could just say I had other business.

“Did you have a good weekend?”

“Oh, good morning. Hey.”

In the lecture hall, Kim Younghan started a conversation.

Since I couldn’t hang out with Lucy or Lumi, my only friend left was Kim Younghan.

“You still haven’t made up with Lucy? I told you, she has a strong sense of pride, so you should apologize first.”

“...”

I know, you bastard. But I can’t just tell him that I’m intentionally lowering her favorability for momentum. Ugh.

I glanced at Lucy, who was sitting in the corner.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lucy]

- [ Affection: 17 ]

- [ Lust: 10 ]

- [ Appetite: 40 ]

- [ Fatigue: 20 ]

It’s dropping nicely, but still not enough.

I need to tank it to the bottom and then raise it just a bit at the end.

[What? Am I overthinking this? No, that can’t be. That bastard must just be insane.]

This is the state I want.

The scenario where Lucy, who never trusted me, gets betrayed by someone she did trust and then finds salvation in me.

It’s cliché, but it won’t feel that way to her.

I’ve already planned everything.

Lucy didn’t even glance my way, while Lumi was organizing her books and suddenly flinched when our eyes met.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lumi]

- [ Affection: 65 ]

- [ Lust: 68 ]

- [ Appetite: 30 ]

- [ Fatigue: 25 ]

I smiled at her cute reaction and checked her status window.

Strange. Last time, her lust was slightly lower than her affection, but now it has surpassed it.

Did something happen?

I’ll have to probe her later.

I winked at Lumi, then turned my head forward.

“Well, I’ll stop nagging. I’m sure you have your own thoughts.”

“Thanks.”

At least he knows when to stop pushing.

He’s a genuinely good guy, but why does he have to be a blonde delinquent? I still don’t get what the writers were thinking.

“Class is starting soon. Let’s sit.”

“Okay.”

*

The dull morning lecture ended, followed by the mage specialization class in the afternoon.

The professor in charge was Im Sol.

Seeing her in class again after how our relationship had changed felt surreal.

“Ah... welcome.”

Sitting at the front, Im Sol greeted the students halfheartedly.

Unlike the previous session, this class was held in a lecture hall.

Apparently, students had complained about how the practical instructors only repeated the same training and feedback, which led to this change.

These idiots don’t understand how valuable an instructor’s feedback is. Tsk.

Either way, this must be the worst situation for Professor Im Sol.

She’s the type who does things her way and absolutely hates hassle.

“Alright, welcome. You all know who I am, right? The academy insisted I do a theory lecture, so here we are. Today, I’ll be teaching you about barriers.”

Thin layers of mana began stacking over Im Sol’s hand.

“A barrier needs to be efficient. If you use more mana than your opponent, it’s pointless. A good barrier must block attacks with minimal mana consumption.”

Makes sense. Otherwise, I might as well just counterattack with offensive magic instead of defending.

“For reference, a magic defense shield that blocks sudden attacks is different. That type pulls a massive amount of mana instantly, so it consumes much more.”

The mana layers over Im Sol’s hand merged into a single protective shield.

“This is the most basic form, but I’ve prepared variations as well.”

The teaching assistant distributed sheets to each student.

The sheets contained various magic circles for barriers.

From beginner to advanced, neatly organized. Surprisingly thorough preparation.

The explanations were detailed enough for students to understand.

‘Unexpectedly diligent. I didn’t expect this level of preparation.’

Then I noticed the TA’s dark circles growing under their eyes and reconsidered.

Yeah, no way she did this herself.

“Alright, since you’ve all seen the materials, let’s practice. Wait, no, that would just be another practical lesson. I’m not doing this twice.”

I focused on the printed magic circles.

The basic barrier Im Sol demonstrated.

Looking at the magic circle, I imagined how mana layers formed into a barrier.

The thin mana layers stacking and merging, forming the barrier.

I visualized it, hearing a soft shuffling sound as the mana condensed.

Thanks to my [Mana Sensitivity], my high mana control made it a reality.

Mana flowed from my hand, forming a thin membrane before solidifying into a barrier.

‘Easy.’

The clear blue mana and thick layers revealed the barrier’s sturdiness.

I skipped the intermediate level and studied the advanced magic circle.

Instead of simply stacking layers, the advanced technique wove mana into a double-helix structure.

The intertwined mana threads absorbed impact, making the barrier sturdier and more efficient.

‘This one seems tricky.’

I could probably replicate the structure using [Mana Sensitivity].

But even if I formed a double-helix, I wasn’t sure it would function as a proper barrier.

“Hmm, I see one promising student. What was your name again? Lumi? Would you come up?”

Im Sol glanced at me before quickly shifting her gaze and calling Lumi instead.

She saw my barrier and still reacted that way—she must really want to keep my talent under wraps.

“Y-yes! Ouch!”

Lumi bit her tongue in her flustered state.

“After reviewing, you seem to be the most skilled. Show the others.”

“Y-yes.”

Lumi hesitated but eventually formed a double-helix barrier.

What the hell? Acting weak and then pulling off an advanced technique?

She completed the barrier, and Im Sol nodded approvingly.

‘Now I get it.’

A good barrier depends on the intent behind the mana.

The stronger the will to defend, the more stable and resilient the barrier becomes.

Since a barrier is created to block the opponent’s attack, the more fixed, solid, and fortress-like the imagined form, the more efficiently mana is drawn out.

“Well done. You can go back.”

Lumi quickly trotted back to her seat.

“Good job, Lumi~! You’re the best!”

“Hehe. Thanks, Lucy.”

I could hear Lucy and Lumi chatting behind me.

A quick glance showed Lucy’s face looking bright.

It was about time she came to find me.

*

After class, Lucy and Lumi were chatting with their classmates.

“Ugh~ This is so hard. I really don’t think barriers are for me. No matter how much I try, I can’t form one properly.”

“Right? Lumi’s the odd one out. Isn’t she the best in our grade at barriers?”

Lucy’s closest female friend, Lee Ji-eun, chimed in.

“Of course! Lumi’s amazing. Did you see her form the double helix earlier in class?”

“S-stop it, Lucy!”

Lumi blushed in embarrassment at Lucy and Ji-eun’s praise.

“Oh, come on~ It’s true.”

“Hey, girls.”

“Oh, Felix, you finished class too?”

“Yeah, I just got out.”

Felix had grown close enough to Lucy over the weekend to be on casual speaking terms with her.

“Hello, Felix.”

“Hey, Ji-eun.”

“Perfect timing! We were about to head to a cafe. Want to come? Lumi, you’re coming too, right?”

“Uh, yeah. Let’s go together.”

Lumi still wasn’t completely comfortable with Felix, but since Lucy liked him, she just went along with it.

“Wait, hold on. Felix, I heard Ho-yeon dragged you off on Friday. Are you okay?”

Ji-eun, who loved gossip, covered her mouth with her hand and asked Felix.

“Ah, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Wait, what? Why did Ho-yeon drag you off?”

Lucy immediately reacted to the name Ho-yeon.

“I told you, it’s nothing. Seriously, don’t worry, Lucy.”

“‘Nothing’ means something did happen, doesn’t it?”

“Uh...”

Felix hesitated, wondering how to answer Lucy.

He had already built a considerable level of intimacy with her.

His words now could influence Lucy’s perception of Ho-yeon.

His deliberation was short-lived.

Though he had agreed to cooperate with Ho-yeon, he could discard that alliance anytime.

There was no reason to praise another man in front of Lucy.

“Be honest. What did he say to you?”

Felix sighed heavily, as if reluctant to speak, and then shivered like a frightened puppy.

“Honestly... He threatened me. Told me he’d kill me if I approached you or Lumi.”

“W-what?!”

“H-Ho-yeon would never do that!”

Lumi shouted in protest, but Felix was an exceptional actor, even among demons.

“But it’s true. He came straight to Class B after class ended and dragged me away. Then, in a secluded spot, he warned me to stay away from you two. Said you were his... and that I shouldn’t even think about coveting you.”

“That bastard... Is he insane?!”

“Lucy, calm down! Don’t get worked up! We don’t even know for sure yet!”

“How can I not get worked up?!”

Lucy, the heroine of the original story ‘Sex Academy,’ had an inescapable character trait.

She had immense pride and never apologized first after an argument.

She always found flaws in her opponent, dragged them down, and made herself appear righteous.

The reason she grew close to Felix so quickly wasn’t just his magic—it was her subconscious defense mechanism to affirm someone Ho-yeon had denied.

Of course, this incident with Felix would later help her grow as a character... but not yet.

“It’s okay. As long as I have you guys, I don’t care.”

“No, it’s not okay. I’m going to confront him directly.”

“W-wait! There’s no need for that...”

“No. I have to.”

Lucy threw away her plans to go to the cafe, grabbed her bag, and stormed off somewhere.

“...”

Felix regretted stirring things up but knew it was too late to take it back.

*

“Hmm.”

I wonder if Lilliana is doing well.

I should stop by the dorm to check on her before heading to the training hall.

I think I can further refine the barrier technique I learned earlier.

If I add a bit of my own original twist to an advanced barrier spell, it might become an actual skill.

“Ah~ Subscribe, like, and turn on notifications~.”

“Hey! Ho-yeon!”

I was enjoying myself, casually mimicking a reaction voice, when someone called my name.

Turning around, I saw Lucy approaching with an angry expression.

She finally came.

Since I had made Felix talk so openly, I knew Lucy would come looking for me.

I expected her by the weekend at the earliest, Monday at the latest, but I guess she only heard about it now.

...She didn’t hear me saying ‘subscribe and like,’ did she?

“What did you say to Felix on Friday?”

Perfect, things were going exactly as I planned.

Now I just had to set the stage.

“Why do you care? I didn’t say much.”

“This is your last chance. Tell me the truth.”

She was seriously pissed off.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lucy]

- [ Affection: 9 ]

- [ Lust: 15 ]

- [ Appetite: 25 ]

- [ Fatigue: 35 ]

Her affection had dropped into the single digits.

Looks like Felix really went all out with his accusations.

I pretended to be annoyed and spoke.

“I told him to stay away from you and Lumi. That’s all.”

“And who the hell are you to decide that?!”

I couldn’t just say, ‘Because that bastard is a demon.’

“I was only looking out for you...”

“If you were looking out for me, you shouldn’t have done anything to Felix in the first place!”

Lucy was reaching her breaking point.

I couldn’t reason with her anymore. It was time to shift tactics.

“...Lucy. Do you trust Felix?”

“Yes, of course. Felix is my friend.”

I asked cautiously, and Lucy answered confidently.

“I don’t know what rumors you’ve heard. But do you have any proof?”

“Proof… I don’t, but! You definitely dragged Felix away!”

“So you believe everything Felix says, but not me? Don’t you think that’s strange?”

“That’s because Felix... ugh.”

Lucy’s strong pride, combined with Felix’s subtle manipulations, had driven her into an unstable mental state.

Even a small nudge could make her realize something was off, but I had no intention of letting her do that just yet.

Lucy had a ‘setting’ where, when enraged, she lost all sense of reasoning.

As a heroine, she couldn’t escape this innate trait.

And within that ‘setting,’ Lucy’s resistance to magic dropped significantly when she was mad.

‘Regard d’Ennui.’

My mana spread from beneath me, morphing into a spell that seeped into Lucy’s feet.

The Gaze of Hatred.

A spell that makes the target loathe the first person they see.

“Lucy. Everything I did was for you. Just think it over once more...”

I spoke to the enchanted Lucy while slowly reaching out my hand.

“Get lost!”

Smack!

Lucy slapped my hand away and glared at me fiercely.

“I know everything. You want me and Lumi’s bodies, and you even threatened to kill Felix! I won’t be deceived by men anymore! I won’t be a victim again!”

“...Lucy.”

The spell had taken hold completely.

Unless she experienced a severe emotional shock or I dispelled it myself, the magic would persist.

“I’m glad to finally cut ties with trash like you. Don’t ever show up in front of me again.”

Lucy spat venomous words at me, shoved me aside, and started walking away.

“Lucy! Just remember this. I’ve always considered you a good friend, and that hasn’t changed even now!”

“...Screw off.”

Grinding her teeth, Lucy cursed me one last time before disappearing.

Once she was completely out of sight, I exhaled deeply, releasing my tension.

“Phew, what kind of ridiculous magic is this? That was terrifying.”

The Gaze of Hatred? More like the Gaze of Murder, considering how intense it was.

“Well, at least things went as planned.”

When Felix betrays her, Lucy will think of me first.

I even added a touch of pure goodwill at the end. Now, all that’s left is to wait for the harvest.

The day when Lee Hoyeon, the ‘bad guy,’ reaps his ‘redemption’ is coming soon.

Chapter end