Chapter 5

Excluding the commotion at the start, the class itself was interesting.

If I thought of it as a class, it’d feel boring, but imagining it as the scribbled notes of a middle schooler obsessed with their edgy phase, cackling sinisterly, made it engaging enough to follow.

Plus, it wasn’t like I was completely clueless—bits of lore I’d picked up while playing the game were scattered throughout, so it was easier to keep up than I’d expected.

The future hero, the candidate destined to save the world, sitting one seat over looked utterly perplexed, but was that my problem?

The afternoon classes were over, so it was time to head back to the dorm and rest. Today had been way too exhausting.

I stood up to leave briskly, but I couldn’t move.

What the heck? Did the difficulty setting crank up the gravity too…?

I put more strength into my legs to stand, but I still couldn’t budge.

Seriously, what was going on? Glancing around, I spotted the culprit behind this intensified gravity.

“Lucian.”

At some point, Lucian, seated beside me, had grabbed my sleeve.

It didn’t even seem like he was holding on tightly, yet I couldn’t shake him off. Was my pathetic strength stat to blame for not breaking free, or was the Academy’s uniform just that durable? If the answer was “both,” I was ready to glare resentfully.

“Could you maybe let go?”

“Oh, sorry, Theo.”

Lucian flinched and released my sleeve.

His demeanor—lacking any trace of confidence or self-esteem—felt like choking down a hundred sweet potatoes. It wasn’t for nothing that he’d earned the glorious title of the most frustrating character in Korean gaming history.

“Got something to say?”

Despite my casual tone, I was trembling inside.

Please, just say no. I’m feeling like my life’s on the line here!

“Theo, did you study separately before enrolling in the Academy?”

“Yeah, I did.”

If ten years of playing Lapidemy counted as prep, then sure, I’d prepped. Besides, as soon as my transfer to the Academy was confirmed, Father had hired all sorts of tutors for me.

But why was he asking? Ugh, this felt ominous.

“If it’s okay, could you help me study a bit?”

No way, absolutely not, NO!!

I wanted to refuse flat-out. It was important enough to reject three times over, but the witchy professor’s voice echoed in my ears.

Her warning not to ostracize him and to treat him well—did that apply to me too?

“So, like…”

Alright, since I was a transfer student too, I’d just naturally pass this off to someone else.

I quickly scanned the room, but the other students had already cleared out long ago.

…If I ditched him now, would I become an NPC antagonizing the protagonist? Could I even refuse this? As I hesitated, Lucian hurriedly added,

“I’m not trying to force you. If it’s uncomfortable, you can say no.”

That was totally coercion! And saying I could refuse was the most pressuring thing in the world!! Damn it, crap!!

“Which part’s giving you trouble? I’m not an expert or anything, but I’ll help as much as I can with what I know.”

Digging my own grave, huh?

I absolutely shouldn’t get tangled up with Lucian in any way!

“Thanks so much!!”

Lucian beamed brightly. He was like a puppy hearing the word “walk.”

“I’ve got swordsmanship training left, so I’ll see you later.”

With a wide grin, Lucian strolled out of the lecture hall.

See you later? Hmm… did that mean he’d come to my dorm room?

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”

I was too mentally drained to worry about that now. Time to head back to the dorm and rest.

“Please, no more getting involved.”

Especially not becoming friends! I’d cram just enough knowledge into him to keep up with classes and then escape this tutor role!

* * *

The walk back to the dorm was no walk in the park either.

This body was practically a living Kookdas biscuit. Even a simple greeting felt dangerous—like navigating a minefield of death. If I stayed here for a month like this, I’d waste away.

“But at least I can rest in the dorm.”

Utterly exhausted, I dove onto the bed, holding my breath.

I didn’t want to move a finger today. If Lucian showed up later, I’d send him away claiming fatigue.

“Hah, just one day.”

So much had happened. Could I even adjust?

I lay on the bed in a daze before getting up. I couldn’t leave the room with luggage piled everywhere.

“Why are there so many clothes?”

Why did the nanny pack three sets of pajamas? I was at a loss for words staring at the differently colored sleepwear.

Why on earth did she pack stuff like this? By the time I’d sorted through even the baffling items, the sun had fully set, and night had fallen.

“Now I can finally rest.”

As I picked up the last bit of floor trash, the door burst open.

“???”

Lucian, why are you here?

“I’m your roommate.”

What did he just say?! Wasn’t this room supposed to be mine alone?

The Academy dorms were typically two to a room, sure. But there was no way a noble would share a room with someone else. So, I’d used a loophole, paying double the dorm fees to have it to myself.

But would Father, a noble and Academy professor, have resorted to such a trick?

The answer was, of course, “No way, absolutely not.” He’d sooner not send me to the Academy than let his son get special treatment through loopholes as a professor.

But Lucian as my roommate? This felt like a rigged game of Go-Stop.

“I see.”

Alright, time to figure out how to switch roommates.

I had to stay at the Academy anyway, and I’d already made contact with Lucian.

So, I’d keep our relationship in that vague middle ground—too distant to be friends, but too familiar to be strangers.

“Sorry. Father didn’t mention anything, so I thought I’d have the room to myself.”

That was a flawless excuse, no room for fault. Lucian nodded slowly, as if he understood.

“Since we’re both transfer students, maybe they thought we’d help each other?”

I don’t need that kind of consideration, damn it! I just hoped Father wasn’t the one who came up with this blasted idea. I’d end up resenting him.

“I guess living with me must be pretty inconvenient, huh?”

For reference, in the original story, Lucian had a room to himself. No matter how much he was the descendant who drew the Holy Sword, a commoner was a commoner. Sharing a room with someone was bad enough, but a noble sharing with a commoner? That was the kind of thing that’d make a noble clutch their neck and collapse.

“I’ll talk to the Academy again.”

“No, it’s fine!!”

Lucian’s words would likely reach the Emperor’s ears. The last thing I needed was the horrific rumor that the Lisitoel family’s son was mistreating the Holy Sword’s chosen descendant reaching the Emperor!

“Sharing a room’s no big deal.”

At my words, the corners of Lucian’s mouth turned up.

Hey, your smile’s so wide it’ll reach your ears. Who’d guess this puppy-like guy could crush bones with a handshake?

“I thought you’d hate me.”

Considering Lucian’s backstory, it wasn’t surprising.

Rejected his whole life, he’d finally entered the Academy and started being accepted as part of a group.

Sure, he consistently fed players sweet potatoes, but he was also the classic growth-oriented protagonist who matured through countless trials.

“Why would I hate you?”

There was definitely no reason to like him—

I buried the harsh truth.

“This morning…”

He brought up the incident, and a brief silence fell over the room.

Right. No reason to like him, but plenty to dislike.

Noticing my expression, he cautiously checked my face, and I laughed exaggeratedly.

“If I hated you, I would’ve turned down your request. You didn’t do it on purpose, right? Or… was it intentional?”

This morning’s accident happened because my body was pathetically weak. Without a moment’s hesitation, Lucian answered firmly,

“No, definitely not. Absolutely not.”

Yeah, I know.

The Lucian I knew from <Lapis Academy> wasn’t the type to harm others. That was the source of his sweet potato nature and, undeniably, his charm.

“Well, my body being so frail was part of the problem.”

Even a crawling worm probably had more than zero physical resistance.

“…You’re really big-hearted.”

No, my heart’s cramped as hell! I was just an ordinary possessor who wanted to enjoy a golden spoon life.

But of all the games to get transmigrated into, it had to be <Lapis Academy>, so I’d likely live a life far from ordinary. Please don’t call it a self-inflicted disaster.

“I’ll teach you what I can.”

So that’s what “see you later” meant. Chewing on the belated realization, I sat in a chair.

I wasn’t confident in my teaching skills, but it’d work out somehow. What, was the protagonist going to hit me for explaining poorly?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep