“Trouble? What happened to her?” Merlin asked hesitantly.

As far as she could remember, Monica had never been involved in any trouble. If anything, it had only been related to that perverted professor.

However, over the past two months, Merlin could confirm that the professor had never taken any action against Monica.

So, what was really going on?

Liora gave a weak smile and explained, “You remember the knowledge exam we’ll be taking in a few weeks, right? Well, Monica’s struggling with it. How should I put it… she just can’t grasp the lessons.”

Merlin furrowed his brow. He had thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be just a minor issue.

“Then where is she now?” Merlin asked.

“Monica is in the library. You can go see her there. I’m sure she needs you by her side,” Luna replied calmly.

“I understand.” Merlin nodded, then continued eating his lunch.

***

The academy library was located near the first-year students’ building.

The area was spacious, with three floors of equal size.

Each floor was lined with hundreds of bookshelves from various places, filled with different genres and historical texts.

Because of that, students who wanted to expand their knowledge often came to the library to read all kinds of books.

That afternoon, the library wasn’t particularly crowded. Only a few dozen students occupied each floor, quietly reading, studying, and doing their own work.

At a table in the corner of the first floor, an elf girl was working on math problems with a serious expression.

A few moments later, her face grew gloomy, then sad.

“This is so hard,” she complained with a long sigh, resting her arms on the table.

She stared at the calculations in despair.

The exams would begin in a few weeks, yet she still couldn’t grasp the material taught by Professor Celestia.

If things continued like this, it wasn’t impossible that she would fail and be forced to retake the exam.

She didn’t want that to happen. After all, she had promised Merlin that he would take her to the beach once the exams were over.

“What should I do? Ugh…”

Monica set down her pen and scratched her head in frustration. She wanted to ask her friends for help, but she was too embarrassed.

Catrine, Luna, Margaret, and Liora were among the smart students. Their grades were above average, while hers were below average.

She didn’t want to be seen as a burden and get excluded from the circle of friends they had built.

Just as her mind was drowning in sadness and despair, a sudden chill touched her left cheek.

Startled, she quickly turned her head. Standing there was a tall, handsome boy.

His beautiful violet eyes held a gentleness that could make any girl flustered and embarrassed.

“M-Merlin?” Monica exclaimed in surprise.

But the next moment, she realized her mistake and quickly covered her mouth.

She glanced around, relieved that no one was paying attention to her.

“Why are you here?” she asked in a low voice.

Merlin smiled and placed a cup of fresh strawberry juice on the table.

“I heard you were in trouble, so I came to help,” he replied as he sat down beside her.

“Have some. You haven’t had lunch yet, have you? I brought you some bread and steamed potatoes with cheese sauce.”

Merlin snapped his fingers, and the food appeared out of thin air, landing neatly in front of Monica.

Monica’s eyes widened in astonishment. “When did you prepare that? Wait—no, not that!”

She hurriedly grabbed the food and hid it.

“Do you know there’s a rule against eating in the library? If you get caught, you’ll be kicked out!” she whispered fearfully.

But her hungry eyes kept drifting toward the food.

“Pfft! Don’t worry about that.” Merlin waved his right hand. “I already asked the librarian at the front desk for permission. Rest assured, they won’t kick us out. Eat first, then tell me what’s been troubling you.”

Admiration was clearly visible in Monica’s eyes. Merlin was a high-achieving student, loved by all the professors at the academy.

He was not only smart, but also polite, humble, and talented.

No wonder even the library staff allowed him to bring food inside.

At the same time, Monica couldn’t help feeling envious. If only she were as smart and talented as Merlin, she surely wouldn’t be struggling like this.

With a long sigh, Monica picked up a piece of bread and took a bite.

“Thank you, Merlin.”

Her eyes narrowed into crescent shapes.

As it happened, she hadn’t gotten to eat lunch yet, so Merlin’s arrival with food felt perfectly timed.

“You’re welcome,” Merlin replied casually. He then handed her the strawberry juice. “Don’t forget to drink it.”

Monica blinked a few times. Her face flushed with embarrassment, but she didn’t refuse.

“Mhmm…”

She took it and sipped.

“[Ding! Villainess Monica Sael’myr’s affection has increased by 3 points! Current affection: 93!]”

Merlin smiled contentedly. Only seven points remained before Monica’s affection was maxed out.

He wanted to see what would happen next. Perhaps Monica’s true body, currently hidden in the elven forest, would awaken… or perhaps something even more unexpected would occur.

That was why he had to be prepared for every possibility.

While Monica was eating, Merlin chatted with her about various things. He deliberately avoided Monica’s problems so she wouldn’t feel stressed.

After ten minutes, Monica finished her meal and gave him a sweet smile.

“Thanks for the food, Merlin!”

“You’re welcome.” Merlin returned the smile. He then glanced at the paper on the table filled with math problems and asked, “So, what’s bothering you?”

Maybe because she had eaten, Monica’s mind felt clearer. She showed no frustration at all. Instead, she looked serious as she explained, “I’m struggling with math, Merlin. The calculations are so complicated. No matter how hard I try to memorize the formulas, I still can’t understand them.”

A sigh escaped her lips, and her face flushed slightly with embarrassment.

Weakness was a sin. That was the lesson her mother had taught her.

That was why she had never cried when Tina and Tira bullied her in the past.

But for some reason, after meeting Merlin and the other girls, she had become more open and no longer clung to that principle so strictly.

“Math, huh?” Merlin murmured with a smile. “I can help you.”

In this world, math existed as well. Michiku-sensei had added real-world elements like calculations, multiplication, and so on.

Back then, Merlin had asked him about it.

“Why did you add something that’s rarely found in fantasy novels?”

At the time, Michiku-sensei had answered casually, “I wanted my novel to be a little different from the others. Besides, math is the language of the universe. Don’t you know that?”

Although it wasn’t mentioned often, there were a few scenes where the novel’s main character, Abel, had to do calculations and use basic mathematical concepts.

After Merlin entered the academy, he discovered that math was taught there as well. He suspected it was connected to the elements Michiku-sensei had added to The Lost Hero.

“Really?” Monica’s eyes lit up.

“Of course.” Merlin gently patted her on the head. “I’ll help you get through this. I promise you’ll pass the exam. And we’ll go to the beach, just like I promised.”

Warmth spread through Monica’s chest. She felt that only Merlin truly understood her.

It was something she had never felt before—not even within her own family.

“Which parts don’t you understand?” Merlin asked.

Monica pointed to ten out of the fifteen questions.

“All of these,” she whispered shyly.

Merlin smiled and began explaining them one by one. The academy’s math lessons were relatively easy.

Even without studying, Merlin could solve them. After all, Michiku-sensei only included basic math, not truly difficult academic-level material.

Monica listened carefully to Merlin’s explanations. At the same time, she wrote everything down in her notebook.

Before they knew it, two hours had passed, and Merlin had finally finished explaining all ten problems.

“Do you understand now?” Merlin asked.

Monica’s eyes lit up as she nodded eagerly. “I get it! Your method is really easy to understand! It’s different from how Professor Celestia explained it.”

Merlin simply smiled. Back in the day, he had been the second-best student at his university. Not to brag, but it was true—he really was smart.

“Is there anything else you don’t understand?” Merlin asked.

“Yes!” Monica picked up a few sheets of problems and placed them on the table. “It’s history and other subjects too. Can you help me?”

Her eyes were brimming with hopeful tears.

Merlin let out a deep sigh and whispered, ‘System, haven’t you issued a mission for this? It’s related to Monica, you know?’

System: “…”

“[Ding! A side mission has been issued! Help Monica Sael’myr solve her study problems! Reward: 10,000 system points!]”

Seeing how stingy the system was, Merlin felt disgusted. But as the saying goes, “Even a mosquito’s leg is still meat.”

Without hesitation, he accepted it and turned back to Monica.

“Alright. Let’s review everything.”

“Mhmm! Let’s do it!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep