"Only Defense? That's… strange."
Master Isac let those words slip under his breath as he settled into his chair inside the faculty room.
The place was almost empty, aside from him, so he allowed his thoughts to spill into the open.
"Only defense…"
He repeated it, leaning back and closing his eyes.
Letting the dim, gentle light filtering through the tall windows blend with the warm glow of the magical devices embedded in the walls behind his eyelids.
A perfect atmosphere for… doing nothing.
But, unfortunately, he had to think.
He rested his elbow on the desk and brought a hand to his chin, wearing a more thoughtful expression than usual.
The fact that Lady Adelheid only had one Trait, when Physical Magic should allow her to use five… was strange.
Very strange.
"An error? …Hmm."
He slowly shook his head.
"No. The ritual is far too sensitive for that."
In fact… it would be more surprising if it were a mistake.
With a small sigh, Isac extended his hand and pressed a touch panel on the side of his desk.
Instantly, the engraved lines across its surface began to glow in a soft yellow hue. Steam escaped through small vents, followed by the mechanical sound of gears moving with precision.
The desk transformed. The top surface lifted slightly, rotated on its axis, and was replaced by a metallic structure.
Along the black frames of the device were small glowing buttons.
An IX Device.
Isac pressed a red button.
The screen unfolded with a soft hum, forming a blue holographic display that cast a faint glow across his face.
He stretched a little, as if preparing for a monumental effort.
"Let's see… what was the problem again?"
Very simple.
He needed to know… how much extra work this was going to cause him.
His eyes scanned through the records with almost artistic laziness.
"Records… records… hmm…"
A few minutes passed.
"I see."
He let out a long, heavy sigh… but not a surprised one.
"Only two similar cases have been reported in recent years."
He paused.
"One of them… is Herz."
As for the other person, there wasn't much data beyond the fact that they disappeared. Isac wasn't surprised by the idea that some Anti-Magic group might have eliminated them.
His expression didn't change much, but his fingers paused briefly over the interface.
Madam Herz.
A name that needed no explanation.
"It turns out they share quite a bit…" he muttered. "Non-elemental magic… and only one usable Trait."
He closed the interface lazily.
"I wonder what makes these rare cases possible… Nah. I don't really wonder."
He leaned back in his chair.
"Sounds like a hassle to think about."
He rolled his neck slightly, as if trying to physically shake the thought away.
"Better plan the next class practices…"
"'Sounds like a hassle'? In your case, the troublesome things are usually the most important, dear Master Isac."
The soft yet mature voice arrived along with a sweet scent, like freshly squeezed oranges.
Isac didn't even turn right away.
"Carola… what are you doing here?"
"It's one of the few places where I can smoke without being bothered."
When he finally looked at her, she was already leaning against one of the nearby desks.
Carola, the academy's nurse.
Beautiful… in a mature and dangerous way.
She held a metallic pipe between her fingers, as if it were a natural extension of her body.
She inhaled deeply.
Her chest rose slowly, her silhouette outlined beneath the white coat with an almost provocative naturalness. Her eyes narrowed slightly, savoring the moment.
Then she parted her lips—painted a deep purple—and exhaled the smoke.
An unreal orange, far too vivid.
To Isac, that thing had always seemed incredibly unhealthy. But who was he to meddle in other people's lives?
The scent filled the room.
The teacher coughed lightly.
"…Is that the example the nurse should be setting?"
"And should a teacher be this lazy?"
"…Nice one."
"I know. So, what's bothering you?" she asked, exhaling smoke in perfectly formed circles. "A student?"
"You said it. Young Adelheid turns out to have only one Trait—Defensive. I was looking into similar cases and found only two. So, I don't know what to do… I'll let my future self deal with it."
"Lazy."
"Meh."
There was a brief pause.
Carola tilted her head slightly, as if something had genuinely piqued her interest.
"Hmm. Same as Madam Herz, huh? Curious… maybe we're looking at the next Strongest Creature."
She laughed, more openly this time.
The smoke she exhaled changed.
Purple.
With a sweet scent, like ripe grapes.
The idea that something similar to that old woman could exist amused her.
Even if Carola was nothing more than a bored nurse—or at least that's how she described herself—there was one thing she could say with certainty.
"There's nothing that can match that thing."
"Did you say something?"
"That if you need help with anything, let me know. I'm leaving. Something tells me a student is about to arrive at my infirmary."
"Scary that you can tell…"
"Meh."
With that, Isac was left alone once more.
Instead of planning his classes as he had claimed before Carola arrived, he put on a black sleep mask and leaned back in his chair.
"…Five minutes."
He closed his eyes.
"Max."
And just like that, the academy's "responsible" teacher… fell asleep.
Unconsciously waiting for someone to come wake him up.
Probably while scolding him.
Again.
***
Finally free!
I celebrated silently after finishing the theoretical classes.
To be honest, I hadn't paid attention to anything—my mind was still occupied with the excitement of having managed to make Carlotta and me "allies."
Even so, the sense of relief wasn't complete.
It was as if something clung to me… a lingering discomfort.
I still feel like she's up to something.
And it's not an empty gut feeling.
[Main Quest: [ Act One — Survival in the Crimson Winter. [Survive the Blood Witch — (Completed!) — Petty Red Practices — (Locked: Survive the Previous Stage) — (Locked: Survive the Previous Stage) — (Locked: Survive the Previous Stage)— (Locked: Survive the Previous Stage)] Time Remaining: 2'179:05:59]
Even after checking the mission… it was still active.
That confirmed everything.
I was right.
Which left me with a very uncomfortable question: What the hell is she planning?
If she's trying to get close to me like this… then it can't be something small.
Carlotta never does anything without a reason.
Nothing.
Alright… come on, past-life memories… you've got to be good for something! Other than keeping me from sleeping.
I need to remember something.
Anything.
Some detail.
Something that lets me get ahead of this.
Because if not… I'm heading straight for disaster.
Okay, she's a villain. That's obvious. So I need to think like one too.
From what I remember in the original story "Love Between Battles," Carlotta tends to trigger complicated events that make absolutely no damn sense.
And they usually fall under the category of "create drama to get the protagonist imprisoned."
So, those are my clues.
Let's see… the Mission says "Petty Crimson Practices." Combined with her tendency for ridiculous schemes, that leaves me with one conclusion:
Her plan must be related to the Practice sessions.
I have no idea what exactly it is, but it has to be.
I seriously doubt it's something simple like messing with grades or making me fail an important exercise.
It has to be more complicated.
But what could it be?
What is it?
Petty…
What does "petty" even mean? Maybe that could give me a clue about what she'll do… I should check a dictionary.
Or maybe ask someone?
Oh! That's Maxi! I just got an idea.
"Yo! Maxi!"
I called out to her from behind.
"Ugh…"
I couldn't help it when I saw her eyes.
When she turned to look at me, her beautiful eyes had small but clear dark circles under them.
She looked completely exhausted.
What the hell happened to her?
"Damn, girl, what happened? Need help?"
"Nah… just tired. Today was rough."
"Ugh… now I feel bad for wanting to ask you something."
"As long as it's nothing that requires physical effort, I'm good."
She gestured for me to walk beside her down the hallway. I guess we're heading to the restaurant.
"Nothing like that. I just wanted to know… do you know what 'petty' means?"
"Petty? That's like… lacking dignity. Or something like that. I'm not a living dictionary."
I smiled a little, scratching my tail.
She's seriously grumpy today. But I like her like this.
Now, thinking about what she said… lacking dignity, huh?
Maybe… Carlotta's plan is about—
"Well?"
"Well what?" I asked, confused.
Maxi tilted her head, doubtful.
"Weren't you listening? What are you thinking about so hard?"
"No! Of course I was listening! But… could you repeat it?"
"…Ah. Yesterday was your test to find out your Traits, right? What did you get?"
"Oh! Right! Haha! I knew that! Um… only Defensive."
"Defensive?" she repeated. "But I thought you…"
I blinked.
"What's wrong?"
"…Nothing. I just thought it was strange that you only have defensive attributes. I didn't even know that was possible."
"Hmm…"
I crossed my arms, thinking.
So it is rare, huh?
I already suspected that from Carlotta's reaction.
Now the real question is… how is that going to affect my life?
I feel like I just forgot something important I was thinking about. Hmm. Probably nothing if I forgot it.
"How did your practices go?"
Her expression changed instantly.
Her face darkened even more, as if all the exhaustion in the world had dropped on her at once.
My stomach tightened.
That face… I didn't like it one bit.
"…Are they bothering you?" I stepped closer, frowning. "If they are, just tell me who and I'll beat them up for you—"
Before I could finish—
Thump.
A sharp knock to my forehead.
"Are you stupid?" Maxi scolded. "If you do that, you'll get expelled. Don't you remember you're already on thin ice?"
"But—!"
"Relax. It's not what you think."
I puffed my cheeks slightly.
"It's just… it feels like if you're not around… all the bad luck falls on me."
I blinked.
"Huh? What the hell does that mean?"
Maxi sighed.
"…My practice partner is His Highness. What a pain in the ass."
"…I get it."
And I really did.
"Dealing with that guy is exhausting. I don't even want to imagine how hellish it must be!"
And then—
"How dare you speak like that, you filthy common servant?!"
A sharp voice pierced the air like a needle.
We both covered our ears at the same time.
"What the—?!"
I turned my head.
The culprit was… well… no idea.
Wavy hair, shining under the light, with an almost dazzling amethyst tone.
Pretty. But irrelevant.
Looking closer… yeah. No clue who the hell she is.
Not a villain, that's for sure. So… an NPC. Still wondering why I can't clearly see their facial features… kinda creepy.
"What?" Maxi replied, clearly irritated.
"You heard me," the girl continued, lifting her chin arrogantly. "How can you speak like that about Lord Kaelvarion? You should feel honored to share practice with him! I'm so jealous!"
I grimaced.
…ugh. A Kaelvarion fangirl NPC.
"And you—" she turned sharply toward me—"filthy cat. Don't you dare speak of His Highness with such disdain."
At that moment—
[Protagonist Mission: Damsel in Danger. A hero will come to your rescue. Time Remaining: 00:00:15]
"Huh?"
I blinked.
"Fifteen seconds?! That's way too little—!"
SLAP!
A burning sensation exploded across my cheek.
My head snapped to the side.
Everything went white for a moment.
…What?
I slowly opened my eyes.
The NPC's hand was still extended in front of me.
Open. Slightly trembling.
…This damn bitch. Sh-She slapped me?!
The crazy girl raised her hand again—her intention crystal clear.
Another hit.
Like hell I'll let that happen.
One thing is being afraid of villains—but an NPC?
Hell no.
I'll beat the shit out of her.
"Enough."
Before I could move, a dry, emotionless voice cut through the air.
At the same time, a hand stopped the crazed noble from striking again.
"Do you two think this is some slum, fighting like street thugs?"
I blinked.
"…Auren?!"
Where the hell did he come from?
I frowned.
How do "heroes" just appear out of nowhere?
Seriously…
I crossed my arms, annoyed.
I can't deal with otome logic.