*****
NOVELASIUS
- TL: the guild
- Discord: https://discord.gg/GBKEa55867
- Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/topasius
Thank you for your continued support of this series. As we’ve recently taken over the translation, there may be minor errors or inconsistencies in this chapter. We’re committed to delivering the best possible experience, so if you spot anything that doesn’t seem right, please let us know on our Discord server. Your feedback helps us improve and ensures the quality of future translations.
ENJOY~ PYUUN~
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Karma (1)
It was after the advanced herbalism practical class for second-year students, while waiting for the next liberal arts class in the same classroom.
“Yawn~”
Lark stretched and yawned, looking tired.
“Didn’t you sleep? You’ve looked exhausted all day.”
“I was studying for exams… The second-year major subjects are tougher than I thought.”
The studious guy. I was about to tell him to sleep when Jaeger chuckled from the side.
“Can you improve your grades by cramming? You take exams with your usual skills, idiot.”
“Shut up, perennial last place.”
“I don’t care~ I’ll become an adventurer after graduation.”
Lark clicked his tongue at Jaeger’s ignorance. Then he turned to me.
“Korin, aren’t you studying?”
“In this case, I agree with Jaeger’s opinion. You take exams with your usual skills.”
“Aren’t your grades in the upper middle range? If you can do that without studying, you must be pretty smart.”
“I’ll forget it all later anyway. Besides, what’s the use of good grades for me?”
“True, you’re destined to be a special-grade guardian.”
Even if I mess up the written exams, I can make up for it in the practical exams, keeping my grades in the upper middle range.
I didn’t need better grades, and I didn’t have a smart path like Lark.
“But it’s really annoying.”
“Chuckles… If you’re jealous, become a first-grade guardian too.”
Jaeger laughed along. This guy earned his second-grade knight rank during the summer vacation, so he’s not worried about grades either.
With two out of three of us uninterested in exams, the conversation naturally shifted to the next topic.
“This year, the fall harvest festival will be held at the academy, right?”
“Last year, it was the festival.”
The Fall Harvest Festival.
It’s a festival celebrated in every culture to commemorate the harvest.
Unlike the biennial festival exchange with other academies, the harvest festival is a nationwide event held annually.
This year, with no festival, the academy seemed to be focusing its administrative efforts on the harvest festival.
“Who will be the Lady of Autumn this year?”
Oh, right, there was that too. Jaeger wiggled his eyebrows with anticipation.
“Chuckles, I’m looking forward to it. But how is it chosen around here?”
“Huh? Is the selection method different depending on the region?”
Isn’t it a beauty contest?
“It is! In the city where we lived, it was chosen based on who had the most children that year.”
“Oh… What about your area, Lark?”
“Ours was a popularity vote. The candidates for Lady of Autumn would ride around the city in fancy carriages, and the one who received the most flowers was chosen.”
It seems the selection of the Lady of Autumn varies by region. Since it’s a nationwide festival, it’s understandable that there would be such differences.
“At the academy, it’s similar to a popularity vote, but the system is a bit unique.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that. The Lady of Autumn selection at Mercaba is unique.”
Lark agreed, and Jaeger asked what was different.
“How different?”
“The Lady of Autumn is chosen on the last day of the festival, and before that, there are competitions where the top three winners receive ribbons. These ribbons are given as gifts to the Lady of Autumn contestants.”
It was a quest in the main scenario. If the player was a female character, they would campaign or perform well to be chosen as the Lady of Autumn. If the player was a male character, they had to win at least one competition to give a ribbon to the heroine.
“Hunting competition, cooking competition, auction, Knight of the Year, magic fair, cross-dressing contest, tournament, bizarre trials…”
“That’s a lot.”
“Each competition is limited by the department you belong to.”
Jaeger mulled over the competitions I mentioned and asked,
“Aren’t you entering the tournament? Honestly, I think you could crush it.”
“That’s why I can’t.”
“Huh?”
The tournament is a simple knockout competition where students, regardless of whether they’re knights or mages, battle it out. The winner of the final match gets a trophy and a prize—something players could participate in.
I won it in the last round… but now I’m not allowed to enter.
Just as I was about to explain why someone approached me.
“What are you guys talking about, oppa?”
It was Ran. She greeted Jaeger and Lark too.
“I was about to explain the tournament rules.”
“Oh… it’s because our Hua Ran caused trouble.”
Jaeger looked puzzled by Ran’s words.
“Why bring up Hua?”
“Last year, Hua entered the tournament at the festival and crushed everyone. After that, there was talk about unofficially discouraging special grades from entering such competitions.”
This was also mentioned in the game scenario.
“Ran, is there a competition you want to enter?”
“Hmm~ I want to enter the cooking competition.”
“The market fair? Or the cooking contest?”
For reference, the market fair is about who can sell the most at a student stall, and the cooking contest is judged based on the taste of the dishes.
“The cooking contest! I’ve practiced a lot because I want to cook for you, oppa!”
“Ahem…”
“Lucky bastard…”
Jaeger and Lark made comments at Ran’s innocent statement. I decided to ignore them.
“But the tournament… If we go by the original, the tournament prize is a bit lacking.”
I looked at Arisha, who was dozing off next to me. Like me, her written grades were a mess, but her practical grades were top-notch.
“Arisha. Hey. Wake up.”
“Hmn… Korin~?”
I wiped the drool off her face as she sleepily opened her eyes.
“Enter the tournament.”
“Why?”
“I want the prize.”
“Okay…”
Arisha nodded drowsily.
Great, with her awakened power after the battle with the Sword Ghost, Arisha is at least quasi-special grade.
She doesn’t stand out like I do, but she’s treated as a first-grade guardian even unofficially.
Victory is assured.
The looks on Jaeger, Lark, and the other classmates who were listening in became peculiar.
“That gigolo.”
“Male concubine.”
I decided to endure the looks until graduation.
“Korin~ I brought snacks!”
The one approaching from the classroom door was none other than Marie. As usual, she carried a basket full of boiled potatoes and greeted everyone, but she came straight to me first.
“Do you have sugar?”
“Of course! Wait a moment!”
Marie set the basket in front of the desk and carefully arranged boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, and fries.
With sugar and ketchup added, a full set of potato snacks was prepared in an instant.
“Everyone, eat up! The potatoes are really good today! There’s juice too, so drink up if your throat gets dry!”
“Thank you!”
It wasn’t the first time Marie brought a bunch of potatoes, so everyone was used to it. Even Arisha, who had been knocked out, woke up at the savory smell of the potatoes.
As the smell of potatoes wafted through the classroom, everyone was munching on one when someone spoke up.
“By the way, Marie, are you entering the Lady of Autumn contest this year?”
“Huh?”
Someone asked. Marie scratched her cheek, looking puzzled.
“I haven’t really thought about it. I was always busy during the harvest festival. In my first year, I was more interested in other things.”
Well, the core of the harvest festival is to celebrate the harvest. For someone like Marie, the daughter of Dunareff, who feeds the continent, the Lady of Autumn might be a mundane topic.
“In fact… I was chosen every year when I was in the South…”
“Oh…”
Let’s not discuss the fairness of the selection process. I wonder if there was any other option besides Marie in the South.
This year, with no player around, it’s uncertain who will be chosen. It’ll probably be one of the heroines.
“Korin!”
Suddenly.
A loud presence burst in, one that could be identified without looking—Lady Estelle.
“My Lady…”
“I told you to call me sister!”
Estelle rushed over and hugged me, ignoring the stares of other students.
“People are watching…”
“So what? Were you bored without me? Want to hang out after class?”
“Don’t you have anything to do?”
“I’m a returning student! Everyone avoids me!”
It’s a common rule that returning students are treated like scary people, but I think it’s a bit different with you.
Who would be comfortable around Estelle, the princess and saint of this country?
“Right, look at this!”
Estelle suddenly handed me a piece of paper. I looked at it curiously.
“You’re entering the Lady of Autumn contest? In Mercaba?”
“Yeah, yeah! I’m going to sweep it all up!”
“…Aren’t you supposed to return to the Holy Land for the harvest festival?”
Estelle is a saint. Even though she’s no longer purely a saint of the church, her official position remains.
She has to show her face at the Holy Land’s events, bless the believers who gather to see her, and all that.
Especially after she flipped the church upside down with her crazy purge, her role as the de facto sole religious leader is even more critical.
“So I’m going to return for the latter half of the harvest festival! I’ll be at the Holy Land for four days, and then I’ll be back on the last day for the Lady of Autumn selection!”
“Is that even physically possible… Oh, Lady Josephine said she would handle it, didn’t she?”
“We’ve become really close lately.”
With Lady Josephine’s help, it’s possible. After all, Estelle is a key figure in our future plans. Lady Josephine was actively helping her.
“Anyway… Congratulations, I guess? But isn’t it a bit unfair for a saint to enter such a contest?”
If Estelle enters, the victory is basically guaranteed. She’s a saint and a princess.
“Korin, you’re going to give me a ribbon, right?”
“Uh… I need to enter a competition to get a ribbon?”
And I need to place at least in the top three.
“Yeah. So just enter one competition, win, and give me the golden ribbon.”
“That’s a hassle…”
I was planning to just relax and enjoy the festival. I had something to do with my teacher on the last day too.
“Come on, do it! Do it for me~ I’ll be upset if you don’t!”
“Ugh, My Lady! Sister! There are kids watching! This is a scandal!”
“Then take responsibility and marry me!”
“Damn that bastard.”
“Even the saintess!”
“I want to kill him. Please, God! Give me the strength to punish that insolent fool!”
It seems my reputation won’t improve until I graduate…
“My Lady.”
“Huh? Marie?”
Although they’re in the same grade, Estelle is technically Marie’s senior since she’s a returning student. Estelle glanced at Marie.
“Korin doesn’t like it.”
Oh, Marie. Yes, as the princess of the Southern Potato Empire, you can say something to Estelle, the saint and princess!
“No, he doesn’t dislike it, right, Korin?”
“No, that’s not—”
“Korin, you need to be clear. If you don’t make it clear, people in high positions will impose their opinions on you.”
“Uh…”
Marie’s gaze was cold. It was the kind of gaze that said, “The answer is obvious, you just need to say it.”
“Hmm~”
Estelle and Marie’s gazes met. Surprisingly, they had the same expression.
Their mouths were smiling, but their eyes were not!
In the tense atmosphere, Marie suddenly spoke to me.
“Korin, I’m going to enter the Lady of Autumn contest too.”
“What? You said you weren’t interested…”
“Of course, you’ll give me the ribbon, right?”
…
Not only I, but everyone around us was also shocked. Marie had just openly challenged the saintess.
“Korin oppa.”
And then.
“Korin.”
The challengers were.
“I’m entering too.”
“I’ll submit the application.”
Not just one.
“Huh?”
An incident had occurred.
Like the calm before the storm, heralding a major event.
“Oppa, you’ll give it to me, right?”
“Korin, I’ll be counting on you.”
Uh…?
Is… is this really happening?
“Sigh, I knew this would happen.”
“It was bound to explode someday.”
Jaeger and Lark shook their heads, looking satisfied with the mess.
Am I… screwed?
A faculty meeting discussing the upcoming Fall Harvest Festival.
In a gathering that included assistant professors, Chief Professor Josephine, and Chairperson Erin Danua, Erin was daydreaming, only half-listening to the professors.
“The last day of the harvest festival.”
The vivid memory of her student. Her handsome student gently brushing her neck as he placed a necklace around her, that enchanting night.
“Will you spend that night with me?”
He had asked her to spend the night with him. But why?
Why specifically at the midnight of the festival day? A day with rumors that couples who spend it together will get married?
“A proposal?”
No, it can’t be! I’m your teacher, and you’re my student!
“But if my student confesses his love to me and I reject him, wouldn’t Korin be hurt?”
That’s not good. Just imagining Korin being hurt and downcast made Erin’s heart ache.
Then should I accept it?
“But there’s an age difference…”
She’s lived for thousands of years. Even if it’s a special situation, how could she with a young man not yet twenty…
“Chairperson!”
“Huh?! Clara? Ah, wh-what’s going on?”
Erin was startled and stammered as Josephine knocked on her desk.
“I know you’re overworked, but please focus on the meeting.”
“Y-yes… I’m sorry, Chief Professor Josephine.”
She got scolded.
Josephine’s gaze was full of reproach, as if to say she knew why, but to stop daydreaming.
Erin shrank like a deflated balloon.
“But isn’t it about time we decided?”
It was Professor Ougen from the knight department who brought it up. Professor Edgar from the magic department nodded in agreement.
“It’s time to discuss this among the female faculty members. What about you, Professor Lulala?”
“I participated four years ago and won that year~ It’s good manners not to participate if you’ve won before.”
“Then Chief Professor Josephine won’t participate either, so among us…”
Edgar’s gaze shifted to Professor Deina. She shook her head vigorously in refusal.
“It’s too much for me! I have a lot to prepare for the magic fair! I have to submit research results, and if I don’t get a research sponsor this time…”
Professor Deina, who had been living frugally since last year’s Iron Mountain King incident, looked desperate.
Just as Erin, who hadn’t grasped the subject of the meeting, was about to seek help from Josephine, someone spoke up.
“What about Chairperson Danua?”
Surprisingly, it was the old Professor Harmon Wells who suggested it. The grumpy old professor with muscles looked at Erin.
“Huh? Me?”
“Yes, it seems like you’re the only one left among the female faculty who could participate in the ‘Lady of Autumn’ contest this year.”
Professor Ougen agreed with Professor Harmon, and Professor Edgar nodded in agreement.
“Oh, that sounds like a great idea!”
“Indeed… with the Chairperson’s beauty, she has a good chance of being the Lady of Autumn this year.”
The meeting progressed rapidly. Before Erin could even react, she was selected as the faculty member to participate in this year’s Lady of Autumn contest.
“Uh… I’ll do my best.”
Even though it happened unexpectedly, Erin secretly held onto a hope. It was a natural hope.
Will Korin… give me a ribbon?
The beginning of a disaster was approaching.
TL Note: In this translation, I’ve chosen to keep the Japanese honorific “senpai” instead of translating it to “senior” or using the character’s name. The term “senpai” carries a special cultural significance that reflects the relationships and respect within the characters’ interactions, especially in an academy setting. By retaining “senpai,” I hope to preserve the unique atmosphere and the subtle dynamics of the characters’ connections, allowing you to feel more immersed in their world. Thank you for understanding, and I hope you enjoy the story!
*****
NOVELASIUS
- TL: the guild
- Discord: https://discord.gg/GBKEa55867
- Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/topasius
*****
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