With a racing heart and trembling hands, Will opened the letter-style admission letter.
The envelope was thick, sealed with a dark blue rose stamp. The six-petal rose design was exquisite.
Entak First College focused primarily on magic training and had produced countless top magicians for dungeon expeditions. At the same time, this dark blue rose also represented the support of the Entak royal family. Studying here could potentially earn the favor of the royals.
"Hmm… the practical exam is in a week. Aunt Susan said my father has arranged for someone to pack my luggage and take me to the city the day after tomorrow. If all goes smoothly, everything will proceed as planned. The people picking me up are ready."
—Unless there's an accident!
As a wealthy family, the Systroms had a private house in the capital for their young masters and ladies to stay while studying. They would never let him deign to live in the dormitories.
But…
On the way to the private house, ambushes awaited!
Originally, Will had considered changing the timing to avoid attacks, but his father's instructions were firm. It seemed difficult to refuse. Perhaps it was fate, and some events were bound to happen.
He would simply follow the task he had set for himself.
In the original story, Master Will had scorned Iel for being useless and left her at home when he went to school. The story only described Iel as thinking, "Master was seriously injured."
He wasn't the foolish, incompetent Will of the original story. This time, he would bring Iel with him.
And Iel was no longer the timid and weak girl she had been. This time, she could block an Extreme Flame Meteor.
Hehehe… little witch, I will convince you.
Will smiled to himself.
"Master… though the admission letter is exciting… you shouldn't be smiling like a villain, right!?"
Iel, who handed him the letter, was still waiting for his decision.
"By the way, Iel, did you know the Systrom family has a private house in the capital, specially for young masters to study?" Will asked casually.
"Oh, that's not surprising," she replied.
"But there are no servants there, so you usually have to bring one along."
"Bring a servant?! Then… then… doesn't that mean that the two of us… live together… together!?"
"Oh… what a dilemma. Who should I take with me?"
"Hmm!?" Will laid out his words carefully, slid the notice into the envelope, and turned to Iel.
"So… Iel, come with me."
"Hey, hey, hey… me?"
"Yes, it's impossible without you."
Iel lay on her bed, eyes wide open, heart pounding as she thought about Will's words: *"It's impossible without you."* She couldn't stop her heart from racing. "Thinking about going to the capital with the young master… I just can't sleep…" She didn't know why. Her heart beat faster the more she thought about it. This was obviously an ordinary task—personal maids trained since childhood always went with their masters when traveling. But the thought of going with Will made her heart race uncontrollably. The small house in the capital was not the Systrom family mansion—it was a modest home with a living room, three bedrooms, and… a young master and a maid. Uh! What was she thinking?! She noticed the "Three Hundred Questions of Darkness" on her bedside table. Normally, when she couldn't sleep, reading a book that required memory helped her fall asleep quickly. She opened it at random. "Uh… Question 233… What if the other person is very independent, has his own ideas, and doesn't seem to need you at all?" Her ears perked up, a slight panic rising. "Stand by his side when he is most isolated… Stand in front of him when he is most in danger… Touch his face when he is most vulnerable… People seek support when they are most lonely, most afraid, and most vulnerable… So, let him know that he can't live without you." Iel remembered today, when the exhausted young master fell into her arms like a bird with broken wings… It was the first time she had seen the normally strong, smart, and independent young master show weakness. It was the first time he had relied on her. Holding Will's body in her arms, she felt that he was at her mercy in that moment… the only person he could trust. Her racing heartbeat slowly calmed, replaced by a sense of peace and happiness. Before this, she had only regarded *Three Hundred Questions on Blackening* as a book to recite, never grasping its deeper meaning. Now, she understood.
Meanwhile, in Will's room:
[To S:Success! I successfully cast the Extreme Flame Meteor. Although I can only use it twice due to my physical limits, the effect is excellent. In terms of power, one Extreme Flame Meteor reached 7,920 SH, considered above average for fire magic. In terms of consumption, the bottle of medium you provided is enough for two uses, but the magic medium can be paired with small coins, making it very cost-effective.I also used ice armor to resist once. Specific values and calculations are on the draft paper attached to the letter.Thank you very much! I have enclosed a small gift to commemorate our three years of friendship. Please accept it.]
Will finished writing the letter and picked up the metal bookmark next to him, specially ordered.
It looked like a square card, with a hollow "galaxy" of stars in the center. Small holes in the star shapes seemed to glow against the white pages of the book.
"Huh, I hope he likes this customized metal bookmark. He's such a book lover, he'll definitely use it."
Will glanced at the clock. It wasn't late, but he had to sleep early for tomorrow.
After packing the letters and writing the address, he opened his "Task System."
He turned to the "Witch Leah Chapter" and saw the task recorded there:
Right, this was "Task 38," after Iel successfully blocked the Extreme Flame Meteor—
[Task 38: Block a blow, shock the witch, find an opportunity, negotiate with her, coerce and lure her, gain trust, and enter the Witch Leah Chapter.]
Will looked at the blank reward column, picked up a pen, and wrote:
[Reward: Have a good sleep.]
When he closed the notebook, the last page remained open, fully exposed.
All the training. All the tasks. All the threads.
At the very end of this complete system notebook, the "ultimate prize" he had prepared for himself was written.
This page glimmered under the cold moonlight, like an unattainable hope, ready to disappear into the clouds at any moment.
He had gone to great lengths to use an entire page for the reward—
[Reward: Find your own "heroine."]
The smile on Will's face vanished. He quickly closed the notebook, unwilling to dwell on it.
In his previous life, he had never been in love. Never attracted to anyone, never liked by anyone. His life had been neither lonely nor lively.
Being attracted to someone might be a "protagonist's" ability.Being liked by others might be a "protagonist's" right.Living a lonely life might be the hypocrisy of the "protagonist."Living a lively life might be something only a "protagonist" could have.
It had nothing to do with him, a villain born and bound by fate to a life ending crushed by a slime.
He was a spectator, laughing at the jokes, a comedian who could not change his path and simply went with the flow.
But…
He was a little selfish. He remembered how he had died in his previous life—maybe working overtime, hit by a truck while crossing the road, never waking up the next day. Ninety percent of time-travel stories involved trucks.
Yet he still remembered his last words before death:
"Heroine…""Heroine…""Heroine!"
Perhaps, in his reincarnation, he hoped he could finally find the heroine of his story in a world where the protagonist had a harem.
Aha. He would consider it the "ultimate prize."
After all, the hardest thing to obtain is usually the most desirable, isn't it?