I was seated at the very back of the classroom, occupying the same chair I had taken before the student roasting incident that was disguised as a test. I arrived later than usual on purpose, though still early enough to be present when Heather called attendance.
Speaking of Heather, he said nothing about what happened yesterday.
Stranger still, none of the students who had participated brought it up either.
Of course, they would not. Everyone in this room had learned caution the hard way. Still, this silence would not last forever. There would come a day when this class could no longer stomach the sadistic evaluations, most of them heavily influenced by Eclair. When that day arrived, formal complaints would flood both the instructors and the student council.
After finishing attendance, Heather clapped his hands once and told us to relax. There was nothing scheduled for the curriculum today. It was a self-study period. With that, he simply walked out.
.....
.....
.....
No one relaxed.
The classroom remained stiff, as if we were waiting for a trap to spring.
...
.....
.....
Ten minutes passed with nothing happening.
Gradually, the tension thinned. A few students let out shaky breaths. Some slumped into their seats in relief. Others stayed guarded, eyes darting whenever someone shifted.
But what mattered more was the sharp gaze I felt from the front of the room.
I ignored it and lowered my eyes to my phone. There was no point trying to guess who it belonged to. There was only one person I had wronged over the past few days, and I already knew he would not look away.
Right now, I have something more important to think about, and that is my funds.
Kaye had handed me 2500 Valis as pocket money. Valis functioned much like USD in this kingdom. Roughly speaking, one Valis equaled fifty cents back on Earth. That meant Kaye had casually given me the equivalent of five thousand dollars as a monthly allowance.
The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded. I need to remind myself reevaluate the importance of the Salinin family both in wealth and in influence.
Nonetheless, Excelia Academy already provides food and accommodation. I could technically survive without spending a single Valis and still live comfortably in my dorm, but that approach would be short-sighted. If I wanted my future plans to run smoothly, I needed capital. Large capital.
The fastest way to do that right now is investment.
There was one choice that stood above all others. A guaranteed win, according to the novel. Mac Corporation.
At this point in the timeline, Mac Corporation is still in its infancy. This was Maku's first political and economic move aimed at conquering Taiyo before fighting his other siblings to the throne.
The company began as a logistics and infrastructure firm, focusing on thrum-powered transportation, supply chains, and standardized enchantment components. On the surface, it looked mundane. Behind the scenes, it was ruthless.
Mac Corporation undercut competitors by producing enchantment cores in bulk using a modular system that reduced costs by nearly forty percent. They secured exclusive contracts with minor noble houses who lacked bargaining power, locking them into long term supply agreements. At the same time, they quietly acquired failing workshops and rebranded them as subsidiaries, preserving local names to avoid backlash.
Within three years, Mac Corporation controlled transportation routes, enchantment distribution, and repair infrastructure across Taiyo. When nobles realized what was happening, it was already too late. Sixty percent of Taiyo Kingdom's industrial stock flowed through Maku's controlled channels.
A clean monopoly achieved through deceit and cunning.
Of course, my measly 2500 Valis meant nothing at this stage. Even so, a seed planted early would still result in a juicy fruit.
I searched for Mac Corporation on the exchange interface and invested every last Valis I had.
Around me, the classroom slowly grew livelier. Conversations sparked up. Laughter followed. When I glanced toward Finster's group, they were completely absorbed in their own world. Azalea chatted with Waffel. Maku leaned close to Finster, speaking animatedly. Somehow, Nagi had inserted herself into the circle as well.
As expected.
Just as I was about to look away, Finster turned his head.
Our eyes almost met.
I made sure not to hold his gaze, letting my eyes slide back to my phone. Still, I sensed it. The shift in air. The scrape of a chair.
He stood up.
My fingers stiffened around my phone. Where was he going?
I kept scrolling, pretending nothing existed beyond the screen. Footsteps echoed softly against the floor, growing closer. My heartbeat climbed with every step.
"He is coming this way, isn't he?"
I silently prayed to a god I had never believed in, begging for any interruption, any excuse, anything that would let me escape.
"Dingggg!!!"
The bell rang.
A clear, almost heavenly sound filled the room, followed by the announcement.
"Class 1-A, homeroom is now over. Please proceed to Duel Grounds, Zone D, for your next class."
"I repeat,"
"Class 1-A, homeroom is now over. Please proceed to Duel Grounds, Zone D, for your next class."
So god actually existed.
I stood up immediately and nudged Tasora beside me, who had nearly fallen asleep with her head propped on her hand. I told her it was time to go. She blinked groggily, still half lost in sleep.
Finster was still approaching.
I did not wait.
I grabbed Tasora by the wrist and guided her toward the back door. We slipped out of the classroom just as the crowd began to move, vanishing into the hallway before anyone could stop us.
I opened the door, welcoming the future.
"Escape successful."
"Hey, wait!" Finster called out.
"Escape unsuccessful...…"
The words echoed in my head as my body froze for half a second too long.
What should I do here?.......
Ignore him?....... No, that would only confirm guilt.
Turn around and snap at him?.... Worse idea.
Act oblivious? Useless. Every option collapsed the moment I factor one crucial detail.
He could read emotions.
There was no hiding panic, irritation, or hostility from someone like him. Even if I could hide it by not looking at his eye, it would just lead to me knowing about his secrects which brings out even more interest. My mind scrambled for an answer and found none that led to survival.
So I chose the simplest route.
Run.
I slammed the door shut behind me and pushed Tasora forward into the hallway, guiding her by the shoulders as we merged into the flow of students moving toward the duel grounds. The door clicked shut with a finality that felt far more dramatic than it should have been.
Tasora stumbled half a step before regaining her balance, finally waking up enough to realize she was being dragged.
"Huh. What. Why are we speed walking?" she muttered, eyes half open.
"No reason," I replied immediately. "Urgent academic motivation."
She squinted at me. "That is not a thing."
I did not slow down.
Behind us, voices spilled into the hallway as more students exited the classroom. Finster's presence lingered like a phantom pressure at my back, even without seeing him. I resisted the urge to glance over my shoulder.
Tasora yawned, stretching her arms as she walked. "You are acting weird again."
"I am always weird."
"Is that so....."
I tightened my grip slightly and guided us around a corner, letting the crowd swallow us whole. The duel grounds were still a short walk away, which meant every second mattered.
My emotions were a mess. Irritation layered over anxiety, with a sharp edge of anticipation I hated acknowledging. If Finster caught up, there would be no clean outcome. Talking invited probing. Silence invited suspicion. Any reaction at all would be suspicious.
God dammit all, Emotion readers were unfair.
Tasora suddenly leaned closer, lowering her voice. "You are avoiding someone."
"I am appreciating personal space."
She gave me a long look. "You are bad at lying."
Another corner. Another hallway. The noise thinned as students split toward different zones. I felt it then. The pressure eased slightly.
He did not follow.
I finally let out a breath I had not realized I was holding and loosened my grip on Tasora. My pace slowed to normal.
Tasora blinked up at me. "So. Care to explain."
"No."
"What about yesterday?"
"Not now"
She hummed thoughtfully. "Then I will assume you are involved in something very annoying."
"That assumption is fairly accurate."
She sighed. "You made me watch that and expect me not ask anything? You're impossible, you better whip out a good explanation for this."
Ahead, Zone D came into view, the wide open dueling grounds framed by stone pillars and reinforced barriers. Once we stepped through, hopefully Finster would read the room and stay quiet. I genuinely had no possible answer I could whip up on the spot.
What was I supposed to say? That I fed him my flesh to calm him down, and that whatever I said afterward, the parts that echoed his trauma, were pure coincidence? That I only did it because, even if Eclair is a monster, we need her backing this early on?
...
...
...
Yeah, I thought so too. It sounded even more deranged hearing it from myself, even knowing it was true.
But for now... let's just say it was a mission failed successfully.