SRS 166

“That’s why….”

Yohan looked at the one sitting next to him with a sad expression. There was a reason Mikael had been looking out for Yohan so carefully lately. Thinking back on their previous conversation, it was clear that he knew this would happen.

“…I wish you’d told me back then.”

As Yohan expressed his bitterness, Mikael nodded before explaining.

“But you couldn’t have adjusted your schedule any further back then.”

“……”

“Telling you in advance wouldn’t have made much difference, and I thought it might actually make things even harder for you.”

“…That’s true.”

Every point he made was right. It was so logical that it actually made him feel a little hurt. Yohan quickly opened his notebook and glanced at the schedule he’d written down at the beginning. It was always the same schedule, and lately, with the guard duties and the weekend anti-demonic classes squeezed in, it certainly looked tight.

…If I reduce my sleep more.

After considering it, Yohan shook his head. Since his daily schedule was already full, cutting back on sleep even further might prevent him from properly focusing on the tasks he was supposed to handle. It wouldn’t make sense to neglect his current classes just to prepare for the end-of-month evaluation.

In the end, he had no choice but to admit that Mikael’s judgment was correct.

“…Thanks for looking out for me.”

“Don’t worry too much. I can help you with the Divine Studies exam. As for Spirit Studies… since you’ve contracted with a spirit, you might even pass with a perfect score. As for the general education courses, you always pay close attention, so you just need to focus on Herbology.”

“…Really?”

This reasonable reassurance put Yohan at ease. As he listened, he found his courage returning and his expression brightened; he attended class with a much lighter heart than when he first heard the news about the end-of-month evaluations. However, unlike Yohan, there were students who couldn’t relax.

Namely, every single student in Divine Studies class except for Yohan and Mikael.

“Yohan…! Please, just save us this once…!”

“We need your help!”

“Please bestow your divine blessing upon us!”

As soon as the first period ended and the bell rang, and the angel professor had barely stepped out of the classroom, the students leaped from their chairs and rushed over to Yohan and Mikael’s seats, kneeling before them. Startled by this unexpected turn of events, Yohan reflexively stepped down from his chair, knelt on one knee, and lowered his posture to help his friends to their feet. But the students were adamant.

“No, we can’t get up yet.”

“Now that we’ve heard about the dungeon… we have to avoid ending up in the bottom 10%.”

“Please, help us.”

“…The dungeon?”

Was there such a place in Fantasiademia?

It was news to him, and as he blinked in surprise, the students taking Divine Studies with him lit up.

“Yohan, you don’t actually know about the Dungeon?”

“If not, we’ll explain it to you. In exchange for our studies….”

“The dungeon must refer to the House of Knowledge located beneath Fantasiademia.”

“……”

Before the students could seize the opportunity to gloat, Mikael explained. At that, some priests made expressions like, “Oh right, Mikael was here,” while some students looked betrayed. Mikael calmly ignored their stares and continued speaking.

“It doesn’t start now, but at the end of the first semester. Every semester, they compile all the various evaluations, and students in the bottom 10% are sent to the House of Knowledge during the short break to do nothing but study. I heard that if you don’t get a perfect score on the comprehensive exam given by the supervisor who manages the unauthorized copy House of Knowledge, you have to stay there for about a week even after the semester starts.”

“That’s not staying! That’s imprisonment!”

“I heard it from some upperclassmen I met when the tower was attacked by dimensional monsters before. They said demons live in the dungeon.”

“They said the only food served is hard bread and thin, tasteless soup…”

“Ah.”

Thanks to his friends’ reactions and Mikael’s explanation, Yohan now had a clear picture of what the dungeon was like.

“But why didn’t I know about this?”

At that, the students, even Mikael, replied with expressions that said it was obvious.

“Well, Yohan, you’re the top student in our class. Since you’d never have any reason to go to the dungeon, we didn’t tell you.”

“Um… the professors didn’t explain it to us separately, and you’re the top student in the class, so…”

“…….”

Yohan gave a slightly forlorn smile, as if he’d been caught in the ​stolen content​rain. In Fantasiademia, being the top student brought more downsides than upsides.

“The angel professor’s explanations are too obscure and difficult. I’d appreciate it if you could help us out, Yohan.”

“I swear to God, I’ll repay this favor no matter what.”

“My grades were the best when you were the teaching assistant…! Just this once, let me owe you a favor!”

The priests and saints bowed their heads to the floor once more and pleaded. Yohan hesitated; he pulled up his pants as his friends clung to his pant legs. He wanted to help them, but he was bound to be busy during the end-of-month evaluation week. Mikael had lessened his worries, but their opponents were professors. They might be preparing for an even tougher exam than the one expected by a perpetual first-year.

“Hey, if it’s because the reward isn’t enough, I’ll give you all my gold coins the next time we go to the commercial district!”

“Me too! I’ll give you mine too!”

“For someone like Yohan, even giving him my entire shop points wouldn’t be enough. I’ll give you everything I have.”

“…I understand, so leave the points out of it. I think plant fertilizer or snacks for the divine beasts will be enough for me.”

Seeing his friends resorting to even bringing up gold to ask for help, Yohan closed his eyes; he wondered where the dignity and order of divine ability users had gone. But in order to prevent his friends from falling even further into ruin, he eventually agreed.

And so, until the end-of-month evaluation, Mikael and Yohan’s supplementary Divine Studies class was held for thirty minutes after the first period every day. The clerics bowed to Yohan with tears of gratitude running down their faces. In particular, Aidan, the priest who had to turn into a frog and croak during every lecture, sobbed until his eyes and nose were completely red.

Yohan patted the young priest on the back as he chattered on about how he’d thought he’d unauthorized copybe stuck at school for the entire break.Yohan finished the brief supplementary lesson and, feeling a sense of responsibility, took out his notebook.

“What are you doing?”

Mikael asked when he saw him alone in the lecture hall writing something down after all the other students had left. Yohan answered without taking his eyes off his notebook.

“I’m putting together a curriculum. Since I’ll be teaching several students at once, all with different levels of talent and progress, I think I need a proper plan.”

“Hmm….”

Mikael looked somewhat flustered by his close friend, who was going out of his way to fulfill the duties of a teaching assistant, but when he saw the earnest and passionate expression on Yohan’s face as he worked on the curriculum, he sighed and gave up trying to dissuade him. Mikael eventually only asked that Yohan let him know if he had any good ideas. At times like this, Yohan was stubborn and wouldn’t listen to Mikael’s opinions.

***

Second period: Spirit Studies lecture.

“Come to think of it, has everyone heard the news? Starting this month, the end-of-month evaluations are back. They begin in ten days! Don’t slack off, study hard and get good grades!”

As always, Professor Shinbi plunged the students into despair by announcing the return of the end-of-month evaluations. Yohan frowned as he looked over the lecture notes he’d compiled for Spirit Studies. There really was a lot of material. Even though he’d memorized most of it, he wasn’t confident he could handle advanced application questions or trick questions, and just as he was groaning to himself, Professor Shinbi said, as if the thought had just occurred to her.

“Oh, right. If you go to Shul’s Spirit Bookstore in the commercial district, it’ll be a big help with your studies. They sell reference books and practice exam workbooks based on the Spirit Studies curriculum at Fantasiademia. It’s run by one of my former students, so you can trust it.”

“……!”

It was exactly what Yohan needed to hear. His eyes lit up at the mention of books that seemed perfect for him, and he raised his hand.

“Where exactly is Shul’s Spirit Bookstore? I don’t recall seeing it the last time I was there.”

“Ah, now that you mention it, I forgot to tell you. Shul’s Spirit Bookstore only allows entry to those who are qualified, so you have to find the guide spirit wandering around the commercial district in an invisible state to get in.”

“…….”

At those words, the expressions of the Spirit Studies students turned icy. So, she’s telling students who haven’t even contracted with a spirit yet (let alone befriended one) to find a spirit hiding in the commercial district?

While they gave her looks that said, “Are you serious?”, Yohan glanced at Mikael. He wasn’t sure if he could do it alone, but with Mikael there, he felt he could find it. After all, spirits naturally gravitated toward him.

“Want some help?”

Feeling his gaze, Mikael turned slightly toward Yohan and nodded. His white hair fluttered softly with the movement. Yohan realized once again that the person in front of him had no qualms about helping him. He always supported him in every way and shared the burden. It was routine for him to ask first, before Yohan even had to ask for help.

“…I’d appreciate it. I’d love to go in with you.”

As Yohan nodded in response, Mikael smiled.

“Alright.”

He truly had the character and appearance of an angel. As he looked into those eyes that curved gently when they met his, Yohan could tell that he was being trusted by an angel, and it made him feel strange. He awkwardly averted his gaze from Mikael.

“Hmm.”

Mikael shrugged as he saw the look on his friend’s face as he turned away.