Jacqueline Dogwood was a new student who had just entered the Academy this year—and right now, she was a lost new student.
She stared blankly up at the sky, then lowered her head again, coolly assessing her current situation.
“I'm screwed.”
Who would have thought she’d get stranded inside the Academy grounds?
Only fifteen minutes remained before the entrance ceremony for freshmen would begin in the grand auditorium.
Yet Jacqueline had somehow ended up in a place she didn’t recognize at all.
It was in the middle of the woods.
No, wait—it might be part of a garden?
“Why! Why does a garden have to be so ridiculously big that it turns people into strays…?”
They said that every year at the Royal Academy, three or four students lost their way and starved to death.
When her uncle back home had told her that, she had assumed he was just trying to scare her.
She had laughed, thinking, Who the hell would be that stupid?
And yet here she was.
“I can’t believe I’m the idiot in that story…”
Honestly, Jacqueline felt rather wronged.
She had prepared thoroughly to make sure something like this wouldn’t happen.
Before leaving her countryside village for the city, she had checked her belongings several times, and even while getting motion-sick on the wagon, she had memorized the pamphlet the admissions office handed out.
The day before, she had stayed overnight at her aunt’s house on the opposite side of the city and gotten up at dawn to walk here.
Accommodation near the Academy was outrageously expensive.
Up to that point, everything had gone perfectly…
But the moment she arrived at the main gates of the Royal Academy, she had been completely overwhelmed.
Everything was big, shiny, and dazzling.
And there were so many people.
Panicking, she had forgotten the route she memorized, and she had lost the booklet with the map.
Still, she thought if she followed the crowd, she’d eventually reach the auditorium.
At some point, however, the people in front of her had vanished.
“How long can a person survive without food again? If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve packed some snacks. At least I brought a pen and paper in my bag, so I can write a will. What should I write? ‘Jacqueline Dogwood, died like an idiot after getting lost.’ Ahaha, my parents will probably laugh at how stupid it is… Wah!”
Rustle, rustle.
Half in despair, she pushed through a bush—and a wide open crossroads appeared before her.
She had finally escaped the woods—or rather, the garden!
In the center of the crossroads stood someone, and Jacqueline, overjoyed at seeing another human being, shouted before she could stop herself.
“Hey!”
Waving happily, she ran toward the person, who turned to look at her.
A sophisticated woman with beautiful blonde hair.
Even just standing still, her posture radiated elegance.
Judging by her appearance, she was probably a student here, which was perfect.
Jacqueline waved both arms energetically as she called for help.
“Help! Please help me!”
“What?”
“I’m lost! I’m stranded!”
“Stranded? On campus? You’re joking…”
The older student tilted her head at first, but when she got a good look at Jacqueline—leaves in her hair, looking like she’d been chased by a boar—her jaw dropped.
“What on earth are you?”
“I’m Jacqueline, by the way.”
“I didn’t ask for your name.”
“Then…?”
“….”
The older student narrowed her eyes, scanned Jacqueline up and down, and then frowned.
“Are you here to see the professor too?”
“Huh?”
“Professor Winslet.”
“Who’s that?”
“Ha? Don’t play dumb. If you’re here, there’s only one reason. This is the path the professor often takes to work.”
“I just got lost, that’s all…”
“Forget it. The professor doesn’t like messy, ugly girls like you anyway, so you might as well give up.”
“…What? Was that really necessary?!”
Jacqueline finally snapped.
All she did was ask for directions, and she was being insulted?
Are city people all like this?
“Hey!”
“What, mad?”
The older student looked at her like she was daring her to argue.
“Is being pretty all that matters?”
“What did you just… wait, what?”
“Is being tall with a good figure all that matters?!”
“…What are you even saying?”
“Having noble features, smooth skin, and smelling nice—does that make you so special, huh?!”
“Uh… oh… thanks?”
“That wasn’t a compliment! You’re super annoying, you know that?”
“…?”
When Jacqueline got emotional, she tended to just blurt out whatever came to mind.
Not that she intended to, but at least she had succeeded in throwing the older girl off balance.
“Y-you! Why don’t you get out of here already?”
“Why should I?”
“Because the professor will be here soon! If you get in his way, you’ll—”
The older student raised her palm, about to shove Jacqueline, when—
“Who’s causing such a commotion this early in the morning?”
A tall man appeared from the northwest path.
Jacqueline turned toward him, completely forgetting she had almost gotten into a fight a second ago.
For no real reason.
Well… no, actually there was a reason.
His face was just… shocking.
Do all city people look like this?
His features were sharply defined; his eyes were as deep as a well, his nose as high as a roof.
And that jawline—like it was carved with a blade.
His blonde hair, longer and more elegant than the female student’s, shimmered softly with every step.
For someone who had lived her entire life in the countryside, it was an unfamiliar kind of beauty.
Wow. Eye candy.
Jacqueline nodded to herself, thinking she was glad she had come to the Academy.
“P-Professor Winslet!”
The older student, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, now sounded as meek as a lamb.
Professor Winslet, huh?
Jacqueline made a mental note of the name.
The professor spoke.
“Today marks the start of a new semester. It’s a busy day for everyone, yet here you are, arguing in the middle of the path. What year are you?”
“I-I’m Stephanie Wells, third-year at the Magic University. From the Wells Count family…”
“Wells Count?”
“Yes! My father is one of your biggest supporters, Professor. If you’d ever care to visit our estate—”
“I have no interest in trivial places.”
Jacqueline’s jaw dropped.
Wasn’t a count family supposed to be a huge deal?
Her hometown lord had been a count.
Glancing sideways, she felt a bit relieved when she saw the older student’s shocked expression.
Phew, guess even city folks aren’t so different after all.
This time, Professor Winslet jerked his chin toward Jacqueline.
His golden hair swayed like a curtain, drawing her eyes.
“And you?”
“Me? Uh… I’m Jacqueline Dogwood… just from some small village…”
“Equally unremarkable.”
With that, Professor Winslet turned his head away and started walking, as if neither of them mattered anymore.
“….”
Watching his back, Jacqueline felt… odd.
She had been dismissed outright, but strangely, it didn’t feel bad.
Professor Winslet, huh.
She didn’t know how great he was, but he had casually ignored a count’s daughter.
And he had said she was just as unremarkable.
If we’re treated the same, doesn’t that make me the winner?
It was confusing.
She had been insulted, yet… why did it feel good?
For some reason, she felt like she might like this professor.
She wondered what subject he taught.
As long as it wasn’t math, she wouldn’t mind taking one of his classes.
Just as she was watching him walk away, deep in thought—
Professor Winslet suddenly turned and called her.
“Jacqueline Dogwood.”
“Y-yes!”
Jacqueline flinched in surprise.
He didn’t have eyes on the back of his head, did he?
She felt embarrassed, thinking she’d been caught staring.
But at his next words, all that embarrassment vanished.
“You’re ugly.”
…What did that bastard just say?
“As an Academy student, you should tidy your appearance and dress more properly. Take Miss Wells here as an example.”
Pfft. Next to her, the irritating older student was barely suppressing a laugh.
Forget what she had just thought earlier—she officially took it back.
Winter Winslet, was it?
What an insufferable bastard of a professor.
***
On my way to the grand auditorium for the entrance ceremony, after running into those two students, a sudden headache forced me to sit down on a bench for a moment.
[Warning]
[Willpower and Health have temporarily decreased.]
[Activated Trait: «Bone-Deep Aristocrat»]
This message could only mean one thing—the headache was caused by one of Winter Winslet’s inherent character traits.
[Winter Winslet]
Strength: D
Health: E
Dexterity: A
Wit: B
Intelligence: A
-Talents: [Magic Power S] [Magic A] [Elemental (Ice) S] [Black Magic B] …(omitted)…
-Traits: [Bone-Deep Aristocrat] [Innate Pride] [Lack of Humanity] [Aesthetic Sense] [Always Elegant] [First-Class Gourmet] [Hygiene Obsession] [Heroic Will] [Glass Cannon] [Prodigal Son Returned] [Quintessential Mage] [Seductive Genes] [Most Handsome Man of the Century] …(omitted)…
[Bone-Deep Aristocrat]
: A person whose sense of hierarchy is ingrained down to the bone reacts sensitively to the status of others.
-When conversing with someone of lower status, Willpower and Health temporarily decrease.
Winter Winslet.
This bastard was even more of a headache than I thought.
Seriously? Just talking to a commoner gave him migraines?
Willpower was one of those hidden stats that didn’t show up on the surface, but when it decreased, various penalties were applied to the character’s abilities.
And if Willpower dropped to 0, it was game over.
The character would become a broken husk, treated as if they had died mentally.
[Heroic Will]
-Even if Willpower drops to a fatal level, you won’t die. However, the penalty duration will increase, and permanent stat loss may occur.
Fortunately, Winter Winslet had traits to counterbalance that, so he wouldn’t end up as a vegetable just for talking to a peasant.
But if he actually pushed it too far, he’d suffer for a week from nausea, stomachaches, various inflammations, and even memory loss.
Winter Winslet’s system-imposed traits were in full control of my body.
Another typical example was speech.
He used archaic words, always spoke informally, and—
He had an unbearably rude tone, no matter what I actually meant.
Just like with Jacqueline Dogwood.
The girl had been standing there, hair a mess and leaves stuck all over her, looking like she’d been chased by a wild boar, and I had actually wanted to show some concern.
But instead, out of nowhere—
“You’re ugly.”
The words had just flown out of my mouth.
Of course, that wasn’t only the fault of «Bone-Deep Aristocrat»; traits like «Hygiene Obsession» and «Aesthetic Sense» clearly influenced it too.
Still…
Can I really keep this up?
After thinking for a moment, I remembered something that might help.
[Would you like to open the Achievement Shop? (YES/NO)]
[Achievement Shop]
-You can use achievement points to purchase special perks.
-Achievement points are earned by clearing death-flag events.
[Currently Available Points: 24]
And that was where the Achievement Shop came in.