Chapter 196: Love Consultation (1)
nrTcrmGermain scratched his head while looking through the timetable of the upcoming yearly examination.hK7d
TNdB“It’s yearlies already…”BFyc0
ahcmOFkIt was a stressful period of the year for all students. For most guardians, test results also mattered to some extent when getting a job post-graduation so they couldn’t set it aside for good.HPO
0h65ROf course, it didn’t really matter for Germain, a high-ranked Grade 2 knight, however…mHE
AKQF73“Haa… This is bad. This is bad. I haven’t studied at all…!”pcT
6K6c“Umm… Hopefully, it will be alright if you start studying now, right?”DuQ
E9BF1s2“Maybe for you because all you have to study is the scripture, but I have to study every theory subject!”4aGs2PK
kpdfj4GOne of the few acquaintances that Germain, a well-known social outsider of the freshmen, interacted with was a mage in his year group, Melina. She was a cute girl with freckles and red hair braided into a ponytail. Germain had no idea how he was able to befriend such a cute girl.dCRFOKR
9gYEIActually, he had some idea about how it happened.Yjac
QEiShe was one of his peers who wanted him to introduce her to Senior Marie, the third-year-senior of the Magic Department. He wouldn’t have even received such a request if he hadn’t been a part of Korin Guardians, the most famous student guild in Merkarva.n5wzIp
Rh8It was a miraculous connection for him, considering how he lived as a diligent priest his whole life.HQb
v09pHF“Wow. Germain. Do you see that?”bjQYgw
Mi4s5N8On the way out of the lecture hall, Melina pointed at a wide grass garden. It was a popular site for students on a day as good as today, and Germain saw a group that was especially more eye-catching than others.n71TJT
41A7It was none other than the famous Korin Lork and some female seniors.WAozUtT
zregRfWThe heavily gender-disproportional group was having lunch on the grass. Seeing Korin being fed rice balls while playing the harp was very impressive in many ways.RaGBohj
sxjee0“He is a very unique person,” commented Melina.T4f
8Y9mPi“Big Bro Korin… is indeed amazing.”BCF1XoI
JovHe was a famous and popular senior but…WBgJEI3
99m“…Isn’t that still a bit too… debaucherous?”tAX
iwdBIt was quite an uncomfortable sight for Germain who was a faithful and devout believer. Of course, it didn’t feel so good as a man to watch that happen either.0aBP
7qQ“What about it? He is just that good of a person.”zPKcoz
rpkaPvHowever, Melina seemed to think otherwise.O4ZNMB
OnB“Thanks to him, I am using items that I wouldn’t have been able to use without saving up for two more years. It’s a lot easier to run missions because of that. There are many more options I can choose from.”opE
b6r“Ah…”y2X
kiNDuring the Hunting Grounds prac lesson at the start of the semester, he was an irritating enemy who played around with the freshmen students at the beginning of the lesson, but later gave out a high-grade magic stone to all the new students.9BGB
6sBcPoHe heard Korin had to use almost all of his money for that, so Germain asked him the reason for pulling such a student and Korin simply replied after a shrug.Y2Y9P6
Orf9L『It was supposed to be for something else, but something unexpected happened.』fX8Twtd
INwsN‘O well, it was a good thing for the juniors so it’s fine, isn’t it?’T7IW7O8
D3jdBYuHe added at the end.fIx
XSoKQ‘Seriously… what is he thinking?’M1ZTDpI
lNnHe was definitely a weird person.fBYX6
H2EItAs a spy from the Xeruem Order hiding inside Merkarva Academy, he could only assume that Korin Lork was someone far exceeding the limitations of his imagination.R3qFisb
B4gMgO“Haa…”eA3eED0
PAMw“What’s wrong? Why are you sighing?” Melina asked.L13V
ffz“Nothing… I’m just…”mcRz
GToXbnJealous…DRih
3mUhVOInstead of saying that final word, Germain rested his eyes on the red-haired girl for a while.Osrj65M
P1Hk2***0rt1
MgsmHAlthough the conflicting opinions of the demi-humans of Dana Shee and the royal court had yet to fully be resolved, things were getting better with the proactive help of Marie and Estelle.ibho
SGwIn any case, since one of the big concerns of the year was over, it was time to focus back on our Academy life for now. The yearly examination and the Autumn Harvest Festival were both getting quite close.wo5D5N
5RcYrfCThrough the fight against Eochaid Bres, I felt first-hand how I hadn’t fully grasped Sebancia Duke’s power yet.Yq2
UVW4jKI might be strong already, but I had to get even stronger.lz7S
p6GO0JePeople were already treating me as if I were a Unique Grade guardian, but my skills were still subpar without the Precepts backing me up.y4pJT
lsl5v“Dongsaeng~. Dongsaeng~.”CHBN
3HBB8“Uhhk…!”NNztD
WIN9jEstelle suddenly threw her arms around me from behind. She appeared to enjoy teasing me with her unhesitant hugs and touches.lsN
OEdPShe wasn’t the only problem. Ever since our trip to the royal capital, there were even more girls actively trying to get closer to me.QSPp0
zYX4rOAlicia and Hua Ran were the prime examples… Whenever they had the chance to, they either linked their arms with mine or threw their arms wide open for a hug.zNP
MkXocWell, Hua would hide and push the burden onto Ran after doing that, but…5dzpErp
q2ZOpIn any case, there was Marie, Alicia, Hua Ran, Lunia, and even Estelle…uF2MWHC
nkIhchb“You little bastard.”I3C
nzrO5D“Can you even… handle it?”z2HlIj
TY42Right. Hearing things like this was therefore completely deserved.iQw
zL688sJaeger and Lark, being close friends of mine, were in fact on the better side. My other peers who used to treat me nicely tended to look at me these days with faces going, ‘Wow… What the hell is with this guy?’1D2eC
AtzTr1LLike, roughly 90% of students in schools don’t have any experience dating right?a947Ezs
TwRAnd yet here I was walking around the campus with my arms linked with the well-renowned beauties of our Academy so… I could understand why.OQt
Em3-Look. Look at that piece of shit. He’s hitting on all the girls in our Academy.T79pwWV
K1NrCw0-It’s not just girls. He’s even hitting on professors.HPx0sm
g424-And he’s still pretending like he’s not interested in dating.hiG2
7iMpGThese days, rumors and discussions about me were getting increasingly worse. In that sense, it was similar to the last iteration, but recently, it was becoming so absurd that nonsensical rumors were being thrown out here and there.FYpF
vtzi0“There’s no way people are believing that I flirted with 100 girls, right…?”qj5Mik
h9ua8D“Stop your bullcrap buddy.”RyRD
SpVSz“Are you really saying that for real?”c68b
mGepuvJaeger and Lark were always like this whenever we were on this topic.2wYf
akZznWhat a terrible bunch of friends!VAhv
8sul“This is very incorrect. Yes, there is indeed a bit of a problem with my relationship but…”IGSXO0
HfCxs“There has been a report from Manager Owel of the cafe, Mister Suit, that you have brought more than 30 different girls to that place. What do you think about that rumor, in particular, Mr. Korin Lorkkkk?”DcEOaJ
4KnIt’s more than 70 including the last iteration, but this is an unfair attack on my character and a terrible misunderstanding.DYI
mYGVSCD“That’s not how it is. I was just taking some girls so that they could try out the Strawberry Milk Latte menu of that cafe. By the way, isn’t it funny that they put ‘milk’ in the name of the drink even though latte is already milk?”VQh
fiEB2TThat was what it said on the actual menu.P2R6IR
dRnvf“Scrap that, Mr. Korin, you freaking scoundrel of a man. Explain your deplorable actions; not some drink menu.”lm2Yw
jAWRThis Jaeger guy…GnpbiHA
hzAfOHe was venting out his anger on me just because it didn’t go well with his crush. It wasn’t anything difficult so why was he at it for 6 months?fMr1Jxc
zvQW“I know this stupid Jaeger failed at his relationship, but how are you going these days, Lark?”LcUh
0R7Zetz“Hey, don’t you dare change the topic, you freaking player! Explain yourself!!”G56Nv8
Lou7DIgnoring his outburst, I focused on our magic nerd friend.naK
1jNtV“Haa… I’m not you, so how would I have any relationship with girls?”PekqJ7o
VjI“What’s wrong with you, though?” I asked. “You have a decent appearance, a bright future—”Rg7DI
ycY“Hello? Mister? Do you remember who broke my dream occupation along with the Tower of Mages?”YVjY
etF“Ohh…”OGP0
L8RQ9Right. I recalled him going to the Tower of Mages as an intern during one of the holidays.JBP
C3RBcAU“Think about it this way; it was a blessing in disguise. The Tower of Mages is one hell of a bad place to work at and your superiors would have been horrible.”tEmK
DC2hgA“Haa~. But it’s hard for a Grade 3 mage to find another place to work. I wanted a research post at the least.”nP2Ux6B
NJH5x2“Hey. You came into the Academy as Grade 5 and you’re already in Grade 3 so that’s a bright future already.”luC
EZRHLD“Not as much as Mr. Unique Grade.”2Yt6RI
2Ej“Buddy. I’m still officially Grade 1.”sJFRs
nauPnyP“What kind of Grade 1 stops an entire army by themselves and changes the terrain with a spear?!”mU1
35Opa3zIn any case, the issue was that Lark’s future was looking grim due to me destroying the Tower of Mages.WsO
TaTs“If you want to head into research, how about you work as an assistant professor or head South?”8qSiK
p7xFK“The assistant professor one I’m thinking of, but… the South? Isn’t it all farmland over there?”1mmC2
jPJYa7“Senior Marie and my slaves are all over there. You can take a few mages that can work under you for free forever and set up a research facility.”ckALKyW
ztCrbpf“…You said they were working in the salt mine, right?”x6QX02
JcDLark seemed appalled by the idea and shivered. I still remember him turning pale when he first heard how we were whipping the high-ranked mages at the salt mines and working them as slaves.sI1
U3kpS4They would have been his superiors after all.i1TTg
8y3“I heard the plan was to send a few of the hard-working slaves over to research. And maybe a few as a reward for working hard this time around. Actually, do you want a professor-level mage? You can have them teach you all their secrets.”kMjr
0dXJK“Holy…”y4Blr
NCvzHe was baffled by me treating a professor-level mage, who could be translated to a semi-Grade 1 guardian, like a lunch box.i00N
5WsHJaeger and Lark – these two guys had a bright future ahead of them just because of a good friend that they made. I was quite well-known for being nice to my friends back in the day as well!WLI
F42UEven on Earth, when Sangwoo, that bloke, was about to give up on baseball due to an injury, I took care of him and did everything! That was the kind of loyal friend I was!hEBKGl
lK4K9HpEventually, when that guy won the Asian Cup, he even mentioned me during an interview.qMccsy3
Lb5TIpG『Everything is thanks to my most beloved friend.』Us7aR6
eL5a3Kyah~! That was quite touching to hear. Talking about love and whatnot sounded a little corny but that was fine.DZgG8Oq
4byI was reminiscing about the past when a young man walked towards me with a stiff look on his face. It was Germain Luther.mAk
TAR“H, hello. Bi… I mean, Seniors.”LS7t1
QG3zHe was about to call me ‘Big Bro’ as always but changed to ‘Seniors’ after throwing a glance at Jaeger and Lark.i5ubq
c1oP6DM“What’s up, Germain?”UxV
sw923x“Umm… I have a consultation to make.”5i6v
HJjd“If it’s something I can do for you, sure.”IAJ95m
df21oaHIt was about time to reap the seeds I had sowed with this guy, but putting that aside for now, I focused on what our cute little junior wanted to consult about.hea3
Z9TEa“Uhh…! Please help me advance my relationship with this girl!”1Oiye
MWRE“Oh damn.”132VX
cgBs“Hoh~”BY0l
CVhTwMNow this is a first…jerdO
ii3KP………nOKQvpT
pFwL7gd……HzcTE
NfVIV…6EwYid
Cqp0cXzGermain bought a drink and joined our table.ADW
L7DvLt“What’s with this all of a sudden? Do you have something going on with a girl?”An91cE
HQL“Umm… Something like that, I think.”tqtT
wl8gv“Wow! 1st-year kids going out? That wasn’t even an option for us back in my days!”eFDAq
warg0Jaeger shouted in anger, but Lark responded to him with pure facts.H71Qk2E
7qrD“Jaeger, that’s because you were making jokes with a mushroom during cooking.”bpZAj
mQIaiJm“Uhkk…!”2gpFAy
DAQTSy4“Thanks to you, I also received some damage to my social image for being around you. I hope you know that.” Lark added with a sigh.2SJfp
iFcRY“What about Korin!? He’s also my friend!”VSnN
K2q“He’s an exception among exceptions. An innate… how do I say it; an innate son of a bitch?”Rcfe6
unaeAxU“I think that’s a bit too mean, Mister.”Lrv
BZ3sI was the nicest person you would see alive.h9T50AR
oJb5“Anyway, Junior Germain. Why me of all people?” I asked.LMFal
U2r“So… this is my first time having an experience like this, and you were the only person I could rely on for it. Senior Korin.”e0azE
Qbv“You probably know already, but I’m like these guys and don’t have much experience dating gir—”tUVDQ8M
eUsjXWJaeger and Lark suddenly intervened before I could finish my sentence.Ek4rnM
FBEbOc“Excuse me, hello? Mr. Ko-douchebag? Can you stop fucking around?”mSHW
MpODq“Do you have no shame saying such a thing?”IfrEf9
Ow5“Far out… What’s wrong with you guys?”WSNS9nj
teWW8In any case, according to Germain, it seemed that he was recently getting closer to this freshman student called Melina. It started off when he helped her out during a theology class, and it seemed that they had meals together a few times at the Academy cafeteria and chatted a fair bit.gj7xU
hxf4M0LWhen he talked about how they went shopping together in the city, Jaeger and Lark showed a positive reaction by going, “Ohh~,” but…NQCtl
x6w“That’s just being a helper, isn’t it?”2Ff2
LroFsdxI had a different perspective.Jwmf6H
7ZB1“R, really?”X8Xe
sU3XF“That’s just how it seems to me. You are not even that close, and yet she wants you to help out in the city for her shopping? You are being used—”Ixe
iKeT“Ko-douchebag… I don’t think so…”qjBq
Hu6Jaeger showed his disagreement with my comment, but Lark followed through with a question asking for my opinion with intrigue.SNT
Qtmby“Then what do you think is the requirement to be sure that someone likes you?”C2S
8puO“…A kiss?”V71b
i6Vib“What the fuck…”UEAMt
IZB3eAVHe immediately swore in response. I thought mages were supposed to stay calm and collected at all times.lK8FeyU
gQbYI“Even if it’s not on the lips… shouldn’t there still be some level of a kiss?”YtDW
lMCR“Wait. Korin you idiot. What kind of girl starts off with a kiss when you’re not even dating?”C8qY0
ltx“…There were.”LANID
K5O“There must have been some kind of tingly interaction before that!”GrywK4G
u6EB“S, senior! Don’t you think kissing is a bit… too early for people to do before going out?”sZ4Ezy
2G0I4P“Not… necessarily?”ad6XC4
OCzDCThe three of them immediately paused after hearing that, and Jaeger slowly opened his mouth as if he noticed something from my response.SvKg
428W“You fucker… Is this from experience?”xJLV
Vo0u“…!”BgCcz
yAqEHow did he know?!OEjVf1A
rPmWg“W, who is it!? Who did you kiss?!”8PMRFXi
PsJpZ“U, uhh… So! Who should I talk about first?”u5mwv24
3jt“What??!”GDvZ
Nty0OW“It’s not just one person!?”NGauca
KRC“Big Bro Korin?!”MdJ
k5zThis is a misunderstanding, guys… I mean, not really but…M63Y
dpe“Wait, guys. That’s not the important part right now. Of course, it didn’t start off with a kiss and there were some interactions before that that you might not do with friends, but I don’t think it lasted that long.”3Q1cmn4
0Qbw“K, Ko-doucebag… Tell us just one thing.”rqz9
SwGXv“…What is it?”WaNq
LAEVgkD“‘How many,’ was it?”ANas4PY
Ppne40Y***myY3
TnZTOI closed my lips shut in silence as they also remained quiet. They glared daggers at me, pressuring me for a response.p2YDB
ZvGEwhZ“Umm… So just the ‘kiss alone’ would be four; I mean five…”U3xu1zz
phUYdLAlicia, Hua, Ran, Lunia… and Estelle.MOO
pfHTI haven’t kissed Marie yet and Miruam’s pregnancy was in the last iteration so it should be okay not to count them, right?gIIttK
o3i“…”NTxPxyF
2b8dza“…”WPIV5i
yn4QWBfThe silence went on for a long time. Before long, their eyes were filled with curiosity and awe.WzDbSmw
7Z6ve“Maybe… We had the wrong idea all along.”bHg1mB
wzt“Korin was living in the real world, which singles like us couldn’t even imagine.”9YD
Cckb“‘Start off with a kiss’… Write that down, WRITE THAT DOWN!”suTjJHf
KU1UBYou don’t have to write it down…czzhLX
jssGermain called me.bguPw
ADwm“So… Sir Love Master.”S9BA6H
bDoxPYY“Love Master… That’s a heavy title for me.”x10d4Y
EZNKNP6“If a guy that takes dozens of girls to a cafe isn’t the Love Master, then who is?” Jaeger added from the side.nGTB
80R“Like I said, it’s a misunderstanding. They’re just friends.”8xKk70
z6ivI6They refused to listen no matter how many times I tried to correct them.cNq
xEXiuKZ“Umm… What’s the secret?”67Rh
HnvgM8“What secret…”Au0G
fdJAEven if you ask that, how was I supposed to answer that question?t6PMjY9
famsrIn the first place, I had never dated anyone properly. Miruam assaulted me so that was a separate issue.E1v7p
kc8U4DFEven back on Earth, I was so busy playing around with my friends that I didn’t have the time to worry about dating anyone. For some reason, no one around me was interested in finding a date either.97f
DXHSgxw“Hmm…”0w5Zq
m5yuvTBut I did have experience with marriage so I could talk about how it went with Miruam but… there wasn’t much.Z7ij
IVL“Eat together, dance together, and… that’s it.”XgT
OQwiQgQIt would probably be best if I didn’t include the, “Get assaulted and bear a kid,” part.Yrtr8c
gy1kT“Stop your bullshit.”sXIBR7Q
rCYk1aIt really worked though? I even married her!l1vsyC
20oF3Wp“How do you eat together in the first place? And how do you dance together? How do you do all that naturally?”c3S
uto5“Mhmm…”94gj
uPM5LyTo be honest, it wasn’t anything hard.roUUFvX
mOrpNAt“First off, get rid of your ulterior motives.”9DiIT
xuwJj0“Ulterior motives?”boJ
OzS“Note… Get rid of… ulterior motives.”wh2Lt
jlx8C6OLuther? You don’t have to write down everything.hlmYn
KCPD“Anyway, people are generally quick at noticing when others have ‘other thoughts’ about them.”d4Utk
Xl2sc“I don’t think you’re the one to talk.”YttH
YHs“Don’t worry about him. He’s just unique.”8aK5G
GkA9pGyLark and Jaeger were getting noisy so I quieted them down.MysosHu
j81T“Stop your chatter, students.”aNcA
nOhdkR“Yes yes, Sir. Please grant us your heavenly knowledge.”9bAmP4b
AqYZAJMy logic was simple. Actually, rather than a simple dating tip, this was more about my attitude to other people.99fGPZ
12p“When you’re talking about famous restaurants or fancy cafes, you can tell them it’s a bit awkward for you to go by yourself as a guy. You can tell them you are buying.”14blF7L
g7DnH-Ohhh.5v6H
MLw4zlB-That’s smooth.y40
sGnv-But what if they ask, ‘Why should I?’…xzXgeak
j3W7xya“First off, see if there’s anything you can help them with. If they’re carrying something heavy, ask them if they need a hand.”Q2y
mFhgKNDon’t be so kind that they take you for a fool though.LXrQb
4VAPlMAfter hearing all my tips on human relationships, Germain smiled in joy and gave a deep bow with the note in hand.kXAZZP
9xo“T, thank you! I’ll try doing as you said, Senior!”YmxXnNN
s3m“Yeah. Go ahead. You can have a meal together and that’s how you become friends.”MM3w
QGbHowever, on the next day.I0IapKy
2GKva“…Senior. It’s not working.”oOq5Gg
LTs3UuGermain came back to us and confessed his failed attempt with a disappointed look on his face.Fn0xN4
CASmR1L“You can’t even get her to have a meal with you? Doesn’t that mean you have absolutely no chance?”O0s6
ZmOqB7“No. Korin, it’s not that easy…”cUSC5N
lonBN8R“Isn’t having a meal already quite hard?”n6lMb
urwJaeger and Lark were saying the same thing as yesterday.ltHw
ioY“Come.”fyGI
H3usFortunately, both the 1st-year and 2nd-years had a lesson today at the same time, and the 5th subject for freshmen started at 1 o’clock, so thinking that she must be at the cafeteria having lunch, I took the three to the Academy cafeteria and found Melina.yeJi
Po1o4GCI was also somewhat acquainted with the junior with freckles and a red braided ponytail, so I walked up to her.UiisS
K3kIzA“Junior Melina. What’s the special menu today?”OY8ljsu
zuXd“Huh? Sir Senior Korin?”qbYMY3
o5BV“Don’t be so formal. Drop the ‘Sir’.”iGA5N
2jyIsiM“Ah… Yes. Senior. It’s meatball spaghetti today.”d8Bj
pZiWvaA“I see. Huh? Your hairstyle looks a bit different. Did you go to the one in the city?”qsPuC2M
2yVtzO“Yes. I did it recently.”uhHXrl
6ToF“Ina Perm?”VkWnMJY
sQZtg“O wow! How did you know?”VTYulPl
X0vr“A lot of people do it there. The noonim there is amazing and that’s also where I get my hair done. Actually, do you want a coupon for scalp treatment? I have a few 10% discount coupons.”uhpEe
CXQZ“Umm! Yeah I would love to!”EclI
TvP“They also do scalp massages if you go there during the weekday. By the way, do you know a lot about the city? Something better than the meatball spaghetti we have over here. The ones here are okay, but that’s pretty much it.”barSMW
Qle5b“Of course I do! I didn’t know you liked spaghetti. Do you want me to tell you about some famous restaurants?”90D
wYDkY“I like them, but it’s a bit awkward for me to go by myself. There’s also something I can only ask ‘girls’ about. Can you help me buy something when you’re going out for your hair? I can buy dinner.”Oz0
Ra0UH“Okay. Then I can do my hair the day after tomorrow, and we can have dinner after that.”rAAMN
PlsIH“Sounds good.”Puj0g
E0b12I came back after the simple dinner appointment and realized that the three of them were looking dumbstruck with their eyes stuck on me.XIb
JyQ9Ie5“What… in the world just happened?”Be4
eTRF“Don’t ask me…”Nz2I
Rp2“How is that? Super easy right?”j7w
9M5QVI said while shrugging my shoulders but Germain looked very depressed.a2aP
aXG2g“But why…”YpxPb5p
UsoThis guy didn’t suddenly ask her out for a meal out of the blue or anything, right?h5Bf1
i5Yt“…Wait. Isn’t this…”oUne
5K7i86e“…Shh. Be quiet.”MMusuF
qezmIB“…Interesting.”3EAi1
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