Chapter 36

The next class was Alchemy.

"The ratio of materials to magic power must be exactly 1:1. If you get the ratio even a little wrong, you'll have to throw everything away, so pay attention!"

The professor, who was teaching alchemy, kindly wrote a detailed explanation on the blackboard.

If I can't do it after seeing this, there must be something wrong with me, right?

I infused the materials on the table with magic power and pounded and boiled them in order.

Plop plop!

Crash!

As I was pouring the materials into the pot, the professor suddenly rushed over and got angry.

"Hey! You shouldn't put all the materials in at once until you're more skilled... Oh?"

"Yes?"

He looked around, surprised to see the golden light emanating from the potion in my pot.

"Everyone, come over and check Terese's potion."

'Why? Is there something wrong?'

As I blinked in confusion, the professor spoke with a doubtful tone.

"That's a very well-made potion."

Was it because of the aftermath of the <Transformation Magic> class?

Flattery flowed smoothly from my mouth.

"Is that so? The result came out well because I followed what the professor wrote on the board."

"......Ahem! Is that so? Did you take notes?"

I nodded, puzzled.

"Yes. Didn't you write on the board to take notes?"

"Ahem. The other students can only make mouse-colored poison no matter how much I explain."

The students who came to see my potion turned their heads to avoid the professor's sharp gaze.

'If I keep getting praised like this, people will just envy me more.'

Mages are generally independent, stubborn, and self-centered.

Especially the students at Valhalla thought they were great geniuses.

'Terese is a prime example of someone steeped in that elitist mindset.'

I said humbly.

"It was just luck."

I really thought so.

'I used to be terrible at making anything, but it's strangely working out well.'

Well, if the explanation was accurate, the result should be accurate too.

The problem was elsewhere.

"Today, we will practice the waltz. Form pairs of two."

At Valhalla, they taught not only magic but also general education.

For nobles, magic was important, but the latest social dance, the latest etiquette, and foreign language skills were also crucial.

Because the system was designed so that you couldn't just choose magic when developing a character, I also had to take general education classes.

'This is bad. I don't know how to dance.'

Unfortunately, unlike basic etiquette, there was no automatic correction for dance skills.

At that moment, the shop was activated for the first time in a while.

Ding!

[New items are available in the shop.]

This clearly meant that a skill to correct dance skills had been added.

▼

[Shop]

▹Wish Grant [1,000,000,000 coins]

: Grants one wish.

▹Intermediate Dancing [39,800 coins]

: Displays a decent level of dance skills that won't be criticized anywhere.

▹Dancing Machine [150,000 coins]

: Become a legendary dancer.

▲

Ding!

[Donor 'As long as it's not me' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[Dancing Machine? I can't stand this.]

I chose [Intermediate Dancing] without hesitation.

Dancing Machine, who do they think I am?

Ding!

[Donor 'As long as it's not me' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[I won't fall for it...]

It's not like it's the opening stage of a 2000s variety show; why would I need a Dancing Machine?

'While I'm at it, let's check how much donation money has accumulated.'

[Donation: 527,600 coins]

The donation money had accumulated much more than I expected.

'What? When did it accumulate this much?'

Even so, I had no intention of buying a Dancing Machine.

Anyway, thanks to the shop providing the necessary items at the right times, I was able to attend the lectures without any problems.

The professor teaching social dance looked at me with a doubtful eye.

"Why didn't you make any mistakes in the movements today?"

I hadn't given Terese much detail beyond the "stupid" setting, so I guess I was supposed to be bad at remembering dance moves.

I awkwardly smiled and tried to fix the character breakdown.

"Thanks to the professor's excellent teaching, I finally understood the movements."

"......Really?"

The professor seemed hesitant to accept the suddenly polite Terese.

But he seemed secretly pleased, as his lips twitched.

"I've heard that all the noble ladies who became the flowers of the ball learned dance from you. With your teaching, my poor skills seem to have improved."

My unexaggerated, straightforward flattery seemed to be quite sincere, as the professor's guard dropped.

No matter how much of a troublemaker, I wasn't just any noble lady but a princess.

The weight of words given by status was heavier than gold.

Ding!

[Donor 'Conspiracy Theorist' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[Did you used to be a sycophant in your past life? Why are you so good at flattery?]

...Did I?

'I didn't make up anything that wasn't true.'

The lecture content was all interesting and good.

It was so easy to understand that worrying if I could keep up with the fourth-year curriculum seemed pointless.

And flattery was something I was particularly bad at.

'If I were really good at it, I wouldn't have struggled so much when I was living as Shin Jiwoo.'

I shrugged and gathered my things, heading to the first-floor library.

I had to read the book Professor Ilya gave me, and it was a place where I felt at ease.

The space was so vast that even with the few users, I was barely noticeable.

If necessary, I could go into a private study room and isolate myself from the world.

'I should go into a private study room today.'

The private study room had no windows, so I couldn't see the outside landscape, but it was the most comfortable place for my mind.

I entered the private study room and placed my bag on the desk.

"Hmm......"

Strange. Why do I feel so suffocated today?

At that moment, Damian's voice echoed in my mind.

"If you're going to hide, you shouldn't choose a place like this."

"You'll be found out quickly."

"Ah... Really."

I roughly rubbed my tired eyes with dry hands.

Judging by the heat rising from the rubbed area, my pale skin must have turned red.

'It's fine here. Damian doesn't use the first-floor library.'

...Is that really true?

If another developer had added that setting and I hadn't checked, what would happen?

Suddenly, being in the private study room felt uncomfortable and awkward.

This place wasn't safe.

'No. I'm not safe anywhere.'

Sticky, black thoughts clung to me like oil.

'What were the male leads' behavior patterns when I had one red heart?'

'How did I increase their affection?'

'Stupid. Did I really think I could live like everyone else here?'

'I have to do something right away.'

'Otherwise, no one will love me.'

'Like Shin Jiwoo.'

I want to get out. I want to get out. I want to get out. I want to get out. I want to get out. I want to get out. I want to get out. I want to get out.

I want to get out right now!

"Take it slowly."

I seemed to be hyperventilating without realizing it.

Someone held me from behind as I panted heavily, and whispered softly.

"Take it slowly. I've stopped time."

I forced myself to breathe slowly, not even thinking about wiping the tears that fell onto the dark wooden table.

A soft hand caressed my cheek.

"You mustn't break down yet, Miss Terese. Do you understand?"

I clung desperately to the hand that caressed my cheek, as if it were a savior.

The hand was warm and large enough to cover my entire face.

"......"

Then, the voice that had been whispering to me disappeared.

I felt safe.

"Hmm."

A sigh that seemed to express dissatisfaction came from somewhere.

"This isn't fun."

Snap!

After the sound of a finger snap.

.

.

.

"......Why was I lying down?"

I raised my body, which had been lying on the table, with a puzzled look.

My memory from the moment I entered the private study room had completely vanished.

'Strange. I was a bit tired, but did I fall asleep?'

What was odd was that, unlike usual, there were no donation notifications while I was asleep.

Feeling uneasy, I frowned and gathered my things to stand up.

For some reason, I didn't feel like using the private study room today.