Chapter 10

I checked the item displayed in the shop window once more.

The bracelet woven from dark green ore looked faded with age.

And I knew what it was.

[Sealed Archmage’s Artifact (S)]

Because that was the item the protagonist Theodore used!

An archmage recorded even in history books…

Hmm, actually I don’t remember the character’s name.

Anyway, the legacy of an archmage still talked about to this day.

The story of how Theodore came to possess such an incredible treasure was simple.

‘Here, take this!’

‘Huh?’

‘It’s my most treasured bracelet… I’m giving it to you, mister!’

He received it as a reward after accidentally saving a young girl on the street.

Theodore tried to decline, but the little girl personally fastened it onto his wrist, and he couldn’t refuse her goodwill.

And then, just like me, a popup appeared asking whether to unseal the sealed item.

‘But that’s not supposed to appear yet, is it?’

That was definitely an item he obtained after his status window appeared.

Could it be that it was in an antique shop like this before that? If the girl bought the bracelet here and later gave it to Theodore, that would roughly make sense.

It was a development that could only be explained by a miraculous coincidence.

“Lucy…?”

After a moment of thought, I marched straight into the antique shop.

Theodore, who had been catching his breath, hurriedly followed me in.

Jingle—

A cheerful bell rang from the door. The shopkeeper, who had been organizing things, looked this way at the sound.

“Welcome!”

“Yes, hello.”

I greeted them in return and approached the display window.

I secretly brought up the popup and checked the description once more.

Sealed Archmage’s Artifact (S)

: Item information cannot be confirmed. Would you like to unseal it?

(Click!)

Could it actually work?

Mindful of my surroundings, I subtly pressed the click button.

!Notification!

: Insufficient mana to unseal.

(Requirement: Mana S or higher)

Of course. I knew it.

In the original, the protagonist could unseal it thanks to his infinite mana. When the unseal option appeared for me too, I wondered if it might work, but of course they were thorough about original lore only in times like this.

I clicked my tongue inwardly and approached the counter.

“Excuse me, shopkeeper.”

The shopkeeper looked at me with a business smile. I pointed to the bracelet in the display window.

“That’s for sale too, right?”

“Hm? Ah, well, of course…”

“Then I’ll take it. Right now!”

I pulled out my wallet first thing. The shopkeeper flinched at my enthusiasm, then told me to wait a moment and headed to the display window.

As soon as the shopkeeper left, Theodore immediately approached me. He looked puzzled as to why a fine noble lady would suddenly buy such a worn-out bracelet.

“You’re… buying that?”

“Yeah, but it’s not for me.”

“Then?”

“I’m giving it to you as a gift.”

At my words, Theodore’s eyes widened.

Well, that wasn’t exactly the kind of gift you’d give a boy his age. True to the setting of it having belonged to a young girl in the original, this faded bracelet looked rather childish.

‘Still, it’ll be a big help later, protagonist.’

If my memory is correct, that bracelet was an artifact specialized in defending against monster attacks.

It easily deflected most attacks, and if the probability worked out, it could even reflect received attacks.

On top of that, that artifact saved the protagonist’s life when he received a blow that threatened his life.

Of course, the artifact shattered from that impact, but even so, it was cheap for the price of a life.

“Why me…”

It was originally yours.

Besides, I can’t even use it since I can’t unseal it. Buying it for you won’t make the valedictorian spot fly away.

The problem was that I couldn’t say any of this. After hesitating, I ended up spouting nonsense.

“Because, well, it’s… it suits you.”

At that, Theodore tilted his head slightly. His bangs, long enough to cover his eyes, shifted, and his purple eyes glinted through the gap.

That made it even clearer.

This bracelet did not suit him at all. From the color to the design, all of it!

I reflected on my absurd nonsense and avoided his gaze. Just then, the shopkeeper brought out the bracelet from the display window.

“Shall I gift-wrap it for you?”

“Uh… yes! Please do.”

It’s a gift, after all—I should wrap it.

The shopkeeper finished wrapping with quick hands and handed it to me. I paid an amount laughably cheap compared to the artifact’s true value and took the item.

“Thank you!”

Jingle—

Once outside the shop, I immediately thrust the wrapped gift at Theodore.

“Here, a gift.”

“……”

“But you don’t have to use it right away.”

You don’t have to use it now—your future self will make great use of it.

By then, the unsealed bracelet will adjust itself perfectly to its owner, so it won’t be too inconvenient when wielding a sword.

Theodore, holding the gift, still had an ambiguous expression. Does he really dislike it that much?

“Do you not like it?”

“What? Ah, no! Rather…”

He flusteredly waved his hands.

At least his denial felt sincere, which relieved me a little. No matter how good a gift is, it’s useless if the receiver doesn’t like it.

Meanwhile, Theodore moved his lips and added quietly.

“Thank you.”

Theodore said it in a voice so small that only an awakened individual could hear, and he smiled as if he truly meant it.

It wasn’t a full-blown grin, but compared to his usual faint smile, it was incomparably bright.

‘Ha, this is killing me…’

Because it was the first time I’d seen that expression, the impact was considerable.

I’d felt it when looking at Sophia before, but I really do like cute things. No, it’s almost certain.

Though the cuteness I’m talking about isn’t just appearance like Ronny—it’s when someone’s actions are cute.

I clenched my fist, determined to take good care of this pushover protagonist’s mental health.

Protagonist, trust in your unnie!

* * *

Ever since the day I handed Theodore the bracelet, we often wandered outside the academy together.

After dragging him out a few times, Theodore now seemed to enjoy it in his own way. Or maybe not.

‘Honestly, I didn’t plan on pretending to be this close.’

You might not believe it, but it’s true.

As long as I’m aiming for valedictorian, protagonist or not, Theodore was my rival. I could know him casually, but I hadn’t planned on eating together and hanging out like this.

But there were two big reasons I couldn’t help it.

First, the protagonist is excessively kind, which makes me worry.

Second, regardless of everything, I’d grown attached to the protagonist while reading to the end.

“I’ve been reading this for years.”

The serialization period alone was over five years. At that point, even a 2D character grows on you.

And I had one more wish now.

‘That crazy strong-start terrible-ending…’

Honestly, whether I succeed at the main quest or not, this world’s destruction was practically predetermined. The author had already ended the story after the academy graduation with world destruction.

Therefore, I planned to prepare for that future. By helping the main characters grow, or by making arrangements in advance.

‘So that even after I finish my quest, this world can survive.’

Because that was the ending of that I wanted.

As I was steeling myself while recalling the original’s insane final chapter, a notification appeared as if to refresh my mood.

!Sudden Quest Success!

: Thanks to you staying at the academy together, Theodore Wither wasn’t lonely!

Check your success reward. (Click!)

Nice!

Unable to control my automatically rising lips, I pressed the quest window. The reward was, as announced before, a skill draw ticket.

Skill Draw Ticket (D)

: Can randomly draw a D-rank or higher skill.

(Use)

A D-rank skill draw ticket was a bit disappointing, but still not bad.

Considering that the quite useful Vision Escape skill was D-rank, an unexpectedly practical skill might come out.

I wanted to press Use right away but decided to hold off for a moment. Skill draw tickets don’t appear often even in the original, so I planned to draw with the utmost solemnity.

“There’s so much to deal with today.”

I attached a gold badge to the academy uniform top I’d recently received. This indicated I was a first-year student. Here, the number of badges differs by grade.

Having perfectly donned the uniform and badge, I adjusted my attire once more.

“Lucy really is pretty.”

Just not my type.

I admired Lucy in her uniform in the mirror for a while, then checked the time.

8:20.

The dormitory was practically right next to the academy, so if I left now, I’d arrive with time to spare.

Before leaving, I opened Lucy’s status window one last time.

Status Window

▸ Name: Lucy Saint

▸ Class: Archer

▸ Trait: Ranged Accuracy 1% (Fixed)

▸ Mana: D

▸ Health: D

▸ Strength: A

▸ Agility: D

▸ Senses: E

▸ Skills: Sharpshooter S / Collision C / Vision Escape D

Now it was finally a properly formed status window.

It wasn’t like I’d only been playing with Theodore—I’d trained hard in my own way, and this was the result. Thanks to that, my mana and agility had risen little by little.

Everything except Senses is D-rank or above!

That meant leveling up would be harder now, but I was counting on those 2 unused points. I planned to distribute them according to whatever new quest appeared.

“Ah, I really need to go now.”

I turned off the status window and boldly threw open the dormitory door.

Finally, the entrance ceremony.