Page 29

w

Chapter 28: The Vice President Addicted to Praise

Nia Cynthia has been appointed as an Associate Professor of Magic at Zerion Academy.

This was completely unexpected.

In all the games I’ve played,

Nia Cynthia has never come to Zerion Academy as a professor.

‘Why?’

What could have influenced her appointment to Zerion Academy?

I couldn’t figure it out.

‘Nia Cynthia is loyal to the First Prince.’

The First Prince’s only reason to take interest in Zerion Academy

is when Lucas plays a significant role.

‘It was Hannon Irey who was sent to recruit Lucas in the first place.’

But Hannon didn’t transfer here.

To be precise, I, pretending to be Hannon, transferred instead.

At that point, the First Prince lost interest in Zerion Academy.

The First Prince isn’t the type to focus on the future anyway.

He prioritizes building relationships with the current key players in politics,

not with fledglings who will barely enter the political scene ten years from now.

Thus, he willingly handed over Zerion Academy’s future talent pool

to the Third Princess, Iris Hysirion.

He was confident that as long as he secured the key figures of the present,

he would become Emperor.

‘Lucas is dead.’

There’s no Lucas to capture the attention of the First Prince,

who focuses on the present.

And yet, Nia, his closest aide, is coming to the Academy?

It doesn’t make sense.

‘Damn this world.’

I sighed as I walked down the corridor.

It’s already challenging enough to guide this world towards the main story

since it’s heading straight for a bad ending.

And now, issues from outside Zerion Academy are rolling in.

‘Did something change with the First Prince?’

There’s nothing I can deduce immediately.

So, I was heading somewhere to figure it out.

An all-too-familiar door appeared in front of me.

The door to the Student Council Room.

Knock, knock—

After two knocks, I slowly opened the door.

A small courtesy for whoever was inside.

Creak—

As the door opened, the sunlight streaming in from behind me revealed a girl holding a feather quill.

Her long silver hair shimmered beautifully under the sunlight.

Her deep blue eyes, like the ocean, locked onto mine.

At first glance, she gave off a cold impression.

But as soon as she saw me, her face softened into a gentle smile,

dispelling that impression entirely.

"Well, look who it is. The underclassman who made waves in the First Floor Dungeon!"

Nikita greeted me with a compliment.

As she said, news of my team’s success in the Hannon expedition

had spread among the students.

The Forest Keeper Apostle incident could have caused numerous casualties.

But we foresaw it and prevented any deaths, earning praise from the Academy.

Moreover, investigations into the Dungeon’s transformations had begun in earnest.

Measures to prevent such changes would soon be implemented—a relief for me.

"Not as impressive as you, Senior Nikita."

But it wasn’t just our team that accomplished something noteworthy.

Nikita’s team, composed of third-years, had reached the sixth floor of the Dungeon,

a feat previously unheard of for their grade.

Until now, the third-year record was the fifth floor.

For a team to reach the sixth floor as soon as they became third-years was groundbreaking.

It was safe to say Nikita’s team was the most outstanding among the third-years.

Still, Nikita chuckled wryly at my compliment.

"By old standards, this is just average progress. Nothing remarkable. Our generation lacks talent."

She wasn’t wrong—this year’s third-year talent pool was rather poor.

Just last year, graduates had reached the sixth floor as second-years

and even set a record by reaching the eighth floor as third-years.

In comparison, this year’s third-years were just now reaching the sixth floor,

leading to their unfortunate reputation as the “Weakest Generation.”

"Besides, I hear some underclassmen already reached the fifth floor. They’ll catch up to us soon enough."

Indeed, a second-year team had already reached the fifth floor.

It was expected that they’d hit the sixth floor in the next Dungeon expedition,

likely surpassing Nikita’s team’s achievements.

‘The second-year talent pool is off the charts.’

The second-years were known as the Generation of Golden Flames.

This was Lucas’s generation—the protagonist's generation.

Among them were:

- The Final Princess, Iris Hysirion.

- The Lazy Genius, Ban.

- The Brilliant Mage with the Celestial Light, Sharin.

- The Saint, Sirmiel von Eden.

And this was only the beginning.

Many others possessed immense potential, some of which had yet to manifest.

‘It’s only natural for the protagonist’s generation to stand out.’

The protagonist is the cornerstone of the story.

It made sense that extraordinary talent clustered around them.

This stark difference between the second and third-years inevitably caused friction.

Such stark contrasts fueled their rivalry.

“What does it matter what others think?”

But to me, none of that mattered.

"Senior Nikita, you set a new record. That’s worth celebrating."

Breaking a record meant achieving something through effort.

That was what truly mattered.

Nikita blinked at me, her expression softening into a faint smile.

"You always know how to say the right things, don’t you?"

It was something Nikita often said about me.

"Others think I have a sharp tongue, though."

"How strange. From what I’ve seen, you always use kind words. Why not treat others the way you treat me?"

"Oh, no. This is just for you, Senior Nikita."

"…Should I feel honored by that?"

Nikita made a peculiar expression.

I learned this approach from Sharin recently,

but it didn’t seem to work as intended.

"By the way, senior, I wanted to ask you something."

I approached Nikita and casually picked up some of the paperwork she had been working on.

"What is it?"

"I heard Nia Cynthia is joining as the new Associate Professor of Magic. Shouldn’t I, as your underclassman, go greet him on your behalf?"

Holding a feather quill, I began assisting with her tasks.

"Don’t bother."

w

A cold voice escaped Nikita’s lips.

Startled, I glanced at her.

She had covered her mouth with her hand,

clearly surprised by her own reaction.

"Ah, no, that’s not what I meant."

Nikita waved her hands frantically, looking flustered, trying to diffuse the situation.

But I could already tell why Nikita had reacted the way she did moments ago.

Nikita idolizes Nia Cynthia.

To her, Nia is an aspiration, an ideal, a cool older brother figure.

However, behind every idolization and admiration lies jealousy.

The Cynthia Marquis family is a house of mages.

But Nikita was born into that family with no magical talent whatsoever.

The evaluation she received from those around her?

A pretty doll for political marriage.

Humans tend to yearn for what they cannot have.

Nikita, too, once longed to be born with magical talent, something she found deeply unfair.

Nikita is not a flawless superhuman.

No matter how great of a brother Nia might be, jealousy lingered somewhere deep in her heart.

She was simply mature enough never to let it show.

But now, for the first time, that jealousy had surfaced.

And this time, its direction was... me.

I am someone who endlessly praises Nikita.

When I meet her, ten compliments a day are the baseline.

I am the only person who unconditionally supports and appreciates her, no matter what she does.

This is something she had never experienced, even as a child—someone cherishing her with playful affection.

Nikita, who had grown up more accustomed to being underestimated than praised,

At first, she was flustered and shy at my compliments.

But recently, she’d started to enjoy them, occasionally throwing me a subtle look that seemed to say, “Go on, compliment me.”

And it’s incredibly endearing.

Somewhere along the way, my praise had burrowed deep into Nikita’s life.

Once she’d tasted compliments, there was no going back.

Even Nikita couldn’t part with them now.

Amidst this dynamic,

Nia Cynthia had appeared.

Nia Cynthia was, in every way, Nikita’s superior counterpart.

Having lived her whole life compared to Nia,

Nikita knew she couldn’t have what Nia had, while Nia could possess everything Nikita did.

I had joined the student council because I admired Nikita.

What would happen if I, who admired her, saw Nia Cynthia, Nikita’s superior version?

For a moment, Nikita entertained such a thought.

The thought that Nia Cynthia might take me away.

For Nikita, who had never received the fulfilling affection of compliments as a child,

it must have felt like losing a cherished, beloved toy.

“Senior Nikita, I’m not going anywhere. The only person I admire is you.”

So, I decided to make it clear to Nikita.

Nia Cynthia wasn’t even on my radar.

The only one I admire is Nikita.

Upon hearing this, Nikita slowly lifted her head,

her eyes widening as if she’d just realized something.

Whoosh!

And then Nikita disappeared.

To be precise, she dove under her desk.

Judging by her reaction, it seemed she had only now grasped the implications of her earlier behavior.

I scooted my chair closer to Nikita’s desk.

“W-wait, don’t come over here!”

Nikita shouted from under the desk, her hands covering her face.

She looked like a hamster hiding in a hole.

I casually took a seat in her chair.

“H-hey, you can go home for today, junior!”

“I can’t do that. You doubted me, Senior Nikita, so I have to make sure you understand. You’re the only one I admire!”

“Junior, sometimes I hate how sharp your intuition is! But why are you so oblivious now?!”

“To clear your doubts, I’ve decided to set aside my ability to read the room temporarily.”

“Couldn’t you show a little consideration for me?!”

Nikita let out a groan of despair from under the desk.

Is this what sadism feels like?

I think I just discovered something new.

Still, it seemed like Nikita was reaching her limit, so I was about to stop.

“Hm, what’s going on here?”

A new voice interrupted.

Thud!

Nikita tried to stand up abruptly, only to hit her head on the desk.

As she clutched her head, groaning in pain, I turned around.

There, standing by the student council room door, was a strikingly handsome man with long silver hair the same color as Nikita’s.

And I knew exactly who he was.

Nia Cynthia.

The very person we’d been talking about had walked into the student council room.

“B-brother!”

Nikita hurriedly crawled out from under the desk and bowed her head.

At this, Nia smiled warmly.

“Nikita, could you explain what’s going on here?”

Big Brother had arrived.

w