The Sports Festival was over, and now it was time for everyone to return to reality.The midterm season had crept right up to our noses.Students who had been diligently preparing all along would be fine, but those who had been putting off their studies were now in full panic mode.I was among them.The subjects I registered for:Introduction to Intermediate Magic Studies, Basic Swordsmanship Lecture, Understanding of Divinity, Easy-to-Learn Spiritology, Understanding of Classical Music, Universal Etiquette Lecture, A Historical Overview of the Continent by Year—Altogether, thirteen subjects to be evaluated.Fortunately, I’d used “still adapting to this world” as an excuse and registered for far more general education courses than major ones, so things weren’t as dire as the number might suggest.Besides, most of them were theory rather than practical exams, so there wasn’t much hardship.Still, if I keep loading up on general electives like this every semester, I’ll eventually lack major credits needed for graduation.Starting next semester, I’ll have to balance the ratio properly so I won’t end up retaking courses or taking seasonal semesters unnecessarily.Anyway.To prepare for the midterms, I was heading to the Union Central Library.It was the largest library on the continent, boasting millions of volumes—fitting for the Union, the cradle of learning, with books covering every imaginable field.The only library that could compare was the Imperial Library in the capital.I’d visited it once early in the semester to upload some books into the system encyclopedia.In the reading room of the Union Central Library, students gathered closely around tables, holding study clubs for midterm prep.Hey, do you know this problem?Let me see, what is it?If you derive the formula like this…Some students were studying passionately, but—So, what happened with that person last time? You confessed, right?Did you hear there’s a new shop that opened?Have you decided what to eat afterward?“……”Not all of them were like that.Well… if it’s their way of enjoying youth while preparing for exams, I suppose I can understand.As I passed by the groups chatting in small clusters around the reading room, a familiar face came into view in the distance.“Oh, you have arrived.”Garfield, who’d been flipping through a comic book at his table, spotted me and waved.I narrowed my eyes and spoke curtly to him.“You said we were going to study. What are you looking at?”“I was merely taking a short break before your arrival, hoho.”“……”For a break, the table seemed covered only with light novels and comics.Anyway.“Has Elena not arrived yet?”Today’s study group, led by Elena, was for reviewing the “Understanding of Divinity” class in preparation for its exam.You could call it a study meeting organized under the “Monster Purification Club.”For me, it was a good opportunity.While I’d found the lectures on Magic and Spiritology fascinating and eagerly followed them from a modern person’s perspective, I couldn’t bring myself to focus on Divine Studies.Even if it was just rote memorization, the endless proper nouns tied to scripture interpretation and the historical disputes of various dioceses were nothing short of torture.'Well, I could easily sweep through it using the system encyclopedia, but…'Relying on that alone probably wasn’t wise.Besides, I needed to stop by the library to look for some books related to alchemy, so I decided to make the trip all at once.I also had approval documents to give Elena.I sat down and opened my textbook.“Starting to study the moment you arrive—how diligent.”“I just opened it. Got a newspaper?”“Here.”Flip-.Since the “sharp-tutor” Elena would pick out the problems within the exam range anyway, I’d wait until she came and then study only those sections with her.For now, before diving in, I gave myself some time to get used to reading text by going through the newspaper.Definitely not because I didn’t want to study.I unfolded the Union Daily issued by the Journalism Club.As expected, the front page was filled with articles about the recent Sports Festival.Congratulations to Ishtal Academy for taking first place, positive reviews from students saying the festival ended successfully and was well-received.The survey score for the festival came in at 89 points—fifteen points higher than last year’s.I smiled with satisfaction.'Glad to hear the response was good.'The students’ evaluations were favorable, and Freya had managed to host the festival exactly as she’d envisioned.Preparations for the festival equipment alone had cost several hundred million krone, but if it produced this kind of reaction, it wasn’t wasted.Besides, Sheika had agreed to foot the bill anyway.The leftover tents and folding desks would be stored at Ishtal for future use.Unless a new dome stadium was built, we’d probably use them again someday.Lowering my gaze, I found an article analyzing the festival’s economic impact—development of nearby business districts, promotional effects from outside visitors, and so on.It was detailed and based on credible data, making it easy to follow.Checking the byline, I saw the journalist was indeed a well-known name.“Garfield, was this reporter from your academy?”“Oh, you mean Lord Michael? Yes. I’m somewhat acquainted with him.”“I see.”If Garfield possessed an Epic trait related to trade, then Michael had one for managing finances and assets efficiently.In the game, it was a trait that reduced building maintenance and labor costs when appointed as treasurer.A ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ very useful ability for running a large organization or staff—if the chance arises, I should recruit him as treasurer.The next article covered the various club booths exhibited at the Sports Festival.Naturally, the most eye-catching one was the Alchemy Club’s carbonated beverage booth, [Alchemist].According to Trishi, total sales over the three days exceeded fifty million krone.The article also mentioned the official festival beverage I sponsored, noting that it enjoyed a strong promotional synergy with the club booth.In practice, student response had been overwhelmingly positive. They were already clamoring for an official Union branch to open soon.Trishi suggested opening a soda shop in Traum Street while we were at it, but I politely refused.Rather than expanding recklessly from the start, it’s better to build a solid foundation first.The real stage will be the Academy Festival—better to conserve buzz and strength for that.For now, we’ll streamline the carbonated-water production process and introduce automation to prepare for mass production.Besides our club’s performance, the paper had plenty of other interesting articles.Summaries of participating clubs’ unique perks and membership benefits, reviews of restaurants and shopping centers where students could spend their treasure-hunt reward points, and so on.It should help draw consumer attention to Ishtal, which had long been seen as rigid and closed-off.In a corner column, there was even an article I’d asked Chloe to write—an inside look at the treasure-hunt event.The tone explained logically how I’d found the slip with the “Date with Freya” prize and why it wasn’t collusion with the organizers.You could call it subtle media manipulation—but that’s exactly why I’d been sponsoring Chloe.She was playing her role as my chess piece splendidly.Feeding her gold bars was worth it.'…No article about the demon, huh.'I’d read the entire newspaper thoroughly, but there wasn’t a single report about the demon that had appeared in the Black Forest.Just a brief note saying there had been a disturbance in the forest and students were evacuated.Not even a mention of the gremlins.From that, it seemed the Chairman had wrapped up the matter neatly.Even Kiriel and her aides hadn’t mentioned it yesterday.They’d probably had their memories adjusted by magic or been ordered to stay silent.Folding the newspaper closed, I quietly shut my eyes.'Restricting information appropriately is necessary'.Unnecessary information only spreads confusion and anxiety, making it hard for people to live normal daily lives.Fear tends to spread easily.Of course, what truly matters isn’t just restricting information, but ensuring that in the background, someone is actively preparing countermeasures.'The hostile forces are expanding faster than I expected.'The rise of the Twelve Venerables—their movements are unfolding faster than in The Saga of Mirielin I remember.With both Gilean and now Carmilla already moving, it’s safe to assume activity has begun even on the continent beyond the Meteor Isles.For now, bound to the Union as I am, there’s little I can do—but I’ll need to keep my attention on this.As I waited with the newspaper open, a stir rose from the far side of the reading room.I instinctively turned my gaze—Elena had arrived.Just as expected, she entered quietly with her club members.Reaching the table where I sat, she spoke in a low whisper.“I’m a bit late—had something to deal with. Sorry.”“It’s fine. I lost track of time reading the paper anyway.”Elena glanced around cautiously, then secretly pulled a test paper from her bag.“I brought past exam questions. Let’s look over them together.”I narrowed my eyes at the suspicious sight.“…This isn’t leaked material, right?”“Hey, no way. The test problems are strictly managed by the proctors.”That was true.Given how much power the Union’s top student leaders wielded, grades were strictly managed by external proctors to prevent collusion between students and professors.For example, the Saintea Academy’s grading oversight was handled not by Saintea graduates but by proctors from Ishtal or Eredor.Because the Union functioned as a proxy battleground among noble families, the academies constantly kept each other in check.Naturally, they scrutinized and supervised rival academies’ misconduct with sharp eyes.Even if the student council presidents were friendly, the proctors dispatched from their respective families were adversarial.Elena added ominously,“Well, if I wanted to, it’s not like I couldn’t leak the questions.”“……”For a moment I wondered if getting involved might be dangerous.Then Elena smiled as if it had been a joke and picked up her pen.“Now then, let’s start with last class’s topic—various doctrines established at the Council of Nicaea. One or two questions from here appear every year, so let’s make sure to cover it thoroughly.”

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