The Chairman pointed at the keycard in my hand and spoke.“The Union’s Master Key. With that, you can access almost every facility within our academies. You could call it the symbol of the Student Council President.”“I see……”I turned the ornately decorated keycard over in my fingers.'Got a good item at just the right time.'With this, my freedom of movement widened considerably.It would greatly help with collecting items and clearing quests inside the academy.Also, the Student Council President title obtainable through this keycard was Unique grade.Only one of its kind on the continent; compared to other Unique titles it was a tier lower, but its performance was still plenty good.Later, I’d probably gain some extra stats or traits tied to it.Of course, the title’s effect varied wildly depending on [Support Rate], so for now it was as good as useless.'Someday… it’ll produce proper results.'Finishing my thoughts, I pocketed the keycard and thanked the Chairman.“Thank you. I’ll make good use of it.”“Good. But don’t go sneaking into the girls’ dorms with it. Even you would be in serious trouble. Ahem.”“……”What was this old man even saying.Given Loen’s infamy, a petty sin like sneaking into the girls’ dorms wouldn’t move the needle anyway.I simply nodded as if I understood, and he smiled in satisfaction and changed the subject.“Very well. Now, I hear your specialty is alchemy? Let me see.”Rummaging inside his coat, he produced a letter and handed it to me.He kept giving me things like some Santa Claus.“Take it. It’s a visitation pass for the Deiaron Mage Tower. I thought it would be necessary for you, so I prepared it.”I took in the letter the Chairman had offered.'Hoo?'A mage-tower pass, sealed with mana and glowing bluish.The Mage Towers existed for the research of sages and high mages — forbidden grounds not open to just anyone.Among the seven towers, Deiaron was the Alchemists’ tower.Even as a direct descendant of House De Valis and the Union’s Student Council President, I couldn’t waltz in at will.Yet this was a visitation pass.“……”I quietly lifted my gaze to look at Hengarde, who had given me the letter.Well, considering the true nature of this marshmallow-looking old man, this much was nothing.I stared at Hengarde’s kindly smile for a beat, then accepted the pass.“Thank you for your consideration. I’ll use it well.”“Good. And while you’re at it, it would do you good to join academic club activities. It’s better to do things together than alone. Hem.”He cleared his throat needlessly and urged me to participate in scholarly clubs.The Union did have a wide variety of societies and clubs.I knew there was an alchemy club as well, so if the chance arose, I’d try applying.…Whether they’d accept me was another matter.“I’ll consider it positively.”Vague, but pleasant to the ear — the safest answer.“Good. Very good. And lastly…”Hengarde looked at me with a somewhat different light in his eyes and spoke quietly.“Loen. I have a favor to ask of you.”***After meeting with the Chairman, I stopped by Administration to complete my slightly late course registration.Normally, the courses you could take were limited by your affiliated academy.Last year, Loen had mostly taken magic classes under Eredor, where the Alchemy Department belonged.But I was now the Student Council President, affiliated with the Union’s main office rather than any specific academy.Only two people could register for all Union lectures regardless of affiliation: Ciel and me.So, along with essential general courses, I evenly registered for magic, spirit, swordsmanship, and holy lectures across the Four Great Academies.Considering my Half-Human, Half-Demon nature, holy and spirit courses carried some risk, but to build relationships and progress quests with various figures, this was the optimal path.Group co-op classes and clubs alone had limits.And knowing your enemy was how you prepared for them.I wouldn’t use spirit or holy arts myself, but understanding the basics would be good long-term.'Well… as long as I prepare thoroughly, nothing dangerous should happen.'Also, most of what I picked were theory and intro courses.No practicals, so there wouldn’t be any situation where someone, like Elena yesterday, blasted holy magic at me outright.“Here you go.”After submitting my registration, I returned to the Student Council Office.Approval would go through and I’d attend from tomorrow.Today, I’d finish whatever needed doing in advance.“Ciel… isn’t here.”The office was empty.She must have gone to her own classes — perfect.With some private time secured, I took out every item I was wearing or had stashed in the safe and examined them one by one.Twenty-seven artifacts lined up across the table.I skimmed over them and grimaced.'Most of them aren’t in great shape.'Loen’s collection was indeed diverse, but several artifacts were heavily worn with durability near the limit, and some were mere toys — little of practical use.Given that this point in the story was after Loen’s death, it was only natural.Plus, he’d suffered severe injuries and been bedridden for weeks; the artifacts he’d worn then would all have taken durability damage.'It’ll cost more to fix them.'Normally, I wouldn’t care about money, but the family stipend had been cut.I’d sell off lower-priority pieces or those too expensive to restore, and use the proceeds to buy essential artifacts.Key to that process were the underworld’s Black Market and the academy’s Three Great Sacred Relics.The Black Market needed no explanation.A vast underground marketplace trading every kind of item.Easy to sell, and I could likely find a thing or two I wanted circulating there.Next, the academy’s Three Great Sacred Relics.One of the seven mysteries encircling the Union — three [Legendary]-grade artifacts hidden within Union grounds.Legendary artifacts were national-treasure class items, passed down through great houses or kingdoms.With three of that caliber hidden here, there was no reason not to claim them.'Not that they’re easily obtained.'The Three Relics only appeared after meeting specific conditions, opening related quests, and navigating layers of interactions.For now, I’d draft plans and identify their locations.“Start with what I can do first.”From the items laid out, I picked a few I’d sell soon.Then I spent some time restoring just enough durability and polishing them till they shone.“Fuu.”A little time and effort, and the artifacts looked almost new on the surface.That should squeeze a bit more coin out of them.What remained was finding a good mark and making the sale.By the time I finished that “item laundering,” dusk had fallen.Classes started in earnest tomorrow, so I’d call it a day here.'Truth Hall, 5th floor, Lecture Room 501. By 9 o’clock…'I checked the info ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ I’d received by letter, ate a late dinner alone, then fiddled with the system window as I planned ahead — and drifted to sleep.'I should swing by the library first tomorrow.'***Eastern Union grounds. Eredor’s domain.Each academy possessed a native “territory” proportional to its scale and student population.That territory ranged from a single school building to, in the case of the Four Great Academies, a small city with multiple dorms and student facilities.Magic’s Eredor was one of the Four, hosting thousands of students, faculty to teach them, and staff to maintain its facilities — a mega-academy.Its de facto residential population easily exceeded ten thousand — calling it a small city wasn’t an exaggeration.In the top floor office of Truth Hall, Eredor’s main building—Yulina, Beatrice’s chief secretary and Eredor’s head administrator, held the receiver with a peculiar expression.“……”The caller was Demer, TA for Intermediate Magical Theory I.His oily, mean voice oozed through the line.[ …And so, I thought we might clip that bastard Loen’s nose tomorrow, which is why I’ve contacted you, Ms. Yulina. ]His purpose: to land a blow on Loen, who would be attending tomorrow’s lecture.Loen had completed registration that afternoon, and the details had been quietly relayed through an admin clerk.Among his selected courses was Eredor’s Intermediate Magical Theory I.While preparing the course, TA Demer had caught this and asked permission to “handle” Loen.After a moment’s thought, Yulina shook her head.“No. There’s no need to resort to dirty tricks. Even without that, he won’t be able to keep up.”Given his level, he’d naturally fall behind and drop out.No need to meddle and invite gossip.Even after she refused, Demer didn’t back down easily.[ But Ms. Yulina, I heard you held a grudge over past events. Perhaps we could use this chance… ]“Personal feelings are irrelevant.”Her voice chilled, and Demer hastily corrected himself.[ I spoke out of turn. My apologies. Still, having him strutting around the academy again won’t be good for you or for Lady Beatrice. It may be a bit underhanded, but wouldn’t it be better to nip this in the bud now? ]“……”Eredor’s reputation had taken a hit for admitting Loen into the Alchemy Department.Just his affiliation drew harsh scrutiny about responsibility.Lady Beatrice said not to mind it, but surely it gnawed at her.'It can’t be helped.'Falling for the schemes of a nobody like Demer wasn’t appealing.'But if he handles it himself without dirtying our hands…'A TA was not full faculty — merely a contract worker.If it went well, good. If it went poorly, neither she nor the Student Council would be tarnished.And at a TA’s level, how much of a roadblock could he even throw at Loen?At most, a light humiliation or something to scratch his pride. Letting him do as he pleased wouldn’t matter much.Organizing her thoughts, Yulina answered curtly.“...Do as you like.”Even then, she kept the wording vague to avoid responsibility.***The next day.After a brief stop at the Central Library early in the morning, I headed into Eredor’s domain for my long-awaited first class.The glorious first lecture I’d attend in this game-world: [Intermediate Magical Theory I].I was slightly anxious about keeping up, since I knew nothing of magic theory.'But expectations for Loen are already rock bottom anyway…'Even if I couldn’t keep up, no one would care. Being a delinquent had its perks.'And I have a card up my sleeve.'Smiling to myself, I opened the status window.Whether it was a player perk or not, the system had a very useful function.'The System Encyclopedia.'By default, it stored basic systems and gameplay of Mir-Ellin Saga — texts numbering in the millions of characters.From there, the player could erase the default text and replace the contents at will.Like this.Ting—When I opened the encyclopedia, a list of books unfurled.[ Intermediate Magical Theory I ][ Introductory Magical Theory I ][ Guidebook to Intermediate Magical Theory I ][ 999 Past Problems in Intermediate Magical Theory ][ Intermediate Magic Made Easy — For Beginners ]As shown, I could store specific book information inside the encyclopedia and search it anytime.'A kind of exploit using a hole in the system.'That made the class practically open-book; most questions and problems would be easy enough.I’d gone to the library early for this very purpose.'Alright, let’s go.'With a solid backer in place, I left the Central Library and made for Truth Hall, the lecture venue.

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