I looked up to see a white ceiling, it didn't have any cracks or signs of damage just a—blank expanse.
"Ash," a voice from beside me suddenly said. It was a familiar voice; the only person to have said my name since I came here.
Leon.
"Hey..."
I looked over to see the light coating his face as if he was an angel, his blue eyes gleaming like space itself, and a warm smile unlike anything I've ever seen before.
'It truly is unfair to guys who are just side characters.'
I could only imagine the troubles of being a guy at the academy with this guy here.
"Hah..."
The chocolaty, nostalgic smell of the books scurrying across the towering shelves that stood in front of me, the soft, fragile silence that you'd only find in a library.
'The power system of this world is somewhat unique, I guess... It's similar to other stories I've read. Nothing really special.'
Everyone is born with innate talents for something or multiple things along with a Chronic, an innate skill special to the wielder that grows alongside them.
Of course, it's possible to learn something without a talent, but most people find it a waste of time.
Your mana core or energy core acts as a sort of gateway that allows mana to do two things based on the path you take.
You can create rings around it which allow mana to transform into magic and spells, or you can open stars or meridians that spread mana throughout your body.
The path of combat requires less effort at the beginning but later on the path of magic gets easier while the former gets harder.
There's 12 Archmages and 9 Zeniths, the respective peaks of both fields.
Now what is my Chronic or Talents?
No clue.
You can't check them by yourself as there's no status screens or anything.
A widely used artifact is the only way to know.
'My body has 2 meridians while most students here have at least 4, which means he must not be physically gifted.'
I closed the book shut and began to make my way to another part of the library, a section about magic.
I needed to understand magic to make clear deductions about cases that involved magic which would be most cases.
'To think I got transported here after the testing part. What is my luck?'
"Hey. You're Ash Ravignon, correct?"
'What the fuck type of last name is that?'
"Yes, do you need something?" I said rather dryly at the voice coming from behind a shelf beside me.
"Leon told me about you. You're quite smart he says."
"It was just luck, nothing more."
I grabbed the book I wanted and prepared to leave. This conversation seemed like a waste of time. It seems I made more of a name for myself than I wanted.
"I want your help," the voice said. It was soft—almost as if it were gently caressing my ears.
A feminine voice, no clear accent, and a voice that lacked any real emotion.
A good communicator from the way she controlled her voice, most likely a good leader as it sounded more practiced than natural.
Hiding from me suggests she was watching me for a while or doesn't want to reveal herself.
If she was watching me, I should've noticed, but in a fantasy world I can't rule out that possibility.
She might have a presence-concealing ability or artifact. If it's the latter that would mean she's of the higher end in wealth.
Thoughts rang through my head, different ideas, theories, people whom I knew were prominent in this academy.
I think... I got it.
"I don't know what a person like you would want from me, Camellya Suncrest."
'I'm completely bullshitting this. I saw her character description and she seemed like she'd do something like this, but I can't be certain. There are hundreds of people I don't know who's at this academy.'
But even my bullshitting had a plan behind it. If it wasn't Camellya then I shouldn't be concerned with her, and she'd think I was a dud.
If it was, that would be even better.
It was a gamble, and my bet was incredibly low. A simple bet of losing reputation with a single person, but a bet that could reap incredible benefits.
'Getting a connection with her would be good, but I don't want to be her servant.'
The voice had paused for quite some time now. It seemed as if she was thinking about something.
I knew she was there—her breath. The closer I got to the bookshelf she was behind, the more I could hear it.
It wasn't heavy nor was it sharp. It was clear and concise almost to a point it felt practiced. To a point I felt like she wanted me to know she was there.
"You seem certain about that theory of yours."
"It's just a guess. Maybe this time I wasn't so lucky."
"Even then, luck itself is a skill on its own. So, what do you say Ash, would you like to help me?"
'It seems the gods of luck favor me. Maybe this is how it feels to be the protagonist.'
"My help isn't free."
"Of course. Name your price," she sounded confident almost to a fault, but she was right to be. The deal has already been sealed.
"An assessment ticket."
"Huh?"
"Hmm?"
"An assessment ticket."
"You do know those are around 20 bucks at the Student Union?"
"Of course, I do."
'...I didn't.'
I clenched my fist softly and smiled. If I did it any harder, Camellya would have picked it up with her supernatural hearing.
"Still. That's my price."
She laughed lightly. "Very well, Detective."
I didn't know what kind of job I'd just agreed to, but in that moment, I swore to myself:
I would never get scammed again.
"So, what's the case?"
The soft sound of footsteps hitting the fur-like carpet that ran across the floors of the library.
'So, this is a female lead...'
She was really, really beautiful. To a point that for a moment I had lost the calm I diligently built over the years.
She had golden-blonde hair—the type you'd only see in a fantasy. Her hair slowly shifted to a light orange.
Her eyes, a mix of orange and red, seemed to hold both confidence and compassion.
And in a moment's notice, she explained the task with such ease and fluidity, it truly seemed like almost everything she did was practiced a hundred times over.
That was the type of person Camellya was.
'To think a girl like her was dealing with this. I'll solve this case no matter what. I can't have the female lead being troubled, can I?'
"Wait..."
After having seen her, she looked awfully a lot like Kael. Even her calculating confidence was reminiscent of her.
'God dammit.'