The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 54

That night, after completely wasting my time until after school.

“Ugh, I’m gonna die.”

As soon as I entered my room, I collapsed onto the bed. Thanks to Jin So-yeol, preparations went quite smoothly, but the sheer amount of menial tasks left me exhausted.

‘Who would have thought I’d be juggling both main events at the same time?’

Ideally, I wanted to finish the class event preparations quickly and focus on helping Seo Geum-bi. But stressing over it wouldn’t help, so I might as well rest when I can.

[What is this haunted house you speak of? Is it like Hyakki Yagyo? If so, I must participate.]

Yomi snorted and puffed up with pride.

‘This all started because of you.’

Feeling a bit naughty, I poked Yomi’s nose with my finger. Yomi curled up immediately, shrinking even further.

[What do you think you’re doing, you rascal!]

“Nothing, nothing at all.”

I waved my hand dismissively at Yomi.

“Anyway, it’s not like Hyakki Yagyo or anything. We’re just dressing up as ghosts to scare people.”

[Why on earth would you do that? Is it some sort of ritual?]

“It’s just for fun.”

There’s no deeper reason. It’s just a prank.

I thought it was a simple answer, but Yomi puffed out her cheeks and started bouncing around angrily.

[How unfair! I want to scare humans too!]

“One person suffering is more than enough.”

[Grr! Scaring humans is one of the few joys I have!]

Yeah, I figured.

Knowing that ignoring her would lead to being pestered all day, I gave a half-hearted reply.

“Alright, behave and I’ll consider it.”

[…….]

“Yomi?”

Suddenly, there was no response from Yomi. Looking at my shoulder, I saw her sitting on the window sill, gazing out into the distance.

“What’s wrong, Yomi?”

Yomi shook her head slowly.

[Seeing the moon reminded me of old memories. That’s all.]

Yomi feeling nostalgic was quite out of character.

‘Did Yomi have someone she called family?’

As I gazed blankly at Yomi’s face, sleep gradually overtook me. With the busyness expected from tomorrow onwards, I needed to get plenty of rest.

“Let’s get some sleep.”

Even after I fell asleep, Yomi probably continued to stare out the window.

* * *

Although festival preparations were being squeezed in during break times, most of the work happened after school.

“Hello, senior.”

“Well, it’s finally the first day.”

After classes ended, I joined Seo Geum-bi. Immediately upon joining, Seo Geum-bi looked at me with bright, attentive eyes.

“Class 1-B is doing a haunted house, right? I noticed you’re the one who suggested the idea.”

“Yes, it wasn’t intentional. It just ended up that way.”

“Then you must be busy with the class festival preparations too. I hope I’m not burdening you by asking for your help…”

Seo Geum-bi rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

Fearing this precious opportunity might slip away, I shook my head vigorously.

“It’s really fine. I’ve already handed over a comprehensive plan for the concept and design. Everyone seemed understanding.”

“You handled all that by yourself?”

I nodded.

“It’s not like studying for exams; it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

Since it wouldn’t affect my grades, I wrote it up and submitted it. It did take some time, but if I could manage both events simultaneously, it would be worthwhile.

“Alright. Since you’re putting in so much effort, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

Seo Geum-bi opened her palm, and the wind began to gather above it.

‘Am I really going to see it?’

Realizing what Seo Geum-bi was about to do, I held my breath.

“Windy.”

The wind gathered above her palm and formed the shape of a small bird.

“Chirp chirp!”

And it could even speak. The bird—Windy—looked up at Seo Geum-bi and flapped its wings happily.

“Fly around the third-year section, and let me know if anything strange happens.”

“Chirp!”

As Windy flapped its wings vigorously, a strong gust of wind swirled around. I watched in awe as Windy soared high into the sky.

‘A spirit.’

The servant made of wind was actually a spirit. This was explained in the game text, so it must be true.

‘Spirit summoner.’

Seo Geum-bi, who handles elemental spirits from nature, is nearly the only Spirit summoner in this world’s setting.

Some awakeners have abilities so unique and special that it’s hard to classify them, and Spirit summoners fall into that category.

“You’re not surprised at all, are you?”

Seo Geum-bi smiled at me.

“I thought it was cute, but I wasn’t particularly surprised.”

“That’s interesting. It’s a rare ability, so most people are taken aback when I summon a spirit.”

Seo Geum-bi lifted her head toward the direction where Windy had disappeared.

“Despite its appearance, it’s very diligent in carrying out its tasks.”

Now, Windy would patrol the entire third-year section as per Seo Geum-bi’s command and report back to her. This was her secret to shortening patrol times as the Head of the Disciplinary Committee.

“You’re just like it, senior.”

“What? What did you just say?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Diligently completing tasks, just like Seo Geum-bi.

Realizing it was an embarrassing comment after saying it aloud, I quickly shook my head. Seo Geum-bi looked curious but didn’t press further.

“Shall we head out, then?”

Seo Geum-bi asked in a soft voice. At that moment, a quest window popped up before me.

Main Quest No.6

Q. Babel Festival

A. Accumulate ‘Popularity’ from guests in Class 1-B’s ‘Haunted House.’

※ The rewards will vary depending on the accumulated ‘Popularity.’

B. Maintain the ‘Order’ level on campus as high as possible through Disciplinary Committee activities.

Current Order Score: 1,000

※ The closer the Order Score is to the maximum (1,000), the rarer the rewards you will receive.

Two quests for the festival activities and Disciplinary Committee duties popped up simultaneously. I needed to accumulate Popularity from zero and maintain the Order Score as high as possible.

“Why do you look so dazed, Junior?”

I needed to check the detailed requirements of the quests, but right now, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Seo Geum-bi.

“It’s nothing.”

Was she excited about the festival without even realizing it?

Seo Geum-bi’s beaming face exuded an irresistible charm that made refusal impossible.

* * *

“Everyone is busy preparing for the festival.”

I spoke first as we walked down the hallway. An armband from the Disciplinary Committee was on my shoulder, indicating that I was patrolling, while Seo Geum-bi wore a larger armband signifying her position as the Head of the Disciplinary Committee.

‘Is this the power of the armband?’

Students who typically wouldn’t even flinch were nervously twitching their shoulders as I passed by.

“Yes, it’s a festival that happens only once every three years.”

Seo Geum-bi nodded. Unlike me, she seemed quite composed, perhaps because she was already used to it.

In the game, festival preparations were merely shown as silhouettes in the background. Seeing it up close, I had to acknowledge the students’ incredible enthusiasm.

Some students were carrying large lighting equipment, while others were running around with various materials strapped to their backs.

Inside the classroom, students were exchanging ideas with focused expressions or making costumes and props.

“The moment preparations begin, the festival has already started.”

Seo Geum-bi smiled contentedly, but her smile quickly faded. “I hope everyone enjoys it, though.”

Not everyone enjoys the festival. Participation isn’t mandatory. Those like Cheon Tae-seong, who aren’t interested in school life, usually head straight home after school ends.

‘It must be disappointing.’

She wants others to enjoy what she enjoys. Even someone mature like Seo Geum-bi has moments that reveal her youth. But that innocence is part of her charm.

“We can’t please everyone.”

At the very least, I hoped Seo Geum-bi’s joy wouldn’t be diminished.

“But we’re putting in all this effort to please the majority, aren’t we?”

“Junior…”

Seo Geum-bi stared blankly at me for a moment before nodding.

“You’re right. I should stop being so weak-willed. Let’s continue.”

It seemed she had made up her mind.

Even so, there was only one first-year class left for us to patrol.

【1-A】

Since we were going in reverse order, the only class left was Class A.

‘I wonder what they’re up to.’

That was the class I originally should have been in as Han Yu-seong. The options for class events are limited, and the rewards change based on the choices and contributions.

‘A symposium? Or maybe a tanghulu shop?’

A symposium is an event that significantly boosts intelligence stats, while the tanghulu shop appears to be related to art but actually increases strength stats and yields high-performance doping items in large quantities.

“Let’s see…”

“Wait, there’s a warning sign on the door saying ‘No Entry’—”

Without hearing Seo Geum-bi’s voice, I opened the door to Class 1-A and peeked inside.

“Huh?”

It was probably at that moment that my body froze.

“This size doesn’t fit.”

“Where? It should fit perfectly at the waist.”

“No, the chest size is…”

The classroom didn’t have any male students. Instead, a group of female students was changing into what appeared to be maid costumes.

“You’re just being a tease again—. Eek, what the heck?!”

Every girl in the room shrank back. The intense stares made my face flush reflexively.

‘A maid café, are you serious?’

The ultimate entertainment pick among all the fun choices. The only thing you could get out of it was a character’s maid illustration.

‘On top of that, you can’t even obtain the main heroine illustrations without carefully increasing their likability.’

In short, it’s a conditional service event. Picking this in the first playthrough without knowing better would be a disaster.

“A pervert!”

“Call the Disciplinary Committee!”

I am the Disciplinary Committee.

[You have committed an act of public indecency.]

[Order Score: 970]

As soon as the Order Score dropped, I turned to close the door, but I felt an unbelievably chilling presence behind me.

“What are you doing here?”

“Huh?”

There stood Shin Seo-ha, dressed in a maid costume.

[It’s been a while.]

Behind her, Shin Seo-joon clung to her. I tried to maintain my composure as I spoke to Shin Seo-ha.

“Are you participating too?”

“It just ended up that way.”

Shin Seo-ha responded irritably, looking annoyed. The wide skirt hem and the long, white stockings peeking from underneath it. The delicate frills on her shoulders and chest.

The combination of the fiery Shin Seo-ha and the maid costume created an indescribable, synergistic effect.

‘I’m so glad I got to see this in person.’

The emotional impact that graphics couldn’t capture was now vividly alive before my eyes.

“By the way…”

Shin Seo-ha started to crack her knuckles.

“You peeked, so now you have to die, right?”

Oh, I’ll take back what I said earlier.

—
Hyakki Yagyō (百鬼夜行) – a term from Japanese folklore that translates to “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.”