The Sponsored Heroines Are Coming for Me
Chapter 22

[The other person is typing…]

A message appeared on Ian’s terminal.

Even after waiting for a while, a reply from Silvia did not arrive. Even after waiting for a while, Silvia’s response did not arrive.

[Ian]: Hey. You’re not thinking of using the Kirtos terminal, are you?

[Silvia]: Hah?

[Silvia]: No, of course not! I was just thinking about how much value to give it!

“You seem to be thinking about it quite a bit.”

Ian considered teasing her for a moment but decided against it.

Making fun of her might hurt Silvia’s pride, and it could strain their relationship.

Silvia didn’t like being in a one-sided situation. She preferred to repay favors thoroughly, calculating the value of the information she received. She must have been late because she was assessing the true value of the information.

However.

[Ian]: You don’t need to think about it.

[Silvia]: …I don’t have to think about it. Frost Bear is a Grade 5 threat. It’s an upper-level threat. Plus, it’s not just any strategy; it’s a weak point.

[Silvia]: Is that all? The information was essential to me. The results from that information were also good. And that detestable woman, Emilia.

[Silvia]: Please forget the chat just now. It was a passing cat that walked over the keyboard. I respect Emilia as my rival. If rumors get out, they might think of you, Ian, as the culprit and interrogate you. Anyway, it was essential information for me, so I’ll pay you back the value for sure.

As expected, she reciprocated as much as she received.

Whether it was a favor or grudge, that was her preferred way of dealing with things.

[Ian]: I know.

[Silvia]: …Really?

[Ian]: I know, what’s important to you.

[Silvia]: How do you know? I haven’t told anyone.

However, getting into a power struggle like this should be avoided.

[Ian]: Don’t try to subtly extract information, okay?

[Silvia]: Tsk.

[Ian]: Anyway, the compensation should be what I need.

[Silvia]: What do you need?

At this time, Ian had been rummaging through the pamphlets at the top of Laurent.

Despite not having a very high rating, Lunar, a mineral that performed similarly to two levels higher, was influenced by the moon, which aligned perfectly with the upcoming main scenario.

What Ian needed was a Lunar gemstone.

[Silvia]: Lunar… refined minerals, right?

[Ian]: As pure as possible, and as large as I can carry.

For a while, there was no response from Silvia.

She must have been pondering the use of it.

[Silvia]: If you need a weapon, I can give you one.

[Ian]: No, that’s enough. Please do it as soon as possible.

Chuckle.

Ian’s lips curled up.

◆

In the afternoon, as expected, a combat training schedule was set.

Training schedules were set almost every day, with the combat training approaching soon.

In the actual training, students had to enter areas where monsters had appeared and exterminate those monsters.

Even though the environment was somewhat controlled by the professors, it was still dangerous.

There were often injuries among the students, some minor and a few serious ones during these exercises.

That’s how serious the Lichten Academy was about training students in practical combat, and naturally, “Combat Training” was a core part of the semester.

This kept the students in a constant state of tension.

The exercise began.

This time, the theme was various terrains and ambushes.

Can you believe they made obstacles like this using mana dolls? Even in the challenging practice field, they passed through the obstacles at a decent pace.

“This way! I smell something coming from this way! No, I sense it!”

In fact, this time, Danya was the star of the show.

As the difficulty of the exercise increased, the efficiency of Everidge, who was in charge of exploration within the team, began to decline little by little. It was probably because most of his stats were close to average.

“I’m sorry. I’m from the Reconnaissance Department, but I can’t do anything.”

“Hmph. No need to worry too much. Danya here is amazing!”

Her performance was a source of enjoyment, and she playfully swayed her tail, which seemed to grow glossier with each passing moment.

‘But, looking at this, doesn’t it have a lot of fur to be called a cat’s tail?’

If you had to be specific, is it more like a Persian cat? Or maybe it’s more like a fox.

Looking at the swaying tail, you can’t help but think you’d like to pet it once.

While thinking about this, Ian turned around and his eyes met Danya’s for a moment.

— Swipe. Swipe.

After that, for some reason, Danya’s tail lightly brushed against his face, tickling him.

“Danya, lower your tail, please.”

Instead of responding, Danya’s eyes narrowed slightly.

She looked back and stuck out her tongue a bit. There was no sign of a fox around.

Today’s training didn’t turn out so bad.

The instructor’s voice echoed.

“Team 13! Not bad again today. You’re ranked 7th!”

Listening to the instructor’s evaluation, the routine was to sit down and share praise.

Most of the praise in Team 13 went to Ian on a daily basis. This time, thanks to her scouting efforts, Danya also gained some credit.

Ian leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.

No matter how skilled he was, tanking with a magician’s body was not an easy task.

Just then, Yurran, with his white exterior and black heart, approached.

“Ahaha, it’s a bit disappointing.”

Yurran was expressing his disappointment.

In response to this unusual favor, Ian kindly opened his mouth.

“If you have any complaints, you can join another team. Should I ask the instructor for you?”

“No, no. That’s not what I meant. Please don’t misunderstand, Mr. Ian! I just wanted the opportunity to use my abilities more proactively…”

‘Tsk.’

Ian clicked his tongue inwardly.

Somewhere along the line, he had naturally become the leader of Team 13.

Since then, Yurran had been suppressing the use of his divine power.

“I told you. You are our team’s trump card. It’s better to keep your abilities hidden as much as possible.”

“Ahaha, is that so?”

He was the guy who tried to set a handshake as a brainwashing trigger. What lay behind the healing appearance of his sacred power was uncertain.

Thanks to that, he felt like he was splitting in two, doing both tanking and cleaning up.

‘Man gets stronger the more he splits.’

It felt like there was an acceleration in his growth, so he was satisfied.

As he was dealing with the complaints from the Bloodstone Cult, he heard Lina’s voice.

“Team 7! It seems like you’re getting slower. Stay alert!”

Lina’s team arrived late, as always. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ ɴovᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet website on G𝘰𝘰gle to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

As usual, Lina would glance in their direction and continue on her way without saying a word. Since the Speed Run, she hadn’t spoken to him directly.

However.

This time she came straight toward him.

Ian deliberately turned his head.

“Ian.”

But it was two sharp syllables that clearly identified him.

He couldn’t just ignore her.

When he turned his head, Lina, who had narrowed her eyes, was looking in his direction.

‘A sour face.’

The Lina he saw on the screen and the Lina he saw now were definitely different.

Above all, Lina’s venom was visible now.

Different facets from the kind and gentle “good heroine” Lina Rosewell who was always popular.

The suspicions that had started from Lina’s attitude toward Pongpong were growing like a snowball.

She spoke sharply.

“Say it.”

“What?”

“Why did you hate being rejected by me so much?”

There was no sweetness or kindness in Lina’s voice.

“No, I told you, didn’t I? I’m not interested in you.”

“But why are you blocking my way like that? Did you change your strategy? Are you making a scene in front of me because you think I’ll look at you?”

What pushed aside her kindness was animosity. She revealed her fangs.

His fangs also appeared, hidden under a calm appearance.

Jerk, jerk.

Lina came up to his nose and stopped.

She whispered.

“You know, Ian. I don’t believe that you’ve changed.”

“…”

“Have you changed, Ian? The real Ian? It’s impossible.”

“…”

“If I were to accept your confession right now, would you stop doing these things?”

Snick. Lina chuckled.

Mockery.

Her greatly changed appearance sent shivers down Ian’s spine.

Was this the true form of Lina Rosewell?

What happened to the Lina who was loved by everyone?

Was everything he saw on the screen just an act?

Ian swallowed his dry saliva.

At the same time, he realized.

If things continued like this, simply avoiding and ignoring her would not solve the problem.

“Lina.”

Ian spoke up.

His voice was surprisingly cold, as if he were devoid of any emotion.

“You don’t seem to understand, so I’ll explain it clearly.”

But he didn’t stop coming out with words.

Even Lina’s startled, round eyes didn’t act as an obstacle.

The Lina Rosewell who had been the admired heroine of Fanta x Aca from the screen, the girl who was loved by everyone, did not exist here.

The moment he was transferred into the game, this place became a reality.

That was the reason for her ice-cold voice, dry as a desert.

That was the reason for his ice-cold voice, dry as a desert.

“That Ian Blackangers you’re thinking of doesn’t exist anymore. I won’t have any interest in you from now on, so don’t delude yourself and move on.”

Regardless of what happened.

The dice had been cast.

◆

Late at night.

Academy girls’ dormitory.

Lina lay on her desk.

A few gifts from friends were scattered, but she didn’t care.

Ian’s cold voice echoed in her ears.

‘Why are you doing this to me? You’re the one who did wrong.’

She felt unjustly accused.

It was Ian who had blocked her path.

In training, in exercises.

In everything, he always managed to score higher than her.

‘You know it will be difficult if I don’t receive a scholarship.’

She understood that. She knew that he had prepared the things she needed for her desk and that she had eaten the lunch he had made for her, even though she didn’t like it. She was annoyed, but at the same time, she was grateful.

But now those feelings were gone.

Instead, she felt angry.

‘He did all those things for me because he had ulterior motives all along.’

Now, even the fact that he didn’t prepare her lunch or her things was clear. The reason for that was also evident.

At some point, he had been waiting for a chance to shake her like this.

By making her dependent on him, and then shaking her like this in a critical moment.

– Grumble.

Lina pushed all the gifts that adorned her desk to one corner. They were tokens of her friends’ affection, but she didn’t care right now.

Instead, she unfolded a piece of paper she had received recently.

— Ian Blackangers Analysis Report

— The subject is an Earth Attribute Mage, primarily collecting metallic elemental substances in the surrounding environment and utilizing them for physical enhancement, and … (omission) … The potential weaknesses are as follows:

— < High likelihood of being influenced by the elemental composition of the surrounding environment. >

— < Targeting areas with high humidity, such as swamps, seas, rivers, or wetlands, is recommended for attack. >

Tock, tock.

Lina tapped her desk.

The location for the final training exercise in “Combat Training” was a closely guarded secret known only to a few professors. However, she already had information about that place.

Coincidentally, that location included some swampy areas.

“…”

There were several reasons why she had resented Ian.

But she couldn’t remember them now.

He was just an obstacle in front of her.

Lina muttered softly.

“I wish you would have just disappeared.”

Under the cold moonlight, the tips of her hair turned blue.

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