It’s an Academic Fact That Rankers Are Model Students – Chapter 124

Chapter 124: How to Delay a War (2)

The Luxemb suppression squad was waiting above the conference room ceiling.

Firma had told them beforehand to come down and subdue Kyung-joon if he snapped his fingers.

However.

Firma’s fingers were only feebly floating in the air, unable to even make a snapping sound.

His fingers trembled.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Meanwhile, Kyung-joon continued to snap his fingers as if it were strange.

“That’s weird. Why aren’t they coming down? Are they distinguishing between the sound I make and the sound Firma-nim makes? Those people on the ceiling?”

Kyung-joon’s question wasn’t directed at Firma.

Kyung-joon was asking while looking up at the ceiling with his head held high.

To the suppression squad who were up on the ceiling, wondering whether to go down or not!

‘How on earth does he know that signal……?!’

This was a signal that would be impossible to know unless one eavesdropped on the conversation between Firma and the suppression squad before the meal with Kyung-joon.

Before the conversation, they had received a report on Kyung-joon’s current whereabouts.

He was far away from the foreign minister’s mansion.

Therefore, it was physically impossible for Kyung-joon to have eavesdropped.

Unless he could read minds, that is.

‘Mind-reading magic or items are practically national treasures…… There’s no way a mere otherworlder would have something like that…… It’s more likely that there’s a traitor on the suppression squad……’

While Firma was racking his brains.

Suddenly, Kyung-joon shook his head horizontally.

As if he had read Firma’s mind.

“Don’t worry. I’m not particularly acquainted with the suppression squad over there.”

Kyung-joon was telling Firma not to worry, that there were no traitors.

“……”

But those words only fueled Firma’s fear.

Now, Firma couldn’t relax at all.

Neither the suppression squad above.

Nor Kyung-joon in front of him.

And even his own thoughts.

Everything felt like it was in the grasp of this man before him.

It felt like he was standing naked.

Of course.

Kyung-joon didn’t have the ability to read minds.

‘Well, I just eavesdropped on it through Teemo.’

Teemo was only visible to Kyung-joon.

Therefore, using Teemo, he could secretly eavesdrop on any secret conversation.

Of course, if there was a wizard who could detect Teemo, it would be a big problem.

To detect Kyung-joon’s magic, who had mastered ‘Hide Casting’, one would have to have learned the same magic.

For example, TikiTiki, the gatekeeper of the Fairy-Elven Alliance.

Unless it was someone of that level, it was nearly impossible to notice Kyung-joon’s magic.

Fortunately, it seemed that neither the Luxemb suppression squad nor Firma was at that level.

Kyung-joon leaned back in his chair, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

“I felt it when I dared to look up at the testing ground, but as expected of the Luxemb, they have keen eyes.”

“……What do you mean by that?”

Firma glared at Kyung-joon with hostility in his eyes.

Kyung-joon shrugged it off nonchalantly.

“I mean, I really feel that way. You said that your Lord told you to bring me over to your side, that I would definitely agree, right? It’s true. The only reason I accepted your dinner invitation was because of that.”

“……Excuse me?”

Firma was momentarily flustered.

Until now, he had been pressing him hard as if he couldn’t stand not being able to control him, and now he suddenly says he’ll become an ally.

It was incomprehensible.

However.

Because of that, the initiative had completely shifted to this otherworlder named Kyung-joon.

‘To be led around like this…… I have no face to show the Lord. I can’t let this continue.’

Firma straightened his relaxed expression and returned to his original expression as the foreign minister.

Diplomacy had resumed.

Firma asked Kyung-joon again for confirmation.

“So you’re saying that even though you can’t provide us with the Energy Tower, you’re willing to be our ally?”

“Exactly.”

Gulp, gulp.

Kyung-joon finished the rest of his wine.

The effects of the alcohol spread instantly, but by the time it reached his stomach, it had already been detoxified into grape juice.

Kyung-joon said,

“Instead of small-scale matters, when a large number of variant monsters attack like this time, ask me personally. Then I’ll bring my people and help you with the defense.”

Instead of gathering thousands of players for a large-scale defense like this time.

They would make a solo request to Kyung-joon to handle the defense.

“Of course, I’ll be receiving appropriate compensation.”

As long as it was valuable, it didn’t really matter what the appropriate compensation Luxemb would pay was.

In fact, what Kyung-joon was aiming for here wasn’t just money and items.

To win over Luxemb’s heart.

That was the first goal.

And the second benefit was ‘experience point monopoly’.

Kyung-joon was level 150 before participating in the Luxemb defense.

He was originally 166, but it decreased by 16 to 150 due to the Demon encounter.

But now, Kyung-joon’s level was 175.

‘My level went up by 25 just from this Luxemb defense.’

In terms of experience points alone, it amounted to hundreds of millions.

But what if he monopolized even more experience points in the next defense?

Then his level would rise even faster, and thanks to the Dimensional Study Room’s effect, he would have even more time to study.

There would be no need to go hunting here and there; he could just come to Luxemb every few months, hunt like crazy, and leave.

Kyung-joon continued speaking to Firma.

“You know the Energy Tower and the scrolls I showed you earlier? Like I said, the Energy Tower takes some time to build, so it’s difficult to supply enough to defend all of Luxemb… but the scrolls might be possible.”

“By scrolls, do you mean those paper airplanes? But that’s your unique magic……”

“It is my magic, but I can tweak it a bit so that others can use it too. It’s a technique I learned from the Fairy-Elven Alliance that I modified a bit.”

“Gasp! F-Fairy-Elven Alliance……!”

Firma’s jaw dropped.

‘To learn the techniques of the Fairy-Elven Alliance as a human……!’

And to even modify it to his liking!

It was something impossible without being a truly talented wizard.

‘Wait…… Does that mean we could also use that paper airplane magic of his?’

He had seen its power firsthand through the video magic that Lee Woon-youngGM had shown during the awards ceremony.

A powerful bombing magic that wiped out every single enemy within a 50-meter radius.

Of course, there were wizards in Luxemb who could unleash that level of power.

But that wasn’t the point.

‘What if we gave those paper airplanes to knights who can’t use magic……?’

For knights who couldn’t use magic to be able to use magic.

And without any separate magic training, just with a single sheet of paper!

That was a huge change.

It was a tremendous weapon that could change the very way battles… no, wars were fought.

“So, what do you think? Not bad, right? Doing it my way would be much cheaper than holding an event like today. And it’s a matter of national fate, right? So I’m not going to try to rip you off with the price. I’ll provide it to you at a trustworthy price.”

“Ah……”

Firma’s face brightened at Kyung-joon’s words.

However, he quickly composed himself and spoke with a worried expression.

“That’s…… that’s a very good offer. But in the end, the root cause of this incident is the Kingdom of Francois and the Kingdom of Deutschland, who don’t like us. The variant monsters are just a bonus. Even if we keep getting away with it like this, they’ll find another excuse to harass us, and if it gets serious, they might even resort to war.”

The two kingdoms would continue to harass Luxemb in every way until it was no longer a military threat.

“Our Lord believes that it won’t be long before that happens. That’s why we were planning to counterattack before that happens. We saw your Energy Tower as the ultimate item to empower that operation.”

They would pay Kyung-joon for the Energy Tower, and after that, Luxemb would handle it themselves.

Firma thought that was the best course of action.

“And if we could get those paper airplanes you mentioned…… the war would surely be a success.”

The Energy Tower for perfect defense.

The paper airplanes for powerful bombardment.

And Luxemb’s skilled military force.

With these three things, they might be able to break free from the shackles of Francois and Deutsch that had lasted for hundreds of years.

The gamble that was 50/50 until a few days ago had become a very real possibility thanks to today’s conversation.

Of course, all of this was predicated on Kyung-joon siding with Luxemb and supporting the war effort.

“No, no. War is not an option. It’s too early. Absolutely not now.”

And Kyung-joon flatly rejected that premise.

“Ugh……”

Firma made a pained expression at Kyung-joon’s rejection.

Kyung-joon looked at him with cold eyes and added,

“I can’t get caught up in a war yet. If you start a war based on my support, I might switch sides and become Luxemb’s enemy.”

“T, That’s……!”

“So war is premature. At least for now.”

At least until Kyung-joon’s entrance exams were over, such troublesome things couldn’t happen.

However, for the future of the territory, he had to bring Luxemb to his side.

The two kingdoms closest to the Study Villa after the Black Secret Village were Francois and Deutsch.

And Luxemb was stuck right behind them.

Geopolitically, he had to bring Luxemb on his side so that when the Study Villa was revealed to the world, he could smoothly keep the two kingdoms in check.

Kyung-joon wanted to pressure the two kingdoms from both sides, together with Luxemb.

Of course, that would be after all the entrance exams and the CSAT were over.

Until then, studying peacefully was Kyung-joon’s goal.

“If you’re going to war, do it in at least a year and a half.”

“A year and a half…… That’s too long.”

Firma shook his head and continued speaking.

“Even if it’s not a war, the moment you support Luxemb, Francois and Deutsch will use that as an excuse to interfere in all sorts of things. And if they deem it dangerous, they’ll be the first to declare war. Honestly, with your abilities being so outstanding, I’m certain it won’t even take a year and a half.”

Would Francois and Deutsch really just sit back and watch for a year and a half after seeing Kyung-joon’s technology?

Absolutely not.

It was practically impossible to significantly delay the time unless they found a groundbreaking solution.

However.

“Don’t worry.”

Kyung-joon knew of that groundbreaking solution.

“Don’t worry about buying time. Just listen to me, and you’ll be able to stall for at least a year and a half.”

“……Do you have a clever plan?”

Firma couldn’t think of anything.

Rather, he thought that the moment they showed any desperation to delay the inevitable, Francois and Deutsch would tighten their grip even more.

“Of course I do.”

But Kyung-joon seemed different.

“We’re going to create a simple story.”

“A story……?”

“Yes, a story. I learned a little bit from a teacher I know.”

Whether it’s college entrance, job applications, or business.

In the end, the most important thing is how you spin the ‘story’.

“So, it’s like this. Listen carefully, okay?”

Kyung-joon began his story.

A truly chilling story that would completely overturn the landscape of the world.

…….

To give a little spoiler.

After hearing Kyung-joon’s story, Firma thought this.

He’s definitely a devil.

And.

Luxemb had grabbed the lifeline that the devil had thrown down.

Translator’s Blog

Blog

• Kimonos, Cosplay, and Cultural Cancels: Nezuko’s Demon Slayer Saga in China
• Navigating the Digital Dojo: How to Deal with Your “That” Uncle and Auntie on Facebook
• The Unbreakable Bond: Gon and Killua’s Bromance for the Ages
• Will My Cat Eat Me When I Die? (The Truth Might Hurt… Your Feelings)
• The Social Isolation Speech Impediment: How Being a Shut-In Can Make You Sound Like a Robot