---Leon POV---
In the original storyline, Olivia had been assigned a cramped, renovated storage room for her sleeping quarters. I had assumed the same miserable treatment would hold true here, but it had not. Instead, Olivia had been given a small, private apartment. However, much like my suite, she had absolutely no furniture to speak of.
“So I wasn’t the only one left without furniture. Interesting.”
I set her heavy luggage trunk down on the basic shag carpet that adorned her bedroom and stepped back out into the small living room. Olivia was frantically pacing around the space, muttering incoherently to herself about her disastrous financial situation. Left to her own devices, she was going to wear a literal hole through the floorboards at the rate she was spinning. I stepped forward, caught her gently by the shoulders, and forced her to look up at me.
“Olivia, calm down. There is no use worrying about things we can’t change right now. I was on my way to buy some furniture myself when I ran into you. If you want, why don’t we go shopping together since we both need the same items?”
“But I… I don’t have any money for furniture,” she said, her eyes darting to the floor. “I only brought enough to cover my absolute bare daily necessities. How will I pay for anything?”
Olivia could only attend the prestigious Royal Academy because of a highly competitive financial scholarship she had earned through diligent effort. However, this scholarship strictly covered her academic classes and a single uniform; she was entirely expected to supply everything else herself. Like me, she had naively assumed the dormitory rooms came fully furnished, so she hadn't budgeted a single Dia for basic furniture.
“For now, I can float you the Dia until you secure a steady income,” I said. “Do you have any practical skills you could market to people around the capital?”
“Let’s see… I am quite good at cleaning, cooking, and laundry,” she replied, tapping her chin before her eyes widened. “Oh! And I can use healing magic.”
With all the ongoing chaos, I had completely forgotten that Olivia was a direct descendant of the Saintess. Her innate healing abilities were second to none in this world's lore, making her an invaluable asset to any high-tier medical clinic or active adventurer’s party. As I turned over options in my head regarding where she would fit best, my party's brutal clash with the King Slime came vividly to mind. If we had a truly competent priestess like Olivia backing us up, we could easily avoid future critical injuries.
“Would you be interested in joining my adventurer’s party?” I asked. “Our roster is composed of a female Beast Warrior, a female Arch Wizard, and myself. We could use a capable healer to make our dungeon dives safer. What do you think?”
“You mean… I could go on dungeon raids with you?!”
Olivia’s eyes sparkled with that same starry daze from earlier. It’s a reasonable bet that one of those Prince Damme books explored the thrilling escapades of dungeon delving. For a devoted fan like her, she was practically ready to jump at the chance just to live out her favorite fictional fantasy.
“Of course,” I replied with a smirk. “But you would have to be fine with working alongside a beastman and a Crimson-Eyed Demon.”
“That won’t be an issue at all! Please, let me join your party!”
Olivia’s excitement was entirely palpable. I had absolutely no reason to refuse such a high-tier asset, so I smiled and offered her my hand.
“Welcome to the team. We’ll head over to the Adventurer's Guild and take care of your official party registration right after our afternoon courses are finished.”
“I promise not to slow the party down!”
With that, the two of us departed from the women’s dormitory. As we walked out past the main gate, I caught sight of a visibly bruised Marie waiting to receive her room key. Whoever had attacked her—most likely Angelica’s noble subordinates—had done a real number on her.
“What are you gawking at?” Marie said, unable to muster the energy to maintain her usual fair maiden act.
“Nothing at all,” I replied. “Just observing karma at work.”
Olivia, ever the gentle soul, immediately offered to use her magic to heal Marie’s injuries, but the wretched woman bitterly refused. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with Olivia—the very woman she had been calculatingly aiming to replace in this world's script.
The Academy guard carelessly tossed Marie her key, not even bothering to look her in the eye. “Here you are, Miss. Now, please move along.”
With gritted teeth and a look of pure malice, Marie hoisted her massive, over-packed luggage trunk and slowly hobbled toward the women’s dormitory. I had zero interest in wasting any further time or energy on her today, so I gently coaxed Olivia away from the gate and guided her toward the bustling Market District.
---3rd Person POV---
Marie gritted her teeth in pure frustration as she rode the magic lift to the second floor. After last night's disastrously failed attempt to establish contact with the Prince's inner circle, Marie had lain in wait to happen upon them this morning by accident. But just as the royal carriage had come into view, a vicious group of upper-class noblewomen had jumped her from behind. They had beaten her to a pulp, explicitly threatened to do it again if she ever dared pursue the Prince, and left her half-naked and shivering in a dirty alleyway.
‘Why is this happening to me?! I followed the stupid game’s storyline to the exact letter, yet I still failed to even meet the Prince’s group,’ Marie thought frantically, biting her thumbnail down in raw annoyance. ‘Damn it, I have to meet with them soon before that goody-two-shoes commoner does. If she hadn’t already befriended that freak of nature, I might have considered bullying her myself just to vent some of this stress.’
Unable to do much of anything at the moment, she decided she would have to reevaluate her situation carefully once she was safely settled in her private room. But when she arrived at the exact room number stamped onto her brass key, Marie’s face turned an ashen pale.
She had been assigned the exact cramped storage room that Olivia was originally meant to inhabit in the game.
Infuriated by this absolute disgrace, she slammed her luggage down onto the floorboards and stormed straight down to the Dorm Mother’s office for an immediate explanation.
“What do you mean my room assignment is correct?!” Marie shrieked, slamming her hands on the desk. “I am the daughter of a Viscount! My living quarters should at the very least be better than a damn scholarship commoner's!”
“You would be right, Miss Lafan, but you upset quite a few influential people,” the Dorm Mother replied, not even looking up from her paperwork. “Be grateful they gave you a storage room at all. The alternative on my ledger was a disused janitorial closet near the basement.”
“I want to speak with the Headmaster about this injustice right now!”
With a slow, wry grin, the Dorm Mother gestured toward the door, inviting her to have at it. “You should know, though, that he is in a private meeting with the next head of the Redgrave Family. I am certain Lady Angelica’s older brother would be more than happy to listen in on your complaint.”
Marie’s face turned as white as a sheet. She had heard the terrifying rumors about just how brutally protective Gilbert was of his younger sister’s honor. While Angelica’s school supporters had at least left her breathing, a man like Gilbert could make a lower noble vanish from the capital without a trace. For the next head of a Duke’s household, such an erasure was utterly trivial.
“You know what… now that I think about it, my room assignment is fine,” Marie said, backing toward the exit. “I’ll just… go back and get settled in.”
“I am so glad we understand each other, Miss Lafan. Keep yourself far away from the Prince’s group, and there won’t be any further trouble for your family,” the Dorm Mother replied.
Message loud and clear, Marie bolted out of the office and practically sprinted back down the corridor to her room. After dragging her heavy trunk into the tight space, she turned around to flop onto her bed to cry—only to discover the room was completely, utterly barren.
“Where the hell is my bedroom furniture?!” Marie screamed at the empty walls.
Marie, unable to take any more setbacks, collapsed onto the cold, bare floor and wept bitterly. Neither today nor yesterday had gone even remotely according to her grand plan, and she now wondered if there was any way left to turn this disaster around.
---Leon POV, Evening---
Olivia and I walked side by side to the Academy’s cafeteria, having just finished our introductory courses for the day. We had initially planned on heading straight to the Adventurers' Guild, but the dormitory staff informed us that our purchases had arrived. Apparently, the deliverymen had simply dumped it all in our living rooms. As we faced an evening of heavy lifting if we wanted anywhere to sleep tonight, we reluctantly postponed our guild visit until tomorrow.
“I’ve said it several times already, but thank you again for covering my unforeseen expenses this morning,” Olivia said, clutching the strap of her messenger bag. “I'd be sleeping on the floor tonight were it not for your generosity. No matter what, I promise to pay you back as soon as I can.”
“It’s fine. Take your time and don’t stress yourself out over it. Your studies are much more important than paying me back,” I replied, receiving an affirmative nod from Solaris. “You know, you could have splurged a bit more on your purchases. There was no need for you to cheap out on your furniture and kitchen supplies. After all, they have to last you until graduation.”
“Leon, ten thousand Dia is no small amount of money. Everything I bought was high quality and should last me at least ten years or more. If you had let me buy the mattress I wanted, it would have been closer to seven thousand.”
I had strong-armed Olivia into purchasing a high-quality mattress instead of the discount unit she had been eyeing. Furniture is one area where I typically skimp because I couldn't care less how it looks; as long as it's functional, that’s all that matters. Mattresses, though—I had learned the hard way in my last life that you never cheap out on them. Always buy the most comfortable one you can afford, because a good night's sleep is worth a king’s ransom.
“Come tomorrow morning, I think you’ll change your tune. You won’t understand the importance of a good night’s sleep until you’ve experienced it yourself.”
Olivia sighed. Instead of continuing to debate the topic like we had this morning, she decided to just wait and see. Until now, she had only ever slept on hand-me-down mattresses, so she tacitly acknowledged I might be right.
As we entered the cafeteria, we found the space on high alert. The Prince’s entourage and their fiancées were sitting together in awkward silence, forcing everyone else to eat quietly. I couldn't have cared less about their romantic drama, so I went straight to the ordering line.
“I’ll have a ribeye, broccoli, and mashed potatoes with an unsweetened tea, please. What are you having, Olivia?”
“I… I will have the hamburger and fries… with water, please.”
Olivia shook like a leaf standing next to me. Our classmates were furious that we weren’t reading the room, but none of them wanted to correct me. As such, all they could do was gawk while I ignored them. The cook handed out plaques corresponding to our order numbers and told us to sit wherever we liked. When we turned around, Angelica stood up from her seat.
“Lord Aremus, would you care to join us? I’ve been meaning to talk with you, but haven’t had time to.”
“If your tablemates don’t mind…”
The fiancées gestured for me to sit while the Prince’s group kept their heads down. Olivia sat beside Angelica while I took the seat next to Chris.
“So, how is everybody doing today? Hope your orientations weren’t too bad.”
“It wasn’t too terrible,” Julius said, happy to have something to talk about besides the stifling expectations of his family. “I had hoped to explore the Academy’s dungeon a bit, but that won’t happen until later this semester.”
For a moment, I noticed the guys' expressions brighten at the mention of a dungeon. I recalled from the original timeline that Julius and his friends wanted to be adventurers, not the heirs to their families. Their fiancées were currently unaware of this, so I helped them out.
“Judging by your expressions, the five of you must be members of the Adventurers' Guild, right? What rank are you?”
“We aren’t members, though we would love to be,” Jilk said, surprising the women. “The freedom to go wherever you want, whenever you want—that’s the life I want to lead. Unfortunately, that is not in the cards for us, I’m afraid.”
“True, but why couldn’t you enjoy that life while you're a student at the Academy? Our after-hours time is ours to do with what we please, and we have weekends off. Why not register with the guild and spend your free time adventuring? That is what I plan on doing.”
The five men turned to me briefly, then looked back at each other. They were so used to being shut down that they had never even considered joining now. We were all adults here, so there was no one who could tell them no. Eager to get started, the men shot up from their seats and ran to the door, brimming with excitement.
“I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but almost everything you know about your fiancés is a fallacy,” I said, leaning back. “If you want to make things work, you need to look behind the curtain and discover who they are. The best way to do this is to get hands-on experience and see them in their natural setting. So let your hair down, drop your facades, and go after those five morons. If you show them you want to know the 'real' them, I am certain they will open up to you far more than they ever have before.”
“Do you think it will work?” Jilk’s fiancée, Clarice Fou Atlee, asked. “We have tried everything we could think of until now. Why will this be any different?”
“Because this was something they chose for themselves, not what others picked for them.”
Angelica rose from her seat, a sharp spark of determination in her eyes. “If Lord Aremus thinks it will help bring us closer to our partners, I say we try it. Also, Leon—my father would like to have dinner with you during our first break. Please pick a date and notify him.”
With her message delivered, Angelica spun on her heels and dashed after Julius. The other four women quickly followed, offering me grateful nods before sprinting away. When their lingering entourage of followers tried to give chase, I reached out and used the Force to slam the massive cafeteria doors shut with a booming echo.
“Leave the ten of them alone for tonight,” I said, my voice cutting through the sudden silence. “They won’t get anywhere with you breathing down their necks.”
Our classmates wisely heeded my words and shuffled back to their seats. With the suffocating royal tension broken, normal chitchat filled the space.
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