Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 32

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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This was certainly a venomous snake, but it didn’t produce venom from specialized glands—merely toxic bacteria living on its teeth. A professional examination would be the safer course.
Besides, I held firm faith that Gerth would never send me anything dangerous as an entrance gift.
“Huh?”
As I stripped away Seian’s uniform to inspect his wounds, something strange caught my eye on the man’s legs.
Old scars. The marks bore the unmistakable signature of beatings or whipping—the ancient ones had faded into permanent scars that would never fully disappear, while the fresher wounds were only now beginning to heal with a reddish tinge.
Beyond that lay aged burn marks on his instep, the kind left by something hot that had seared and healed. What troubled me most was the deliberate targeting—every wound hidden beneath clothing, struck only where garments would conceal them.
“….”
Was that the source of the medicinal salve scent from before? Yet Seian, however weakened, remained a prince of the realm. He wasn’t the type to endure such treatment in silence.
Which meant whoever inflicted these scars held a position so elevated that Seian couldn’t even speak of it.
The Emperor, perhaps. The Empress. Or possibly the Crown Princess.

◇ ◆ ◇

Seian’s emergency treatment concluded with questions left unanswered. There simply hadn’t been time to dwell on it or process what I’d seen.
According to the healer’s assessment, the abrasions from rolling across the ground were minor. The real concern was the leg wounds—their periodicity and consistency indicated ongoing trauma. Addressing the root cause became the priority.
We agreed to leave that matter alone, beyond our reach. As for the venom specialist Kanna Sabah, she confirmed Seian bore no envenomation wounds. The Lace Wyvern’s teeth carried poison, certainly, but the creature had shown restraint—it had bitten with its gums, keeping its fangs sheathed.
True to form for a gift from Gerth. Such nobility of spirit, capable of delivering a killing blow yet choosing mercy instead.
I tossed the white creature a chicken leg in approval, then gathered cushions from around the dormitory to fashion a makeshift bed. As I carried the wyvern back to my room, Reina reached out to pet it, but when I warned her about the venom, she scrambled back to her bed and kept a wary eye on the creature.
“It won’t bite, right?”
“It’s fine. Even if it does, it won’t use its fangs. Seian came through unharmed.”
“The prince already got bitten?”
“Yes. On the way here.”
“That’s why he should stay cooped up in the Palace instead of attending school.”
That last comment struck an odd note. Did House of Letem disapprove of the prince attending the Academy? Curious, I asked, and Reina answered with casual amusement, sharing some palace gossip.
“Even His Majesty and the Crown Princess opposed it. He insisted he’d come even if it killed him, so he entered through regular admission. No shame in it whatsoever.”
Hmm. True enough. When imperial family members enroll at the Academy, they typically enter through special selection. It preserves scholarship funds for exceptional regular students and prevents low grades from becoming public knowledge, which would damage the imperial image.
But our Seian had boldly entered through regular admission as top of his class and received a full scholarship. Since a prince had enrolled, the Academy maintained his dignity by having him commute from a private residence with servants rather than the dormitory—though it was still within the Academy grounds, surrounded by other VIPs and professors.
“Seian earned his top ranking fairly. Why would that be shameful?”
“He didn’t even donate! He took the entire scholarship! Isn’t that embarrassing?!”
Hmm. So the nobility considered such things matters of shame. Even my own sense of self seemed to agree—which meant it probably was genuinely embarrassing by their standards.
“You’re right. The imperial family isn’t lacking in funds. It would have looked better if he’d yielded the scholarship to another student.”
“Exactly! You’re oddly reasonable about this. Are you from a fallen noble house or something?”
For a gorilla, she had sharp instincts. I dodged Reina’s question and stroked the white creature’s scales. It seemed less than thrilled with its new bed but resigned to endure for now, its eyes half-lidded as it rested its chin on my knee.
“By the way, are we even allowed to keep animals in the dormitory?”
“You’re keeping one, so what does it matter?”
“Is that so?”
Reina, chewing snacks absently, understood my meaning three seconds later and erupted in fury, hurling a pastry at me. We fought through the night, the Dormitory Manager came running, we each received a demerit, and the white creature faced its own reprimand.
“Student Evan Laef. Keeping pets in the Dormitory is prohibited.”
“However, the entire Magic Department is already keeping Reina.”
“….”
“….”
“This is not a decision I can make alone. I will report this to my superiors, so please wait.”
The Dormitory Manager’s judgment seemed to have dealt Reina a serious blow. I’d hoped she’d be shocked about already accumulating four demerit points early in the first semester, but she didn’t seem to care about that at all—she simply waited for the Dormitory Manager to return.
To cut to the conclusion, I was allowed to keep Whitey in my room. The Department Head Professor suggested that keeping a small animal shouldn’t be a problem, and Heinrich said that since lizards don’t make loud noises and I, Evan Laef, have always conducted myself properly, I would surely educate the animal well.
The other Magic Department students asked whether the lizard was louder than Reina, and the Dormitory Manager answered that it wasn’t. With the unanimous approval of students who didn’t care as long as it wasn’t more annoying than Reina, Whitey and I began enjoying a pleasant campus life, while Reina once again lamented her own existence and lay in bed wrapped in her blanket.

◇ ◆ ◇

“Hmm….”
Today was the day the midterm exam rankings would be posted on the school bulletin board.
“Hehehehe.”
Since the Magic Department needed to check which individuals students from the Academic Department and Combat Techniques Department should avoid based on rankings, the list was posted prominently on the Common Area Bulletin Board.
“Hehehehe, hehehehe, hehehehehehe.”
First place! Evan Laef at the very top! With this, my limited lifespan is finally over!
I opened my status window and confirmed that the limited lifespan had been deleted, then threw Whitey around to express my joy. There seemed to be someone like Reina in second place, but honestly, I didn’t care about that right now. What mattered was that I’d obtained the exchange permit along with first place.
With this, I can work even harder as Seian’s servant! I’m so excited—I should go find the house where Seian is staying and do cleaning and laundry for him!
There had been several crises, like the advanced mathematics exam and the incident where I’d treated and sent Seian flying, but under the Academy Headmaster’s common sense judgment that Evan Laef, who would have received an A+ even if I’d just taken the math test normally, wouldn’t deliberately cause trouble, I managed to escape suspicion.
Seian went to see the Academy Headmaster to discuss my execution, but since his entire body had been cleanly healed and he’d been dressed in new clothes, he had to leave empty-handed due to insufficient evidence.
If anything was surprising, it was the fact that all of us first-year students had magic stone chips embedded in our student IDs for the exchange permit.
We first-year students, myself included, were said to be an unusually well-behaved class in recent times. At the suggestion of the Department Head Professor and Heinrich, who was in charge of etiquette, all first-year students received exchange permits, while second-year students, who could be called a problem class, had their exchange permits revoked and some undergraduates ended up trapped in their dens.
In any case, it was fortunate that all the kids I knew were good kids. I figured I could probably send Reina to the Homeless Settlement with just one more demerit point. With a premonition that only good things would happen from now on, I laughed loudly and cheerfully in front of the headquarters bulletin board.
“Hey! You there!”
A small girl who I was certain I’d never seen before, yet who somehow resembled Seian, pointed at me with a stick.
Black hair and black eyes. No matter how you looked at it, the 140-centimeter figure announced her identity as a member of the Crowell Imperial Family, and she spoke confidently as if she’d seen me before, even calling my name.
“Evan Laef! Become my comrade!”
Hmm…, right. Reina had ended up getting along with the Third Princess after the midterm exams ended and her top ranking was posted on the bulletin board. Now that I think about it, what’s this about? The Third Princess shouldn’t be interested in the imperial throne. So why was she going around all the departments collecting top and second-ranked students?
“Um, I apologize. I know this must be confusing, but would you please listen to what Sera has to say….”
Wow, it’s Sunbird!
Looking at it this way, the height difference between the Third Princess and Sunbird is really huge! If Sunbird weren’t so frail, he could probably carry around Sera Crowell without any trouble.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
I was grateful that they’d suggested I become a comrade with the top-ranked student of the Magic Department according to the original plot, but getting close to them would give me dozens of chances to die, so it would be better to politely decline.
So I tried to shake my head, but suddenly my vision turned red and I heard a ringing sound in my ears.
“Evan Laef! Are you alright! You’re bleeding from your eyes, nose, and mouth!”
“A-Are you okay?! We need a doctor! Call a doctor!”
What? I’m bleeding from my eyes, nose, and mouth? I opened my status window in disbelief, and the limited lifespan that had been deleted earlier appeared again, and I heard a stupid voice from the heavens.

Your lifespan has been updated. Failure to join the Club for Planning Future Activities (formerly Black Sun Society founded by Crowell Imperial Family) results in death. 5.

I know this pattern. That number at the end—is it 5 days or 5 years? If I complain about it, it shrinks to 4, right?

Your lifespan has been updated. Failure to join the Club for Planning Future Activities (formerly Black Sun Society founded by Crowell Imperial Family) results in death. 4.

Damn it, I hate this status window so much!
“Sera Crowell.”
“What? Do you have a chronic condition? I even brought my personal physician from home, so just say the word!”
“I’ll join the Club for Planning Future Activities.”
“You know the name? So you were interested in the club I created? Thank you!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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