That Piece Of Trash Was Me - Chapter 21

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 21

“Miss Tulia?”

“Hm?”

Lost in thought, I raised my head. Adel held out warm grain tea, though I hadn’t noticed when she’d brought it.

“Please drink a little before you go.”

“Yeah… Thanks.”

It’s just a habitual thank you, but I don’t know why I feel embarrassed when Adel does things like this.

The warm grain tea seemed to fill my stomach completely.

* * *

The ‘study room’ where I came to take the exam was like a Greek temple.

‘Wait, this is more luxurious than my room?’

It was a room filled entirely with cream-colored marble from ceiling to floor. Every time the chandelier’s light flowed, it felt like walking on a promenade under the night sky with an elegant atmosphere.

They hadn’t indulged in extravagant luxuries like embedding jewels in the pillars, but that’s exactly why it was filled with such a refined atmosphere.

It felt like seeing the highest-grade version of an ancient Greek academy that I’d only seen in pictures.

Despite being marble, the color made the entire room look bright and warm.

And at the center stood a very cold and sharp-looking handsome man.

‘Wow. It’s Schulz Schmidt.’

“I am Schulz Schmidt. Miss Tulia.”

I could tell without even checking his profile.

This man was a character who, despite being a supporting role, had gained quite a bit of popularity in .

The reason? There was only one.

‘He’s handsome.’

Even among beauties, don’t people have different preferences?

Schulz Schmidt was a character that anyone who loved intellectual and cold-looking handsome men couldn’t help but fall for.

‘Plus, he’s also a character I absolutely need to see the Crown Prince even once.’

The more I need someone, the better I should treat them—that’s the same whether in reality or in a game.

“Hello, teacher.”

I grabbed my skirt and bowed politely.

It was a greeting a lady would give to someone of similar or higher status, somewhat excessive for greeting Schulz Schmidt.

“Miss Tulia.”

As evidence of this, Schulz Schmidt immediately rejected the greeting coldly.

“I am merely a scholar of the White Tower who has received the title ‘Pneuma.’ In terms of the Empire’s five noble ranks, it’s equivalent to a simple baron title, so such a greeting is too much for me to receive from you.”

“But as I understand it, even a duke’s daughter uses honorifics when addressing a Pneuma who comes as a teacher.”

This was common knowledge that even children of imperial nobility knew. It remained in Tulia’s inherited memories too.

“That is true, but.”

Schulz Schmidt continued firmly.

“The Grand Duke Frazier House is different.”

‘Yes, I know that well.’

The White Tower.

A massive intellectual group that gathered the Empire’s scholars.

Those with noble blood wanted the White Tower scholars to educate their children.

But the proud and haughty White Tower scholars were already in short supply.

Still, where there’s demand, there’s supply, so families with count titles or higher somehow managed to invite White Tower scholars as teachers for a few seasons of instruction.

Families below count rank, powerless families, and small-scale families would band together to invite White Tower scholars to teach their children.

A kind of teacher exchange system?

White Tower scholars were called by the honorific ‘Pneuma’ and received public respect.

Even the imperial family of the Briyang Empire tried to maintain good relations with this White Tower, but there was exactly one place in the Empire that had a terribly bad relationship with them, and that place was…

‘Right. The Grand Duke Frazier House.’

It’s a setting where Grand Duke Assis Frazier and the White Tower’s leader had a falling out for some reason, which is why there are only me and that bastard Tedrick as grandchildren in this Frazier domain now.

‘They’re all at the Academy.’

Despite such a poor relationship, having a Pneuma here was, in a way, also a demonstration of Grand Duke Assis Frazier House’s influence.

‘In most endings, he becomes Coriko’s supporter…’

I looked at the cold handsome man who was set to be uniquely young and genius among the White Tower’s Pneuma.

“If you really dislike it, I’ll speak casually.”

“Please do so.”

“Only outside the classroom.”

“…”

Schulz Schmidt looked at me with an expression of not having expected this.

It definitely wasn’t a proud or pleased expression.

Rather, it was like someone seeing a strange creature for the first time, like a rainbow-colored rooster.

But that was only momentary.

“Very well. Let’s agree on that.”

One of Schulz Schmidt’s characteristics from .

He hated nobles who abused their power based on status most of all.

“I’ll give you the exam, so please sit wherever you’re comfortable. Miss Tulia.”

Schulz Schmidt spoke in a voice with slightly less coldness than before.

“I’ll sit here.”

As I received the exam paper, I thought.

His second characteristic.

He liked smart students without prejudice.

‘An exam like this is a piece of cake.’

Adel had actually worried a lot about me taking the exam. She’d even gotten me an access pass to the library.

I had also flipped through library books and studied quite a bit, just in case.

‘That wasn’t necessary.’

The moment I received today’s exam paper, my positive hunch became reality.

‘I know all these problems.’

It was natural if you think about it.

I’m someone who played hundreds, thousands of times.

Coriko was in the ‘beloved girl’ position, and as is typical of this genre, despite entering the Frazier family as the Grand Duke House’s prospective daughter-in-law, she gradually took on the position of a granddaughter.

So despite not having Frazier blood, she received the exceptional treatment of taking the direct lineage exam.

Coriko taking the exam was something that had to be done early in the game, so I’d solved almost every problem that appeared.

“The exam is divided into seven subjects total. I’ll grade them by points and let you know the results immediately.”

Listening to Schulz Schmidt’s voice, I confidently picked up my fountain pen.

‘The answer to question 1 is choice 2.’

Yes, that’s when it happened.

When my fountain pen, which was about to check choice 2, moved to choice 3.

For a moment, I thought it was ‘my mistake.’

That my hand must have slipped.

Anyone would think that at first.

But when the same mistake repeated a second and third time, you realize it.

‘This. Could it be.’

At the same time, as if reading my thoughts, the yellow star that always followed me around like a shadow bounced lightly.

Simultaneously, familiar text appeared before my eyes.

(!Warning: Due to Skill Penalty, you cannot check the desired answer.)

(!Warning: The Affection Level of those around you will drop to the minimum.)

‘Ack!’

When it says “those around,” it only means Schulz Schmidt, that cold handsome teacher who’s blankly staring at my exam paper!

The exams in were always like this.

It was customary for the very first question on the first page to be easy enough that even a commoner who had learned to write could solve it.

But getting such an easy question wrong would make me look so stupid that even basic human affection would completely disappear, not just as a scholar.

I screamed internally.

‘How is the Skill Penalty applied in such a way!’

Wasn’t turning my hair into a mess enough!

I hurriedly opened the Status Window.

[System: Status Window]

Tulia Frazier (15 years old)

-Coins Owned: 1,005

-Personality: 1

-Beauty: 8

-Skill: -10

-Wealth: 0

-Luck: -10

Overall Rating: F

‘My precious coins that I earned by pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into making jam all night to give to His Grace the Grand Duke…’

[System] 1 coin has been consumed.

[System] Skill -8 achieved!

‘Huh?’

[System] 1 coin has been consumed.

[System] Skill -7 achieved!

‘What?’

[System] 1 coin has been consumed.

[System] Skill -6 achieved!

[System] 1 coin has been consumed.

[System] Skill -5 achieved!

[System] 1 coin has been consumed.

[System] Skill -4 achieved!

.

.

.

[System] 1 coin has been consumed.

[System] Skill 0 achieved!

I was dumbfounded.

Even though I raised my skill from negative to zero, only 1 coin was consumed each time.

‘What? When I raised my Personality Stats, a thousand coins disappeared in an instant?’

[System: Status Window]

Tulia Frazier (15 years old)

-Coins Owned: 995

The generous number of 995 coins owned looked like a masterpiece depicting abundance to me.

‘Status Window, you bastard… maybe you actually came to help me.’

Had I been wearing colored glasses all this time, calling it a bad guy, a crazy thing?

While feeling a slight touch of emotion, anyway.

Since the Skill Penalty was still in effect, I carefully tried raising my stats more.

[System] 2 coins have been consumed.

[System] Skill +1 achieved!

[System] Remaining coins: 993

My vision beautifully brightened, and the text I had longed and longed for appeared brilliantly.

[System] Skill Penalty has been removed.

[System: Status Window]

Tulia Frazier (15 years old)

-Coins Owned: 993

-Personality: 1

-Beauty: 8

-Skill: 1

-Wealth: 0

-Luck: -10

Overall Rating: F

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