Oh, right. I almost forgot about this.

The main reason I fought so hard to get into Soul Academy was because of this, but with everything that just happened, it completely slipped my mind.

Even as I read the message window, I didn’t expect much.

Given that the useless deity is connected to the system, there's a high chance this is also tied to him.

What could that stingy guy, who only gave me a quest system after I became his apostle, possibly give me for clearing my first quest?

["Appraisal" skill has been unlocked.] [A new main quest, "You Were Born to Be Loved," has been unlocked.]

What?

Wait, hold on.

What?!

A new quest isn’t that surprising.

I didn't expect the quests to end with just the entrance exam.

But appraisal. Appraisal is different.

The appraisal skill existed in the game as well.

Soul Academy, being a game that pursued a ridiculous level of realism, sometimes had item descriptions that were misleading.

NPCs could even scam you with this.

The appraisal skill was necessary in such cases.

The higher the skill level, the easier it was to uncover the true nature of items.

In fact, there were endgame items in Soul Academy that could only be identified with a max-level appraisal skill.

But how does this skill work in reality?

In the game, it would automatically activate when you hovered the mouse over an item.

I pulled out Luel’s mace to check, but I didn’t feel anything.

With my other skills, I would feel something when they activated, but not this time.

Is it because my proficiency is low? Or is there a different activation method?

Thinking it might be similar to what happens in other web novels, I stared at Luel’s mace and whispered, "Appraise."

Then, a new message window appeared before me.

[Luel's Mace] [A mace used by the holy knight Luel. It seems to radiate a sacred aura.] [????]

So, that’s how it works?

The skill level is still low, so the explanation isn’t fully revealed, but that’s something I can grind to improve.

This is awesome.

Useless deity!

You finally gave me something useful?!

If you had done this earlier, I wouldn’t have had to call you the useless deity!

Alright, I’m in a good mood now!

From now on, I’ll even add the honorific "nim" when I refer to you!

Thank you, Useless Deity-nim!

Getting one of the skills I thought was most necessary lifted my spirits a bit from the earlier gloom.

Now it’s time to check the quest.

["You Were Born to Be Loved"] [By the end of the term, increase the affection of two students at Soul Academy to 70 or higher.] [Reward: ???] [Failure: GAME OVER]

Excuse me?

For a moment, I couldn’t believe what I was reading, so I rubbed my eyes and looked at the quest window again.

But nothing had changed.

I’m sorry, Useless Deity-nim.

I just added the honorific, but I think I need to remove it again.

No, if I just remove the "nim," it might seem too harsh, so I’ll remove something else too.

Hey, Useless! How am I supposed to clear this?!

Affection level 70?! Do you think that’s possible?!

Soul Academy has an affection system.

It’s a system where you can raise affection by doing quests related to the NPCs, spending time with them, or giving them gifts, eventually forming closer relationships.

Even if you weren’t interested in the story, you had to pay attention to the affection system because it boosted stats when you were in the same party.

But that’s not the important issue right now, so let’s move on.

Specifically, regarding affection levels, when you first meet someone with no prior feelings, it starts at 40.

The lower it drops, the worse the relationship, and the higher it rises, the closer you become.

So what does an affection level of 70 in this quest mean?

It’s equivalent to considering each other as close friends.

In other words, genuine friends who can talk about anything without hesitation.

In the game, it wasn’t that hard to raise affection to that level, but now the situation is different.

There’s no way I could form that kind of relationship with anyone!

Given the way things are going at Soul Academy, I’m wondering if I’ll even make one friend, let alone two close friends within six months!

Give me something realistic.

Why not give me a quest to clear a high-difficulty dungeon instead?

If it’s that, I’ll twist my body and somehow manage!

But this? No way!

You’re too cruel, Useless.

Getting into Soul Academy as Lucy was already tough enough, and now that I’ve climbed that mountain, you throw an even higher one in my path.

You just want to see me fail, don’t you? Right?

What kind of apostle nonsense is this?

You just want to torment me and watch me struggle.

Is that it? You sadistic deity.

I won’t. I absolutely won’t let things go the way you want.

Just wait.

No matter what hardships you throw at me, I won’t break.

I’ll find a way to survive and then come for your neck.

You may think you’re safe because you’re a deity, but let me tell you something.

In Soul Academy, even gods can be killed.

I’ll make you regret tormenting me.

My mood, which had slightly improved, plunged back into despair.

Because I had just started to feel better and then crashed again, the impact hit even harder.

Although I resolved to survive no matter what, reality was far from easy.

What’s the problem, you ask?

Everything was a problem.

The fact that everyone thinks I’m a delinquent due to Lucy’s previous reputation.

The fact that I have to provoke others half-forced by the Mesugaki Skill.

The fact that I can’t see others’ affection levels.

As I think about it, asking what the problem is was the wrong question.

In this situation, the right question would be, "What isn’t a problem?" It would be faster to find that.

Of course, I remember how to manage the affection levels of all the characters.

I’m an expert on Soul Academy, after all.

But still. Even so.

Damn you, useless Lucy.

Damn you, useless Mesugaki Skill!

"Lady Allen."

When I lowered my hands and looked up at the sound of my name being called, I saw Joy standing there with a serious expression.

She even left her usual followers behind to come talk to me alone, so she must be really upset.

"Pitiable Prince? What on earth is that about?"

Oh. That part?

Well, Joy is close with Arthur from childhood.

If she heard me call him the Pitiable Prince, she’d definitely come to confront me.

"Did you know the circumstances of the Third Prince when you said that?"

Of course I do.

Joy, you might know a lot about Arthur, but not more than I do.

Not all characters in Soul Academy have led peaceful and happy lives.

While some, like Joy, have lived spotless lives, others have experienced what can only be described as tragic.

Arthur is one of those people.

A secret about his birth.

The death of his mother.

His family’s neglect.

Gossip in the royal court.

After enduring multiple tragedies, Arthur became obsessed with perfection, making him one of the most unfortunate characters in Soul Academy.

And I called such a person the Pitiable Prince.

And I’ll have to keep calling him that.

'No, I didn’t know.' "Airhead Lady, why would I need to know about the Pitiable Prince?"

Even though I knew, I confidently answered as if I didn’t.

If I admitted to knowing, I’d become an irredeemable piece of trash!

"If you didn’t know, why did you call the Third Prince that?"

'Just because.' "He looks pitiable, so I called him that. Just like I call you Airhead Lady because you look airheaded."

When I responded confidently, Joy sighed.

"Then, please stop calling him that from now on."

So, she believes that I didn’t mean any harm?

At least that's a relief.

Thanks to saving her in the dungeon last time, it seems she doesn’t think too poorly of me.

But I couldn’t agree to her request.

I don’t want to call Arthur the Pitiable Prince either, you know!

'Why?' "Why should I? Airhead Lady?"

"That’s... something I can’t say."

Of course.

Arthur’s situation isn’t something others can explain unless he talks about it himself.

That’s why I asked why, knowing she would answer this way.

It lets me shamelessly continue.

'If you won’t tell me the reason...' "Really? Then I’ll just keep calling him the Pitiable Prince."

"No."

'Goodbye...' "Goodbye, Airhead Lady. I’ll be going now."

As I turned and walked away, I heard Joy fuming behind me.

But I didn’t look back.

I need to work on raising affection levels, but all I’m doing is lowering them.

I’m not usually the type to cry easily, but I feel like tears are coming.

<You must be having a hard time because of that blessing.> 'Exactly. I’m glad I at least have you, Grandpa.'

I never realized how grateful I’d be to have someone to talk to.

<I wonder what Armadi is thinking.> 'Please, let’s not talk about that.' <My, calling a god "that."> 'Because of that god, my life is on the line!'

Arthur may have no claims to the throne or a powerful backer, but what if I had said something similar to the Second or First Prince?

It wouldn’t be surprising if I were arrested for treason!

Wait a minute. Isn’t the Second Prince attending Soul Academy right now?

What if I meet him and accidentally give him a nickname...

No, I can’t. Absolutely not.

I should avoid the second-year classrooms altogether.

When I opened the door to Class 1-A of Soul Academy, where I’d been assigned, all eyes turned to me.

Most of the looks were wary or uncomfortable.

The kind of look that says, "She’s in the same class as me?"

At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if the person assigned to sit next to me ends up in tears.

Among the gazes, there were a few that were slightly different.

The saint, who speaks to me despite all the harsh words I’ve thrown at her, naturally greeted me with a warm smile.

The Third Prince, on the other hand, was openly glaring at me with hostility.

Joy’s followers were frowning and whispering among themselves as they looked at me.

I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I could guess.

They were probably complaining about how I rudely nicknamed Joy the Airhead Lady.

Everywhere I looked, I could practically see the affection points hitting rock bottom.

"Hey."

Wow. This is really bleak.

Where do I even start?

First, I should choose two characters who were easy to raise affection with in the game.

<Young lady, someone behind you is trying to speak with you.> 'To me?'

Following Grandpa’s words, I turned around to see a girl slightly taller than me standing there.

She had black hair tied back and was gazing at me with emotionless red eyes.

The future Swordmaster of the kingdom.

Why is Freyr Kent trying to talk to me?

I’m not too keen on this.

"You. Fight me."