Chapter 55 - Things are getting Exciting now.

It had already been a week since Thalia's confession, and I had been diligently working on manipulating others. However, I had some doubts about my success rate. Thalia's ability, <Ultimate Insight>, which she hadn't fully mastered yet, made her relatively easy to manipulate. But lately, I couldn't help but notice subtle hints that she was catching on to the true meaning behind my words. For instance, this morning...

--Recap----------------------------------

<Thalia's POV>

"Hello, Zeph. How are you? Your face seems to be getting better," I inquired, noticing a slight improvement in the burns on his face.

"Thank you, Thalia, for noticing," he replied with that familiar smile that always put me at ease.

"Oh, Thalia, I have to go somewhere right now, if you'll excuse me," he announced, and a wave of sadness washed over me. Lately, he didn't seem to have much time for me. Subconsciously, I relied on my <Intuition>, a far smaller version of my awakened ability, <Ultimate Insight>, which I struggled to use effectively due to the headaches and illusions it caused and I unlocked only first stage of it among all fives.

My current reliance on <Intuition> told me he had been telling me small lies about being busy for the past few days.

They were minor lies, but I could sense them.

But At least he loves me, though.

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I can sense her doubting me,and it was proving to be a challenging task. Maintaining a constant intent or thoughts was mentally exhausting, and I needed to strengthen my mental resolve.

To make things easier, I decided to keep my conversations with others short and to the point.

I used the upcoming monthly exams as an excuse for my distracted behavior.

The academy was known for providing top-notch education, and they also expected their students to perform at their best. Consequently, we had monthly tests, and the results of these exams would contribute to our final first-year scores.

I hadn't been at the academy for long, just a couple of weeks, and soon, I would face the first step toward achieving my goals – the upcoming exams.

Valeriana, in particular, proved to be a tough nut to crack. Her ability to remain emotionally detached from others thoughts made it challenging to influence her. So, I had to change my approach.

I started portraying her as a deserving rival in my thoughts, emphasizing how hard I was working to surpass her in the upcoming exams.

To test if she could pick up on my thoughts, I asked her some study-related questions and to also get a private tutor for my doubts , and given her personality, she interpreted it as a test I was giving her making my study much easier and also slowly but steadily helping me with her.

Life in this world was proving to be far more complex than I had initially assumed. When I first arrived in this body, I thought I could handle any situation as long as I knew what was coming.

However, I soon realized that the novel I had read lacked details about characters' emotions, deeper personalities, and minor intricacies.

Gradually, I abandoned the notion that this world was simply a novel.

It was an entirely new world, and while I possessed some knowledge of its future, I needed to adapt to the unexpected challenges it presented.

Everything was going smoothly until Jonathan intervened – yes, the same guy who ventured after the dragon's egg. It's pretty obvious he'd be in the same class since our whole class went to same 'Black forest'.

Jonathan took the lead and used an invisibility artifact, but here's where things get fishy. The artifact seemed to enhance his existing ability rather than making him entirely invisible.

This got me doubting the accuracy of the novel's descriptions, as it appears to prioritize its main characters while glossing over secondary ones.as,it never mentioned in novel about him possessing invisibility ability but just vague words about him using artifact.

But Now That I think after I rendered him unconscious that time,

I can't help but wonder if he woke up later and used his invisibility to make a sneaky escape – who knows?

But now, with my focus on him, I've noticed that his facial structure bears an uncanny resemblance to 'That Woman' from the second year.

She's reputed as the smartest character in the novel. It all clicked when I recalled her mentioning a no-good brother who met his end while attempting to steal a egg.

The pieces of this puzzle are falling into place.

Jonathan's behavior towards me was peculiar. He acted as if he didn't recognize me, despite my involvement in the dragon encounter.

This behavior hints at his propensity to give up when he senses a risk , a true coward indeed.

However, this raises the question of why he pursued the dragon egg in the first place. but now I noticed it turns out that one of his comrades has the ability to communicate with animals.

This brilliant individual thought of taming a dragon and earning its loyalty. After careful consideration of the pros and cons, Jonathan concluded that obtaining the egg was the way to go.

Speaking of the 'egg,' my hunch is that it's still concealed beneath the same tree. With the dragon deceased and no one replenishing its mana, it's likely growing quite hungry.

In a month's time, it'll start absorbing mana from its surroundings, rendering it more vulnerable to external threats as its protective shell weakens.

The catch is that the practical exams are held at the same location every month. Hence, my objective is clear: retrieve that dragon egg.

But before I embark on that mission, I need to acquire a storage artifact, and it's highly probable that Professor Adriannel possesses one.

"Hello, Miss Valeriana, could you assist me with this question?" I observed him closely as he asked a question to her. Valeriana's reaction told me that he didn't have any romantic feelings for her. It made me wonder why Valeriana would help him, perhaps he genuinely needed assistance with the question.

<Valeriana's POV>

For the past several days, I've been picking up on Zeph's thoughts. He seems incredibly dedicated to achieving the top rank in our upcoming exams. However, there's something about his thoughts that doesn't quite add up.

It feels as though he's pushing himself to think in a certain way, but why would he do that?

It's not like he could know about my abilities, right?

Regardless, it doesn't really concern me. The exams are just around the corner, and helping him does give me a chance to review some old material.

The way he grasps these concepts, though, I have to admit his intelligence isn't all that impressive.

Lately, I've had quite a few students asking for my assistance, and one of them, Jonathan, has caught my interest.

When he approached me and asked, "Hello, Miss Valeriana, could you assist me with this question?" I glanced at him and picked up on his thoughts: "So, Zeph was the one who made me unconscious and stole the egg."

The word "egg" immediately caught my attention. What egg was he talking about, and why did Zeph make him unconscious?

These were questions I needed answers to.