The Author's Playground-Chapter 29: No way I'm sharing my room (1)

Chapter 29: No way I'm sharing my room (1)

Announcement Hall.

"Today, we gather to commend the students who displayed exceptional bravery during the recent crisis."

The headmaster's voice echoed through the academy's grand announcement hall, commanding the attention of all present to look ahead.

"We shall begin by recognizing those who played a crucial role in eradicating the invading monsters..."

Seated in his usual spot, Elijah let out a quiet yawn, already feeling the weight of boredom settle in.

As expected, the list of awardees dragged on—mostly filled with Class A and Class S students who had contributed significantly to the battle.

Just as his eyelids threatened to close, he felt a tug on his sleeve.

"Awaahh... what should I do?!" Victoria whispered frantically beside him. "I'm so nervous!"

"Princess..." Elijah sighed. "Why are you even worried? Just walk up there, take your badge, and stand. Easy."

"Y-you fool! Do you even understand the worth of a Stellar Badge?!"

Of course, Elijah knew. He had written it into the story.

A Stellar Badge was a symbol of utmost recognition within the academy. It was essentially the institution's way of declaring a student 'extraordinary.' Not even the esteemed student council members possessed one.

The only way to obtain such an honor was through exceptional feats—like Victoria and Lucian, who had defeated the dungeon boss.

"It's fine," Elijah reassured her. "You earned it."

"But still…" She hesitated before shooting him a look. "Why didn't you say you contributed? If you had, you'd be up there getting a Stellar Badge too."

"Because I didn't." Elijah shrugged. "I don't want to receive something I didn't earn."

'And also… I don't want the attention yet. It would mess with the plot I had in my head.'- Elijah thought but did not need to say it out aloud.

"Mhmm… I didn't know you had that side to you," Victoria smirked. "For some reason, I always feel like I'm just dancing in the palm of your hand."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!"

The two fell silent, shifting their focus back to the stage as the award ceremony continued.

And then, finally—the moment they had been waiting for.

"And now, we shall honor the recipients of the Stellar Badge..."

"Starting with Class B: Victoria Elizabeth De Fleur."

A wave of applause erupted as Victoria rose to her feet. She nearly tripped in her excitement, but quickly steadied herself before making her way to the stage.

Her nervous expression melted into one of joy as she accepted the amethyst-hued badge.

Then, as tradition dictated, her student ID badge was updated before everyone's eyes.

[ Victoria Elizabeth De Fleur || Class S ]

A hush fell over the crowd, followed by murmurs rippling through the students.

"Oi, oi… did she just get promoted?"

"Whoa… I'm jealous. An instant promotion to Class S?"

"Are we sure she wasn't carried? If I remember correctly, there were two of them who took down the boss, right?"

Elijah's gaze swept over the whispering students, a flicker of something dark crossing his expression. A subtle pressure of annoyance—rolled off him.

The murmuring immediately ceased.

'The academy's motto is 'Everyone here is equal.' Equal my ass. These people will always find a way to openly talk shit about someone.'

Soon after, the headmaster continued.

"We would also like to congratulate Class S: Lucian Winterhold."

This time, there were no murmurs, no whispered doubts, only applause.

After all, who would question an S-rank defeating a dungeon boss?

"Well, on the bright side, at least the awarding is finally over," Elijah thought, relieved that the ceremony was coming to an end.

But then, just as he was about to relax, the headmaster's voice rang out again.

"Lastly… we would like to extend our congratulations to Class S: Calliope Revenant."

The hall erupted into claps, but underneath the applause, hushed voices stirred like a brewing storm.

"That was her, right?"

"The one who annihilated an A-rank nightmare all by herself…"

"Not just one A-rank, dumbass... she wiped out an entire horde. Even the instructors can't do that."

"But she looks… unapproachable."

Calliope stepped onto the stage, her presence almost eerie.

Jet-black hair trailed down to the floor, her overgrown bangs obscuring half her face. Hollow red eyes peered out, their exhausted gaze unfocused, indifferent.

Her posture was slumped, movements sluggish, like a puppet dragged forward by invisible strings.

She accepted her award in silence, showing no reaction, no acknowledgment. Just… existing.

Elijah's mind raced as he stared at the holographic interface hovering above her head.

[ ???? || ???? ]

His breath momentarilly hitched.

"Who… are you?"

*****

In the dim glow of his oil lamp, Elijah sat hunched over, absently twirling a black queen chess piece between his fingers.

"I finally have a main character in the making: Lucian Winterhold."

He studied the piece before placing it down.

"He isn't the perfect protagonist I envisioned, but out of all the characters I've written, he has the most potential."

Next, he picked up the black knight.

"A side character: Victoria Elizabeth De Fleur."

"Unlike Lucian, she's unpredictable. She could turn into a valuable ally… or one of the most troublesome villains this world will ever see."

Lastly, his fingers traced the edges of a white king.

"Calliope Revenant."

A wooden creak echoed as Elijah leaned back in his chair, rocking slightly.

"She was never part of my novel. I never wrote her character."

His gaze darkened.

"Every S-Class student was manually written by me in the novel. There should be thirteen: Dae-hyun was one of them before he died. And yet… now there are fourteen."

"Victoria who was just promoted, and that woman."

"She's too significant to be a background character…"

"Just what is she?"

With a sigh, Elijah placed the white king back onto the board and tapped his fingers against the table.

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

"An unknown variable… something outside my control."

His thoughts wandered.

"Could this be that devil's work?"

Silence settled in the room.

Then he exhaled, shaking his head.

"Whatever. I'll figure it out later."

"Hehe... tomorrow I will meet 'him', my favorite character I created!"

"I gotta make an impression to my future chess piece~"

"So... I need to sleep well~!"

Exhaustion washed him as he felt like he could sleep anytime soon.

Just as he was about to lie down on his bed and hit the sack...

Rattle...

His door handle jerked violently.

At first, he ignored it.

But it didn't stop.

Rattle...

Rattle...

Rattle...

Elijah scowled.

'What kind of lunatic tries to rob a Class F dorm?'

The rattling persisted.

Longer.

Louder.

Annoyed, Elijah groaned and swung the door open.

Standing in the hallway was a towering student—easily over seven feet tall, wearing the same copper badge as him.

A holographic interface hovered above his head.

[ Varden Albinus || unmentioned character ]

Elijah narrowed his eyes.

'A background character?' he noted, eyeing the "unmentioned character" beside its name. 'And also... damn… he's tall.'

Varden's gaze flicked downward, with a frown.

And then he asked.

"What the fuck are you doing in my room? You thief."

For a second, Elijah just stared.

Then, he scoffed.

"The hell did you just say, you punk?"