Roxwell received an unexpected item from an even more unexpected person.
It was Circe, the girl who had supposedly dueled Ex.
She had shown up carrying two notebooks, of all things.
Then she handed one of them to him.
“I delivered it, just like I was asked.”
As though there were nothing more to say, Circe turned and left.
Roxwell stared down at the notebook in his hand.
‘Screamweed gave me this?’
There wasn’t much time left before the disciplinary hearing.
The Chairman had used his authority to keep Roxwell from attending.
‘But why give it to me now?’
There had to be a reason Ex had gone out of his way to deliver it with such urgency.
‘Just what the hell is in here…?’
Roxwell sat down and opened the notebook, only to find it filled with bizarre writing.
It looked as though someone had been trying to write a novel.
Something about an academy, something about status windows.
None of it made any sense.
He couldn’t imagine why Ex had given him something like this.
‘What, was that brat an aspiring novelist?’
Once Roxwell started reading it as a work of fiction, however, it was surprisingly interesting.
The story itself was fairly polished, too.
All the talk about the world coming to an end sounded like the sort of immature fantasy a child might dream up.
Then Roxwell reached the list of characters.
‘…The Imperial Princess, the Pope, the leader of the Revolutionary Front… a demon?’
The Leader’s name was exactly right.
Even if all the other characters had been inspired by people in the real world, how could Ex possibly know the name of the Red Flag Revolutionary Front’s leader?
Roxwell flipped back to the beginning.
He followed the story and examined how it was supposed to unfold.
A reincarnated hero. The Empire’s division. Demons lurking everywhere. The Demon King’s resurrection three years from now.
The world was going to end?
‘This isn’t information some ordinary student could possibly know…!’
The notebook was littered with highly sensitive information.
No amount of preliminary research could explain this. It went far beyond anything a student should have been able to uncover.
How had Screamweed learned all of this…?
— I have seen the future.
‘No way.’
Roxwell immediately hid the notebook inside his coat. He needed to verify its contents.
This wasn’t something he could judge alone.
His decision came quickly, and his preparations were even faster.
Roxwell finished getting ready to leave, gripped his scabbard tightly, and started toward the door.
Then he stopped.
‘Why didn’t that bastard tell me about this himself?’
It was such a minor question.
Yet that tiny doubt multiplied in an instant, spreading through his thoughts like an explosion.
Before long, it led him to a single conclusion.
‘…He’s being watched.’
But by whom?
Who would dare place someone with knowledge this dangerous under surveillance?
Roxwell had no way of knowing. He didn’t have enough information.
Even after reviewing everything he remembered from the notebook, he couldn’t find a single clue.
‘In that case…’
He began by assuming the worst.
Roxwell listed every possible situation and wrote down what he could do if each one came to pass.
There was no time.
He had to finish this as quickly as possible.
‘That son of a bitch…! He dumped all this on me and left me to deal with it!!’
With nowhere else to go, his fury ran wild through the tip of his quill.
***
“We will now begin the disciplinary hearing for the student Ex. Everyone, please take your seats.”
The interrogation chamber was unbearably rigid and formal.
Ex stood alone on the sunken floor like a criminal awaiting judgment.
Everyone else sat in chairs on the elevated platform, looking down at him.
Elnedor glanced around the chamber before voicing his confusion.
“Hmm? Professor Roxwell isn’t here?”
“…Professor Roxwell will not be attending.”
“No? Why not? Ex is one of the students assigned to him.”
“He said he has never considered this troublemaker to be one of his students.”
“My, my… Then I suppose it can’t be helped.”
At the Chairman’s explanation, Elnedor smacked his lips in disappointment.
Ex nearly laughed at the blatant lie.
The Chairman was the one who had forbidden Roxwell from coming.
‘Every major figure in the academy is here.’
The Headmaster, the Chairman, professors from the most popular courses, Maria, Lung, and even Amanda.
Aside from Maria, Lung, and Amanda, every gaze directed at Ex felt ominous.
They weren’t even trying to conceal their hostility.
“What more is there to discuss? Expel him.”
The Chairman, seated in the most prominent position directly ahead, delivered his verdict without hesitation.
A man armed with severe features, cold and indifferent eyes, and a sharp, imposing dignity glared down at Ex.
“In the fifty-year history of this academy, no student has ever received an F in eighty percent of his Class Participation grades within a single week. He received twenty Fs across twenty-five elective courses.”
The professors nodded in agreement.
The Chairman continued.
“As if that weren’t enough, he dared to engage in an unauthorized duel during class, right before the Imperial Princess’s eyes! That alone would be enough to warrant execution. You do understand that, don’t you, Ex?”
“…I can only be grateful for Her Highness’s mercy.”
“Then I take it you have no objections?”
The Chairman looked toward the professors, silently asking for their agreement.
Every professor who met his gaze answered with silence.
“I do.”
Not everyone agreed.
“…Professor Maria. Let’s hear your opinion.”
The Chairman merely narrowed his eyes and glared at her.
Maria answered with a bright, perfectly innocent smile.
“First, I think we should address the standards used to determine Class Participation grades. How does everyone here assign those grades? Professor Hans?”
“Isn’t it obvious? If they perform well, they get an A. If they perform poorly, they get an F.”
Maria nodded as if she had expected exactly that answer.
“In your case, Professor Hans, I reviewed the Class Participation grades you assigned over the past year. Don’t you think you’ve been grading students too heavily at the extremes? More than ninety percent of your grades were either As or Fs.”
“…And what of it? Do you intend to criticize my teaching methods?”
“I’m saying this isn’t a problem limited to you, Professor Hans.”
Maria waved her hand, and the documents she had brought were placed before each professor.
They contained the average distribution of Class Participation grades given by each professor, along with the academy-wide average.
The grades were overwhelmingly concentrated at A and F.
“It seems most of you have no intention of giving any grade other than an F once a student fails to meet your personal standards. I believe that practice is the reason this entire situation arose.”
Maria had pointed directly at the root of the problem.
The professors remained silent.
Ex hadn’t expected Maria to defend him this thoroughly.
When he looked at her in surprise, Maria’s eyes lit up as she met his gaze.
They were filled with naked greed.
‘…She still hasn’t given up on me.’
While everyone was deeply considering Maria’s argument, one person broke the silence first.
“Professor Maria has a point. However, that is an issue to be discussed separately from the present situation.”
“…Professor Michelle. What exactly do you mean by that?”
A woman in a seductive outfit, her eyes curved into a crescent smile.
Maria’s smile collided with Michelle’s.
Michelle lightly shook the documents Maria had provided as she answered.
“This is a problem we should address and improve at a later date. Right now, we’re holding that student’s disciplinary hearing. We’re here to decide whether he should be expelled. I believe your argument strays from the matter under discussion.”
“This is the fundamental problem that led to the disciplinary hearing in the first place. Surely you don’t intend to ignore it and simply move on.”
“You’re right. It’s a deeply unfortunate problem. But that student has already received twenty Fs, hasn’t he?”
Maria’s smile was the first to crack.
She had realized Michelle intended to seize on that exact point.
“Now, let’s all calm down.”
Elnedor intervened before the atmosphere could grow any more heated.
He looked toward Maria and spoke.
“Professor Maria, your argument is reasonable. This is certainly something we should all discuss at a later date. As Headmaster, I thank you for bringing such an important matter to our attention.”
“I’m glad I could be of assistance.”
“However, Professor Michelle’s argument is also reasonable. This hearing exists to determine a student’s punishment according to the rules we have followed until now. Until those rules are changed, this disciplinary committee must reach a decision under the current system.”
“…”
Elnedor had sided with Michelle.
Maria let out a faint sigh and took a step back.
“Then may I speak?”
This time, Lung stepped forward.
“Professor Maria’s argument is not unrelated to the matter at hand. A problem has occurred, yet you propose setting aside its cause and dealing with it later. Such an approach will only create an even greater problem. This hearing will determine a student’s future. Is the issue truly something we can afford to disregard?”
“…What exactly are you trying to say?”
Michelle moved to defend the committee’s position.
Lung attacked calmly.
“Was it truly reasonable for that student to receive twenty Fs in Class Participation? Were those grades assigned according to fair and proper standards?”
Several professors openly displayed their displeasure.
Most of them taught the academy’s popular courses.
They immediately rose in protest.
“Are you accusing us of giving him Fs because of personal resentment?!”
“You are questioning our qualifications as professors!”
“We merely evaluated the student’s abilities accurately!”
Lung glared at the professor who had made the final statement.
Even through his clothes, it was obvious that every inch of the man’s body was packed with muscle.
He was Georg Schweier, the professor in charge of Combat-Type Physical Analysis.
“What standard did you use to judge a student’s ability?”
“Isn’t that obvious? ‘Strength’! ‘Technique’! ‘Capability’!”
“You applied those standards to a child who came here to learn them? Are you saying you only recognize fully trained martial artists as students?”
“N-No, that isn’t what I meant…”
Lung swept his gaze across the assembled professors and continued.
“I am well aware that our students’ abilities improve with each passing day, and that the standards expected of them have risen accordingly. But as professors, it is unfair for us to apply that same elevated standard indiscriminately to every student. And if this academy has been turning a blind eye to such abuses…”
Lung turned his gaze toward the Chairman.
“Then the wrong person is standing down there. It is not that student who belongs on the lower floor. It is the professors.”
“Professor Lung…”
“Or must I also bring up the professors who secretly trade seats in their courses? For instance…”
“Professor Lung!”
It was an extremely sensitive accusation.
The Chairman roared at him.
Several professors stiffened at Lung’s words, their faces tightening with tension.
The once-frigid atmosphere in the interrogation chamber grew scorching hot.
“Ha ha ha, this disciplinary hearing has become particularly heated.”
“A fever must burn hot before the illness can be cured.”
“Thank you for those wise words. Does anyone wish to object to Professor Lung’s argument?”
Silence.
The professors who traded course seats with nobles were especially careful to avert their eyes, terrified that their crimes might be exposed.
Even the Chairman merely maintained his cold stare.
Then, amid the silence.
“May I say something as well?”
Amanda stepped forward.
She looked toward Lung and continued.
“Even if students have come here to learn, there must still be a minimum standard. If we were expected to teach everyone without any standards at all, the academy would have fallen into chaos long ago.”
It was precisely the sort of conventional argument one would expect from someone as exacting as Amanda.
“Since Class Participation is the primary issue here, I would like to address it directly. It is true that the way we determine those grades is highly subjective. There is no established definition of proper classroom conduct. Each professor simply follows their own standards.”
Amanda looked down at Ex as she continued.
“My standard is ‘common sense.’ A willingness to listen to the lesson. A desire to gain something from the class. Respect for fellow students and professors. As long as a student upholds those basic principles, I have no intention of giving them an F. They are simply matters of common sense.”
Amanda let out a faint sigh.
It was as though she had recalled an unpleasant memory.
“That student broke free of my control and engaged in a duel during my class. He showed no respect for anyone present. As a result, the entire lesson collapsed.”
“I heard the opposing student was pushing one of Ex’s friends far too harshly. Ex only intervened to stop her, didn’t he?”
Maria cut in, pointing out the circumstances.
Amanda answered without any particular emotion.
“Yes. His actions were righteous and morally correct. As one human being, I consider what he did admirable. But it was not appropriate conduct during a class.”
Maria fell silent, unable to answer.
“Are you saying he should have ignored an injustice because the time and place were inconvenient? Is that the common sense you speak of?”
This time, Lung challenged her.
Amanda gave him the same straightforward answer.
“That is the common sense of ‘the outside world.’ It is not the common sense students are expected to follow within the academy. If a problem arose, I was right there and intended to intervene.”
“But you failed to do so.”
“Yes, that is correct. I lacked the ability to prevent it. I have reflected on my failure.”
“Then was it not unfair to give him an F in Class Participation?”
“That is a separate matter. My own evaluation will likely suffer because of this incident. However, that does not mean Ex displayed proper conduct during the lesson.”
It was a question of common sense.
That made it exceedingly difficult to challenge.
Lung had no choice but to remain silent.
Amanda continued.
“Of course, it is impossible for any single ‘standard’ to be absolute. It is also true that the academy has never established proper guidelines for Class Participation. That is a major blind spot in our system, and it does need to be corrected.”
Several professors groaned quietly in discomfort.
“However, the opposite is also true. We have educated and cultivated countless talented individuals through this very system. If the system itself is fundamentally wrong, then the people we have trained under it must also be considered fundamentally flawed.”
Amanda’s sharp gaze returned to Ex.
“According to the standards that the academy’s professors have developed over the past fifty years, it is an undeniable fact that Ex received twenty Fs in Class Participation. If that fact itself is deemed invalid, then we must reconsider whether this academy deserves to continue existing at all.”
Having finished her lengthy argument, Amanda let out a faint sigh and adjusted her rimless glasses before addressing the Headmaster.
“Therefore, I believe this disciplinary hearing must proceed.”
The interrogation chamber fell silent once more.
It was neither cold nor heated now.
Only a dry, emotionless stillness remained.
Everyone simply accepted the logic of her words.
Maria did.
Lung did as well.
‘I didn’t expect Amanda to take that position…’
Then again, perhaps this was exactly what Ex should have expected.
Amanda was known for being ‘strict and impartial.’
She was not the sort of person who would defend Ex after he had violated the most basic standards of common sense.
Elnedor issued his final declaration.
“Then it appears there are no further objections. We will now determine the disciplinary action to be taken against Ex.”
Because Ex had allowed himself to feel a little hope, disappointment lingered in his chest.
‘Still, I suppose I should be satisfied that Maria and Lung defended me…’
“Ex shall be punished with ‘expulsion’…”
“Screamweed!!!!”
CRAAASH-!!
Someone smashed through the door of the interrogation chamber.
Everyone stared in shock at the man who had burst inside.
It was Roxwell, his face caught somewhere between fury and utter confusion.
The Chairman’s face turned crimson as he furiously jabbed a finger at Roxwell.
“Were you not ordered to remain in your private room?! How dare you intrude upon this sacred chamber where the academy’s rules are enforced…!”
“Shut up!!!”
His features twisted with rage, Roxwell dismissed the Chairman without a second thought.
He simply strode forward while drawing the sword from his scabbard.
He was heading directly toward Ex.
In the blink of an eye, Roxwell closed the distance between them, raised his sword, and brought it straight down toward Ex’s neck.
‘He’s lost his mind…! He read the notebook! I’m glad he saw it, but…!’
Ex had expected Roxwell to react violently.
But why had the man’s first response been to swing a sword at his neck?
Shing-
Fortunately, the blade stopped just before it touched him.
Ex and Roxwell’s gazes collided.
Roxwell’s eyes were filled with turmoil.
The confusion seemed to have taken control of his entire body, and fury had turned his breathing ragged.
He clenched his teeth and barely managed to force out the words.
“What the hell are you?”
“…”
“What are you trying to do?”
“…”
“What do you actually want?”
“…”
Ex had already prepared his answer.
He looked Roxwell directly in the eyes and spoke.
“Survival.”
“…What?”
“I simply want to live.”
“…Live through what?”
“You saw it yourself.”
“…”
Roxwell’s pressure bore down on Ex as though it intended to pierce straight through his skin.
Then, little by little, it weakened.
Roxwell’s breathing gradually settled as well.
He lowered his sword and asked another question.
“…Is it true? All of it?”
“It’s true.”
“…Then we’re completely fucked. This entire world is.”
“It hasn’t ended yet.”
“…Is there a way to stop it?”
“I don’t have one anymore.”
“You son of a bitch… You’re telling me to do it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Haa…”
Roxwell looked utterly overwhelmed.
He let out the sigh of a man who had just been saddled with a problem far beyond his ability to handle, then slid his sword back into its scabbard.
The rage and confusion faded from his eyes, leaving behind nothing but deadly seriousness.
“It’s impossible. This isn’t something I can accomplish by myself.”
“But you already understand, don’t you? We can’t tell anyone.”
“Which is why I’ll have to take you with me.”
“What?”
Roxwell grabbed Ex by the shoulder.
Resolve had settled into his gaze.
His determination was unmistakable.
“And where do you think you’re running off to all by yourself? If we’re going to die anyway, we might as well die together. Don’t you agree?”
That iron resolve was directed toward one goal alone.
Roxwell had no intention of allowing Ex to make his exit.
–TL Notes–
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