“Already the end of the semester? Time really flies.”
“Ahh, no more exams. I finally feel alive again.”
“How long has it been since we had a party?”
“Have you picked out a dress yet? I know this secret atelier…”
The classroom buzzed with excitement over the end-of-semester party.
‘A party, huh…’
It was the kind of event you’d expect from an academy.
Well, considering the game itself was centered around an academy, that was only natural.
“Have you decided what you’re doing over break?”
“I’m going to travel around and relax. There’s no way I’ll survive the second semester without getting some rest first.”
“I’m heading south. If I train in the desert, I’ll get way stronger than I am now. Though I’ll stop by home first!”
The tense first semester was finally coming to an end.
With vacation starting immediately after the party, everyone would be leaving the dormitories and heading home, so of course they were even more excited.
They might be considered adults in this world, but they were still only fifteen years old.
Naturally, they missed home.
“F-Finally, I-I can go hoooooome!”
“Rezé, calm down. We still have the party first. They’re saying we absolutely have to wear dresses… Guess I’ve got no choice but to get one made.”
Luna flipped through a catalog.
Her words and manner made it sound like she couldn’t care less.
But I could sense it.
That subtle anticipation she was trying to hide.
“How unexpected. Even you seem excited, Luna.”
“I-I’m not excited! It’s just been a while since we had a party, so I figured I’d play along a little!”
“Oh~?”
“W-What’s with that reaction?! I don’t even want to go, but I have no choice. Professor Caron said someone who reached the 5-star realm absolutely has to attend!”
A 5-star knight capable of using Aura was treated as an elite wherever they went.
Even more so when they were as young as Luna.
‘Because that means they still have enormous room to grow.’
Annwood Academy usually prepared a special ceremony and presented such students with an award.
Luna was the first fifteen-year-old 5-star knight to appear in quite some time.
Perhaps because of that, rumors had been spreading that the Academy was planning a more elaborate ceremony than usual.
That was how impressive Luna’s achievement was.
The problem was—
“It can’t be helped! After all, yours truly is a 5! Star! Knight!”
Luna’s bragging and swaggering had exploded completely out of control.
She woke up—a 5-star knight.
She ate well—a 5-star knight.
She trained—a 5-star knight.
Even before going back into the dormitory—a 5-star knight.
I’d heard it so many times that I was starting to develop a nervous tic.
“What are you all doing! A 5-star knight has emerged from among our classmates!”
“Everyone, raise your voices and praise Luna’s glorious achievement!”
Oh, ooooh, O 5-star knight~!
And once the marten and the weasel joined in, the entire class had no choice but to follow along.
For reference, Teron and Daike were still absent from class due to their injuries.
In other words, there was nobody left to keep them in check.
“P-Praaaaaaise her!!”
That damned rabbit was screaming like some kind of religious fanatic right beside me.
No wonder I was losing my mind.
“Anyway, since things turned out like this, we might as well enjoy ourselves. You should get an outfit made too. With your own money!”
“Keke, you’re surprisingly stingy for a 5-star knight.”
“Ahem! How dare you speak that way to a 5-star knight!”
“Everyone, raise your voices and praise her! Defeat that Demon!”
Oh, ooooh, O 5-star knight~!
Anyway, that was what things had been like lately.
The endless cycle of praising the 5-star knight.
It seemed like it would never end.
And yet it came to an abrupt stop surprisingly easily.
“…How noisy.”
Caron, the Empire’s Rat, had arrived.
The classroom went silent as if none of the commotion had ever happened.
Caron stepped onto the podium and opened his mouth.
“At least keep the rhythm together. No matter how beautiful your voices are, if you can’t stay in sync, it’s nothing but noise.”
“…?”
What?
So as long as we kept the rhythm, he was fine with this nonsense?
Caron glanced at Luna.
He was keeping his expression under control, but even he couldn’t hide the pride in his eyes.
Seriously, that bastard was the biggest problem here.
What was heaven doing, leaving that lolicon alive?
“You all know there’s a party next week, correct?”
“Yes!”
“There are only two rules. Surely none of you are stupid enough to fail at following even those.”
Caron raised his index finger.
“Since it’s a party, forget everything that happened between you until now. At least for that one day, treat each other as classmates and friends.”
These kids had fought viciously for supremacy over the first-years.
Teron’s faction had ultimately collapsed, but Yuridia’s faction, Victoria’s faction, and the so-called Luna faction were still around.
Even now, there were students hovering around them, hoping to secure a connection.
Caron was telling them to forget all that for the party and simply enjoy themselves.
Then came the second rule.
“Don’t cause trouble. In other words, don’t create any unnecessary disturbances. Though I doubt any idiot here would make a scene with distinguished guests attending…”
Annwood Academy was the most prestigious academy in the Empire, overflowing with talented individuals.
Nobles, knight commanders, merchant associations, mercenary companies, celebrities—
All sorts of influential figures often attended its parties.
For the students, it was an excellent opportunity to make introductions and build connections.
There was no way anyone would be stupid enough to cause trouble.
Caron was worrying for nothing.
“But there is always an idiot somewhere.”
Caron’s gaze turned toward me.
“Zero, I’m talking about you.”
Pwahahahaha—!!
The students burst into laughter.
How unfair.
Luna was always the one causing trouble.
I was always the one cleaning it up!
“Oh, and the head of House Vyuern has expressed his intention to attend this party.”
“The head of House Vyuern… Duke Zeppelin?”
“I heard he barely even shows his face during graduation season… Why would he visit at such an awkward time?”
“Idiot. His son is here. Sure, they don’t exactly seem close, but House Vyuern is famous for raising its children harshly, isn’t it?”
“Right. Still, blood is blood. Duke Zeppelin probably realized something after his last visit. The reason Teron and Daike couldn’t take first place was…”
The students’ gazes turned toward me.
That’s right.
Because of an irregular existence known as ‘me,’ Teron and Daike had suffered for no reason—
“Ahh, so he’s coming to see this magnificent 5-star knight? Too bad! I’ll reject his offer on the spot!”
“As expected of Luna!”
“Such spirit, refusing to bow before wealth! You would not be undeserving of the title of hero!”
“P-Praaaaaaise her!!”
Oh, ooooh, O 5-star knight~!
Once again, the classroom filled with harmony.
I wished Caron would stop them, but he was enjoying it like some conductor listening to a beautiful symphony.
Fine.
I’d just give up.
At times like this, thinking about something else was best.
‘More importantly… Duke Zeppelin is coming?’
He had never visited the Academy at this point in the game.
And now, instead of sneaking in quietly, he had openly announced his visit.
That meant a Hidden Piece had triggered.
‘And everything is proceeding according to my design.’
I had already made my plans from the moment I decided to save Teron and Daike.
For now, I had successfully lured in the prey known as Duke Zeppelin.
All that remained was choosing my party members, building a safety net, and creating some favorable variables.
“I’ll say this one more time. Do not! Under any circumstances! Cause trouble. Understood?”
“Yes!!”
I moved my lips along with the rest of the students.
Perhaps he sensed something ominous.
Caron kept his eyes fixed on me until the very moment he left the classroom.
“The exams are over, and you came straight to the training grounds? Isn’t that a little cruel?”
“Keke, you’re the one who followed me, Luna. I would’ve been perfectly fine by myself.”
“How could I leave a friend alone? As a 5-star knight, I command you! We’re going to look at dresses right now!”
“O-Obey the command of the 5-star kniiiiight!”
I flicked Rezé on the forehead.
Apparently, she still thought we were back in the classroom.
I had just grabbed one of Rezé’s legs and was dragging her back as she tried to escape into her box when someone entered the training grounds.
“Teron!?”
Teron.
Daike followed behind him.
Luna immediately went on guard.
As for our rabbit—
Gurgle—
…She foamed at the mouth and fainted.
Seriously, what was I supposed to do with this Pufferfish Rabbit?
“Calm down. I only came to talk.”
“Hmph~ Well, I guess so. What could the two of you possibly do when a 5-star knight like me is here?”
“…So the rumors were true.”
Perhaps he simply couldn’t be bothered dealing with her.
Teron pushed Daike toward Luna.
Daike gave him an irritated look, and Teron laughed as he shrugged.
Anyone could see that they no longer looked like master and servant.
They looked like close friends.
“You who failed to become a 5-star knight… have you come seeking my teachings? Then you came to the right person.”
“…”
“That attitude right there is the problem! You see, a 5-star knight is…”
Rage and despair.
I could tell exactly what Daike was feeling just from the sight of his back.
Having successfully removed the obstacle, Teron approached me.
“Keke, suddenly asking me out on a date? How nerve-racking.”
“Enough with the jokes. I feel like I need to save Daike one second sooner.”
No, I’d rather he stayed there for one second longer.
Even I couldn’t handle that 5-star knight…
No, even a Legion Commander would probably struggle with her.
“What brings you here?”
“To repay you.”
“Repay me?”
“For the flower you made me eat.”
Only then did I understand what Teron meant.
He wanted to compensate me for the Demon-Exterminating Flower.
“I was too out of it to think about it at the time, but it was obviously something precious. Erasing the traces of demonic energy was incredible enough, but ever since then, I’ve felt a strange power inside my body.”
“Keke, have you?”
“It’s holy power, isn’t it? Don’t bother trying to deceive me. I already had Victoria confirm it. According to her, it’s roughly the amount someone would have after training for five years.”
A full 500 points of Holy Power.
Teron had never trained his holy power at all, so if he began training in that direction, he would probably double that number fairly quickly.
‘And I fed that to him.’
Even I couldn’t help feeling sick over it.
“It must have been worth an astronomical amount. Yet you used it on me. Of course I should repay you. I’ll give you every bit of money I can currently access. It won’t come close to covering the value, but…”
Teron pulled several documents from inside his clothes.
I glanced over them.
The amount was substantial.
As expected of a descendant of House Vyuern.
I wanted nothing more than to swallow it whole.
But I couldn’t.
Now that I had decided to save Teron, the future value he could create with that money would be far greater than anything I could gain from taking it myself.
“You’re refusing? Why go this far to help me… no, to help us?”
Why?
The real reason was that I wanted to help the two people who had saved me.
But I couldn’t exactly tell him that.
So I settled on a different answer.
“Because we’re friends.”
“…What a stupid reason.”
Teron tucked the documents away again.
Ahh, couldn’t he have asked one more time?
I had just started wondering whether taking around ten percent might be acceptable.
“Keke, more importantly, the Duke is the real problem. Do you know why he’s choosing to visit the Academy at this time? I’ll give you a hint. There are two reasons.”
“One is to acquire you. The other is to kill Daike.”
Ahh~.
As expected of an intelligent child.
If only our Luna could hold a conversation like Teron.
“Do you plan on going under Father?”
“Of course not. I even rejected your offer, Teron.”
“I assumed as much. Then Daike is the real problem… But knowing you, you’ve already made a plan. What is it?”
“Keke, aren’t you trying to get everything handed to you for free?”
“You called me your friend a moment ago. Have you already changed your mind?”
“You’re much more shameless than I expected.”
“Still not as shameless as you.”
We both let out a quiet laugh.
I explained the plan I had prepared to Teron.
The more I spoke, the darker his expression became.
By the end, his face had gone completely pale.
After a brief silence, the first word out of his mouth was—
“…You’re insane.”
“I told you, didn’t I? I absolutely need your help and Daike’s help.”
“There are limits to what can be called ‘help.’ Ten lives wouldn’t be enough for this.”
“Then even a hundred wouldn’t be enough for me. I’m the one taking the greatest risk.”
Teron fell silent in thought.
After a while, he finally spoke.
“I swear it. If this succeeds, I’ll grant you one request. Whatever it may be.”
He couldn’t repay the favor with money, so he would repay it with a wish instead?
How very Teron.
How very much like a great noble.
“You won’t regret that?”
“I’m not shameless enough to go back on my word like someone else.”
As it happened, there was exactly one thing Teron possessed that was more valuable to me than anything else.
Something I had wanted for a very long time.
“Kekekekeke…”
“…?”
“Kekekekekekeke!!”
“…Can I take that promise back?”
Teron was suddenly overcome by an inexplicable sense of dread.
–TL Notes–
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