Elyon Academy was a six-year institution.
Its academic system was something of a cross between high school and college.
First-years entered at seventeen, the same age as high school freshmen.
Years one through three were known as the compulsory program.
Students had to complete all three years before they could graduate.
Mandatory classes ran from eight in the morning until noon.
Electives were held after lunch.
Years four through six made up the optional program.
From that point onward, every class became an elective.
Students could also apply for graduation at any time during those years.
They were basically college students by then.
‘The whole system was really created to manufacture conflict between factions.’
The academy graded on an absolute scale. As long as students earned the credits required for advancement and graduation, they passed. That meant everyone had to take at least a minimum number of electives.
Murmured conversations rose from all around the room.
“Hey, what’re you signing up for?”
“I’m going for the popular ones first. I’m aiming to become a swordsman, so I’ll start with Introduction to Protego Swordsmanship…”
Naturally, some classes were popular while others were not.
The most sought-after courses included Introduction to Protego Swordsmanship, Fundamentals of Aerial Magic, and St. Johannes Sacred Arts. Most of them taught techniques connected to members of the former Hero’s party.
‘Elyon Academy was founded to discover the next Hero, after all.’
The students continued debating their choices.
“What happens if you don’t get into any of them? Did you buy a seat?”
“Like I could afford that. You need connections and a mountain of money. If I don’t get in, I’ll just take one of the unpopular classes. Practical Mercenary Combat is pretty far down my list…”
Competition for the popular courses was fierce.
It was so fierce, in fact, that an entire piece of background lore had been built around it.
Behind closed doors, nobles routinely made deals with professors to secure spots for their children. The practice was commonly known as ‘seat trading.’
The original protagonist had also applied for popular courses, failed to get in, and ended up taking less desirable alternatives.
‘But those unpopular courses are the real prizes.’
Practical Mercenary Combat, Arcane Truth Studies, Classical Exorcism Theory…
Those unpopular subjects were the classes responsible for powering up the protagonist’s party in the original story.
Which meant I absolutely had to take them.
I was worried about coming into contact with the original protagonist’s group, but they weren’t likely to spare a second glance for some random extra.
That left me with only one real problem.
‘Which path should I choose?’
Martial arts, magic, or sacred arts.
One of the three.
Trying to learn all of them would demand far too much time and stamina.
One wrong move, and I wouldn’t be prepared when a Doomsday Scenario hit.
As I wrestled with the decision, a status window appeared before my eyes.
『New Side Objective
The Path of the All-Master(F): Apply for every elective course. A future of infinite possibilities awaits you.
Success: Obtain a special title and Editing Points
Failure: Slight permanent reduction to learning ability』
It was the first Side Objective I had ever received.
It was also suspicious in the most blatant way imaginable.
‘This is obviously a trap.’
Normally, ignoring it would have been the smartest choice.
But the failure penalty bothered me.
‘A permanent reduction is hard to shrug off…’
A sigh escaped me as I stared at the status window, which seemed to have been constructed entirely out of malice.
Still, there was no way I could apply for every class.
There was a reason people talked about focusing their efforts instead of spreading themselves too thin.
‘I refuse to let this status window control me any more than it already has…!’
Roxwell’s face twisted the moment he received my completed application.
“Screamweed, have you finally lost what little sense you had?”
“Is there a problem?”
“What kind of idiot applies for every single elective?!”
In the end, I had placed the unpopular courses at the top of my list and applied for every remaining class as a lower priority.
Roxwell’s face flushed through several shades of red and purple as he stared at the application, which had been filled from top to bottom without a single blank space.
But I had no choice.
‘Even if I have to drop some of them later, avoiding the failure penalty comes first.’
Of course, Roxwell had no way of knowing that.
He visibly swallowed the curse that had risen all the way to his throat.
After forcing himself to calm down, he carefully chose his words.
“Have you ever trained with a weapon?”
“No.”
“Can you sense magic power?”
“Not at all.”
“Can you use sacred arts?”
“Not even a little.”
“Then I suppose this is your way of defying me.”
His pressure erupted once again.
It came at me like a razor-edged blade, honed until nothing unnecessary remained.
And yet, I didn’t feel the same crushing pressure as before.
It took me a moment to realize why.
‘It’s the effect of the 『Foie Gras』 title.’
When Ex merely blinked back at him from within the full force of his presence, Roxwell let out a weary sigh.
Seeing his opportunity, Ex delivered the line he had prepared.
“I may have entered through a recommendation, but I have no intention of wasting the opportunity I was given. Is it wrong for a student to be greedy when it comes to learning?”
“…I never said it was wrong. I’m astonished because you’re trying to do something you couldn’t possibly take responsibility for.”
“No matter what happens, I’ll take full responsibility.”
The words poured out as smoothly as running water. The combination of years spent surviving office politics and the 『Con Artist』 title was remarkably effective.
Whatever happened afterward, all that mattered right now was escaping the system’s tyranny.
I had to get past this wall somehow.
Roxwell glared at me through narrowed eyes before releasing another sigh.
“Do whatever you want. At least you’ll have no trouble earning enough credits to advance.”
“Thank you!”
I had been worried that he might refuse to accept it, but fortunately, he gave in.
I had applied to the popular courses under the assumption that I would be rejected anyway.
No matter what happened, I would make certain to attend the unpopular classes.
‘Honestly, I need the popular courses to reject me. One wrong step in those classes, and I could get dragged into a scenario.’
Even if every popular class turned me down, I could still attend the unpopular ones.
That would give me plenty of time and freedom to develop my abilities.
It was actually the ideal outcome.
‘Assuming I get rejected.’
The moment Roxwell accepted the application, the status window appeared.
『Side Objective [The Path of the All-Master(F)] completed!』
『Title [Credit Collector(D)] obtained.
1,500 Editing Points obtained.』
『New Title Obtained
Credit Collector(D): Slightly improves learning ability.』
『Credit Collector(D): Driven mad by your obsession with academics, you have applied for every course available. A future in which you are crushed beneath endless assignments and worked to death awaits you.』
‘Huh?’
The phrase worked to death was difficult to ignore.
I had assumed I received the title simply because I applied for every elective.
But now that I had seen the result, an unpleasant feeling settled in my stomach.
‘…I’m sure it’ll work out somehow.’
***
Nothing noteworthy happened during the opening ceremony.
After the students submitted their elective applications, each class received the usual round of introductions. One professor after another came in and gave a brief explanation of the course they taught.
‘The mandatory classes are completely ordinary.’
The compulsory courses were essentially the same basic subjects an ordinary high school student would study.
Everyone in the same class attended them together, and they didn’t even grant academic credits.
There was no reason to pay much attention to them.
The only unexpected detail was that Roxwell was in charge of physical training.
‘Looks like that’s it for today.’
There were no electives on the day of the opening ceremony, so we were dismissed at lunchtime.
I had a great deal of information to organize, and I was about to hurry back when—
“You there, Screamweed! Stop at once.”
A short girl blocked my path as I tried to quietly return to the dormitory.
“Screamweed! I shall graciously grant you the honor of presenting yourself before a young lady of noble birth. Come here at once!”
She was the very picture of a noble girl, with blonde hair and blue eyes.
Aside from her long hair, everything about her was small.
Her pride, however, seemed tall enough to scrape the heavens. The look in her eyes was anything but ordinary.
She was the same girl who had challenged Roxwell during morning attendance.
Lola Lu Lemercier, the daughter of a count.
“…Me?”
“Who else would I be talking to? Are you questioning me?”
My head was already beginning to ache.
‘I was planning to avoid getting involved with anyone unless it was absolutely necessary.’
But I couldn’t simply ignore the daughter of a count.
I obediently walked over to her.
‘She really is tiny.’
Was she even five feet tall?
There had to be almost a full foot between us.
Because of the difference in height, I naturally found myself looking down at her.
Apparently displeased by that, Lola narrowed her eyes and snapped at me.
“What do you think you’re doing?! A commoner like you has no right to look down on me!”
“What am I supposed to do about being taller than you? More importantly, why did you call me over…?”
“For a mere commoner, you displayed admirable courage when you stood up to that violent professor. I’ve decided to reward you by granting you the privilege of serving me, the noble daughter of a count. You may consider it the greatest honor of your life.”
“…”
What a headache.
It seemed she had approached me because of what happened earlier.
I nearly sighed, but managed to swallow it.
‘Does she not have any friends?’
She was still a count’s daughter. Surely that couldn’t be—
Come to think of it, why was a noble of her rank assigned to Class F?
I immediately sensed the presence of an enormous land mine.
There was only one possible answer.
“I am deeply grateful for your generous offer, my lady, and I apologize for declining it. I intend to devote myself entirely to my studies, so I’m afraid I’m in no position to serve anyone.”
“…W-What? How dare a commoner like you…!”
“I’m busy, so I’ll be going now.”
I fled immediately.
A stream of vicious curses followed me from behind, but I ignored them.
Getting involved with any named character, even by accident, carried the risk of distorting the scenario.
This was an academy story, which made the other students especially dangerous.
‘I’ll have to be more careful not to interfere next time.’
After being rejected that firmly, surely she would never approach me again.
***
The elective application results were released the following day.
It was also the moment I learned the true meaning behind the death by overwork mentioned in my new title.
‘That’s what it meant?! If you were going to warn me, you could’ve been a little more specific!’
Roxwell handed my class schedule and began to explain.
The schedule was packed so densely with classes that there was barely any empty space left on the page.
“I was deeply impressed by your passion for learning. So I personally asked every professor to make certain you were accepted into their class. Fortunately, they all agreed to my request.”
“H-How did you…?”
“Go work yourself to death.”
‘That’s what it meant when it said I’d be worked to death?!’
I attempted an excuse that didn’t even convince myself.
“The truth is, I gave it some rational thought yesterday…”
“You aren’t considering dropping any of your electives, are you? The professors created places specifically for you. Remember that other students who were originally supposed to attend those classes lost their seats because of you.”
“I-I mean, if we look at this realistically…”
“And don’t forget that if you receive an F for classroom conduct in at least eighty percent of your electives over the course of one week, the academy may expel you at its discretion.”
I had twenty-five elective classes each week.
In other words, if I received an F in twenty of them, I would be expelled.
Only then did I understand what Roxwell was thinking.
He hadn’t given up on making me withdraw.
He had simply changed his strategy to getting me expelled.
‘Why is he so obsessed with throwing me out…?!’
As I burned with indignation, the status window appeared with its usual complete lack of tact.
『New Side Objective
Avoid Expulsion(C): Avoid being expelled for one week. This academy is your only safe haven.
Success: Obtain 15,000 Editing Points
Failure: System deletion』
‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’
The penalty for failure was horrifying.
The option of simply attending class halfheartedly and doing the minimum amount of homework had vanished.
Unless I desperately participated in every class, my classroom conduct would receive an F.
And then I would be expelled immediately.
‘Students are selected according to academic performance! I’m at the very bottom of the class, so how does it make any sense for me to get into all the popular courses? Why isn’t this causing a Plausibility Penalty?!’
The status window gave no answer to my silent scream.
It merely remained still, as though everything happening was perfectly natural.
‘This can’t be happening. The popular courses are crawling with scenario villains. Once they notice me, the only future waiting for me is death!’
There was only one possible conclusion.
‘I’m screwed! There’s no fixing this!’
***
[Roxwell. You acted without authorization. Explain yourself.]
Late that night, Roxwell sat in his private room with a Mana Phone pressed to his ear, his face twisted into a deep scowl.
For a moment, he wondered whether he had done something unnecessary.
A sigh threatened to escape him, but he held it back and forced out an excuse.
“There’s nothing here that could create a serious problem. It shouldn’t interfere with the plan.”
[Complaints are pouring in from several executives. Why did you force that infamous problem student into those classes? Most of them are furious because their children lost their seats. Several of our agreements are now in jeopardy. How do you intend to resolve this?]
“Resolving it isn’t my responsibility. Why are we making deals with those worthless nobles in the first place? Have you forgotten why the organization was founded? When did we become dogs who lick noble asses for favors?”
[Roxwell. Remember your position.]
“Tch.”
He had no response to that.
For a moment, he seriously considered leaving the organization, only to dismiss the idea.
Doing something like that now would only make the situation worse.
He remained silent.
The person on the other end of the Mana Phone sighed before continuing.
[I understand your dissatisfaction. But all of this is necessary for the greater cause.]
“I’ve lost count of how many ‘sacrificial lambs’ we’ve disposed of for that greater cause. Do they even intend to achieve it anymore? Or have they grown so comfortable with their pleasures that they can’t be bothered to lift themselves from their chairs?”
[The plan is moving forward. It will soon enter its final stage. I understand that your position prevents you from seeing the full picture, and that the uncertainty must be frustrating. But you cannot expect that same patience from the executives. You know what kind of people they are.]
“Yes. They still refuse to tell us what they did with the sacrificial lambs.”
The conversation came to a halt.
Both of them knew they had reached a subject that was dangerous to uncover.
Roxwell was the first to speak again.
“Those sacrificial lambs… Did you find out what happened to the children?”
[I’m investigating as carefully as possible, but the information is classified. It hasn’t been easy. Most of the children were the kind no one would notice missing, which makes their movements difficult to trace.]
“You need to find them. What I did can’t have been for nothing.”
[Even if we discover the truth, what can we possibly do about it? You should prepare yourself for the worst.]
“…If that’s what happened, I’ll make them pay.”
Roxwell’s quiet fury left them both silent.
The person on the other end of the Mana Phone spoke first, their voice somewhat softer than before.
[Then why did you do it?]
There was no accusation in the question.
It sounded like genuine curiosity.
Roxwell settled the tangle of emotions in his chest before answering.
“…A whim.”
[A whim? You?]
“Why? You got a problem with that?”
[No. I simply never expected that word to come out of your mouth.]
His mood soured further, but he refused to let it show.
The other person would only enjoy it.
When Roxwell remained silent, the person clicked their tongue in apparent disappointment before continuing.
[As for the infamous problem student, I was unable to verify the details of his background. He is most likely an ordinary war orphan. Nothing I found differed significantly from the report you submitted.]
“Did the information on the children from the orphanage match as well?”
[Detailed records were never kept, so verification is difficult. We also have no idea how he obtained the Special Admission Recommendation. It is unlikely to be a serious concern.]
In the end, there was no way to verify the boy’s claims.
Roxwell released a quiet sigh.
Hearing it, the person on the other end asked in a suspicious voice,
[Do you feel some sense of kinship with that student?]
“No.”
[True. No student like him has ever entered the empire’s most prestigious academy before. He may be an unexpected variable, but…]
“…Are you planning to eliminate him?”
[That would be a waste of resources. The decision will be made by those above us.]
Roxwell felt relieved.
The realization that he was relieved irritated him, but he forced himself to ignore it.
This year was proving unusually aggravating.
[I’ll report that the student may be a viable recruitment target. Since he is a war orphan, it should be convincing enough. I hope I won’t need to contact you over something like this again.]
“I’ll leave it to you.”
He ended the call.
For some reason, the conversation refused to leave his mind.
Until now, he had never allowed himself to develop feelings for a student.
He was the one who would suffer if he did.
But this time, there was one student who inspired emotion in him whether he wanted it or not.
‘Ex.’
Remembering that hideous face made him feel sick.
Even thinking about that ridiculous name was enough to irritate him.
He knew exactly what this feeling was called.
Hatred.
That bastard had gotten him dragged into a completely unnecessary interrogation.
It was unforgivable.
‘I will have you expelled.’
In a place Ex could not see, malice began to bloom.
–TL Notes–
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