The student council president and the head teacher were waiting for us.
“Unauthorized use of the battleground, unauthorized fights between students, in addition to using the Ash Sacred Sword, these are several violations of the rules. Do you have an excuse?”
“We don’t.”
“We don’t have it.”
“Tsk, we don’t have it.”
Theo, Ashe, and I responded to the student council president, Adelina Agnis, who was standing in line.
The current student council president is strict with herself and others regarding morality. It makes no sense to make excuses for someone like that, as it would only result in more demerits. Besides, with the crowd present, there is little room for deception.
The supervising teacher, Nadal, who was present, reprimanded us even more angrily, not hiding his anger.
“You have been causing trouble since the beginning of your enrollment! I clearly warned you. Or did you think that being a noble from a respectable family would allow you to do anything? What do you have to say, Will Starfield?”
“I deeply regret it. I will be more careful in the future.”
“Theodore, you are a brilliant and talented student despite your humble background, but I am very disappointed that you got involved in this conflict without even stopping it.”
“I’m very sorry.”
“And finally, you, Ash. Not only did you instigate this conflict, but you also used the Sacred Sword in a conflict between students. Do you intend to stain our sacred educational institution with blood?”
Ash clenched his fist in silence.
Nadal also looked back.
There were Hatch and Potini, who had been working with Ash.
“Ash, I understand the nature of your relationship with them. Isn’t it sometimes the responsibility of a servant to rebuke his master? If they succumb to this attitude, neither he nor you will become top level magicians.”
“Yes.”
“I regret it.”
Nadal’s anger did not seem to diminish.
Just when it looked like he was going to come back to me, Adelina intervened.
“I beg you to calm down, Nadal-sensei. These kids are obviously sorry, and fortunately no one was seriously injured. The director has agreed to specifically overlook this matter, as he said.”
“I have more to say, but I’ll leave it at that for now.”
With this answer, we all sighed with relief.
If the sermon had continued, I would have smashed the window and fled.
Adelina, sitting in her luxurious student council president’s chair, ordered both Nadal-sensei and the rest of the students to leave the room.
“Starfield, stay. I have something to tell you.”
“Huh?”
“What kind of reaction is that? I’m giving you the right to speak with me privately. You should be happier.”
And it was that kind of attitude that made me dislike him.
After everyone but me had left, Adelina stood up.
She walked over to me and looked me in the eye.
Up close, she was incredibly beautiful.
“Where did you learn to use the sword?”
“From a knight in the service of the Starfield family.”
“I see. He must be quite skilled.”
“Do you think so? As you may have noticed, I am a weak man.”
“Even if you say that, I noticed that you could easily handle Ash’s attacks.”
Damn, was I that obvious? I hadn’t expected anyone to notice.
Adelina smiled when she noticed my reaction.
“I have no intention of interrogating you. But if you have such skills, why didn’t you defeat Ash? I’m sure you could have.”
“You overestimate my abilities. I was lucky to defend myself from his attacks, that’s all.”
“Luck, huh? It seems like you have your own reasons for not showing your true skill. So let’s keep it a secret between us.”
Oh, I don’t like the sound of that.
I have to figure out how to get out of this.
“Well, if that’s all you wanted to tell me, then…”
“Wait.”
Adelina grabbed my shoulder tightly.
“If you’re willing to help me with my requests on a regular basis, I’ll let this pass unnoticed. What do you say? I don’t intend to ask for anything complicated.”
“How strange. I’ve heard that you have a very complicated personality.”
“Not at all. My acquaintances praise my kindness.”
“That sounds ironic.”
As expected. This has become quite annoying.
None of this happened in the game.
The student council president was barely involved in the plot, so I don’t have a clear understanding of what she’s really like.
“I’m done with you. You may go.”
“Excuse me.”
I bowed slightly and exited the room.
“Will!”
“Were you waiting for me?”
As I stepped out of the student council president’s office, Theo came running toward me.
Other classmates had gathered as well.
Among them was the main heroine, Celsia.
“You’re amazing, Will! I was impressed to see you take on Ash.”
“Y-Yes.”
“Did you really fight with all your might?”
Celsia Rains asked me without hesitation.
Her unwavering gaze and cheerful smile were truly charming and powerful at the same time.
Just like the student council president, she seems to doubt my ability.
But for now, her doubts are just that. It will be easy to answer them.
“I did my best in the fight and ended up with this result. Celsia-san probably thinks that an incompetent like me held back.”
“That’s not true, I just…”
“He didn’t hold back at all. I can assure you of that, Celsia-san. He fought with all his might. Please do not belittle his courage.”
Theo stepped forward to defend me.
Celsia apologized to me, obviously surprised.
“I was very rude. I shouldn’t belittle someone who fought, regardless of the outcome. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me.”
“I’m not angry. We’re classmates, wouldn’t it be better to put formalities aside?”
“So is Will okay?”
“Yes, he’s fine.”
“Good, in that case just call me Celsia, no honorifics.”
“Um… Celsia…”
When I called her by her name, she smiled happily.
◇
The afternoon had already begun to fade after classes were over.
I left the school grounds and ventured into a desolate alley.
I descended a set of stairs that led to an underground passageway, which in turn led to an underground water conduit.
I walked along the channel for a while and came upon a figure.
“I have been waiting for you. Master.”
“Give me your report.”
“According to your orders, we are effectively eliminating the enemy’s scattered footholds throughout the capital. Judging by the situation, I would say we have eliminated at least sixty percent of them. There are no casualties, so everything is going exceptionally well.”
A woman with a raised black cloak and a cat mask knelt before me. With red eyes she watched me from above in the dim passage.
She continued to carry out the orders I had given in my absence.
“Locate and destroy the lesser footholds of the enemy.”
The current major enemy, the Chaos of Wisdom, is what you might call a secret organization.
Their goal is to dismantle the Kingdom of Leticia and bring it under their control.
Our country already has countless enemy bases, and the capital in particular has become the most overcrowded focal point of the enemies.
They hide in the darkest corners, silently strengthening their influence in this country and corrupting its core.
For now, their influence is not apparent, but eventually it will be. As someone who knows all this, I began decimating the enemy forces early on.
“What happened to the captured people?”
“So far, no one has been found alive. It seems they were used in some kind of human experimentation, as piles of corpses were found, discarded like garbage.”
“I see. Continue with this.”
“Understood.”
She bowed respectfully.
But why a cat costume, even if it’s to hide her identity?
I don’t understand the taste of my subordinates.
“I have another report. It seems that a person who appears to be a high-ranking official is hiding in the school that the master attends. I can take care of him if you allow me.”
“Let’s keep him alive for now, he will be useful to me in the future.”
“You already knew that? Incredible, after all, you are the master.”
She looks at me with bright eyes. And the atmosphere she reflects contains an obvious excitement.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve played this video game. Of course, I remember all the enemies that appeared.
Due to certain circumstances, it would be difficult to eliminate this particular person at this time.
“Is Sheep useful to you, Master?”
“We haven’t met yet. I intended to greet her sometime, but it’s only been a few days since I entered. And I haven’t had a chance to talk to Bunny either.”
“I see… I wish you had never met her.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s a pervert.”
…
Why does she say that all of a sudden?
Perversion has nothing to do with the plan.
But for now I’ll take her advice. Cat is the second-in-command and responsible for uniting the group. It wouldn’t be wise to upset her, considering the future.
“I’ll try to avoid her as much as possible.”
“Thank you.”
She bowed and walked in the opposite direction, her fur billowing.
