Chapter 3
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Beatrix, Elphante's student council secretary, had been the student council president's friend for ten years.
In other words, she was more furious than anyone about Elnore being late right now.
“Has she lost her mind...!”
She ground her teeth as she checked the time on her magitech wristwatch.
Anyone as important as the student council president was supposed to arrive ten minutes early and have all her makeup done.
“S-Senior! Count Creytan has just arrived...!”
“Marquis Galantier has arrived too...!”
To make matters worse, the information filtering in from around the room only added fuel to her anger.
The entrance duels at Elphante weren't merely an academy event; they were also an occasion for all the Empire's bigwigs to gather and socialize.
Even so, she couldn't let them see her failing to observe something as basic as punctuality...!
As she tried to calm the white-hot anger in her head, someone gently swung open the student council room door.
Elnore, covered in blood from head to toe.
“...”
“...”
While everyone, Beatrix included, fell silent at the sight, Elnore strode into the room, sighed, and set her sword down on her desk.
One of the students who saw the blade, with blood still dripping from it, began to hiccup.
“What is it?”
Only then did Elnore notice the strange silence and look around as she spoke.
Beatrix rubbed her throbbing temples, which felt ready to burst, and replied.
“There's a lot I want to ask, but I can sum it up in one question, so answer me straight. What on earth were you doing?”
“I went to clean up.”
She really was a friend of ten years.
Beatrix deserved praise for figuring out so quickly that this wasn't something they should discuss where others could hear.
“...Sorry, but from here on, I think only the president and I should handle this. Could everyone give us a moment?”
With a genial smile, Beatrix ushered the other students out. The moment the last one left, her face twisted into a demon's.
“What kind of mess did you make this time?”
“It wasn't a mess. I told you, I was cleaning up.”
“I'll agree with you if nobody died.”
“Not many. About twelve?”
“...”
After a few deep breaths, she barely managed to regain her composure, then continued in a trembling voice to Elnore, who remained expressionless.
“What did you kill them for this time?”
“Put that way, it makes me sound like some kind of murderous lunatic who goes around hacking people up for no reason.”
Elnore spoke calmly as she wiped the blood from her blade.
“They were assassins who tried to kill me. They caused a rockslide on the train to the academy, disguising it as an accident. I found out who they were, and they happened to be nearby, so I killed them.”
She said it as matter-of-factly as one might say the sun was in the sky.
“Then you could've just left it to the school...!”
“Wouldn't that have been a hassle?”
“...”
“They were obviously hired by someone covering their tracks. Ordinary laws won't touch them. I knew they'd be a nuisance later, so I nipped the problem in the bud.”
“...”
Beatrix felt sweat gathering in her palm and clenched her fist.
Setting aside how Elnore had managed to identify all the people who'd concealed their identities and infiltrated the academy in less than a day.
If they were assassins hired by someone with the power to evade the law, they certainly weren't some rabble. They were probably among the best of the best.
The fact that she'd slaughtered twelve of them by herself was one thing.
What was truly bizarre was the way she spoke of it so calmly.
As though it were only natural. As though it were no surprise at all for her to kill anyone she had deemed an ‘enemy.’
In a way,
it almost looked as if she were letting out the evil she normally kept repressed whenever she got the chance.
“Or do you expect me to be ‘righteous and perfect’ too? To graciously spare someone even when my life is in danger?”
Beatrix swallowed dryly.
Because she'd read the thick, clinging loathing beneath Elnore's eyes as she said that.
She knew better than anyone that this was Elnore's ‘trigger point.’
“Well, never mind. It's not as if you would ‘force’ something like that on me too.”
Fortunately, Elnore finished cleaning her sword, let that air fade, and turned away.
Beatrix, finally free of the pressure bearing down on her whole body, sighed in relief and wiped her forehead.
It wasn't as if they could keep dwelling on it. There was something urgent right now.
“Elnore.”
“Hm?”
“All right, enough of that. If you don't change and get ready right now, you'll be late. Hurry up unless you want to die.”
“...”
It took tremendous courage to say that to someone who'd just killed twelve professional assassins.
But the murderous intent in Beatrix's eyes was undoubtedly sincere.
Elnore let out a deep sigh, her annoyance plain.
“...All right, all right. I only wish the duels were at least a little interesting. If I have to deal with those sly old foxes, shouldn't I at least have something nice to look at?”
“You don't have to worry about that.”
Beatrix said that and rummaged through the information in her head.
“If we go now, that peerless genius of a freshman should be there. The match is definitely Elijah Chrisanax versus Dowd... Dowd... what was it?”
“Dowd Campbell?”
Beatrix's eyes widened.
“That's right. How do you remember that? The guy doesn't have a single distinguishing feature.”
Elnore was silent for a moment, then gave a faint laugh.
“He's an odd person.”
“Odd?”
“Yes.”
Otherwise, he wouldn't have said something like, ‘You seem like a better person than I expected,’ when they had just met.
As though he knew about the dark side she carried inside her.
Elnore rose from her seat with a faint smile.
“Let's go. We'll be late if we don't hurry.”
"...Your attitude's changed a bit from earlier. You seem kind of excited?"
"That man has caught my interest."
Elnore replied with a quiet laugh.
"I'm planning to watch his actions closely during this duel."
●
If this academy had a culture of betting on wins and losses, the odds would be astronomical for anyone who put even a little money on me.
The mood of the people watching me right now was exactly like that.
Every gaze from around the stage was full of anticipation for just how miserably I'd get crushed.
And even I agreed. I couldn't even bring myself to do the obvious thing in this situation and bet on myself to pull off an upset.
“How many exchanges do you think he'll last?”
“What exchanges? Winning means getting hurt as little as possible, doesn't it?”
“True. What could a guy crawling out of some trash baronial house possibly do?”
I heard conversations like that, but I didn't feel like arguing.
Even that sort of ridicule was mild. Most people weren't even interested in such an obvious outcome.
‘It's kind of sad...’
I thought that to myself as I looked at my opponent.
The girl was stretching lightly to warm up.
But to my eyes, she looked like a giant serpent with its jaws wide open, flicking its tongue at its prey.
If you substituted a tiny mouse for me, that would probably be a fairly accurate depiction of the actual power difference.
And.
So I was really glad.
[ Skill: Life-or-Death ] [ Rank: ??? ]
[ Your stats are boosted in moments of crisis. The lower your chance of survival, the stronger the effect. ]
My stats really were trash, not as a joke. If I got hit by one of her wild attacks, it wouldn't be strange if I died on the spot.
And however you looked at it, this was a ‘crisis situation,’ right?
“...”
This plan really was ruinous.
I did wonder if I was putting too much faith in a bizarre skill whose rank was listed as a question mark.
‘Ah, whatever.’
No matter how I looked at it, there was no way to keep up with the growth rate demanded of me unless I tried something this insane.
I didn't have the luxury of playing it safe when an event that could put my life in danger was coming up within two days.
It was all or nothing anyway.
‘What I'm counting on...’
The duel event that followed the entrance ceremony was, according to the game's setting, a major event that drew all kinds of people to watch.
High-ranking nobles and key academy figures who had a major influence on the world and scenario would probably be there too.
Which meant that the ‘villains’ I would encounter from here on were sure to be there as well.
I wasn't planning to beat her. At most, I hoped to lose after putting up a good fight.
Everyone's expectations of me right now were basically ‘just don't die,’ so if I could manage even that, I might catch the villains' ‘interest,’ if not their ‘favor.’
It wasn't impossible.
I was a veteran player of this game, and I knew like the back of my hand what kinds of attacks this girl could use at this point.
If I combined that information advantage with a stat boost, my chances were pretty high...
“Um.”
As I continued thinking, Elijah, who had already drawn her sword, tilted her head and spoke to me.
Her voice was low enough that no one else could hear.
“Be honest with me. You're ridiculously weak, right?”
“...”
Why'd she suddenly have to hit me where it hurt?
“I was going to punch you once, but now...”
I tilted my head at the words she said with a wry smile. There was something strange mixed in.
“Why were you going to punch me?”
“You were the one riding in the same compartment as Lady Tristan, weren't you?”
Elijah continued with a faint laugh.
“I don't like that woman. Actually, I don't like the whole House Tristan.”
Her voice held an icy hatred, but...
“They're a family of demons, you know.”
That took a lot of guts.
In this world, even mentioning ‘demons’ was taboo. It felt like every major calamity in the setting had been caused by them.
It wouldn't be strange at all if House Tristan tried to kill her on the spot the moment they heard her say that.
‘...She's not wrong, though.’
The problem was that House Tristan really was involved with demons.
The setting even said that some of them hadn't just been ‘like’ demons, but had actually made contracts with them.
On top of that, this girl had a very deep personal grudge against House Tristan.
It must have had to do with her family, so I could understand that much, but...
“...All I did was ride in the same compartment as her, though?”
“That made me think of her. It annoyed me, so I was going to hit you hard once.”
“...”
So what?
“But seeing how skilled you are makes me feel a little bad. How about we just pretend to fight a little and call it a day? You don't want to get hurt either, do you?”
She winked and whispered that.
Maybe.
In her own way, she was trying to be considerate, but that was out of the question from where I stood.
I was a man whose life was in danger unless I grew dramatically within the next two days.
The only way was to make my presence known here.
In other words.
“You can just hit me hard.”
“...Pardon?”
“I like her quite a bit.”
I had plenty of reason to provoke this girl like this.
At my words, she blinked at me, looking dazed for a moment, but soon her face changed to one of understanding as she went, “Ah.”
“I see. She does have a good public image, doesn't she? I can see why you'd be fooled. But that's all—”
“—A façade. I know that too. I have a rough idea what she's been up to.”
“...”
Elijah's expression hardened in an instant.
“...Are you serious?”
“As serious as you are about hating her.”
It was a lie.
In truth, I wanted nothing to do with Elnore. Primarily because I wanted to protect my life.
But wasn't this the only way to make this girl really come at me right now?
Anyway, according to the timeline, Elnore would be making the rounds with the high-ranking nobles right now. There was no way she'd pay much attention to a duel with a nobody like me during such an important event...
[ Skill: Fatal Charm activated. ]
[ A villain's favor has increased significantly! ]
[ A reward has been added to the Gift tab! ]
“...”
I had no idea why a message like that had suddenly appeared.
As I looked at it in confusion, Elijah, whose expression had remained stiff, tilted her head slightly.
“Is that so?”
Her voice, now distinctly different from before, even carried a chilling quality.
“Then I don't have to feel too guilty about it.”
And the next moment.
Her body reached me in an instant.
It was an absurd speed, as if the entire process of movement had been skipped and only the beginning and end existed.
‘You crazy...!’
I screamed inwardly and threw myself aside. I barely managed to lean backward, and the wooden sword grazed the edge of my body.
The sight of my ‘cut-off’ clothes fluttering before my eyes sent a chill down my spine.
Who in the world used a wooden sword like a real one? If I hadn't known how her opening attack came in, I'd have been seriously hurt.
“Huh? You dodged that? Guess you're not a total weakling after all?”
But she didn't seem remotely inclined to stop. She turned her head slightly and instantly took up her stance again.
Since I hadn't even recovered my footing, that next strike would definitely hit me head-on.
“Then I'll hit you a little harder, okay?”
Her sword shot toward my chest in an instant.
‘What a lunatic...!’
She must have mistaken my dodge just now for some kind of ability, but that had been pure luck thanks to my information advantage.
If I took a hit like this, I'd really die.
“...!”
Gritting my teeth, I thrust out my bare fist.
There wasn't time to draw a weapon anyway, but at this point, this was clearly a crisis situation. The skill would definitely activate.
I didn't know how strong it would be, but it would surely make a difference.
[ A crisis situation has been detected. ]
[ Determined to pose a direct threat to your life. ]
[ Skill: Life-or-Death is being applied at EX rank. ]
‘...EX rank?’
Isn't that the highest rank?
But before I had time to be surprised by the message...
-!
-!!!
-!!!!!!!!!!
-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Elijah, struck by my fist,
flew at a speed too fast to see and slammed into one side of the building's wall.
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