Chapter 8
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“What a mess.”
Beatrix groaned, her head buried on the desk.
Looking at the mountains of documents piled up all around her, it wasn’t hard to understand why.
The chancellor of Elphante was absolutely furious that bloodshed had taken place inside the academy—and during an official event, no less.
You could tell from the official order demanding that the culprit be found at all costs, issued less than a day after the incident.
The problem was that, judging by the assassins’ route and timing, there had to be an ‘inside man.’
That fact probably accounted for a good deal of the chancellor’s anger, too.
Beatrix raised her head slightly and spoke, eyes narrowed.
“Still, apparently everyone who was with you is slated to receive a commendation. They subdued that many armed assailants without a single casualty.”
“Is that so.”
At Elnore’s lifeless reply, Beatrix’s expression twisted slightly.
“...The problem is that guy. Dowd Campbell. He’s not on the commendation list. There’s no reason to leave him out, so I don’t know why they did. It’s almost like they’re deliberately trying to keep him from drawing any more attention.”
“Is that so.”
“The Academic Affairs Office is definitely up to something. It looks like they’re preparing some big project with him at the center of it.”
“Is that so.”
“If you answer like that one more time, I’ll hit you.”
“Is that so.”
Elnore, who was sitting in her chair and staring blankly at the ceiling, caught the ink bottle flying toward her in midair.
Seeing her do that without even turning her head was enough to remind Beatrix that she was the Tristan heiress, but it did nothing to make Beatrix any less furious.
“What exactly is wrong with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been like this all day. Where have you gone off to mentally?”
“...”
“Political schemes targeting you aren’t anything new, but this time feels different. Whoever’s behind it, they’re clearly determined to see this through, considering they’ve made two blatant assassination attempts in such a short time.”
“I suppose.”
“You can’t just brush it off with ‘I suppose,’ you idiot. Do you think someone that persistent will give up just because they failed this time? Something else is definitely going to happen!”
She’d been delivering a heated lecture, but by then Elnore’s gaze—which had briefly shifted toward her—had returned to the ceiling.
It was a sight that could only make Beatrix sigh deeply.
“...I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on, but if you don’t tell me, I’m not helping you.”
“Beatrix.”
“What?”
“It seems like there’s someone you’re interested in.”
It was commendable that Beatrix hadn’t toppled over along with her desk.
Anyone who knew what sort of person Elnore was would have reacted just as strongly.
“...What did you say?”
“I said it seems like there’s someone you’re interested in.”
So she hadn’t misheard.
No, but surely not.
“What do you mean by that?”
“...”
There was no answer, but somehow Elnore seemed to be glaring at the ceiling even more intensely, as though trying to hide her embarrassment.
And when Beatrix saw the tips of her ears had turned slightly red, she felt something close to cosmic horror.
Of all people, this woman was reacting like a lovesick adolescent girl?
The woman who could cut people down without so much as changing her expression?
“...Who?”
“Didn’t we just talk about him?”
Even the fact that she was too embarrassed to say his name herself, instead hinting at him in a grumpy tone, fit the picture.
“Dowd Campbell?”
“...”
“No, wait.”
A headache swept through her with explosive force. Beatrix clutched her head for a moment, then sank back down onto the desk.
Come to think of it, ever since she sparred with the candidate for the next Hero, Elnore’s attitude had seemed to change whenever he came up.
And this reaction was completely, absolutely that, wasn’t it?
Yeah. That.
“You like that guy?”
“...I haven’t said that yet.”
Oh, really.
“Yet?”
“...”
Elnore clamped her mouth shut again. The tips of her ears seemed even redder now.
Seeing that made Beatrix feel her headache worsen considerably, and she spoke again.
“You do understand how much of a backlash this is going to cause, right?”
The Tristan heiress was in a position where every little thing she did could become news.
That was probably because of the influence of House Tristan as a whole more than Elnore herself, but regardless, if someone like her started dating, it would inevitably become gossip.
Of course, being gossiped about wasn’t necessarily a problem. The problem was that there was one person who wouldn’t take kindly to it.
“If the Grand Duke of Tristan sees that—”
Beatrix had no choice but to stop talking.
The moment she brought it up, it felt as if the temperature in the entire room had dropped by several degrees.
“...Yeah. That old man would be plenty displeased.”
Elnore answered in a voice like frost.
It was hardly the way one would expect her to speak about her own father, but Beatrix didn’t particularly feel like arguing about it.
He was a father who hadn’t even contacted his daughter once after she’d survived two assassination attempts.
You didn’t need to ask to figure out what their relationship was like.
So Beatrix decided to change the subject.
“And this whole situation is a little... strange. I don’t know what he did to win you over, but—”
“Didn’t I tell you I hadn’t been won over?”
Beatrix chuckled at Elnore’s disgruntled attempt to pick a fight over her wording.
Sure, sure. Normally, this was someone who wouldn’t care either way how she phrased it.
“Anyway. If he’s been kind to you in any way, your usual reaction would be to question his motives first.”
A position shapes a person.
Unfortunately, being the Tristan heiress was the perfect position for suspecting ulterior motives instead of trusting someone’s genuine kindness.
But now this woman was taking his kindness at face value to an almost unbelievable degree.
As if something had forced her to skip that step.
“That’s certainly true.”
Considering her usual nature, it was unprecedented for someone to make such a powerful impression on her so quickly.
At least Elnore was clearly aware that this was happening at an abnormal pace.
So.
“Then why not test him?”
“Test him? What?”
“I mean, observe him up close.”
“...What are you talking about?”
Elnore answered with a slight smile, and Beatrix felt goosebumps rise all over her body.
She had a terribly ominous feeling.
Nothing ever passed peacefully when Elnore wore that expression.
“Hey. What are you talking about?”
“Let’s go get something to eat. It’s about time.”
“Don’t change the subject—!”
●
I glared at the letter in my hand, displeased.
The seal on the envelope was the mark of Elphante’s Academic Affairs Office. It was a mana-engraved seal, difficult to forge, so it had to be genuine.
The contents were the problem.
[ We cannot inform you of your class assignment yet, Dowd Campbell. ]
[ The Academic Affairs Office is conducting a project to achieve the best possible results. ]
[ You can look forward to good news. ]
No.
I don’t want to look forward to anything.
Can’t they just stick me in some suitable class and leave me alone?
I had no idea what they were planning that required an entire project.
‘For starters...’
It was strange enough that the academy had sent me a personal letter out of the blue.
An incident had happened along the way, but it had been resolved without further trouble, so the class-assignment exam should have been held again as usual.
In fact, I knew that the protagonist’s party, including Elijah, had retaken the exam after the incident and been grouped together in a separate ‘special class.’
Shouldn’t I have been handled the same way, according to the rules? Why was I the only one being singled out like this?
“...I don’t know.”
I muttered and tucked the letter back into my clothes.
What was the point of obsessing over something when I wouldn’t get an answer by thinking about it?
More importantly, there was this.
< System Message>
[ Confirmed that class assignment has been completed after enrollment. ]
[ The first main quest has been completed. ]
[ Additional information has been updated! ]
The first main quest I’d received was ‘Complete your class assignment after enrolling.’
It seemed that reaching that point had triggered an update.
But the contents here were a problem, too.
[ Main Quest ]
[ Successfully resolve the incident that occurs at the freshman welcome party! ] [ D-3 ]
[ Reward: Exclusive equipment materials ]
The freshman welcome party was an event that marked the beginning of a ‘branch’ in Sera.
More precisely, it was where you chose how to specialize the protagonist.
Her career path was decided by which ‘class’ she showed an interest in during the event.
Ranged marksman, close-combat warrior, support priest, or area-of-effect mage... It was where you chose a main build from among the orthodox classes.
That was probably the context for them giving me materials for ‘exclusive equipment,’ too.
Exclusive equipment was gear that let you specialize in one function and keep developing it.
If you raised it all the way, its power in that field would be overwhelming, but at the beginning it could only perform the simplest functions.
In other words, just like the protagonist, I’d be choosing a main build, and they’d give me growth-type equipment specialized for it.
So, it was nice of them to give me something like that, but...
“...”
This was dangerous.
Dangerous enough to make my mouth go bone-dry.
It wasn’t a problem by itself. The problem was what it was connected to.
< Gift-Related Character Alert >
▼ Elnore
[ Trust Level 2 ] >>> [ Trust Level 5 ]
[ Favorability has increased significantly in a short time! ]
[ A special reward is available to claim! ]
[ You are close to a change in favorability status! ]
[ This is an important character. Something special will happen if the status change succeeds! ]
[ Related event in D-3 ]
▼ Elijah
[ Curiosity Level 5 ]
[ You cannot claim a reward yet! ]
[ You are close to a change in favorability status! ]
[ This is an important character. Something special will happen if the status change succeeds! ]
[ Related event in D-3 ]
Right.
Events related to the protagonist and the final boss were happening ‘at the same time,’ and they were even overlapping with the start of the ‘main quest.’
There could only be one meaning to that.
‘Something big is coming...!’
Hadn’t a bunch of professional assassins, including Hasmed, suddenly shown up during Elnore’s very first event?
If both of them were involved at once, it couldn’t possibly be anything minor.
At least, unlike last time, I had about three days instead of two to prepare. That was something.
“...”
No, honestly, I wasn’t sure that was something to be grateful for.
Whether I had two or three days, it was going to be rough either way.
The starting point was so brutal I felt like I was being gaslit into thinking this was normal.
‘If I have to do it, I have to.’
I sighed and scratched my head.
It couldn’t be helped. It wasn’t as if I had a choice.
They say a ghost that dies after eating is a well-fed ghost, so I might as well claim Elnore’s reward.
[ Claiming Gift reward from ‘Elnore’. ]
[ You have received 1 ‘Skill Copy Ticket’! ]
[ You can copy one skill of your choice from the target! ]
“...”
What the fuck is this?
Skill Copy???
‘...This is insane, seriously.’
It was a remarkably straightforward and powerful ability. There was no need to explain it further.
I could copy a skill from the final boss!
‘But that actually means...’
Using this right now would be a waste.
Like Elijah, the protagonist, Elnore was a final boss who ‘grew’ over time.
She was already at the top of the academy food chain, of course, but there were countless overpowered skills she’d acquire later. There was no reason to use this carelessly now.
“...”
So that meant I’d have to prepare for the event in three days without it.
Fortunately, I knew where to find something that would help me survive.
“Phew...”
I let out a long breath and looked at my destination.
An old warehouse, a long walk beyond the academy buildings.
But despite its shabby exterior, it was paradoxically covered in all kinds of defensive magic, including spells that interfered with perception.
The faculty called it the ‘supply room.’
Sera players were probably more familiar with its nickname: ‘the goddamn jackpot loot-farming spot.’
It was generally used to store teaching materials, but Elphante had such a long history that all sorts of artifacts had piled up inside. Some of them were items whose value only players who’d made it through the game knew.
There was only one thing I was after.
‘Ultima of Divinity.’
If you put its various crafting recipes together properly, it was the most cost-effective early-game survival item in all of Sera.
Normally, it was an item that belonged to ‘Yuria Greyhounder,’ the boss of Chapter Two.
Her nickname among players was the ‘Sword God Maniac.’ She was a crazy bitch who’d cut down anything that came within range.
“...”
Actually, I was a little worried that snatching an item meant for such an important scenario character might be dangerous.
But I had no choice if I wanted to prepare for what was happening three days from now.
This wasn’t my fault. Wasn’t the real problem the world that was putting so much pressure on me?
Anyway, Yuria was insanely strong—strong enough to be the boss of an entire chapter. Surely she wouldn’t run into any major problems without this.
“All right, then.”
Let’s hurry, farm the item, and head back.
Nothing will go wrong, right?
●
Five minutes later.
I was cursing myself for saying that.
I silently looked at the black-haired girl trembling in front of me. Tears were even welling up in her eyes.
She was short enough that the top of her head barely reached my neck. She had catlike sanpaku eyes, and her overall build hadn’t grown far beyond that of a little girl.
Maybe I could’ve called her cute, if she weren’t pointing a sword at my throat.
[Would you please stay still?]
Those ‘letters’ appeared in the air. This woman didn’t speak to communicate; she expressed herself this way instead.
And if she was saying something like that, then...
“...So you can slice me up more easily?”
[Yes.]
Is this woman insane or what?
I knew who she was.
Yuria Greyhounder. She was the boss character of Chapter Two.
And right now, my life was being threatened by that very person.
“...”
Why can’t anything ever go smoothly for me?
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