Grandis Academy, boasting the size of a small town, hosts countless events throughout even just one day.
Some shops offer outrageous discounts, martial arts tournaments take place, magic performances and demonstrations abound, and academic conferences are conveniently held in administrative venues.
Meanwhile, the children of noble families gather for meetings in various places, showcasing their club presentations.
As such, students and visitors enjoying the festival usually scatter according to their interests.
However, right now, a massive crowd was gathered around a hastily thrown together booth.
“Move aside! Let’s get through!”
“Is this even a line? Are we really gonna get our fortunes read by the Student Council President?”
“It’s probably nonsense, but she’s a Rank 6 mage, right? Honestly, how can you stand it?”
“So, is this a line? I can see someone cutting in right next to me. Hey, you! Come here!”
“Line up, you punks!”
This makeshift booth appeared to attract more people than either the painstakingly arranged stalls or the large-scale events.
It was a booth that seemed to have been just thrown together. It was made from rough timber and hastily covered with black cloth, with only an entrance added.
It looked so shabby that it seemed unlikely anyone would dare to step inside.
Yet, right in front of it, was a single line written on a small signage.
[The Great Prophet Cassandra will read your fortune.]
People didn’t believe in the words “Great Prophet” and “fortune.” The reputation of the Student Council President, Cassandra, was already widely known.
But Cassandra was a Rank 6 mage, and judging by her age and talent, she was expected to become a Rank 8 in the future.
Some gathered just to connect with her, while others were simply curious to see the self-proclaimed Great Prophet’s readings.
And that’s how the current chaos unfolded.
Couldn’t the person at the front just enter the booth? Indeed, students tried to do just that.
However, they could only see the attached note written below the main line when they got closer.
[Only students of Rank 6 or higher will be allowed as first customers.]
It was practically pointing out a specific person as the first customer.
A Rank 6 mage would receive great respect even in a typical territory and would be welcomed by the royal family. Such a strong individual unlikely would be just attending an academy.
Yet at Grandis Academy, there were two Rank 6 students, including Cassandra.
“Someone bring Ruth Spero quick!”
“Only after he gets his fortune read can we go in!”
Those who had already rushed in as the “first customers” were long lost in a fantasy.
Students who witnessed the brutal combat prowess of a Rank 6 decided to send Ruth Spero in first before stepping in for their own turn.
Amid the loud commotion.
“Everyone, please step aside?”
“Huh? Who… Princess Beatrice? And!”
“This is the Ruth Spero I’ve been looking for! I brought him right here.”
“Everyone, get out of the way! Princess Beatrice is bringing Ruth Spero!”
“Hurry up!”
“Quickly send him in!”
In a confusing mesh, students began to push aside, either voluntarily or swept along with the crowd.
Just after a miraculous opening, Beatrice wore a proud smile as she led Ruth Spero ahead.
“Okay, let’s go!”
“……Yes.”
Ruth was momentarily stunned but gave a flat response, having already resolved to leave the academy.
After this fortune-telling session, he would kill Kirke and flee from the academy.
If he could eliminate as many villains from his future as possible, perhaps the future would improve in some way.
Standing before the hastily assembled fortune-telling booth with somewhat dead eyes, Ruth thought.
‘…Cassandra, huh.’
He had certainly never met Cassandra before. As the perennial bottom student, there wouldn’t have been an opportunity to encounter the Student Council President.
However, he had heard plenty of rumors about her.
Self-proclaimed prophet, fraud fortune-teller, the monster who jumped from Rank 4 to Rank 6 in three years, a master of illusion and summoning magic.
She was one of the most famous students in the academy; that much he remembered. However, that was the extent of his knowledge about Cassandra.
Despite being such a promising Rank 6 mage, she had disappeared like a ghost after the academy’s downfall.
Where had Cassandra been during the world’s flames, as the empire, holy kingdom, and kingdoms fell?
With that small inquiry, Ruth stepped inside the fortune-telling booth.
As promised, Beatrice tried to follow him in as well, but.
“Hey, wait. Hold on. The first customer is the most important!”
“Huh…?”
Snap.
At the sound of applause from somewhere, Beatrice fell over as if asleep.
Ruth had instinctively moved to support Beatrice, but she just effortlessly collapsed onto a nearby bed that was inexplicably there, breathing evenly.
Although she couldn’t use magic normally due to her chronic condition, Beatrice had proven her strength during her second duel with Chloe.
The very person responsible for incapacitating her with just a clap was Cassandra, who smiled while tilting her blindfolded head.
“Ruth Spero, right?”
“………Student Council President.”
Since he had decided to quit the academy anyway, there was no need to use honorifics.
Ruth focused on gathering information about Cassandra, whose whereabouts were shrouded in mystery.
“Is this our first meeting? Come in, Regressor!”
“…What?”
Just now.
What?
The moment Ruth, with a dazed expression, muttered back in disbelief.
“I said Regressor. You came from the future to the present… or in your case, the past? Either way, you’re here, right?”
“…………….”
There was no mistaking it upon hearing it again. Cassandra had called Ruth a Regressor.
Thus, Ruth’s hesitation was short-lived.
Clang!
“You.”
“Yeah?”
“What the hell.”
Though he hadn’t brought a weapon, Ruth had contracted with the Dark Sword with his soul. If he wanted, he could summon the sword to her hand from a distance.
Quickly, Ruth summoned the Dark Sword, pointing it at Cassandra’s throat.
He aimed to suppress Cassandra definitively, even using more force if necessary.
“Oh wow, your grip is fierce?”
“…Aren’t you blind?”
“This is just for show. If I walk around blindfolded, everyone assumes I’m blind, right? Honestly, it’s too obvious to describe why a blind prophet is more intriguing than a regular one.”
“………….”
Cassandra easily dodged the swung sword and removed her blindfold, revealing eyes like a galaxy as she smirked.
Prophet, Regressor, blindfold, Cassandra.
Ruth’s mind was already spiraling into complexity and confusion.
“You.”
“Why?”
“You caused this regression… didn’t you?”
That was the best guess Ruth could muster.
Common sense suggested that there couldn’t be anyone who understood regression. Yet, if she blatantly mentioned it, it meant she somehow knew about it.
If Cassandra was the one who had regressed Ruth, then she held the key to it all.
“…Tell me.”
“What about?”
“Everything, everything…!!”
In that case, Ruth would not hold back. The hand gripping the Dark Sword was trembling with anger and a mix of emotions.
Having been pushed to her limit for a month now, the sudden appearance of Cassandra, who mentioned regression, was simultaneously a lifeline and an object of resentment.
Though she was asked to reveal everything, there was one thing that piqued Ruth’s curiosity the most.
Ruth shouted with bloodshot eyes.
“Why was it me!?”
“………….”
“With so many great people, I’m just this mediocre human… why!?”
That was Ruth’s outcry and resentment as she bore the heavy burden of regression and the future.
In terms of skill, mental strength, power, and knowledge, there were so many superior individuals compared to Ruth.
Why was it him?
As if unleashing the emotions built up over time, he cried out, and Cassandra replied.
“Hmm, honestly, I don’t know what you’re asking me to explain.”
“…What?”
“I’m a prophet and astrologer. I only knew you were a Regressor because of that. Beyond that, I don’t know anything.”
“Stop talking nonsense…!!”
“No, think about it. If I really were the one who regressed you, why would I tell you that at this timing? Isn’t it far wiser to pretend I don’t know while actually knowing everything?”
“………….”
“And the only reason I revealed your secret is simple.”
“…What is it?”
“Because you’ll be joining the Student Council soon! It’s a tradition to expose the embarrassing secrets of newbies through my prophecies and astrology!”
…Ruth couldn’t follow the madness.
Confused, he didn’t lower the sword. Perhaps it was because he bore a grudge against Cassandra, who appeared to find all this amusing.
At that moment, Cassandra looked at the Dark Sword aimed at his neck.
“Still, you’re a newbie and a first customer, so I’ll reveal one more thing specifically.”
“What….”
“You asked, why me? Why did I have to regress?”
The girl with the decorative blindfold smiled.
It was a smile that carried an unfathomable depth rather than the playful grin she had shown earlier.
“You already know the answer yourself.”
“What…?”
“Anyway! Now the initiation ceremony for newbies is done! Welcome to the Student Council, Ruth Spero!”
“……….”
In the end, it was merely a farce.
Ruth decided that for himself and coldly glared at Cassandra, who reached out for a handshake as if suggesting reconciliation.
After all, she now knew that Ruth was a Regressor. He could only dread to imagine the future implications of that fact.
‘Let’s kill her here.’
He had already resolved to kill Kirke. For the future, for the world, and… for that finance director he had admired so much.
With steely determination, Ruth directed his gaze at Cassandra.
“From now on, you’re the Vice-President of the Student Council!”
“…What?”
“And as Vice-President.”
──You have access to all confidential documents.
──You can request meetings with senior staff in the academy whenever you wish.
“………….”
“What do you think?”
…He had planned to visit Adam’s office. But he intended to quit today, so he thought about barging in there.
If he could do that mildly, without inciting Adam’s anger or frustration.
And if he could catch a hint of the essential information he desperately needed about the academy.
Ultimately, unable to resist the temptation, Ruth slowly lowered his sword.
It was a sign of acquiescence.
*
“Damn it.”
I suddenly felt like cursing. It wasn’t because I had been working non-stop for six days without leaving. No, it wasn’t that.
At times like this, the installed bathroom and bedroom in the office come in handy. The facilities are better than my own dormitory.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I enjoy sleeping and showering at work.
‘By the way, is there a leak?’
It’s one thing to bathe, but after a quick nap, I sometimes wake up with my nape or lips still damp. It reminds me of that desert island experience.
And the Headmistress wouldn’t have played around with sea water either, so it must be a leak from the ceiling. Those carpenters should take advantage of this opportunity to fix it.
Today, my pinky finger was damp again, so I hurriedly showered and reviewed the paperwork that I had been pushing for five days to submit to the Headmistress.
And with this… that’s it for now.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s truly finished.
“Ha… Director of Finance.”
“I know. Now I have to handle the previous workload that I couldn’t review and re-approve due to the chaos. Also, I need to take care of the finances related to the Fireworks Event scheduled for tomorrow. Since it’s the biggest event of the festival, the workload seems quite hefty.”
“Tomorrow? But it’s today.”
“……? Is that true?”
“Yes, it’s true. Director of Finance, your sense of time seems to be getting a bit muddled.”
Just working like a madman, taking power naps, quickly showering, and hastily grabbing meals has surely blurred my notion of time.
So I had been doing this for seven days instead of six.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact that this was already the last day of the festival.
“But Headmistress, if today really is the day, I should be working on the report for the Fireworks Event right now?”
“I took care of it all. In exchange, you handled the rest of your tasks.”
“Why would you do that?”
“…I can go a week without eating or sleeping. It’s a little straining just breathing while working like this, but I’m fine nonetheless.”
Rustle.
The Headmistress pulled something out of the desk drawer and handed it over with a slightly weary smile.
It was a small map of the academy, with a circle marked somewhere.
“What’s this?”
“The Fireworks Event starts at 10 PM tonight. And here is a place I’ve specially scouted out. I assure you, no one else from the academy knows this spot.”
The Fireworks Event, simply put, was the grand finale of the Grandis Academy festival. Since they explode into the sky quite magnificently, it could naturally be seen from the Headmistress’s office.
However, it seemed the Headmistress hoped to witness it from a different spot. After all, having attended the festival for decades, she must know some prime locations.
So that’s why she had pushed herself with the work.
“What time is it right now?”
“It’s 6 PM.”
“Then the Director of Finance should clock out first. You’ve finished today’s work along with this report, right? Let’s meet at the promised spot.”
“……Headmistress, wouldn’t it be better if I just accompanied you at 7? Why must we go separately?”
“This, this is about the atmosphere! Besides, I also have a few last-minute preparations, so just wait there!”
“Alright…”
Preparations? Atmosphere? The strange words threw me off a bit, but I complied and took the map.
Besides.
Come to think of it, I was off for the day, right?
“Then Headmistress, I’ll head in first. See you at the meeting spot.”
“Yes!”
It’s customary for an employee to refuse their superior’s suggestion to leave, but anyone who doesn’t push for their exit after working a week of overtime is clearly insane.
Based on my experience, when the Headmistress says it’s time to go, it really means I can leave without any problem. So I bid her farewell and promptly exited the office.
Creak.
‘Ugh.’
Stretching for the first time in a while released an ominous crack from my back. It feels like that military stimulant I had earlier is what’s keeping me pain-free. I should ask the Headmistress to remedy this later.
I didn’t have specific items to pack. I simply walked out of the building, receiving greetings from the staff.
This was indeed the place the Headmistress had emphasized as a prime spot.
‘I guess I might as well just sit down.’
I had no real desire for dinner, and it felt awkward to return to my dorm for a nap only to meet up in an hour.
To avoid being late, it felt more comfortable to come early and wait.
But seriously, was this “prime spot” on the roof of the building?
‘Well, it’s a good view.’
After climbing up the nearby ladder and sitting on the roof, it indeed offered a magnificent view of the surroundings.
Watching the fireworks from up here will surely be a spectacle. Now that work was over, I found myself eagerly waiting.
“…Director of Finance?”
“Headmistress, you arrived already…?”
Huh?
What the?
“Chloe?”
“Di-Director!”
Why are you out here…?
And wait a minute, this is the rooftop! They said I wouldn’t be visible from below, and didn’t the Headmistress say this was a place no one in the academy knew?
There wouldn’t be a reason for anyone to climb up here during the festival, so she must have known all along.
‘What do you mean a spot no one knows about?’
If Chloe, a first-year, knows, then it must already be known amongst the students.
As I awkwardly chuckled, Chloe, appearing a tad hesitant, began to back away.
“…I-I think I’ll head down now.”
“Chloe?”
“Goodbye!”
“Student, what do you mean? I still haven’t had the opportunity to properly thank you since the Hair Loss Inducer incident. Come sit with me.”
“………Really?”
“You mentioned you would rely on yourself, right? So let’s do just that. I’m already a bit nervous sitting on the roof.”
It seems better to enjoy the view with all three of us rather than just me and the Headmistress.
“Come on.”
“………Okay.”
But, well.
Aren’t you supposed to sit a bit away from each other when you sit down? Am I the strange one here? Why are we sitting so close together?
Am I becoming a curmudgeon…?
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