Let me tell you, among those born of women, there is none greater than Dia; yet, in the land of Deus, even the smallest is greater than she.
The Gospel of Lydia, 7:28
*
[Deus Ex Machina] is a game set primarily in a fantasy world centered around an academy.
Although there are adventures outside the academy, most of the story and events take place on the academy map.
The game is not a complete open-world game, so the areas outside the academy are not fully realized.
Buildings exist, but you can’t go inside because the interiors weren’t created.
Even within the academy, there were buildings you couldn’t enter.
It was a limitation of the technology at the time of [Deus Ex Machina]’s initial release. I never expected a virtual reality open-world game to come out so quickly.
Anyway, since the main stage was this Calandra Academy, most of the game-changing events or hidden pieces were hidden within the academy.
For this reason, the asymmetric power I possessed as a reincarnator, the ‘game knowledge’ that only I could know, was mostly skewed towards the academy.
However, the security at the academy is extremely strict.
It’s been over 10 years since I became reincarnated in this world, yet I could only enter the academy just yesterday.
During that time, I eagerly explored the places I could go and gathered game-changing events or hidden pieces, but it was only a small part compared to the academy.
The real treasures are here.
And since the entrance ceremony for the academy is tomorrow, I have freedom today.
So I went outside to look around the academy buildings and to check out a hidden piece as a trial, planning to grab it if I got the chance.
I left the dormitory and started checking out the lecture buildings.
Yesterday, I arrived at the academy feeling exhausted and without time to explore after unpacking and having an incident with Io.
So today is the first time I’m properly surveying the academy.
This place, an institution for higher education for nobles and some exceptional commoners, was built with all the empire’s resources. Therefore, it was filled with beautiful, high-quality facilities.
In the squares located between the lecture halls, there were beautiful fountains and gigantic statues, and benches were placed in front of flower beds for resting and chatting.
It was all scenery I had seen in the game, but the experience of seeing it in person was completely different.
In the game, NPCs (non-player characters) just stood in fixed spots or walked along predetermined routes, always repeating the same dialogues.
But here, the academy students were acting freely.
They were truly alive!
Female students sitting together on benches chatting away.
Male students playing sports, tossing orbs made of magical energy to each other.
Yes, this is it.
The world I loved was alive and moving.
This is the academy…!
The very place I wandered around and enjoyed!
After over ten years, I finally reached this place!
“Honestly, I think it’s wrong for nobles to ostracize fellow academy students just because they’re commoners…”
At that moment, I heard a group nearby talking.
It was a familiar voice I hadn’t heard for ten years.
The voice of the character with the most significance in the story, yet had significantly fewer voice lines than the other characters.
It was the voice of the protagonist from [Deus Ex Machina].
“What do you mean, commoner?”
When I turned my head, a group of people came into view.
Three students were engaging in conversation closely, with a bit of distance from the protagonist of [Deus Ex Machina], Dia.
What’s going on here?
I had never seen such a scenario in [Deus Ex Machina].
In the original game, Dia was caught up in an incident while heading to the entrance ceremony. That incident triggered the tutorial at the start of the game.
Originally, she barely makes it to the academy just as the entrance ceremony is wrapping up. But she’s already here?
Is it the butterfly effect of changing things, just like Saula showing up too early?
Due to a quarrel, Dia blurted out a remark that caught the attention of the three people looking at her.
Red hair, blue hair, yellow hair — three girls.
I don’t know any of them.
They’re either minor extras so insignificant that I don’t recall them, or they’re some of the academy students changed by my presence.
The red-haired and blue-haired girls wore academy uniforms with colored name tags indicating their noble status.
Meanwhile, the yellow-haired girl also wore an academy uniform but had a name tag indicating she was a commoner.
With the entrance ceremony scheduled for tomorrow, none should be wearing uniforms today; yet, here they are, in their uniforms.
What’s up with that?
Are they really feeling that much school spirit?
What did Dia just say? “It’s wrong to ostracize fellow academy students just because they’re commoners?”
Did those two noble academy students just bully the yellow-haired commoner, and Dia intervened?
*
My name is Dia.
Thanks to that person’s help, I am a commoner attending the academy.
That person wrote to me, saying I shouldn’t behave recklessly at the academy.
Given the presence of so many nobles, having conflicts with them might make my life at the academy difficult.
But look where we ended up!
Five days ago, I met and befriended another commoner, who said that if two stylish female students came in uniforms today, they would let her in their “sorority.”
She was my first friend, and the fact that they’d let her join their exclusive noble “sorority” made me both envious and supportive.
If she did well, maybe she’d help get me in too.
So I secretly went to the square to see how she was doing, but…
The atmosphere didn’t seem good.
“See, I told you. I knew a commoner would try to hang out with us.”
“Seriously, not knowing your place. Did you really think you were worthy to be around us?”
“That’s hilarious, haha!”
As I got closer, I saw my friend, beautifully made up, covered in some strange sticky liquid that ruined her makeup.
I knew how hard she’d worked yesterday, how excited she was, and I couldn’t even imagine her humiliation.
Nobles… I had heard stories, but they’re this ruthless?
To humiliate and hurt someone just because they’re a commoner? We’re all academy students!
My hands were trembling.
No, I can’t do this.
Even though my friend was insulted, if I stepped in now, I could become the target.
If that happened, my life at the academy would…
All the promises I made with my benefactor!
But before I knew it, I found myself speaking out.
“Honestly, I think it’s wrong for nobles to ostracize fellow academy students just because they’re commoners…”
Oh no!
I did it!
What now?!
“What do you mean, commoner?”
Eek!
That noble girl spoke to me! She figured out I was a commoner! How? I’m not even in uniform! Is it that obvious I’m just a bumpkin?
What should I do now?!
Am I about to get kicked out of the academy?
What about the person who helped me…?
I’m so sorry! I promised to behave! I said I’d do well! I couldn’t hold it back…
Ughhh!
“Hey, commoner. What are you saying? What are you even?”
“A, uh, that’s not—”
Yeah, but I spoke up for my friend, right?
I turned to look where my friend had been sitting.
But she had disappeared.
…Huh?
Where did she go?
“Did you ditch your friend? Leaving the one who stepped up for you? Typical of commoners.”
“No loyalty, always scheming on how to betray others. These people should never have been allowed at the academy by His Majesty the Emperor!”
Oh no. Did she really ditch me?
N-no, not my friend! She wouldn’t…
Right?
It’s only been a few days since we met. We’re not that close yet.
But…
“That’s right. We nobles should have more power to help His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Anyway, you insulted our noble selves and need to be punished by our noble sorority.”
Nobles…
Is this what all nobles are like? Just because of a slight difference in birthright, they torture and exclude others?
This is ridiculous…
At that moment…
“Hey, you two over there. What do you want with my friend?”
A beautiful nobleman with sky-blue hair appeared in front of me.
Like a prince straight out of a fairy tale.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.