Deep night.
A faint moonlight draped over a narrow alley.
A man quietly walked through the alley and entered a small shop at the end.
Contrary to its shabby exterior, the inside unfolded a neat bar’s scenery.
The man sitting in front of a formally dressed bartender opened his mouth.
“One glass of milk.”
“Guest, we don’t serve cafe drinks at night.”
“I know.”
“······.”
Two men exchanged a short password and locked eyes.
“Ha ha ha! You’re still the same! There’s no one here but us; why are you being so strict about the password?”
“I just followed the rules.”
Eric couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Hertlocker looked at him with a disapproving crossed-arm stance.
No one else was in the bar besides the two of them.
Moreover, the place was protected by a high-output barrier.
No worries about anything leaking out, no matter what was said.
“Is work going well?”
“What work are you talking about?”
“Do you have another job? You know, infiltrating the Crow.”
“It’s not going well.”
Hertlocker sighed.
All across the Empire, there are errand runners performing various commissions, known as Crows.
Crows carry out any job without question as long as they get paid.
Naturally, their jobs are not legitimate, so Crows conceal their identities and live in the shadows.
And Hertlocker was currently trying to approach them to become a member of the Crows.
“It seems their information network is something else; we must be extremely cautious.”
“Is that so? Oh, right. Emilia came by today.”
“Emilia? Isn’t she on a mission right now? Why?”
As soon as Emilia’s name came up, Hertlocker’s tone changed.
No wonder he was a younger sister fanatic.
Eric shook his head vigorously.
“She came as part of her mission.”
“In that case—”
“Yeah. Schlus Hainkel. That guy.”
“······.”
Hertlocker’s expression soured.
“It seems this cafe caught Schlus’s fancy. We were supposed to withdraw, but we’ll have to wait a bit. Since the surveillance target will come by regularly, there’s no reason to decline, right?”
“By the way… what did Emilia say?”
“Huh? What?”
“Isn’t it tough for her? I mean, is that Schlus guy doing anything messed up?”
“Ugh. Worrying is a waste, you fool. If Emilia were to encounter any trouble, would she just sit still? If she were to retaliate, that would be a relief.”
“Still, you know… huh?”
At that moment, a piece of paper began to emerge from an artifact on the bar.
The paper had codes made of dots and lines printed on it.
“Looks like Emilia’s regular report.”
“Emilia? What does it say?”
“Umm… let’s see…”
Holding the long paper, Eric frowned.
Somehow, it didn’t seem like the kind of content he should share with Hertlocker.
“Director?”
“Schlus Hainkel seems like a good person, it says.”
“······?”
Hertlocker’s expression twisted grotesquely.
A good person? What on earth does that mean?
For an intelligence agency agent, the only criterion for judging a person is whether they are helpful to the mission or not. There’s no concept of right or wrong there.
Emilia, of all people, wouldn’t use the term “good person” without a reason, would she?
Could this possibly be a coded message?
In truth, Schlus was a tyrant who laid hands on his attendants…
And Emilia might be trying to discreetly ask for help without alerting other agents…
“Hey. Stop. Just calm down, alright?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You were probably indulging in some nonsensical delusions again. Just stop it.”
“······.”
He hit the nail on the head.
Hertlocker had a habit of thinking negatively whenever Emilia was involved.
“Just take it at face value. It says he’s a good person. He’s probably a decent young man.”
“That can’t be! I have never seen Emilia praise any man other than me! What on earth is going on…?”
“Ugh. You really are something.”
Eric sighed yet fell into thought.
Hertlocker had a point to some extent.
Normally, Emilia wouldn’t discuss the character of a surveillance target.
Yet, sending this kind of information during the brief regular report time made it seem…
As if she were appealing for something.
A plea not to kill Schlus.
‘No way.’
The cold Emilia couldn’t possibly do that.
Eric quickly dismissed the thought.
*
The day of the new semester arrived.
It felt like just a few days since the entrance ceremony, but here we were…
So far, the only magic I’ve learned is Gravity Magic and Barrier Magic, and I can barely activate those.
If my magic skills get exposed, it’s all over.
Truly, it would be the end.
‘Today, is it time for Mana?’
Yesterday, after practicing swordsmanship in the training room, I used ‘Selection and Concentration’ on my vitality.
Now, I had two stats left before the shop opened: Mana and Strength.
But today, I don’t have to worry about which stat to raise.
Something requiring immense Mana will happen today.
“Haah…”
Can I actually do this?
Worries started to creep in.
People will think of me as a superhuman who withstood the Barrier of Fear, but in reality, I’m nothing special.
If someone truly decides to confront me, my hidden potential will be revealed in no time.
“Hainkel.”
“Yes?”
“Your tie is crooked.”
“······.”
Just as I was feeling gloomy, Emilia came close and fixed my clothing.
After adjusting the collar and tying the tie again, a smile appeared on Emilia’s face.
“There, all done.”
“······.”
“Hainkel, do your best today.”
“Thank you.”
Emilia smiled and offered her words of support.
Even if this is all just an act and not her true feelings, still, it felt uplifting.
I am the writer of this novel.
In other words, I am the creator of this world.
Thinking that way, confidence began to swell within me.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Make sure you come back safely.”
Bowing my waist and saying goodbye to Emilia, I moved forward.
Towards the lecture room, which would soon turn into chaos.
*
Ignoring the whispers of the crowd, I entered the lecture room.
A gigantic classroom three stories high.
This is the place where the Elemental Magic lecture would be held.
And it is also the place where disaster will soon strike.
‘Is that it?’
I spotted a cart piled high with stones on the podium.
At first glance, it looks like merely some stones for teaching aids, but in fact, something sinister is hidden inside.
An explosive artifact.
A bomb that absorbs the entire mana of the surrounding stones and converts it into explosive power is secretly contained within.
The explosive force could turn not just the classroom but the entire building into dust.
In the original work, the protagonist uses overwhelming Mana to prevent the explosion.
…But since Hertlocker isn’t here, it has to be me.
[Quest: Prevent causalities from the explosion.]
[Difficulty: ★★★☆☆]
[Reward: 3 Shop Coins]
Perfect timing, a quest has appeared.
Now I just need to wait for the explosive artifact to stir.
Sitting still, I clasped my cold, sweaty hands together.
Looking around, everyone was chatting away. A few were pointing fingers at me and whispering.
Naturally, I’m the only one aware that there’s a bomb in this classroom.
“Uh?”
…Everyone except that one girl.
What the heck? Why is she here?
I shot up instinctively.
“Hmm?”
“······.”
The woman descending the stairs seemed to notice my gaze and turned around.
A silver cross hanging on her chest, clad in a black nun’s habit and veil.
No doubt about it.
Iris von dem Flechette.
The Saintess of Flechette.
…And the wielder of Future Sight was standing right there.
“Why are you here?”
“Huh? Yes?”
“······.”
Snapping back to reality, I realized I was questioning Iris, who I had never met before.
Why did she come here when she knows the classroom would be engulfed in flames?
Only after seeing Iris’s startled reaction did I realize.
The classroom had grown eerily silent.
All eyes around were on us.
I hadn’t intended to draw attention like this.
How did the original work describe Iris’s reason for being in the classroom?
…Thinking back, I don’t think there was much description at all.
Wasn’t this a setting error?
Why had no one pointed this out until now?
The fact that Iris has Future Sight was revealed later, right?
“Why are you here?”
“······I’m sorry. That was rude.”
I hurriedly sat back down to defuse the situation.
Iris tilted her head and then ascended the stairs again to stand beside me.
Damn it. I thought she would just leave.
“Schlus Hainkel. You’re the top student, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Iris von dem Flechette. Nice to meet you.”
Iris smiled and extended her hand to me.
At first glance, it seems like a warm smile, but I know the suppressed emotions hidden beneath.
Her despair over everything.
Iris has peered into the future multiple times and confirmed that the continent’s future holds nothing but destruction.
That’s why she is in a state of despair, lamenting the current world.
It’s the protagonist Hertlocker’s role to patiently show her a hopeful future and heal that despair…
Let’s not dwell on a character who isn’t present.
I stared at the hand Iris offered.
Palms up, it seemed like she intended it that way.
“Yes. Nice to meet you, Saintess.”
“······Oh.”
I took her hand, turned it sideways, and shook it.
She must have been expecting a hand-kiss gesture, but since I don’t know how to do it, I just brushed it off.
Trying to do something clumsy would just turn me into a laughingstock.
I should learn about noble greeting etiquette from Emilia later.
“How dare you do such an impolite act!”
“How dare you greet the Saintess as an equal!”
“······.”
I heard shouts coming from around, and apparently, I made a mistake.
Is handshake and hand-kiss so radically different in meaning?
I really need to study more.
“Don’t mind it. I’m here as a student, so I’m just a classmate here, not a saint or anything.”
“In that case, let’s speak freely since we’re classmates.”
“······Huh? Yes?”
Iris’s expression turned dumbfounded again.
I mean, if she’s a classmate, isn’t it okay to speak casually?
Isn’t that right? But thinking about it, it seems everyone spoke to Iris using honorifics.
I can’t quite recall the finer details.
“How dare you think you can compare to the Saintess!”
“Saintess! Please part ways with him immediately!”
Apparently, that wasn’t the right answer either.
Is this how I end up making an enemy of Iris?
Then I’d really be in deep trouble.
“Hainkel, we should at least maintain some basic manners—”
*Kaboom!*
Iris’s words were drowned out by a tremendous noise.
Everyone’s heads turned toward the podium.
There, something spherical was slowly rising from the pile of stones, floating into the air.
Has it already begun?
“What’s that?”
“S-say it isn’t so!”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Damn! Everyone run! It’s an explosive artifact!”
The same flow as the original work.
Someone recognized the identity of the artifact, and the classroom instantly turned into chaos.
As the artifact reddened, the screams of the students grew louder.
Students rushed in, and soon the entrance was packed with people.
“What’s going on! Why won’t it open!”
But the door is probably locked.
Not only that, but it seems it’s protected by magic too, making it impossible for first-year students to open it no matter what they do.
“Ugh! I don’t want to die!”
“Ah?!”
A panicking student accidentally rammed into Iris, hitting her shoulder hard.
In an instant, I swept in to catch Iris, who almost lost her balance and fell.
“T-thank you.”
“······No problem.”
If I hadn’t stopped while passing by, she wouldn’t have stumbled like this.
It felt awkward to accept her gratitude since I was the one who almost made her fall.
“Why is she really here?”
“······.”
Too curious, I asked again, but Iris remained silent.
Well, it’s difficult for her to answer since she hasn’t told anyone about her Future Sight.
“Alright. Step back.”
“Y-you? What are you planning to do…?”
I pushed Iris behind me and stared at the podium.
The explosive artifact’s color was now slowly shifting towards yellow, as if it were about to blow up any second.
Now it’s time to use the Gravity Magic that I practiced all night.
I’ll unleash magic that sucks everything within a ten-meter radius towards the explosive artifact.
And now the ability, ‘Selection and Concentration’…
“Hwaah!”
“Seriously—”
I was supposed to use it.
Why the heck is Erica climbing onto the podium again?
