Recruiting Talent

The Confession’s capital city raid left countless dead and injured. The Collingham residential area, which suffered direct damage, became impassable.

It wasn’t just the chilling autumn wind that made citizens tighten their coats. The Capital Guard Knights, who failed to prevent the attack, were scouring the streets with sharp eyes, looking for suspicious people.

There were many cases of people being randomly stopped and asked to identify themselves. Rumor had it that if you made eye contact, you were sure to be interrogated.

The official name of the incident, in which 72 people died, hundreds were injured, and about 1,300 lost their homes, was decided as [The Confession’s Raid].

Vella, with the wisdom of a snake, would not miss this opportunity. Rumors spread throughout the continent that Roel was the hero who stopped Confession’s insane plan to massacre the citizens of the capital.

In addition, Vella officially declared that she would use the Imperial Princess’s personal property to build new homes for those who had lost theirs, free of charge.

She also moved quickly to gather the Tower Masters of each magic tower in one place and secured their promise of support for the rapid reconstruction of the ruined streets.

The church, which had ties to Vella, also seized this opportunity to praise Vella and Roel, and raised their voices in anger at the evils of the cult. The church officially decided to call anyone associated with the cult a heretic.

People dislike anxiety and ominous things. It was human instinct to want to deny and avoid them, and to forget bad memories as much as possible.

As if aiming for that point, tremendous rumors began to pour out, enough to quell the anxiety about the Confession’s raid. The emergence of the youngest Transcender hero, the good deeds of Imperial Princess Vella, the meeting of the Tower Masters, and so on… Topics to quell anxiety spread endlessly from mouth to mouth.

Roel was already attracting attention as the youngest Transcender for his performance in the triathlon. With this incident, he seemed to have fully spread his wings, and prestigious nobles sent letters, competing to sponsor him.

Thanks to the public opinion campaign, Vella, along with Roel, was being hailed as a hero by the citizens of the capital. Some people even openly said that they hoped she would become the Emperor soon. Few people knew that some of them were Modiste’s guild members who had received money from Vella.

I had to accept that the flow of the novel had completely changed. Roel was even a huge variable, possibly a regressor.

I was thinking of subtly probing Roel, but I was afraid of being caught off guard if I acted rashly, and I was so busy these days that it was hard to even see his face at the academy.

A week after the Confession’s raid.

The promotion exam was over, and the retake exam started as scheduled, but fortunately, none of the members had to take the retake exam.

Students who were not subject to the retake exam left the academy every day because there were no classes, and helped to repair the ruined residential area. With so many people and magic working together, the residential area was unrecognizable in just a week.

Luna received perfect scores in both practical and written exams through the written re-examination. She became the top student in the Department of Magic she had wanted so much.

Luna, who had tears of joy in her eyes after the preliminary scoring, was very cute. Of course, I also maintained my top spot as the top student in the Department of Combat.

It happened that way because I finished the written exam quickly by using the Breathless Meditation to the fullest to resolve my doubts about Roel.

Being the top student in the promotion exam doesn’t mean you become the valedictorian or salutatorian, but the three students with the best grades in each department could each get one wish ticket.

Luna decided to leave the dormitory with her wish ticket. It seems she’s going to live with me at the hideout across the island, as she said before.

I was thinking of a sweet honeymoon in the hideout with just the two of us, but all the other members were in the top three and got wish tickets. All the members ended up coming to the hideout.

The diligent student, Lacar, was second in the Department of Combat after me. (Navier was third.) Kane barely made it to third place in the Department of Alchemy, and surprisingly, Aria was second in the Department of Magic.

Not third, but second. Are there so few talented people in the Department of Magic? I was relieved (?) that there was at least one person above Aria.

My wish ticket already had a designated use. It was Eunice’s special transfer. I had offered it to Eunice in advance because I knew I could get a wish ticket in the promotion exam.

I could have told her this in a letter, but I thought it would be better to visit her in person to show my sincerity in recruiting talent, so I went out on the weekend.

I was thinking of going on a trip with the members for the first time in a while, but Aria had booked a restaurant a few weeks ago for tonight, so I couldn’t help it.

Luna seemed to want to follow me, but I had some things to ask Eunice separately, and it was a troublesome schedule to return as soon as I was done, so I decided to go alone.

After leaving the academy, I headed straight to the portal station. My destination was the western part of the continent. It was El Dorado, where the Golden King resided. That’s where Elysium Academy, where Eunice attends, is located.

After changing portals several times, I arrived at my destination, El Dorado. I was a little excited to see what the city, which was described as beautiful and enchanting in the novel, would look like, and I left the station building.

,Wow….

I couldn’t help but exclaim with a dumbfounded face. The people passing by shrugged their shoulders with a proud look on their faces at my heartfelt exclamation. They seemed to be proud of the city they lived in.

If the capital was like a sophisticated downtown area, El Dorado felt like a Mediterranean city. Elaborate and beautifully carved buildings were symmetrical, and there were also many tall buildings that were hard to see even in the capital.

The city itself felt like a giant temple. Everywhere you looked, it was full of beauty and grandeur. Is this what it feels like to be dropped in Rome alone? I suddenly regretted not coming with Luna. It would have been fun just to walk the streets together.

I was blankly looking around when I belatedly remembered that sightseeing wasn’t my purpose, and I asked a passerby for directions to Elysium Academy and started walking.

***

Elysium Academy had a visitor’s room where visitors could wait. Transcendence Academy had a huge library that anyone in the capital could use, so ordinary people could enter, so there was no separate visitor’s room.

As I was stroking the luxurious white round table, Eunice, who had received a call about my visit, appeared in the visitor’s room. It had been almost two months since we last met, but the freckled girl with orange curly hair was as cheerful as ever.

Eunice sat down on the chair with a thud and asked.

,What’s up? You came all the way to Elysium Academy without even contacting me? What if I had gone out?

She’s right. If that were the case, I would have been waiting here. I scratched my head lightly.

,Sorry, I had some news I wanted to tell you quickly, so I came without any plans. I wanted to tell you in person rather than in a letter.

Eunice’s eyes sparkled at my words.

,The opportunity to transfer as a special case that I offered you last time has come. If you agree, you’ll be a Transcendence student starting in the second grade.

Eunice, her eyes wide, bit her lip. She was still not completely sure, as she kept rolling her eyes around.

Thinking that I did well to come, I opened my mouth, thinking about what I had thought of while waiting.

,Do you know about the Confession’s raid that happened in the capital?

,Of course I know. It was a big deal here too. No one expected the capital to be attacked.

I said to Eunice, as if whispering a secret, in a low voice.

,Shall I tell you the real reason why the Confession attacked the capital?

Eunice swallowed. She seemed interested in the secret. Eunice pretended to be calm, but she couldn’t hide the fact that her ears were perked up between her orange curly hair.

,Wh, what is it…?

I gestured for her to come closer as she stammered. Eunice looked around and brought her ear closer, and I whispered softly.

,My brother. They were after Roel. With the purpose of killing the youngest Transcender before he grows up.

Eunice’s eyes widened. I continued.

,Actually, Roel killed a Confession executive during summer vacation. Thanks to that, my younger brother was also targeted. Luna, who was a member, was even attacked at the academy. Fortunately, she survived.

,Re, really…?

At Eunice’s surprised expression, I continued with a stern face.

,Actually, even if it’s not Roel, the Confession is after my life.

,Wh, why…?

Eunice’s eyes sparkled. Knowing the truth that others don’t know is the ultimate happiness for people with morbid tastes. Eunice is that kind of gloomy person.

Knowing that, I deliberately brought up this story. Eunice was leaning her upper body towards me, as if she would cross the table. I smiled and leaned back in my chair.

,I can’t tell you the reason. I can’t trust you yet since you’re not even a member.

Eunice’s face, which was full of anticipation, was distorted with disappointment. As expected, cliffhangers are essential for writers. And cliffhangers require appropriate bait.

I lowered my voice as much as possible and said.

,It’s a huge game involving the Confession and the Church, the Emperor and the Saintess. I can’t easily tell secrets to outsiders.

I could see Eunice’s neck twitching incessantly. Judging by the fact that her tongue often popped out between her lips, her strategist instincts seemed to be moving at my words. No strategist would be unmoved by a huge game that would shake the world.

Eunice, noticing my satisfied gaze, cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes.

,You’re saying that a student club with only first-year students is involved in such a huge game…? Lies!

Even as she said that, Eunice’s voice was more excited than usual. Eunice is an excellent strategist, but she’s not an actress.

,It’s true. And if you join the club, I’ll tell you my secret that I haven’t told anyone. And I can swear on my life that my secret will make everything you’ve ever known seem trivial.

Hiding information from a strategist who has read the situation is a stupid thing to do. If Eunice becomes a member, I was thinking of confessing about my possession.

Eunice frowned with all her might at my firm voice. After biting her lip for a long time, Eunice finally sighed.

,Why do you need me so much? I’m just a first-year student who makes crude plans… You’ll definitely be disappointed in me. You’ll be like, ‘Oh, is that all you can do?’

I immediately shook my head at Eunice’s insecure voice. That can’t be.

Eunice is one of the three great strategists in the novel I set. It’s not a lottery ticket that has a chance of being a dud, but a gift certificate with a PIN number written on it. It’s bound to be beneficial to me.

,You’re the most outstanding strategist I know. As I said before, if you’re with me, I can save the world in a better way.

As soon as my confident words were finished, Eunice, who had raised both hands and covered her head, groaned for a long time and finally nodded weakly.

,Haa, if you want me that much, I can’t help it…. It’s not often that I get the chance to transfer to Transcendence, the best academy on the continent. I also know very well that it’s a great opportunity that I’ll never have again as a commoner like me. Okay, I’ll transfer. And please take care of me in the future, Club President.

Eunice smiled and held out her hand to me. I smiled sincerely and shook her hand.

,Welcome to the Messiah Club.