Commotion During the Exam (3)

“…Fine. If it’s an order, I’ll obey. But remember one thing.”

“What?”

“I can’t do something like that.”

Eileen sighed as if annoyed and pointed at Orca.

Orca, still seething with anger, kept kicking the scarecrow whose waist had been bent in half and could no longer move.

A teacher who had evacuated all the students tried to stop her, but it was utterly pointless. Someone like her wouldn’t stop just because of such half-hearted attempts.

Eventually, the teacher seemed to decide to ignore Orca.

Perhaps to help other students being attacked by scarecrows? They began moving away from the spot.

“I don’t expect that from you. That’s just that woman’s unique brand of madness. For us, holding out is enough. Can you manage that much?”

“Haah, why am I stuck in this mess…? Shouldn’t you rush to save the Princess-nim first if she’s in danger?”

“Th-that’s…”

“What? Am I wrong?”

“…”

Leo couldn’t refute her.

He wanted to say that all lives are precious, that prioritizing rescue orders don’t make sense…

But no matter how he looked at it, this incident’s objective was far too blatant.

The scarecrows swarming around the Princess and the Watcher.

While other scarecrows were fighting dozens of students alone, only these two were surrounded by hordes of scarecrows.

Though the exact reason was unclear, they were likely being targeted. It felt like the other students were merely cleared away to avoid interference.

Even without knowing the reason, the fact that they were targets wasn’t surprising.

Being well-known figures made them easy targets.

Moreover, if these two died or got kidnapped… Leo couldn’t even imagine the consequences.

No, he didn’t want to imagine. The world would undoubtedly erupt into chaos.

“They can’t come because it’s impossible. The scarecrows’ positions are exquisitely placed. It looks difficult to break through from outside.”

“Why on earth did you drag me into this troublesome affair?”

“Isn’t it natural since you happened to be there? I know your skills well.”

“What a bother…”

“Tsk tsk. Even if it’s the Princess’s order.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“I’ll cast Enhancement Magic, so be a good meat shield.”

Watching Eileen trudge away listlessly, Leo felt puzzled.

The Princess-nim must have seen countless skilled individuals, right?

No matter how he thought about it, Eileen’s performance last time didn’t seem impressive enough to catch the Princess’s eye.

“*Sigh* Lucky break. Who would’ve thought Eileen was hiding here?”

“…Excuse me, Princess-nim.”

“Hmm? Something wrong?”

“From what I saw, Eileen didn’t seem particularly skilled. Is there a reason you rate her so highly?”

“…When did you first see her?”

“Huh…? During the friendly match.”

“Then it’s understandable you wouldn’t know. That girl is stronger than me.”

“What?!”

Leo was stunned.

Princess Stella had fended off attacks from four people-the Watcher, Orca, himself, and Eileen-with just one other person.

Frankly, Leo had felt like he’d hit an insurmountable wall that day.

His and Eileen’s presence had felt insignificant in that chaotic fight…

…And yet Eileen was that strong?

“How should I put this…? Hiding her power? Not wanting to fight? Something along those lines.”

“Come to think of it, someone forfeited earlier… Could it be…?”

“Good, you remember. That was Eileen.”

The Princess-nim chuckled dryly, as if even she found it absurd.

“Isn’t it laughable? The girl once called a once-in-a-generation sword prodigy is now like that. She probably hasn’t held a sword in years.”

“What?! Then shouldn’t we stop her?! The scarecrow is already…!”

Leo had heard that even the most skilled knights’ abilities rust if they don’t practice for long.

But a student like Eileen not wielding a sword for years?

Though the Princess-nim had said not to worry and that finding Eileen was lucky, Leo was horrified.

W-we need to save her…!

“No need to worry. You can trust that girl’s skills.”

“B-but you said she hasn’t held a sword in years! Then her skills must’ve rusted…”

“That’s true for others. Not for someone like Eileen.”

“What does that even…”

Eileen’s sword, which had been blankly pointed at the scarecrow, began glowing blue.

…Could it be?

“Sword Aura…!”

“See? Though it’s a shame such talent is going to waste, you can trust her skills.”

The Princess-nim smirked and started walking.

Not toward Eileen, but in the opposite direction.

“A-are you abandoning Eileen?!”

“What nonsense. I’m not abandoning her. Those two look like they’re struggling, so I’m going to help.”

“…Ah.”

“Tsk. Why on earth is that guy over there?”

At the end of the Princess’s gaze was the Watcher protecting students.

But the Princess wasn’t looking at her-rather, at the students gathered behind her.

Among them, Leo spotted a familiar face.

“You’re going to save your friend.”

“That’s not it.”

“I’ll pretend that’s the case. I’ll go help Eileen.”

“…I said that’s not it!”

“Don’t get hurt! Understood?!”

“You brat, listen to… Hmph. Already gone.”

***

“…What a mess.”

“No one’s seriously hurt, so isn’t it fine?”

While monitoring the incident via video call with Principal Veronica, who was outside the academy, the principal suddenly spoke.

“A mess.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong. Why were there so many scarecrows?

In the game, there had only been one.

Now there were at least twenty.

Though teachers were frantically restraining scarecrows and evacuating students…

They seemed understaffed.

To be honest, I felt slightly uneasy.

An enemy that only appeared once in the game had multiplied over twentyfold.

Was it because the description implied multiple scarecrows while only showing one?

Or did twenty appear because of me when only one should have?

Since I didn’t perfectly remember the script, I wasn’t sure how to react to this delicate situation.

“Wow, they’re fighting well. Experiencing this will help them grow stronger later, right?”

“…You. I said this before, but you’re really not the mastermind, are you? You’re way too suspicious.”

“No, what’s suspicious about me?!”

This was unfair. What did I do wrong?

If I were truly the mastermind, I wouldn’t have mentioned this incident happening in the first place.

Well, there was a character you could point to as the root of all evil for the playable characters’ misfortunes.

If that guy was the mastermind, maybe-but it definitely wasn’t me.

“Fine. Thankfully, the students seem to be handling it well. …Personally, I want to sweep them all away myself.”

“You can’t. How often do they get real combat experience? Unless it’s truly dangerous, it’s best left to the students.”

“…That attitude is exactly why you’re suspicious.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing, never mind.”

“I heard that! Why do you think I wouldn’t?!”

No wonder Stella called the principal “Halmeonggu.”

…Now I understood why she reacted that way.

She seemed like the type who enjoyed teasing people.

“…So? Can’t you tell me now?”

“Huh? Tell you what?”

“The culprit. The traitor. I want to personally deal with that bastard.”

“Ah…”

The traitor, the traitor…

“I don’t know.”

“What?!”

“Who could it be? Do you know, Principal Veronica-nim?”

“How would I?!”

The traitor was a random encounter.

A random element determined when starting a new game seed.

One random teacher would have their “Despair” value set to 1. All others remained at 0.

The person with “Despair” became the traitor.

Thus, I had no way of knowing who it was.

Truly random. No way to predict.

In the game, you could only check by opening the save file in a text editor.

But this was reality.

Not a game. No way to do that here.

Waiting patiently was the only answer.

“If you wait, the traitor will reveal themselves soon. Don’t worry.”

“Impossible. Traitors don’t reveal themselves unless caught.”

“True. Unless they have a reason.”

“…A reason?”

The “Despair” counter.

As the name implied, teachers with this counter had a tragic backstory added.

One severe enough to make them join an anti-establishment group.

“Hmm, it’s better to hear it from them directly. It’s… sensitive for others to explain.”

“…”

“Ah, Eileen unleashed her Sword Aura. Impressive!”

Though I’d said it jokingly at first…

…Was Teacher Ophelia really not the mastermind?

Veronica couldn’t help but think so.