Chapter 176

A building that wouldn’t be out of place among luxury hotels.

The Royal Class dormitory.

A huge upgrade from that old and shabby common dormitory.

It seemed like I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

“ Woah… We can finally stay here… ! ”

Allen’s eyes sparkled.

“ Oh… nice.”

Riviera also muttered, looking pleased.

The Common Three, reunited after so long.

Ah, no, it’s the Royal Three now.

What is this… luxurious feeling … ?

Their faces… don’t exactly give off that kind of vibe.

Anyway…

“ You’re in the wrong place. The girls’ dorm is separate.”

“ Tsk, why am I the only one who has to be separated?”

Riviera grumbled.

But… it’s only natural to be separated… Why is she complaining?

I’m having trouble adjusting to dealing with this… unique individual again.

“ Come on, get your keys, unpack, and come back down quickly. You said you wanted to see the new students, right?”

Another major event at the start of the year.

The entrance ceremony.

Today was that day.

Allen, excited about meeting the new students, had been pestering me to go with him.

Riviera joined us as well.

It seemed like she was just bored of being alone, though.

Anyway, there were new faces that I also wanted to check out.

This year’s freshmen, unlike the second-year students, which included the protagonist, had a significant influence in the game.

The protagonist’s year was full of typical RPG comrades, those who would share hardships with the protagonist, but this year’s freshmen… were full of hidden villains.

The developers had planted bombs within the Academy, as if to celebrate the beginning of the game.

It would be great if we could eliminate them all in advance, but it wouldn’t be that easy.

They were masters of disguise and deception.

They had clean backgrounds, and on the surface, they were model students.

It wasn’t a problem that could be solved by a single player running around.

I’d be the only one who’d look suspicious.

The only option was to deal with them after something happens.

The key…

… is to minimize the damage.

Depending on how well you deal with it, the flow of the game can change drastically.

“ Okay, Team Leader. I’ll be back soon.”

“ Ah, your room is next to mine.”

“ Oh, great! ”

“… ”

Please don’t be so happy.

It’s creepy when a guy gets that excited.

“ Just hurry up and come back, kid.”

“ O-Okay.”

Allen dashed inside.

I turned my gaze to Riviera.

“ Your room’s farther away, so you should hurry too.”

“ No problem.”

“ What do you mean, no problem?”

“ I can fly.”

“ What? ”

“ Be right back.”

Whoosh.

Riviera took off, flying like the wind, low to the ground.

… Don’t fly around in that weird position, on campus!

If the freshmen see that, they’ll think, ‘ Uh… this isn’t it…’ and want to drop out immediately.

I shook my head, speechless.

“… I’ve been hanging out with normal people for too long.”

I realized, once again, thinking about Regina…

… that I’m truly back at the Academy.

* * *

“ Oh… They all look impressive, huh?”

Allen said, looking around at the new students.

Well, they’re freshmen of the top academy, of course they’d look impressive.

This idiot next to me… he also looks decent, at least on the surface.

Too bad he’s half a screw loose.

“ Hmm… a familiar scent.”

Riviera muttered.

“Familiar” to her… didn’t mean anything good.

She may look like a frail, beautiful girl, but she’s an executive of a villainous organization.

A true villain.

‘ As sharp as always.’

As expected of a named boss, she must have sensed, with her villainous instincts, that bombs were hidden among the freshmen.

By the way …

‘ …Her eyes are… scary.’

Riviera’s eyes, which had been relaxed, almost carefree, as if he had been assimilated into the peaceful Academy… were now gleaming with a villainous light.

“ Haa…”

…Wait, am I imagining things?

This guy… She is as unpredictable, as always.

“ Next, we’ll have the entrance pledge from the freshman representatives. Please come forward when your name is called.”

The event proceeded to the entrance pledge.

A moment that draws everyone’s attention.

“ Armin, the top student, and Linasis Silvanel, the second-best student. Please come forward.”

They’re here.

Two ticking time bombs.

I smiled wryly.

But unlike me, the crowd was buzzing.

“ Armin? Who is he? How is he the top student? ”

“ I don’t know. I’ve never heard of him.”

“ Me neither.”

“ He doesn’t have a last name… Maybe he’s a commoner?”

“ A true rags-to-riches story, huh?”

“ He looks so plain… He’s that skilled?”

No one knew Armin.

Naturally.

He was a commoner who had lived quietly in the countryside, never having stood out.

At least, not on the surface.

However…

“ Linasis Silvanel? Silvanel… Wait, is that… ?”

“ Yes, the Silvanel family, one of the Ten Mage Families.”

“ Whoa, they’re one of the most influential mage families now.”

“ And she’s… their genius.”

“ Huh, but she’s second? ”

“ I don’t get it either.”

“ Just who is that Armin guy? ”

Linasis was already famous.

It was only natural. She was known as the genius of the Silvanel family, a family leading the magic world.

The fact that she was second, made Armin, who took first place, even more noticeable.

“ Te-Team Leader. That top student… he’s amazing, huh? ”

Allen said, his eyes wide.

I know he’s amazing.

And I’m the only one who knows… the real reason why.

Well… not the *only* one.

The person next to me… definitely knows as well.

‘ Number 2.’

The top student, Armin, was actually “Number 2 ” of Single Numbers… one of the executives of the villainous Red Rain.

The boss was “Number 1 ”, so Armin was second-in-command.

Red Rain was that serious about the Academy, that they even sent one of their top executives undercover.

And it was definitely related to the hidden secret of the Academy.

Something that Red Rain was desperate to obtain.

‘ He’s dangerous.’

I hate to admit it, but I didn’t know how to deal with Armin yet.

Because I’ve never played the game to that point.

But this time… I have to succeed.

No matter what.

My gaze pierced Armin’s back.

Then …

I turned my gaze to Linasis, who was standing next to him.

‘ She’s also a huge problem.’

She might look normal, but there’s another personality hidden within her.

Multiple Personality Disorder.

And the problem was… that personality was a murderer.

It would be terrifying for anyone to have a murderer’s personality, but a genius mage with a murderer’s personality?

No further explanation needed.

What’s even more troubling is that her original personality knows about it, and deliberately lets it happen.

And even when the murderer personality takes over, her intelligence remains intact, so she never does anything that would expose her.

She was a dangerous individual, in more ways than one.

‘ This is tiring.’

The only consolation was that the rest of the bombs… weren’t on the same level as these two.

“I’m leaving.”

“ What? Already?”

“ There’s nothing else to see.”

As I turned to leave…

“ Hmm?”

Armin’s gaze, walking onto the stage, suddenly turned towards us.

Or rather, towards me.

A look filled with scorn, despite the distance.

A predator looking down on its prey.

Why is he directing that at me? He shouldn’t have any reason to… Wait, he does.

I remembered.

The fact that I had taken the ‘??’ heart, the item Red Rain was after.

Was it that important? To make Number 2 react like this?

More than a guess.

“ That gaze is annoying.”

Riviera said, frowning.

She grabbed my arm and pulled me behind her.

As if to protect me.

…But of course, she was much shorter than me, so it didn’t really work.

‘ What’s this… strange feeling?’

I was bewildered.

One villain, protecting me from another villain’s gaze.

And those two villains are from the same organization?

… What is this… confusing situation?

It seemed like I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

The provocative look in Armin’s eyes was replaced by confusion.

Seeing his expression… I felt a sense of satisfaction.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“… ”

Armin turned his head back to the front.

But even just looking at him from behind, I could tell that he was annoyed.

He must have seen me laughing.

Well, he already seems to have a grudge, I don’t care anymore.

I’ll just act boldly.

He won’t dare to touch me as long as I have the heart.

His mission is his priority, he’s not someone who’d act rashly.

“ I’m leaving.”

Riviera said.

She also seemed to be in a bad mood.

“ Right, let’s go.”

I nodded, grinning.

We started walking.

“ Wait! I’m coming too!”

Allen hurriedly followed us.

* * *

“ Hmph, you looks upset, even though you are the top student.”

Linasis said in a low voice, as they walked down from the stage after the pledge.

“ Not at all.”

Armin replied without even looking at her.

“ That’s a lie, you looked like you had tasted something disgusting.”

“ Don’t bother me, you impudent woman.”

If anyone overheard him, they’d be shocked.

But Armin said it casually.

Because he knew no one was listening.

“ Ha, what a bad temper. That’s your true nature, huh?”

Linasis didn’t back down, she just smirked, as if amused.

She’s also no ordinary individual.

“ Tsk, so many people who don’t understand that keeping your mouth shut will let you live longer.”

“ That’s funny. I’ll make sure everyone knows your true nature, one day.”

“ You’re one to talk, considering you have your own secrets.”

“ What?”

“ If you have something to hide, stay quiet.”

Armin sped up.

He quickly vanished as they parted ways.

“…”

Linasis was now alone.

She also walked back to her seat.

Her head was lowered…

… and she was covering her mouth with her hand.

And her lips were…

… twisted in a cold smile.

“ Ha… That bastard is… interesting.”

A demon knows another demon.

And so, the top student and the second-best student of the freshmen year, started their ill-fated relationship.

* * *

The first semester of the third year began.

My priority, of course, was to get stronger.

And that doesn’t mean just gaining experience.

New swordsmanship.

I needed more advanced swordsmanship, given my improved skills.

‘ It would have been great if I could learn from Regina…’

Even if she was close enough to tell me to ask for her help whenever needed… some things are just not possible.

The Ernbert swordsmanship is a secret passed down through their family.

They couldn’t reveal it to anyone, even their future son-in-law.

It meant that my original plan was my best option.

‘ It’s today.’

I checked the date and decided to move immediately.

Not a single day could be wasted.

To survive.

And so, I set out to meet my new teacher.