episode_0144

“I understand.”

“Yeah, at this point, I think we’ve heard everything worth hearing.”

The four who had meticulously dissected and exposed my dark past didn’t even bother hiding their satisfied expressions.

“But still, it’s a bit surprising. Who would’ve thought Eric was ‘that kind of relationship’ with the president back in first year?”

“Don’t phrase it so weirdly!”

“My, my. Was it not? According to what I heard from Eric—”

“I said it wasn’t like that, but sure, go on.”

For a moment, I wondered if I shouldn’t have said anything, but it was unavoidable. To secure the president’s cooperation, I had to accept this much.

“You were the first to approach the president, who had no supporters. You single-handedly kept the other candidates in check from the shadows and elevated the president as the sole candidate for the election. Eric didn’t explain in detail, but I do know just how much effort that must’ve taken.”

“Hmm. Honestly, I don’t know much about Eric from back then either.”

The president, who had been quietly organizing documents while I explained my first-year misadventures to the four, smoothly settled beside me.

“But one thing I’m certain of is that the Eric of second year and the Eric of first year might as well have been completely different people. I can at least vouch for that much. That’s why I accepted him into the student council.”

“But it’s pretty strange. Not to boast, but within the academy, I wield the strongest faction behind the scenes. If someone managed to eliminate all the other candidates without me even noticing, I should’ve at least caught wind of it.”

“That’s because none of you cared enough to move.”

“Huh?”

“In my first year, all of you were too busy with your own circumstances to spare even a shred of attention, weren’t you? The student council presidency was beneath your notice to begin with.”

After all, the position of student council president at Fiend Academy was only valuable to those who could make use of it. For these girls in the first timeline, the role merely meant adding another tedious obligation to their plates.

Except for Chris, who hadn’t even enrolled.

“Cecilia had just been inaugurated as a saintess, constantly shuttling between the Holy Kingdom and the Empire. Luciella was from a commoner background and deliberately concealed her abilities, so naturally, she was out of the picture. And Elia, you—”

“—were busy trampling over your misguided siblings. I see your point.”

“Right. If any of you had cared to look, you could’ve easily figured it out.”

But back then, none of them had the slightest interest in who sat in the academy’s presidential seat. And dodging their half-hearted attempts at gathering intel was child’s play for me.

“I miss that version of Eric. First year must’ve been before the power of prophecy awakened in him, no?”

“Yes. My erratic behavior only started because I was trying to hide the fact that the power of prophecy had taken root in me.”

“But was all that eccentricity really necessary? If you wanted to keep the prophecy a secret, staying quiet would’ve sufficed.”

“Because it wasn’t something I could endure with a sound mind.”

Of course, I wasn’t genuinely insane or driven to despair. In first year, Eric Grave had been a capable individual, working behind the scenes to ensure Lin Saihi’s presidential victory. Yet the moment second year began, he devolved into a troublemaker notorious for bizarre and malicious acts.

Even I don’t know the reason for that.

I merely copied the protagonist’s actions from the original—because that was how it played out. Though, unlike the original Eric, I didn’t possess the power of prophecy. But it’s an indisputable fact that only I know the future of this world, and the sheer weight of that knowledge burdened me deeply.

So while I could never fully understand Eric, I acted in a way befitting him—reaching out only to those who could change this terrible future together, shutting out everyone else.

“Pfft. Now that I think about it, you really are a selfish bastard.”

“Eric?”

“It’s nothing.”

No need to voice those thoughts to them. I clapped my hands lightly to conclude the discussion.

“Alright, that’s enough about the past. Let’s move on to the important matters. We didn’t gather here just to talk about my embarrassing history, did we? There’s still a mountain of work left for the festival and exams.”

From there, things progressed smoothly again. Since I had practically no involvement in the festival’s operations, there was no need for me to interfere.

In first year, I naively tried to contribute by doggedly following the president around. In second year, everyone ignored me. And by third year, the festival was the least of my concerns.

What’s far more critical is when this event takes place.

Deciding to discuss this, I subtly stood and took a seat beside Chris.

“…Chris.”

“What is it?”

Leaning in slightly, I whispered to her.

“This exam… something tells me it won’t end normally. If something happened—”

“It did.”

“……”

“Your memories must be accurate. We’ll talk later.”

Chris’s firm tone left me no choice but to relent. Right—this isn’t something to rush. Patiently, I waited for the rest of the student council members.

At least Luciella, who like me was completely clueless about student council affairs, stayed quietly seated—a consolation, if nothing else.

———

“Should we call it a day here? You’re looking pretty exhausted, Oppa, and the president needs time to sort through her thoughts too.”

“Hmm… There’s no point in dragging this out any further. Very well! Good work, everyone. If any of you obtain artifacts or suspicious intel like Eric mentioned, share it immediately. And to facilitate that—”

“—we’ll gather in the student council room daily. No unauthorized contact with other members outside. Everything within these walls stays confidential. Understood?”

“Luci, unni!”

“Did I say something wrong?”

“Ugh, never mind.”

“Save your breath, Chris. Even I couldn’t change her—what hope do you have?”

“Elia unni, you’re the reason Luciella unni refuses to fix her mannerisms!”

“Now, now, Chris. Let the weirdos play among themselves. Shouldn’t you go see Eric? Didn’t you have something to say to him?”

With a gentle smile, Cecilia ushered the grumbling Elia and Luciella away. Only after bidding farewell to the president—no, the senior—did I finally get a chance to speak with Chris alone.

“So? What’s up? If we needed to talk privately, we could’ve done it at home.”

“Sorry. I acted impulsively. I just… felt like this had to be said here.”

I explained my concerns to Chris.

“A prophecy about the exam… Hmm…”

Chris lowered her head, deep in thought, before finally looking up again.

“That’s probably not a prophecy—it’s your memory.”

“My memory?”

“Yeah. Just to confirm—was it a good memory? Answer with yes or no.”

“The worst.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Chris placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Fiend Festival. Sacred Sword. And disappearances. Am I right?”

“Yeah.”

This second-year Fiend Festival would be the first time the Demon Army revealed themselves in full force on the continent. During the ball and the exam, they made their presence known, and Luciella and her party’s triumph over the crisis became a major turning point.

Of course, victory wasn’t achieved without sacrifice. The fact that only Luciella and three others could counter the threat meant, conversely, that everyone else was powerless to resist.

I had hoped to steer this incident toward a bloodless resolution, solidifying everyone’s support—but.

“For now, don’t tell anyone else. Not even the student council.”

“Huh? Why? If this is really going to happen, we shouldn’t be sitting around—”

“Regardless, the Fiend Festival is effectively confirmed to proceed. The exam format isn’t something we can alter either. The Demon Army’s invasion is an inevitability. And the moment you try to change it, there’s no telling how the future might twist.”

“Chris!”

“In the original timeline, you were under house arrest during the exam, right? That’s why you survived the attack—but now, there’s no helping it. Having lived through it, I can say this confidently: You can’t save everyone. Even in peaceful times.”

“……”

“You’ll have to keep making choices, weighing one against another. Consider this your first.”

I had no choice but to relent to Chris’s declaration.

Right now, Chris understands my circumstances better than anyone. Aside from the fact that I’m a transmigrator and the constraints on my regression, she knows practically everything. Plus, as she said, I wasn’t present during the attack. The horrors and desperation on the ground are beyond my comprehension.

Given all that, I couldn’t recklessly push my viewpoint.

“…Why?”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“Dangerous?”

“You’re the one who warned us, Oppa. If we learn of a prophecy and recklessly try to change it, the future itself could spiral into something worse.”

I nodded. This was the same warning I’d given Luciella.

“And back in your previous world, you must’ve tried to change prophecies, right? Even though none of us cared. I think that’s amazing. I truly respect you for it, and I know it’s not something just anyone could do. That’s why I’m telling you this.”

Chris fixed me with a sharp glare.

“If you act carelessly again, you’ll just die. And I won’t stand by and watch that happen.”