To become an early admission student at Tane Academy, one must meet the following qualifications:
[Tane Academy, School Regulations, Section 3, Article 48]
● Early Admission
Qualifications: A student who has received approval from at least two-thirds of the faculty based on entrance exam scores, or one who has obtained the sponsorship of at least one noble of count rank or higher.
Admission Quota: Early admission is granted at the discretion of the headmaster and the board of directors.
At first glance, these may seem like difficult conditions to meet, but if we simplify, it boils down to this:
A person so talented that the majority of the faculty acknowledges them.
To put it even more simply, in just two syllables…
Genius.
So, it’s clear that Adel Bliss must have been one as well.
Exactly what kind of genius he was is unknown. After all, the crazy Adel who appeared in the game displayed typical symptoms of madness.
However, the intelligence stat of 17 I saw on the status screen…
Considering that the average person’s intelligence stat is around 9 to 11, this number is quite extraordinary. With a stat like that, it’s easy to understand why he was accepted for early admission to the academy.
If we follow that line of thought, the rest becomes easy to guess.
The underlying reason for the bullying directed at Adel Bliss was probably something like, “A walking encyclopedia who can’t use magic”, or “An incompetent genius mage.”
Words that, from the recipient’s perspective, would be deeply hurtful.
Of course, mockery can sometimes be shrugged off with strong mental strength.
If someone is sociable, they might even turn it into a weapon of sorts.
But the problem lies in the fact that the basis of this ostracization was true.
In reality, Adel couldn’t use magic.
He had mana.
And yet, he couldn’t form spells.
No matter how many times I checked, the mana was undoubtedly circulating properly inside my body.
In terms of the strength of its flow alone, Adel had to be a genius when it came to handling mana.
His mana stat is a whopping 19. And he’s only a first-year student at the academy.
It wasn’t just the bullying from his peers. There was also the self-loathing that came from being unable to use magic.
In the end, all of that must’ve contributed to what made him become “Mad Adel”.
Not that any of that matters to me.
I let out a small laugh.
Of course, the reason I could think this way wasn’t simply because I was no longer the 16-year-old Adel who had once cowered in the face of bullying.
No, the real reason was something else.
Knowing I’m going to be killed by my own sister soon…how could I be bothered by something like this?
In a way, you could say I had a limited lifespan.
To make things worse, the original Adel was a demon worshipper.
Which meant, eventually, “they” would come looking for me.
It’s not as simple as just saying “I’ll refuse.”
The ones I knew weren’t the kind to back off just because someone said no.
“……”
I let out a sigh and blew those thoughts away.
No use sitting here feeling depressed. What I needed to focus on right now was—
Yes.
My relationship with my big sister.
I had to change the course of events where I died by Camilla’s hand.
In Adel’s death scene, Camilla’s sword wavered several times.
I etched that fact into my mind.
Back when I played the game, I had no way of knowing why her resolve had wavered.
Adel being Camilla’s younger brother was a detail never brought to light.
…No. Even now, I don’t really know. She doesn’t even seem to see him as a brother.
I recalled Camilla’s attitude from the other day and began to think.
Could it be that her hesitation in the game came from the guilt of being forced to kill her own brother?
Whatever the reason, I need to get closer to Camilla.
That way, even if events proceed according to the original episode, I might survive.
In the main building’s restroom at Tane Academy,
I splashed cold water on my face and gave myself a sharp slap on the cheek.
From now on, I needed to act.
If I didn’t want to die by my sister’s hand.
***
◆ Possessed Traits:
──「Total Magical Structure Analysis」──
Allows the user to analyze the structure of anything composed of mana particles, the basic unit of magic.
Significantly increases understanding of mana.
***
Adel’s personal trait. I’ve never seen this one before, but hey, better than having nothing.
At the very least, now that I could finally handle mana properly, things would no longer go as they had before.
I could crush the very foundation of the bullying Adel had faced.
The eyes of the boy in the mirror were calm and composed.
And then—
“Huh? …Who are you?”
“Whoa?!”
A sudden voice startled me so much I almost fell over.
I hurriedly closed the status window that had appeared on the mirror and looked toward the person who had spoken.
“…And who are you supposed to be…?”
“I’m Sally, in charge of cleaning the restroom.”
“…I’m pretty sure you know this already, but this is the men’s restroom.”
“Yes, it is.”
“And you’re a girl.”
“…Hmm? So what?”
Was… was this a cultural difference? Was it really okay for girls our age to clean the men’s restroom? Was this some kind of cruel byproduct of the class system?
I swallowed the groan that almost slipped out and tried to act calm.
“If it’s because of the cleaning, I’ll be out soon. So don’t come in—”
“Huh? Polite speech… gray hair? Wait, are you Sir Adel?”
“…That’s correct.”
“….Wha—aa—aat?!”
The woman who had introduced herself as Sally practically jumped in surprise.
“What the heck! You’re super handsome!! And cute!”
“……”
“Whoa! I thought you looked kind of familiar, but not this much!!”
“……”
“You should’ve cut your bangs ages ago!! I mean, seriously…wait, ‘who are you’? Sir Adel! We used to eat together in the bathroom all the time, remember?”
“…In the bathroom?”
“Yeah!! Weren’t we super close lunch buddies?! Or… did I imagine the whole thing again?!”
I pressed a hand to my forehead. I had no idea where to even begin.
No, more importantly…I really needed to reevaluate the sheer presence of Adel, who’s apparently been eating lunch in the bathroom since the beginning of the semester…
“Um. Uh. So, Miss Sally…?”
“It’s Sally! We agreed to drop honorifics, remember?”
“Right. Sally. How many times have we had lunch together?”
“Once! And today’ll probably be the second time!”
At that point, all I could do was smile in quiet resignation.
Should I ask how “once” qualifies as “all the time”?
Or maybe point out how rude it is to assume I’d be eating lunch in the bathroom again today…?
“Ah… you know what, I give up…”
“Huh? I said it was just once.”
Her peach-colored hair tilted with curiosity.
“Or was it twice? I don’t know! Anyway, Sir Adel, aren’t you going to class? First period already started!”
I shook the water off my fingertips and shrugged.
“I know.”
“Skipping, huh? That’s not good~.”
“……..”
That’s not it.
This is a planned tardy.
***
Tane Academy, Department of Magic, First-Year Class B.
“…And so, the structure of this magic formula forms a typical asymmetrical pattern. Naturally, then, applying this magic to an artifact involves a number of complications…”
The lecture had already passed its midpoint.
Class B normally had 20 students, but only 19 were present today.
The one who hadn’t shown up unsurprisingly was Adel Bliss.
– That guy. Why isn’t he here yet?
– Maybe he fell into water and still hasn’t gotten out.
– If he can’t even use magic, I guess he’s stuck. Pfft.
– Still, this is the first time he’s missed a Monday.
“All right, quiet down.”
At the professor’s words, the murmuring students fell silent.
Professor Quinoron. Though he was new to teaching, he was the kind of person who knew how to assert his authority effectively.
“In cases like this, you either have to change the form of the artifact or modify the structure of the magic formula itself. But structural modification is the domain of high-level mages. That’s why many artifacts end up like this—”
Professor Quinoron pulled something out from the corner of the classroom. It was a rod-like object with three segments bent at odd angles.
It was shaped like the Korean letter “ㄹ”, making it hard to guess its use.
“—with bizarre appearances. It’s a sort of workaround to accommodate the asymmetrical structure of the magic. Now, I’ll show you all. Take turns observing it.”
He handed the artifact to the student in the front row.
“Ooh—”
A soft glow pulsed along the artifact as mana flowed through it, and the students let out quiet murmurs of amazement.
“Is this a First Rank artifact?”
“That’s insane…”
“Let me see too!”
And so, time slowly passed.
In the lectures of Professor Quinoron who was in charge of most of the artifact-related courses, this sort of moment wasn’t uncommon.
A break disguised as “observation time”.
Yes. A break.
A moment when students could briefly let their focus slip.
It was then—
Clatter.
The front door suddenly swung open.
In that instant, the students who had been chattering while passing the artifact around fell silent.
Everyone in the classroom turned to look toward the open door.
“Sorry I’m late.”
A polite bow.
– …Who’s that?
– …Wait. Is that kid a first-year?
– …Does anyone know who he is?
As if responding to the murmurs of the students, Professor Quinoron asked while flipping through the attendance list, trying not to make it obvious.
“Um… and you are?”
I answered with a smile.
“Adel Bliss, Professor Quinoron.”
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