Leaving behind the uncomfortable encounter,
I merged into the large crowd and made my way to the auditorium for the entrance ceremony.
I was anxious that I might run into someone I knew nearby, but fortunately, with the sheer number of new students, the crowded auditorium kept me from crossing paths with them.
…So it’s finally the entrance ceremony.
Though today’s schedule had only just begun, I was already exhausted.
It wasn’t just due to lack of sleep; the two encounters I had before arriving here played a big part as well.
I ran a hand over my face, trying to pull myself together.
[ …Ahh. Well then, let us begin the entrance ceremony— ]
With those words coming from the front,
The long-awaited entrance ceremony of the academy officially began.
.
.
.
…Or at least, that’s how I wanted to put it. But the academy’s entrance ceremony was always boring.
Even at the most prestigious academy on the continent, that sentiment was unavoidable.
Of course, this was my first time at an academy, my first time attending an entrance ceremony. But as an adventurer, I had often heard stories from adventurers who had graduated from Ella Academy.
Wow, time is seriously dragging.
In the game, it might have been tolerable the first time, but after going through this introduction countless times, I had ended up just spamming the skip button.
I already knew what to expect, but listening to this hollow formal ceremony in real time made me yawn instinctively.
Especially the vice headmistress’s speech up front. It showed no signs of ending and droned on like a lullaby.
If it were the headmistress I had met yesterday, she would have dismissed it in a single sentence out of sheer laziness. Yet she wasn’t even present at the ceremony.
“…Yaawn.”
They say humans are creatures of adaptation.
At the very least, boredom didn’t seem to be included in that sentiment.
[—That concludes the speech.]
At last, what had felt like an eternity came to an end with the vice headmistress’s turn finally over.
– Waaah—! Clap, clap, clap!!
The thunderous applause filling the auditorium snapped me out of my thoughts.
Judging by the students’ enthusiastic reactions, one might think they had just heard some kind of grand speech.
– F-Finally, it’s over?!
– I swear, the entrance ceremony is harder to endure than the entrance exam…
– Hooray!!
– …Kuuuh—
Hmm. It seemed the applause was more of a release of pent-up frustration than genuine admiration.
One student had even fallen asleep while standing.
As the murmur of voices gradually returned, I glanced around before turning my attention to the very person who had just delivered that excruciatingly dull speech.
This is my first time seeing a witch in person.
A race born with a cursed body mentioned only occasionally in ancient texts. Her uniquely pale, porcelain-like skin made her more than worthy of being called a beauty.
Of course, that initial charm had long since worn off, eroded by the sheer length of her speech, but at the beginning, everyone had been making a fuss over her looks.
…Though, if they knew her real age, they’d probably keel over in shock.
Watching the vice headmistress as she delivered her closing remarks, I sank into thought.
By the usual order of events, the headmistress should have been the one leading the ceremony. However, the person I met yesterday never bothered to appear on formal occasions.
And so, the vice headmistress had taken the stage in her place.
In reality, she was essentially acting as the headmistress of Ella Academy.
The misconception was so widespread across the continent that many believed she was the official headmistress. Even the students here likely assumed the same.
In the first place, the academy’s nickname of “The Dragon’s Nest” was just that…. a nickname for the citizens of the Empire.
After all, no one actually believed that dragons still existed in this world.
A long, long time ago, even before the Empire was founded…
A certain event had led to the complete extinction of dragons who were once revered as the most noble beings in existence.
…Wait a second. Now that I think about it, isn’t that strange?
The only ones in the Empire who knew the headmistress’s true identity as a dragon were, at most, the imperial family.
From the moment I brought up the topic of special admission, she must have realized that I knew who she really was.
To her, I must have seemed like nothing more than just another ordinary brat. Yet somehow, I had uncovered the existence of dragons.
– Special admission? I’m surprised you even know about that.
Even so, after that brief question, she hadn’t shown the slightest trace of suspicion.
She was so secretive about her identity that she had even warned the imperial family never to reveal the truth to anyone.
So why had she left me alone? That was a completely separate issue from the emperor’s request.
I’ll ask her about it later.
For now, it was a question without an answer, so I pushed it out of my mind.
At any rate, in place of the headmistress, a member of such an extraordinary race…
It was the vice headmistress who handled most of the administrative duties that the headmistress should have been responsible for.
Of course, that didn’t mean the headmistress was simply dumping all her responsibilities on someone else.
If anything, it was the opposite.
I had already seen it firsthand yesterday. The headmistress might find things bothersome, but she was by no means a lazy person.
In the first place, the vice headmistress had taken on those duties voluntarily. The headmistress was simply too busy.
The academy’s security was at its weakest during the influx of new students.
And so, one of the more tedious tasks she had to deal with was eliminating those who tried to infiltrate the academy with ill intent.
This had been made clear in the game as well. Ella Academy had a lot of enemies.
Despite being an independent institution unaffiliated with any particular faction, its influence on the Empire was far from insignificant.
In other words, incidents occurred frequently.
Whether it was threats to the safety of new students or spies sneaking onto campus, such issues were common.
And right now, the headmistress was probably out there, working hard to deal with those very problems.
She existed to protect everything within Ella Academy.
[And now, we will have a speech from the student council president to encourage our new students.]
Upon hearing those words, I spotted someone stepping onto the stage.
The sight of that pure snow-white hair made my heart drop. Just as it had earlier when I faced Seria.
[Ah, ah? Ahem! Hello, new students! I’m Aria, a second-year student, and though it’s more than I deserve, I am the student council president!]
Her bright and cheerful introduction filled the auditorium.
It was a voice that warmed the heart just by listening to it.
[I sincerely congratulate all of you on your admission—
.
.
.
—that is all! I hope you all have a wonderful time at the academy!]
Her speech ended sooner than I had expected.
– Waaah—!!
Once again, cheers erupted from the crowd.
Of course, it wasn’t just because she had kept her speech short.
Who wouldn’t be happy to have a beautiful girl with dazzling white hair smiling radiantly as she welcomed them?
The vice headmistress was undoubtedly stunning as well, but her speech had dragged on for over thirty minutes.
Besides, Aria had already been immensely popular even before entering the academy.
The Sun Saintess, Aria.
As the chosen representative of the Sun Goddess Iris, she was nothing short of a shining beacon of light.
…She hasn’t changed a bit.
A feeling far from pleasant tugged at me as I took in her presence.
And I waited with anticipation. If things played out as they did in the game, I would soon see the other two as well.
[Lastly, we will now proceed with the freshman pledge.]
[Top of the entrance exams, Ren Aizel. And second place, Ron Aizel. Please come forward.]
Onstage, where Aria stood, two familiar figures appeared.
A short-haired young man and a long-haired young woman, both with ash-gray hair.
They were the first people I met in this world with this body. Both a fateful encounter and a bitter one.
Joy? Longing? Guilt?
As I looked at them again after so long, I felt an emotion too complex to put into words.
One thing was certain; they did not harbor any fond feelings toward me.
…If Ren really recognized me, she’d probably kill me on the spot.
Ren Aizel.
The first character I had ever played in the game.
Among the ten playable characters, she was the one I had invested the most time in.
A peerless genius chosen by the power of the Hero.
Despite not even reaching adulthood, she had amassed countless honors and achievements as an adventurer.
Like the legendary heroes spoken of in history, she was carving an extraordinary path. One that set her apart from all others.
Just as in the game, she remained an unstoppable force, never once losing her place at the top.
And beside her, what about Ron Aizel?
A prodigy with an unmatched talent for magic. Not just in this century, but across the entire history of magic itself.
A mage with the potential to reach the fabled Tenth Circle, a level even Elmasiel had never attained.
He too was always ranked second.
The twin siblings were equals. Neither one ever fell behind.
Even now, just looking at the way those around them reacted, it was clear they were figures of admiration and envy.
People firmly believed that once they graduated from the academy, their names would be etched into history forever.
…But they all died.
And it wasn’t just the two of them.
Ten playable characters. And beyond them, countless others intertwined with their fates.
Over the four years they spent at the academy, every single one of them without exception met their death.
That was always how it went in the game.
A story where the Heroes defeat the Demon King and bring peace? That kind of fairy tale existed only in bedtime stories.
This game was nothing more than a spectacle of misery where you watch characters struggle in vain to escape their inevitable deaths. A tragedy playing out behind a screen.
And in the five years I spent playing, I had never managed to save a single one of them.
Not even when the final moments of my own terminally ill life crept closer and closer.
But it hadn’t mattered. Back then, it was just a game.
…Not anymore.
Now, everything was painfully real.
A reality with no second chances, no retries. I had just one single coin to spend.
In a world where death was inevitable, and the collapse of everything was already set in motion…
I was determined to save them.
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