“Hailga, did something bad happen during the break? You look drained.”
Vigdis seemed to have decided to simply ignore the nonsense coming from Reysir and Liolikin.
Even though they hadn’t seen each other in a while, she didn’t show any hint of being glad to see her friend, instead questioning Hailga’s listless attitude as she sat there silently.
“Nothing happened during the break. It’s just… I’ve learned a few facts recently that have given me a lot to think about.”
“What facts?”
“Well… Sighhh…”
Before answering Vigdis’s question, Hailga let out a heavy sigh that carried a deep sense of irritation.
She then summarized the conversation Reysir had shared with the freshman named Pret.
“I don’t understand how my father could know such a critical fact and not say a single word about it. Even if he was ordered to keep it a secret, couldn’t he have given me a little hint, since I’m his family? Just so I could be mentally prepared? Did he think I was going to go around blabbing and make things difficult for him?”
She poured out her frustrations toward Dyuf.
It was a topic that a third party would find difficult to chime in on.
If one agreed with Hailga and said the other party was wrong, it would look like they were criticizing a friend’s father.
If one defended the father and took his side, it would be no different from ignoring how Hailga was currently feeling.
Vigdis was deeply flustered and didn’t know what to do.
Then, perhaps feeling that she had to do something, she silently patted Hailga on the back, offering clumsy comfort.
“But… why did the Academy try to keep this a secret? Don’t the freshmen already have an idea of what’s going on anyway?”
Liolikin asked a question that only made Hailga’s sigh deeper.
Whether he was trying to change the subject or simply letting his curiosity get the better of him was unclear.
“Wheeeew… Why else? It’s because they don’t know how many students awakened on the day of the graduation ceremony, or who they are. They were probably afraid that if the students heard about the establishment of the Special Class for the Awakened, they might hide the fact that they awakened and drop out. And that means…”
“Means…?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Hailga tried to end the conversation with unnatural abruptness.
She was keeping her voice as low as possible so others couldn’t hear, but she must have decided it was best to hold her tongue just in case.
The fact that the Imperial Family was operating a Special Class for the Awakened at the Academy with the intention of training experts to clear the Demonic Realm wasn’t a problem in itself.
It could be seen as a way of nurturing talent.
Plus, it had the pretext of serving the greater good.
‘But the problem is that they took away their choice by doing this behind the current students’ backs!’
They had arbitrarily decided their futures after graduation.
Someone might have a dream they absolutely want to achieve.
Even if they don’t have a dream, some might just want to pursue a normal, peaceful life.
‘If you suddenly force them to risk their lives and fight monsters, it’s only natural for them to feel repulsed.’
To pick the worst part, it was how they were trying so hard to package it as something honorable by providing visible perks.
They wanted others to look at those in the Awakened class and feel, ‘If they’re receiving those kinds of perks, then they should obviously be doing that kind of work!’
Hailga was a smart character, so she must have realized this already.
By swallowing those words instead of speaking them aloud, she proved that she wasn’t just clever, but also possessed a keen sense of propriety.
However…
“Pardon…? It doesn’t seem like nothing to me…?”
“If you’re so curious, ask Young Master Karbaldr later, not now.”
‘Why is she passing this off to me?’
“Don’t ask me either.”
“What the…”
“What’s with that reaction? Didn’t I tell you before? Don’t just mindlessly look to me for answers. Use your own brain to figure it out.”
“But… Sister Vigdis also looks curious…”
It seemed Liolikin thought that if he brought Vigdis, my body’s fiancée, into it, I would explain it kindly.
There couldn’t be a bigger miscalculation.
“Then the two of you can put your heads together and think about it.”
“Hmph… Understood.”
As this conversation continued, the interior of the auditorium eventually filled with students.
However, the chairs on the black carpet remained empty.
‘It really seems like the number of Awakened is quite small.’
Then again, it had only been about two months since the Demonic Realm phenomena began occurring in earnest.
If the pool was limited to those of Academy age, the number would naturally be even smaller.
Just as I thought that…
A student with a very distinctive appearance — someone with twin braids and glasses so large they covered nearly half her face — stepped onto the black carpet while clutching a large, heavy-looking book to her chest.
She had a look of utter confusion on her face, as if she had no idea why she had been sent here.
‘Since she’s here, she must be an Awakened. But the fact that she’s carrying a clearly heavy book instead of putting it in her Inventory…’
The answer came without even having to think deeply.
She was clearly hiding the fact that she was an Awakened because she was afraid of being forced to enter the Demonic Realm and fight boss monsters.
The seats prepared for the Awakened were already conspicuous enough, and the number of people sitting there was small.
Did she think she would stand out even more if she sat far away by herself?
After hesitating for a moment, the newcomer sat in a chair left vacant between us and the freshmen.
‘No, it’s not time to be describing things like this!’
I suppressed a sigh and tried to calm my swirling thoughts by hugging Yor close.
The reason I was reacting like this was because the person who had just appeared was someone I knew.
I had never had a personal conversation or built any rapport with her — I didn’t even know her name — but I had run into her quite often in the parts of daily life I hadn’t described.
She was always hunkered down in the library as if she were an NPC.
Every time I went there, I couldn’t help but run into her.
She wasn’t a stranger to the readers, either.
She was the library club member who had kicked Reysir and me out of the library in chapter 6.
‘Was she not just a regular extra? Could she be a character from the original work??’
At the very least, no studious girl character like this existed among the characters in the original work.
That was why I hadn’t paid her any mind until now, but thinking that she might be a character from the original work, there was one possibility.
There had been one character with the same hair color and the same setting of being short.
‘Though her image is completely different…’
I wasn’t sure yet if they were the same person.
Given my character’s personality, I couldn’t exactly go and ask what her name was right now.
Besides, the character I was thinking of wasn’t even a villain.
For now, I’ll stop the description of this library club member here.
Tap, tap.
The lights that had been brightly illuminating the entire auditorium went out all at once, and a new light turned on to illuminate the podium.
The orientation had begun.
First, the Principal came out, stated his credentials, and then explained the history and vision of the Academy.
This was followed by an introduction of the faculty.
The freshman representative and the student representative came out to give speeches about greeting seniors and welcoming juniors.
Various other people also stepped onto the podium to say this or that before stepping down.
After quite some time had passed, the Head of Academic Affairs began explaining the academic schedule.
Even then, there wasn’t a single mention of the Special Class for the Awakened.
Behind the podium, Dyuf, who had gone behind the screen, had yet to show himself.
The same went for Skadi, who had been excited about finally being able to attend official events.
‘They’re planning to wrap up the orientation with the news about the Special Class for the Awakened, aren’t they?’
I naturally arrived at this conclusion, and it turned out to be correct.
However, there was one thing I hadn’t predicted.
“Greetings, fellow students. Some of you already know who I am, but there are likely many who do not. So, before I begin the story I have prepared, I will first introduce myself.”
The person who spoke those lines was wearing a school uniform.
Her tie was green, signifying a fourth-year student.
“I am the First Imperial Princess of the Midtrad Imperial Family, Fjodra Verd Midtrad.”
She was currently 25 years old.
If she had attended the Academy since the minimum enrollment age of 17, she would have graduated long ago or be in a master’s or doctoral program.
That was why I hadn’t expected it at all.
‘To think even Fjodra would end up attending the Academy… and as a fellow student, no less…’
Whether I felt stunned or not, Fjodra’s speech continued.
She revealed that she had officially passed the fourth-year transfer exam to enter the Academy.
She said she was very happy and excited to think that she would be out in the wide world, bumping into various people, and building numerous experiences and memories.
She added that she had always had to study alone or with her siblings, but she had actually long yearned for life at the Academy.
‘Judging by her personality from the original work… half of it is likely sincere, while the other half is probably fabricated to gain a sense of intimacy!’
After finishing that rather long introduction…
“If I, a member of the Imperial Family, said I started attending the Academy at this age for only those reasons, everyone would have questions. It is a very valid question. In fact, there is another reason why I have come to the Academy.”
The words that could be considered the main point finally flowed from Fjodra’s mouth.
“There is likely not a single student here who is not interested in the ‘Demonic Realm.’ Not only is the entire world abuzz with the issue these days, but the current students here must have personally experienced the phenomenon on graduation day last year. I, too, have experienced it and know. The fear of that moment when the sky and earth change, space distorts, and monsters never seen or heard of before come leaping out.”
Based on the familiarity she had built through her introduction, she first empathized.
“Still, I and the current students here were lucky. There happened to be an Awakened among those caught in the Demonic Realm phenomenon, and that person had the ability and the will to fight. Ah, in my case, that person was myself. In any case, is it not a very fortunate thing?”
She lightened the atmosphere slightly with a joking tone.
“However… not all Demonic Realm phenomena are resolved so quickly and without great damage. On the contrary, the vast majority of Demonic Realms are producing numerous victims. Most lamentably…”
She suddenly brought the mood crashing down.
“It is because there is no Awakened, or because those trapped in the monster-infested Demonic Realm are not only unable to escape, but are also not permitted to fight back against the monsters possessing Mana Cores. If you had known this fact beforehand, you would have felt even greater fear and anxiety when you were caught in the Demonic Realm. Is it not so?”
At the Princess’s remark, which invited agreement, the ‘non-Awakened’ students nodded with serious expressions.
“Thus, so that those trapped in the Demonic Realm can have hope — so that they can believe a helping hand will come instead of helplessly waiting for death, and so that they can actually be rescued — the Imperial Family has decided to gather those who have awakened and provide them with unstinting support. This is with the hope that they will grow into strong warriors and take their place as the hope of everyone.”
Following these words, the flow led to the students feeling relieved and praising the Imperial Family’s decision.
Thud.
The sound of something heavy falling came from behind.
I suspected the library club member had dropped the book she had brought.
She must have realized it just now.
The fact that those sitting on this black carpet were none other than the ‘sacrifices’ bearing the name of ‘hope.’