Students at Iris Academy belonged to one of three departments according to the ability they primarily used: those who used Martial Power joined the Martial Arts Department, those who used Mana joined the Magic Department, and those who used Divine Power joined the Divine Department.
In the game, players were free to choose any department except the Divine Department. Now that I was a direct descendant of the Ducal House of Astraea, however, I had no choice but to enter the Magic Department.
Students were also unofficially divided into combat, research, and crafting tracks according to their specialization, but they could freely attend any class regardless of their department, so belonging to the Magic Department did not restrict me.
Granted, students rarely went out of their way to take classes from other departments or specializations because earning good grades outside their area of expertise was difficult...... But I planned to attend Martial Arts Department classes alongside my Magic Department classes.
That was because taking classes together was the easiest way to quickly build a connection with a character.
I already knew by heart the class schedules of every important supporting character, including all the main characters. All I needed to do was successfully register for their classes.
Thus, my first class would be Joint Tactics, a mandatory interdepartmental course for first-years.
Despite its grandiose name, it was a surprisingly simple course. The students formed teams, fought other teams each session, and learned how to work together in combat.
I arrived at the classroom a little before the class began, but many students had already gathered there.
Among them were the protagonist and all the main characters who would become entangled with him in one way or another over the next three years.
The protagonist, Drener.
The heroine chatting with him at his side, Sonia Serium.
Ceres Laplace, an eccentric girl who was surrounded by students yet stared blankly out the window.
Meloer Kroite, an oddball who mingled and chatted with the other students but never let go of the alchemy book in one hand.
Ridipin Lightegers, a timid girl huddled in a corner.
Each of them had their own personal circumstances and one exceptional talent.
Reina had not arrived yet, so I decided to sit near Drener and use the opportunity to placate him.
But the instant I took a few steps toward him, Drener glared at me as though he could kill me with his eyes, so I quickly turned around.
Apparently, my earlier teasing had wounded him quite deeply.
I took a suitable seat elsewhere, and the students around me silently shifted one seat farther away at the exact same moment.
Life as a scoundrel....... It's more painful than I expected.......
Unlike during the entrance ceremony, however, I had something to do now, so I was not bored.
【Tutorial complete.】
【Bond System unlocked.】
I had worried that it might not appear because I had possessed Van rather than Drener, but the system window appeared before me as soon as the entrance ceremony ended.
The Bond System displayed the strength of the bond between me and each character, and my Bond Level determined which events involving that character I would experience.
Bond Levels rarely decreased because the system treated both a Positive Bond (good ties) and a Negative Bond as connections. Of course, a bond that had soured once was not easily repaired.
First, I checked which characters I had already formed bonds with.
【Bond Levels】
【Albert Alham – 100%】
【??? - 25%】
【??? - 20%】
【Reina Serenia – 11%】
【Drener Azerum – 7%】
【Seren Astraea – 5%】
【??? - .......
What the hell? Why are there so many?
In the original game, Bond Levels only appeared for important characters. Now, though, Bond Levels appeared for many characters, including Albert, an extra, and Reina.
I knew the names of nearly every extra, so judging by how many names were displayed as question marks, a name must only appear once the system recognized that I had met the person.
But Seren had a brother complex and was my own sister. How could her Bond Level be a mere 5%? Something was strange.
Maybe the game had set it low for balance purposes because so many of Seren's events showered the player with good items.
Still, now that I had possessed Van, raising Seren's Bond Level should happen in no time.
More importantly, I had no idea whose Bond Levels were at 25% and 20%.
Both were at 20% or higher, which meant I had already met the requirement to view the first character event. Yet their names had not appeared, perhaps because I had never met them face-to-face.
Most cases like that involved Negative Bond events, but not knowing who they were was frustrating.
For that matter, why was Albert's Bond Level maxed out when Reina's was only at 11% after training with me for an entire week? Was it because the bond with Albert had formed before I possessed Van? Then why was Seren's Bond Level so low?
......I had absolutely no idea.
As I sat there agonizing without even the faintest clue, someone took the seat beside me.
"What are you doing, sitting here all by yourself?"
It was Reina, my favorite character.
I answered her question with an aggrieved lament.
"No one wants to play with a scoundrel, so I was sitting here alone and moping."
"So what? You still have someone like me. Don't be so depressed."
Reina comforted me with a pat on the shoulder. You're the only one I can count on......!
Her consolation was nice, but I still had one concern.
"But are you sure you'll be okay? You won't make any friends if you hang around a scoundrel."
Reina averted her gaze with a self-deprecating smile.
"The Empire's Greatest Scoundrel and a former noble whose house fell after being charged with treason are not all that different......."
"What? You're still the top student."
In the game, becoming the top student improved how people treated and regarded you. Shouldn't that be true for Reina too?
Even if she came from a house that had fallen for treason, she was the only one who had been found innocent and above reproach.
I did not like it.
But Reina smiled as though she was fine, swallowing her bitterness.
"I'm only the top student in name. You might not care about such things, but at Iris Academy, a title doesn't mean much. What matters is who holds it."
I wanted to argue, but Reina was right.
If an ordinary student had taken first place, they would have attracted envy and attention. The problem was that Reina's house had fallen for "treason."
Even though the Imperial Ministry of Justice had acknowledged her innocence, people called her "the Survivor of House Serenia," tying her to her family.
In fact, if she had not become the top student and drawn people's attention, she might have faced less prejudice from those around her.
Not every student paid attention to the tides of society, and commoners from remote regions would know even less about her.
Nevertheless, I had made her the top student because the professors would pay attention.
Some professors would be prejudiced, but the truly powerful ones among them would not care much about her house. They might even hold her in higher regard because it had been a prestigious swordsmanship house of the previous generation.
If those professors noticed Reina's talent and took an interest in her, there was a chance we could receive their help during the attack later on.
But Reina knew nothing of that, so I wanted to say something—anything—to comfort her. Before I could, she suddenly burst out laughing.
"You don't have to go out of your way to comfort me."
It seemed every thought had shown on my face.
She gave me a playful smile, as if she truly felt better.
"Why should other people's opinions matter? What matters is how I choose to view my situation. Right?"
True. Reina was not the kind of person who would crumble under the weight of other people's opinions.
Still, her words reminded me of a particular line.
"Right. You don't need to measure yourself by other people's opinions. You just need to show them—that you're not merely a fallen noble, but Reina Serenia."
Reina looked slightly surprised, then replied with a gentle smile.
"That's amazing. I was thinking the same thing."
Of course. I just recited a line you'll say someday.
"And until then, we outsiders can stick together."
"That works for me."
As Reina and I chatted, the classroom door opened and the professor entered.
The noisy classroom fell silent in an instant, as though it had frozen over. The professor's shoes clicked through the silence as he walked.
As he slowly took his place before the lectern, the students whispered among themselves.
"That is the man behind the legendary feat of holding off ten thousand enemy soldiers by himself during the East-West War......!"
"One of Trial's pillars, the Martial Emperor, who is said to have mastered every weapon! The spear was his finest, earning him the epithet 'Blue Spear' during the East-West War twenty years ago!"
More information spilled out in rapid succession, but the professor ignored it and wrote his name on the blackboard.
"Greetings, first-years. I am Hazen Rauzer, and I will teach you Joint Tactics for the next six months."
The applause and gazes that followed were filled with respect and admiration.
Professor Hazen calmly accepted them as if they were nothing and began surveying the students one by one.
Then our eyes met. The corners of his mouth suddenly rose as he spoke.
"Van Astraea. We meet again so soon."
"Good to see you......?"
Professor Hazen was the man who had watched me alongside Seren during the Entrance Examination.
He had clearly been wary of me during the examination, but now he seemed quite pleased to see me.
No, setting that aside, why is he acting as though we know each other......?
The students were just as bewildered by Professor Hazen's unexpected behavior.
"How does that scoundrel know the professor?"
"Maybe they've met because he's the nephew of the headmaster, a fellow member of Trial."
"Come on, isn't that too roundabout? Rather than that, maybe......."
Countless theories poured out, leaving the classroom somewhat unsettled, but none of them made me think, "That's it!"
Professor Hazen studied me for a while before looking away, but the students' gazes remained fixed on me.
They seemed to be asking what was going on.
Reina, who sat beside me, must have been curious too, because she tapped me on the shoulder and asked,
"What did you do?"
"I don't know either."
"You didn't use water magic during the Entrance Examination, did you?"
"Do you really think I would've done that?"
"But if it wasn't something like that, the professor has no reason to take an interest in someone who came last in the Entrance Examination."
Isn't that a little harsh? It is true, though.......
Hazen showed great interest in talented people and found them entertaining, but I have no idea why he's interested in me.
I felt like asking him directly that very instant.
"Exactly. I wish he'd tell me why he's interested too."
Once Professor Hazen had finished surveying all the students, he tapped the teacher's desk a few times with his finger, and a faint wave filled the classroom.
The oppressive pressure that instantly bore down on us silenced the chattering students as though they had never made a sound.
Once again, it drove home just how strong he was.
Even after the classroom fell silent, Professor Hazen let the tension linger for a moment before speaking.
"Joint Tactics is a course on the methods three-person teams use to engage enemies in short battles. Therefore, your task for the first class is to form your teams."
Professor Hazen took out a pocket watch and checked the time.
"The current time is 10:03. Form teams of three and report them to me by 10:50. Unless unforeseen circumstances arise, the teams you form now cannot be changed, so choose carefully. Once the teams have been formed, we will conduct a practical combat exercise against Magical Beasts, so prepare a battle plan in advance. Finally, are there any questions?"
Everyone was busy wondering how to form their teams and watching one another, so no one asked a question.
"Then begin forming your teams now."
***
The moment Professor Hazen finished speaking, students began moving in every direction, and the classroom became chaotic again.
The students who had formed teams beforehand immediately went to Professor Hazen for confirmation, while others raced around as if they would die if they did not form a team quickly.
Unlike them, however, I remained in my seat and watched to see which teams took shape.
Now that I had possessed Van, there was no point in walking around when everyone would only reject me.
Receiving a high score would merely arouse suspicion, and when the time came to stop the assassin trying to kill Reina, I would have to act alone anyway. It did not particularly matter who my teammates were.
As I sat still, Reina asked me anxiously, "Shouldn't we hurry and find a teammate too? If we keep this up, all the good ones will be taken!"
"We......?"
"What? Weren't we obviously going to be on the same team?"
"No, hadn't you already agreed to form a team with some other students?"
Reina frowned as though she could not understand what I was saying.
"Obviously not. You can see I'm the only person sitting beside you right now. Or are you making fun of me?"
I stared blankly at Reina for a moment before I finally understood.
In the game, even if the player built a friendship with Reina, she made friends of her own, so it was impossible to join the same team as her at this point.
But now, Reina had drawn attention by becoming the top student, and she had me beside her, infamous as a scoundrel. That had made it difficult for her to make friends. Besides, she had been teaching me swordsmanship, so she must have had even less time to meet new people.
It seemed that was why I could now join the same team as Reina.
This was an incredible opportunity. If I played it right, I could deal with the coming attack under better conditions than I had in the game, and I could earn a good grade in Joint Tactics without arousing suspicion.
Just as I finished making my plans, Reina repeatedly poked me in the side.
"Why are you taking so long to answer? Are you really making fun of me?"
Come to think of it, I had not answered Reina's question.
"Of course not. I was just a little surprised because I thought someone like you would've formed a team with people other than me."
"All right, then. But what are we going to do about our third teammate?"
"Just relax. With me here, rejection is practically guaranteed anyway."
"But still......."
Reina's concern was understandable.
Even if no one joined us, Professor Hazen would use his discretion to complete our team at the end. The teammate assigned to us that way would be the worst of the worst, someone everyone else had rejected.
But I lightly patted her shoulder and reassured her.
"Don't worry. The world is vast, and there are plenty of outsiders like us."
When Reina looked unconvinced, I stood and gestured for her to follow me.
The classroom was still chaotic. Students left teams, were expelled from them, or were recruited into them according to everyone's competing interests, making it difficult for the teams to settle into place.
Amid all that, however, one female student sat perfectly still with her head bowed low.
The girl with the dark green bob was already petite, and her round glasses made her look even more delicate.
She stared at her desk, too withdrawn to notice me even when I came right up to her.
I lightly tapped the desk in front of her and greeted her.
"Hi?"
The girl raised her head and stared blankly at me. After rubbing her eyes once, she suddenly screamed.
"A-Aaaaah! V-Van Astraea......!"
Startled, she tried to pull away, tipping her chair in the process. She flailed in an attempt to regain her balance but ultimately toppled backward.
It was the most dramatic overreaction of anyone I had met so far, but that did not matter.
Her name was Ridipin Lightegers.
She was a direct descendant of House Lightegers, a prestigious swordsmanship house that had produced the current Knight Commander, and she was the best teammate I could choose right now.