Elysium Academy is the foremost academy on the continent. On top of that, an oracle had come down that a hero would emerge from this year's incoming students.
In this world, an oracle is absolute. Naturally, the continent's talents flocked to the academy, and the students' level rose abnormally as a result — or so the setting went.
But the freshmen I actually saw were dismal. Bad enough to deserve being called trash.
No — in truth, it wasn't that they were weak.
'I'd simply gotten too strong.'
It was the result of my having set every stat to S. Because of it, the tutorial alone ran twelve years, and a situation like this came about.
I wasn't happy in the least. No — quite the opposite. Because I knew the level of the enemies still to come. S is a high stat, but not the highest grade. To face the Outer Gods and calamities of the latter half, you needed S+ — talent beyond the standard.
Knowing that, there was one reason I'd still spread my stats evenly.
'Because there was no need.'
Like Andy, the youngest Archmage, there exist chosen genius characters for each stat. With my stats spread evenly, the efficient method was to carry the story into its latter half while raising the geniuses of each stat. I'd actually cleared the game this way, too.
But what I'd been possessed into was Hard Mode, which even I was doing for the first time.
"I'll have to work them hard."
"Work who—. Who?"
Milo, startled in advance, asked sourly. I pointed at the freshmen.
"The freshmen."
"You do know we're guards, right?"
Milo said hurriedly. He seemed afraid I'd make another bizarre request.
As Milo said, I was a guard. Not in a position to work students. Still, there was one method.
'At Elysium Academy, if a professor refuses a teaching assistant, a guard is placed as a TA substitute.'
It was why I'd saved Leon on the train. The problem was that Leon was a newly appointed professor this time. To get the people I wanted to take Leon's class, I needed to spread a rumor about Leon. The problem was how to spread it—
Just then, that method appeared in the distance.
"We're late because of you! How do you spend all day picking out bread?!"
"Is the academy important? Bread is important!"
"Argh—"
It was Andy and Evangeline, bickering. The two were at the end of the line. By order, they'd board the carriage ahead of ours.
"Milo, let's switch order with the carriage ahead."
"Hm? We board them in turn — switch the order?"
"And?"
"No, you've got to keep the order—"
"And?"
"Motherf—."
Milo crumpled his face and headed for the carriage ahead. He shoved a fist at the guy running it — roughly challenging him to a fight, it seemed. Soon Milo waved me over.
"Switched."
"Well done."
I moved to the front carriage with satisfaction.
"No, why even bother switching carriages? They're the same carriage anyway."
Milo asked, dumbfounded. Instead of answering, I turned my gaze.
Evangeline and Andy were still squabbling noisily. Behind them stood a prickly-looking man — a fellow with a nose bridge sharp enough to cut, plastered head to toe in expensive magic tools that didn't suit a student.
"To think I have to ride such a shabby carriage—. Tsk."
It was Killian, heir of the Mage Tower Guild.
Yeonjol is an academy story in the romfan genre. True to romance fantasy, it had male leads. The problem was that the male leads were, to a man, not right in the head. The bigger problem was that Evangeline was even less right. The synergy of the two was truly lethal.
The ending of the route that pairs with Killian was Killian using Evangeline as an energy source for his mage tower. Killian is a dud. No — not just Killian. Evangeline was the type to give everything away once she fell in love. Studying naturally took a back seat. Romance was fatal to Evangeline's graduation.
It was why I'd gone to the trouble of switching the carriage order. Because this is where Killian and Evangeline first meet.
'Evangeline, who misses her step boarding the carriage, falls into the arms of Killian behind her.'
Her glasses come off, Killian falls for Evangeline — a development so cliché you couldn't wring another drop of broth from it.
"The step's high, so board carefully."
Just then, Milo warned the students.
'Surprisingly kind to students.'
Heeding Milo's advice, the students boarded carefully. Last of all, Evangeline got on.
High a step as it was, it was only slightly higher than other carriages, and Milo had even given a warning. There wasn't a fingernail's worth of reason to fall.
But the one in question was Evangeline.
Evangeline leapt toward the carriage. Why, I don't know. Like a grade-schooler at a crosswalk, she sprang up onto it with both feet. Naturally she lost her balance and pitched backward.
'Unbelievable.'
I clicked my tongue and moved my baton. The baton braced Evangeline's back.
"Ah, thank—"
"Don't jump when boarding a carriage."
"But the step's just so perfect for jumping......"
I didn't listen further and shut the carriage door. Killian looked up at me.
"Take the next carriage."
Killian merely gave a curt nod. A truly graceless bastard.
Soon the carriage slowly set off.
'Got past the first crisis.'
I pocketed the baton, relieved.
"Elysium Academy's even cooler than the rumors. Really the best."
"Right? I can't even close my mouth, I'm so amazed."
Through the driver's-box window, I heard the freshmen's chatter. Light ice-breaking between people who'd just met.
The problem was that Evangeline was in the mix.
"Elysium Academy's main gate was made by the early headmaster, Alec, who personally commissioned it from the dwarves. Just to build that one gate took three carriages' worth of gold coins."
Chin raised, Evangeline prattled out information no one had asked for, ever so haughtily.
Luckily someone was easygoing enough; one of them laughed and played along.
"How do you know that kind of thing? Impressive."
It was a perfunctory compliment, but sadly the recipient was Evangeline.
"I read a book on the history of Elysium Academy. It's basic. Don't tell me you haven't?"
"Haha, I see. Really impres—"
"You don't even have the basics. Tsk. The gate we just saw is like a chronicle of Elysium Academy's history. The early headmaster built it, but back then it was merely flashy and grand. The one who gave it meaning, like the gate now, was Headmaster Bedrian — an Archmage, and the founder of the very concept of the mage tower. Headmaster Bedrian—"
The freshmen's faces rotted in real time, but Evangeline didn't care in the slightest.
"The fun part here is that Headmaster Bedrian actually wasn't all that interested in the gate. It was merely a means to wring a subsidy out of the Empire."
Naturally, no one replied.
Just then, Andy, catching my gaze, squeezed his eyes shut and said,
"Wow, so cool. How do you know all that?"
"Basic. The more interesting bit's next. The subsidy came through, but Headmaster Bedrian, unsatisfied—"
The already chilly mood in the carriage rotted catastrophically. Evangeline, by contrast, grew only more excited—
One of the freshmen hurriedly knocked on the window.
"We'll get off and walk."
Though a fair distance remained, the freshmen got off the carriage no matter what.
In the end, only Evangeline and Andy were left.
"Do they need to take a dump?"
"......Beats me."
At Evangeline's question, Andy answered in a resigned voice.
'To witness this in person.'
Everyone but Evangeline gets fed up and exits the carriage. Just as in the game's story. And here is where he appears.
"Oh, might this be the carriage to the dorms? Haha, I'd lost my way — what luck!"
At the pleasant low voice, I looked up to find an orange-haired handsome man. A textbook likeable handsome man with a natural smile. But look closely into his curved eyes and you'd faintly sense a chill light somewhere.
Another male-lead candidate, Raven.
'Raven.'
Raven is an assassin of the Full Moon, one of the Empire's Ten Enemies. A superb assassin who later becomes the Assassin King. Raven is deeply sinister, meticulous, and tenacious. In romfan terms, the so-called schemer-male position.
Raven's ending has Evangeline pull out her own heart and give it to Raven. Smiling, no less.
Raven was a snake of a man. Let him on the carriage, and he'd worm his way into any gap.
"No room."
I refused Raven flatly.
"Oh, really? Didn't some just get off?"
Raven asked with his signature affable smile.
"I heard the Security Corps is obligated to board a student who requests it."
Raven brought up Corps rules. He seemed to have prepared a lot. Of course, it didn't matter.
"Don't know about that. I'm new."
"......What?"
"I'm new, so I don't know."
When I indifferently dug at my ear to boot, the corner of Raven's mouth trembled. But he kept his smile.
"If you don't know, why not ask the one beside you? He looks like a senior."
Raven pointed at Milo. At that, I looked at Milo too. Milo—
"Get lost."
He spat the curse as if he'd been waiting. Raven's barely-held smile broke.
"Boarding a student is the Security Corps' duty—"
"Get lost, you fight-pickin' bastard."
Milo poured out coarse curses. Faced with a primal refusal devoid of logic, even Raven had to back off.
"I'll be reporting this to the Security Corps."
"Yeah, yeah, Milo of the 42nd Squad. Be sure to write it down."
Grinding his teeth, Raven vanished.
I gave Milo a fresh look. He'd been kind to students before — had he sensed something off about Raven?
Milo spat again at the back of Raven's receding head.
"A pretty-boy bastard, daring to ride my carriage. Motherf—."
Hm. Just a reject after all.
Thanks to Milo I'd driven Raven off, but Raven was a sinister assassin. He wouldn't give up easily. Still, there was a way to deal with him. And it was surprisingly simple.
"That guy just now, Raven. This is a secret, but—"
I trailed off, side-eyeing the carriage window.
"Word is he's a notorious womanizer. They say he's gotten his hands on over a hundred women so far—"
"Seriously?! That son! Of a bitch!"
Milo erupted with genuine fury.
I checked Evangeline out of the corner of my eye. She wasn't looking our way, but her ears were perked.
"Ah! Raven! I've heard that too. A real skirt-chaser!"
Andy took up my lead, reading the room. Evangeline asked back, feigning ignorance.
"Raven?"
"The guy who just came by. I hear he goes weak at the sight of a beauty. Pounces on them—"
"Oh no! This is bad! I'm a beauty!"
"R-right. You'd better be careful. Trade words with Raven and your ears might rot off."
Surely 'trade words and your ears rot off' was a bit much. Who'd believe that—
"Eek! But I traded words earlier?! My ears! What do I do! My ears! Quick!"
Evangeline urgently held her ear out to Andy. With a sigh, Andy checked it.
"Has it rotted?!"
"Hmm, hard to say?"
"It's rotted! It's rotted! My ear!!"
"No, it was earwax."
"Get it out, quick! Quick!"
"Why am I the one cleaning your ear—. Fwooo!! There! Done!"
"What a relief!"
......In any case, from now on Evangeline would freak out at the mere sight of Raven, cover her ears, and flee. Raven, too, wouldn't be able to pull anything for a while.
Just then, my eyes met Andy's. He nodded toward Evangeline — clutching her ear, genuinely relieved — as if to ask whether this was really okay.
Truly regrettable, but that's the protagonist.
I gave a reluctant nod.
The two of us sighed at the same time.