Episode 6
"...Young Master, it is morning. Please wake up."
"Mmm... just five more minutes..."
"It is the first day of meeting your classmates. If you are late..."
"I don't know... I'm going to sleep a little more..."
"........"
I stayed up all night because I was afraid Kania might stab me with a sword while I slept.
Of course, when Kania got up from her seat to wake me, I pretended to be asleep on purpose to make things difficult for her.
It may seem like an unnecessary action, but each and every one of these actions becomes a villain point that will save the world.
[Villain Point 1pt acquired! (Smokescreen)]
In order to overcome the problems I currently face, I urgently need to move to the next stage. In other words, I need to act even more villainously than before.
"...Sigh, then I will go ahead first. Please do not be late..."
"Let's go together."
"...Excuse me?"
"If you're my servant, you should go with me. Just wait a moment."
"........."
She has grown up receiving butler education in our household since childhood. Because of that, she has a kind of obsession with keeping established rules and regulations, and she absolutely hates breaking them.
Therefore, if I make her late on the first day... I could earn quite a lot of points.
"...Young Master, let me help you. Please hurry and prepare..."
"Am I a child? Stay still. I can handle this much myself."
After stopping Kania from trying to help me, I began packing my belongings as slowly as possible.
"Please, Young Master..."
"........"
Watching this, Kania began sweating cold sweat and started rushing me.
"Let's see... books... writing tools... hmm, should I bring a quill pen? Or a fountain pen?"
"Young Master, time is pressing. Please just pack everything first and later..."
"Which one do you prefer? Kania?"
"...The fountain pen."
"Good, then I'll bring the quill pen."
"............"
After dragging things out like this for a while, Kania suddenly lowered her head deeply and began muttering quietly.
"...Young Master, only one minute remains. Please let me go."
"Wait, I haven't even decided which brooch to wear yet."
"...Did I do something wrong?"
While I was calmly rummaging through brooches, Kania glared at me with a resentful expression and asked a question.
I wanted to tell her that her mistake was trying to kill me, but since that was my own doing and my karma, I decided to remain silent.
"If you tell me, I will correct it. So please forgive..."
"Kania, you like fountain pens, don't you?"
"...Yes."
But as she kept saying things, I took out the fountain pen she always carries and cherishes from her pocket, then spun it around as I began answering her question.
"I heard the recently developed magic fountain pen moves on its own and writes."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes, isn't that convenient? You don't even need to hold the pen and write by hand."
"I suppose so. But what does that have to do with..."
"But just because a fountain pen moves on its own, doesn't mean it's better than its master, right?"
With one hand on her shoulder and the other holding the fountain pen I had been spinning, I began poking Kania's chest.
"If a fountain pen gets excited that it can move on its own and writes content as it pleases, eventually that fountain pen will be thrown away. No matter how excellent the magic on it, after all, a fountain pen is nothing more than a tool."
"........"
"So if you don't want to be thrown away, don't act recklessly, Kania. If you do something reckless like sending a telegram to my father without being told, as you did this time, I will use my authority to expel you and your sister from the household."
"I... understand."
As I finished speaking by violently throwing her fountain pen into the corner of the room, Kania answered with her teeth clenched.
Looking at her with a satisfied expression, I glanced at the clock behind her, confirmed that time had run out, and spoke.
"...Alright, let's go then."
"...Yes."
"Carry my luggage. I'll choose a brooch and follow soon."
"......Understood."
After making her carry my luggage and sending her out of the room, I soon staggered and covered my mouth as coughing burst forth.
"Cough! Cough! Ugh..."
It seems that when I grabbed Kania's shoulder with my hand and pushed in a day's worth of life force, I overexerted myself.
After sitting on the floor coughing for a while, I leaned on the bed, staggered up, and with a sigh headed toward the door.
"...Sigh."
Now, it's time to head to Class A, where the heroines who want to kill me are gathered.
.
"...You two there, class started 10 minutes ago. What on earth were you doing?"
"I'm sorry! I'm truly sorry!"
"............."
As soon as I entered Class A, the homeroom teacher's scolding came.
"...Frey Laon Starlight, and Kania. You both receive 10 demerit points for being late without permission."
"...Mmh!"
"...Do as you please."
Pretending to let the homeroom teacher's words go in one ear and out the other as I headed to my seat, I quietly began looking at the system window that appeared before my eyes.
[Villain Points 70pt acquired! (It couldn't be helped)]
'...Yes, it couldn't be helped. Sorry, Kania.'
If I leave Kania as she is, within a few months, her 'first crisis' will arrive.
In the previous cycle, she barely managed to survive that crisis, but she permanently gained terrible pain and hallucinations.
Therefore, to delay or overcome that 'first crisis,' her younger sister must awaken earlier than originally planned.
The reason I deliberately committed this villainy right now is because an item that can awaken her younger sister earlier than scheduled exists in the system's 'Item Shop.'
When a certain amount of villain points are accumulated, the next stage of the system is unlocked, allowing access to the 'Item Shop.'
Therefore, to prevent Kania from suffering from pain and hallucinations for her entire life due to the curse, I have no choice but to extract points from her, who is in the closest position and easiest to commit villainy against at this point in time.
For reference, one of the biggest reasons she committed suicide in front of me in the previous cycle was the pain and hallucinations.
Therefore, as the system said, this was an 'unavoidable' choice for her sake.
- Crack, crack...
While thinking such thoughts, I heard a strange sound and looked to the side to see Kania biting her lips so tightly that blood was streaming down. It seems she's behaving like that due to guilt over being late on the first day and receiving demerit points.
'...Later, I should secretly put some effective ointment in her bag when no one's looking.'
"Then, since everyone in Class A has arrived, I will introduce my name."
Meanwhile, the teacher who had been glaring at us fiercely wrote her name largely on the chalkboard, then looked around at all the Class A students and spoke.
"...I am Isollet Arham Baiwork. I will be the teacher in charge of your Class A for the next year. Well then, I ask for your cooperation."
I looked at her, who had finished her simple self-introduction, and muttered inwardly.
'...It's been a while since I've seen that teacher too.'
Isollet, the homeroom teacher of first-year Class A, is the academy's true teacher, hope, and last conscience.
As the eldest daughter of the Baiwork family, which has an ancestor who was a sword master who helped my ancestor, the hero, challenge the Demon King 1000 years ago, she was a promising talent called the reincarnation of the sword master even by her family, which had always produced outstanding warriors and had become extremely proud.
From a young age, she showed a steep rise with her exceptional skills, and a few months ago from now, she would have been offered the position of vice-captain of the Imperial Knights and an academy teaching position simultaneously.
Naturally, an ordinary person would have chosen the position in the Imperial Knights, which is the highest honor and path to success for a warrior, and a vice-captain position at that. However, Teacher Isollet, who is now looking at us with cool, composed eyes, overturned everyone's expectations and chose the academy teaching position.
The reason was her upright and proper sense of justice.
Rather than becoming a figurehead vice-captain of the corrupt and rotting Imperial Knights, she chose to become an academy teacher and raise future seedlings with that ambition, and after a big fight with her family, who was furious at her choice, she is now half-disowned.
Therefore, it's likely that we will never see her call herself 'Baiwork' again after this self-introduction.
However, just because she doesn't call herself Baiwork doesn't mean her presence and dignity disappear.
She has the skill to subdue most academy students, and she also has such authority.
"...Then, let's begin class."
As she announced the start of class in a dry voice, most of the students began sighing or grumbling.
That's because on the first day of class, one would normally share adventure stories, play games, or at least do self-introductions, so there was no instance of conducting class according to the curriculum like her.
That's right, Teacher Isollet's flaw is that she is a die-hard principled person. That's why she gets along well with Kania.
'...Still, that teacher is worthy of respect.'
She is the one who remained until the end when the academy fell, cutting down the Demon King's army and protecting the students.
In other words, as I said earlier, she is literally the 'last conscience' and 'hope' of this corrupt academy.
According to the prophecy book, thanks to such achievements, she was called a 'sub-heroine' in my ancestor's world, or so I heard?
I don't really know, but anyway, it's fortunate that she's a 'sub' heroine. If she were a 'main' heroine and the memories of the previous cycle returned... I might be in a life-or-death struggle with her right now.
"...Y-you, how are you... here...!?"
"...?"
While I was thinking such thoughts, suddenly a voice filled with dismay was heard, and when I looked to the side, Irina with a haggard appearance was looking at me as if seeing a ghost.
".............."
And when I felt a warm yet simultaneously cold aura and looked behind me, Saint Perloche was glaring at me with her eyes narrowed.
"..........."
Soon, even Kania, who was sitting right next to me, began glaring at me with eyes full of hatred, and a cold chill began to circulate in the classroom.
"Focus! All of you there, focus! I am not flexible enough to accommodate your convenience just because this is Class A!"
Sweating cold sweat from those gazes, I let out a sigh as Teacher Isollet slammed the chalkboard with her fist and shouted, diverting the heroines' attention, and quietly muttered.
"...Now 3/5 have gathered."
Even without my fiancée who is abroad and the princess who will appear just before today's academy class ends, the classroom is already filled with cold energy.
It seems I'll need to buy a hot pack sometime soon.
.
"Then, let's end today's class here."
Teacher Isollet, true to being a principled person, ended the class the moment the bell rang signaling break time.
Thanks to that, I was freed from the hardship of having to listen to content I already knew, and I was stretching while leaning on my chair when Kania, who was sitting next to me, suddenly shot up from her seat and began heading somewhere.
I was looking at her with curiosity when suddenly a presence was felt from behind.
"...E-excuse me. Lord Frey?"
"......?"
Hearing a faint voice, I turned around to find Saint Perloche standing behind me with a very tense expression.
"...Would you not come to the cathedral after school? I wish to give a blessing to Lord Frey of the prestigious hero family."
[Villain's Intuition: A powerful killing intent is felt nearby!]
Soon after she made her proposal while sweating profusely, a system window appeared before my eyes, and thanks to that, I could only make a dumbfounded expression and mutter inwardly.
'...What is this? A murder notice?'
She, called the 'Saint of Pure White,' is so kind and pure that people across the continent acknowledge it.
In other words, she is too pure to devise a proper scheme.
"...Status Window"
[Name: Perloche Astelraid]
[Abilities: Strength 1 / Divine Power 8 / Intelligence 2 / Mental Strength 8]
[Special Note: Blessing of the Sun God]
Looking at Perloche who was trembling with her eyes tightly shut, I muttered quietly to display her status window, and seeing the special note, I narrowed my eyes.
'...Blessing of the Sun God?'
The Blessing of the Sun God is not something just anyone can receive. It is a blessing given only to a saint acknowledged by the Sun God, and only when the saint's earnest prayer is answered.
With that blessing, stats become meaningless. Today, Perloche could fold me with one hand or tear me to shreds.
No wonder there's a legendary anecdote that the saint who was a member of my ancestor's party, the previous hero from 1000 years ago, used that blessing to pinch the Demon King's side.
"...I refuse."
"...Gasp."
Since going to the cathedral meant I would be offered as a sacrifice to the Sun God without anyone knowing, I immediately refused, and Perloche began to look shocked.
"W-wait a moment... Don't be like that, you may not know the value of the blessing I'm offering, but the blessing I intend to give Lord Frey today is something money cannot buy..."
"...Like I said, I don't need it?"
"Excuse me? But..."
"Hurry up and get lost. I said I hate the Order's people."
"Uh, um... so..."
As I spoke with an indifferent expression, Perloche began sweating cold sweat and stuttering.
As you can see, this 'Saint of Pure White' literally has a pure heart, but her mind is also pure.
To put it nicely, she's a devout believer who knows nothing but the Sun God and doctrine; to put it badly, she's a divine power shuttle. The fact that she didn't even prepare a Plan B in case I refused her proposal says it all.
'...Tch, she's so stupid that's why she gets used by the Order.'
The elders of the Order, coveting her ability that's so overflowing with divine power that even the system shows divine power instead of magic, deceived her with sweet words and turned her into a divine power shuttle.
As expected of an Order that worships a crazy Sun God who didn't even show his face in the previous cycle when the Demon King was running rampant, and who bestowed a blessing on a heroine trying to kill me while I'm struggling like this to save the world.
Therefore, the Order also must be reformed. For some reason, I feel like things keep piling up even when I'm doing nothing, and my mood became quite foul.
"Uh, um... uh..."
"...Hurry up and get lost, you divine power dispenser."
".....!"
When I sharply rebuked her in my foul mood, the saintess held tears in her eyes, bowed her head deeply, and returned to her seat.
Honestly, I was worried about what I would do if she gave up and tried to scratch my head, so it's a relief.
"H-how is he alive... that bastard... surely, was he on the Demon King's side since back then...?"
As Perloche returned to her seat dejectedly, this time Irina next to her began muttering something in panic.
She will experience a 'mana exhaustion' state for a year, so I'll need to care for her like Kania.
If she drops out of Class A or gets expelled, significant problems will arise in the 'scenario.'
'Then, the most dangerous ones are still the princess and my fiancée...'
Listening to the voices of Perloche in the back seat trying to come up with the next scheme and Irina next to me continuing to mutter something, I quietly leaned back in my chair and began thinking about the princess and my fiancée.
And after thinking for a while, I reached the following conclusion:
'...Should I just take a leave of absence?'
Even with the system, I don't have confidence I can win against those two.
.
"I found it, my fountain pen."
Around the time Frey was racking his brains about how to deal with the princess and his fiancée, Kania returned to Frey's quarters and picked up the fountain pen that was lying on the floor.
"...That bastard, I'll definitely kill him. By whatever means necessary, definitely."
Holding tightly the fountain pen, which was the most precious treasure her younger sister had given her as a gift when they were children and she had forgotten to pack out of fear of being late, she tried to return to the academy main building before the class bell rang, but...
"...Huh?"
She soon discovered something on the pure white bed sheets and tilted her head as she approached.
"...What is this?"
There, handprints covered in blood were clearly left behind.