334. FANTASY ACADEMY: IN A NUTSHELL

I felt a warm breath of air tickle my ears.

“Ngm..” I shrugged the feeling away and pulled my blanket over my shoulders. It’s so cold today.

The alarm bell hasn’t rang, so it’s not time yet. Just a little longer..

“Noel~”

I heard a whisper.

A sweet, devilish whisper.

I grabbed hold of her and pulled her towards me.

“Hikh?!”

“Morning..”

This feeling.. Rin?

I opened my groggy eyes to check. I was right. Rin. Her grey hair didn’t stand out as much as Liliath’s.

“What is it?”

“I can’t sleep anymore.”

“Can’t sleep? Why?”

Was it because she got scared by the Unicorn Leviathan yesterday night? We did have a short ‘escape from leviathan’ sea escape. It wasn’t like our lives were in jeopardy but.. it was scary nonetheless.
“We’re going to school today.. right? I’ve never been to school. What kind of place is it? I’m so worried..” 

“Oh. So that’s it huh.”

Rin and I were whispering to each other, taking care not to wake up Liliath who was still sleeping beside me.

Yeah, huh? I’m sleeping with Liliath and Rin.. what in the..

“Rin, I thought I was sleeping on the couch.. since when..”

This is Liliath’s bed. I’m not supposed to be here!

“We couldn’t help it. There's no way we would just leave you like that, can we?” 

“But..”
“Liliath said no buts. We love you, that’s why.. sleep together with us alright?

“I can’t believe it.. fantasy really messes with reality.”

Rin merely nodded, her face was piping red.

“Anyways.. we’ll just stay like this until the alarm rings. Is it alright?”

Rin closed her eyes and leaned against me. I felt her nod.

With that, I closed my eyes once again.

===

What exactly is the best way to reduce Javiel’s influence?

The answer to this is a simple one, it only takes a minute. But I’m not doing it because of my conscience.

Sure, Javiel has done a lot of bad things. At the same time.. it’s not like he’s just plain evil. Just like the Regressor, Jiwon. They only became who they are because of something that happened in their life.

What they don’t really need to be stopped, instead, they need to be directed in another direction.

“Noel.”

Liliath hugged me from behind. Her body was warm, she smelled like flowers. Though.. the sensation of her breasts pressing against me is.. 

“Are you excited?”

“Me? I guess so.”
“I owe you an apology.”

“Hm? Why?”

“I don’t know. It just felt like it.”
“Oh, that huh.”

Another thing I hadn’t really touched on is how Liliath’s personality changed after that night. She’s back to the Liliath I know, which.. is great but also somewhat distressing. 

Think of it in this way, you would be concerned to learn that the person you love has a split personality right? Sure, it may sound pretty cool as a trait for your girlfriend, but the person herself, how does she feel?

Liliath could recall everything that happened throughout the trip to Toren Kingdom, but wasn’t able to point out anything weird about her behavior. She knows it’s weird consciously, it just doesn’t hit her as such.

“First day of school. Are you prepared?”

“Who knows.. how about you Rin? What do you think?”

“Don’t turn around.”

Liliath held my head in place.

Don’t tell me Rin is changing her clothes here? That’s insane.. though, Liliath did the same didn’t she?
“I-It’s alright. I’m done.”

Only then did Liliath release me.

Both Liliath and Rin were wearing white blouses with dark blue coats. The golden school emblem on their chest, practically glittering. Short pleated skirts, high socks. 

Fuck. They’re dazzling.

I’m definitely going to die today.

Toren Kingdom played the biggest role in the hero summoning ritual. It’s an ancient kingdom that has survived more than 7 centuries. 

However, with the partial destruction of the summoning circle done by an Irregular back during the 15th cycle, Toren Kingdom lost it’s biggest delineator and became demoted to a front line kingdom.

The wellspring of hope and ardor was something that’ll continue to chip away as time passes, since the kingdom can no longer summon any heroes.

National defense, citizen productivity, loyalty to the nation and fighting spirit. All these deteriorated with time with the loss.

That’s when they came up with the idea to nurture local heroes. Not being able to summon a hero didn’t mean they couldn’t create a hero. 

A prestigious school to nurture local heroes.

Toren Academy of Lionheart.

Sounds so chunni.

My naming sense sucks too so I have no suggested names to improve on it. Whatever.

In any case. The academy’s main purpose was to raise the standard of the people of Toren Kingdom. It wasn’t like academy or schools don’t exist in this world, more that Toren Academy of Lionheart is a school focused on nurturing heroes.

So.. it’s that fantasy school where students study and train their bodies. Battling is a common sight which.. gets my blood boiling.

At the same time, for someone like myself who has a crap physique, is it really alright to be in this school?

Akihito, my now sure fire father-in-law said that this was the next best idea he had. To have Liliath join the school, flaunt her magic and then at some point in time, announce her identity as the lost princess.

The academy is probably a battle ground where the anti-demons and pro-demons are most active. Since the younger generation have a more open mind, they tend to accept ideas easier, and thus turn their belief into tangible actions to change the nation.

So if Liliath manages to capture the heart of the academy, it would spread to all other existing sites of conflict. Thus preventing an all-out civil war.

Excited? I sure am.

I can’t believe I’m going to go to school. What is there to learn anyways? Don’t tell me I’m going to have to move my body and perform martial stunts.. that’s insane. I feel that Nine would do well, but me? Not a chance.

“Are you nervous?” I asked Liliath and Rin.

“Slightly,” Liliath said.

Rin nodded.

“It’s turning into a cliche situation, isn’t it? An academy where people learn to become strong..” Liliath muttered.

“That’s why I feel like I’m not supposed to even be there.”

“I’ll protect you Noel.”

“Yeah..”
It should be the other way around.
“Right, Rin? I’ll make sure nobody tries anything on you, alright?” Liliath stroked Rin’s head.
It’s funny. Seeing a shorter girl console a taller one.

“Anyway. I think it’s almost time.”

“Right.”

We’ll be busy fighting our way to dampen Javiel’s influence. I can only pray that Nine is doing alright on her(his) side.

===

“Noel-sama,” Kyoshi called out to me.
“Yes?”
“What are your thoughts of how things will develop from here? I heard that you were successful in persuading father to join your faction? You understand what I’m getting at, yes?

Not at all.

“So-so.”

“Quite the curt answer there. In that regard, I’ll do everything in my power to support you.”

Everything in your power huh? Even I can’t do that.

“Thank you,” but I’ll just say thanks because he’s a good help. And just for good measure, his marker still remains green on the system map.

And while we’re on the topic of system markers, different colours delineate different things. For example, blue means that he or she is our close friend or family. There are only a few markers part of this category. Rin, Liliath, Nine, Prune and me. Only five.

Green tells us that the person is a close ally, or friend. Kyoshi, Marilyn, Akihito, Teal, Margrett, and the two heroes, Aoki and Takata belong to this category.

Yellow means neutral. Strangers, basically. Though, Nine’s marker would flicker between Blue and yellow due to the effects of [Vixen’s Pawn].

Orange means hostile. For example, the Regressor.

Red means full blown enemy. That being the demon lord Javiel.

There are also in-between colours, like red-orange. These belong to another other demon lord who has come under Javiel’s rule.

“Actually, Kyoshi-sama. Is it alright to push in a transfer student all of a sudden? I don’t have the qualifications to even join, don’t I?”

“Father has his reason. There’s no reason to be worried as the Dean and Grand Sage had already been informed of your arrival. Moreover, Noel-sama, don’t you think you’re too humbling at times like this?”

“I don’t think so.”

I rely heavily on my Unique Skills. So compared to those who poured tears of blood to reach the level they are now, I’m gifted with cheats and privileges. A freaking lucky bastard.

The carriage passed the school gates. On campus grounds, you could see many students idling around while waiting for class time to start.

Huh. It’s not as strict as I thought.

“Our clothes are the same as everyone else,” Rin said.

“That’s right,” Liliath replied.

“Oh yeah. Speaking of which, you said that Valentine-sama has moved under the teaching department?”

“That’s correct. You’ll see soon enough. Look, she even arrived to receive the three of you.”
Valentine-sama, Liliath’s elder sister. 

Nine kidnapped her from her work a few nights ago.
Now that Liliath is back, she has no reason to continue working for Javiel. All that paperwork she left undone.. someone will have to take over.
Ouch, good luck with that Javiel.

The carriage came to a stop. The door was opened.

“Welcome to Toren’s Academy of Lionheart.”

The girl with loose black hair greeted us. Her pony tail swayed with the wind, a monocle on her face which made her look a tad smarter?
Valentine Toren. 

“Anee-sama,” Liliath practically jumped out of the carriage, almost hitting Regan who opened the door.. She’s too pumped.

I stepped out and held a hand out for Rin. She accepted it with a flushed face.

“How are you?”

“I’m fine, things aren’t as chaotic here as compared to the work in the demon tower. Now then, shall I bring you around?”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” I bowed to Kyoshi.

“It’s my duty. Now then, I’ll be off.”

I turned to Regan.

“You’re our attendant?”

“Yes. I’ll be in your care, Noel-sama, Rin-sama,” he bowed stiffly.

“Who’s that?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen them before.”

“Transfer student? Which class?”

“He looks pretty cool, which house is he from?”
“They have connections with royalty, didn’t you see the carriage? They must be from a neighbouring kingdom.”

Your filler BGM for school.

“Well. I’ll be in your care too Regan. If you need anything, feel free to say alright?I’m not a noble or royalty. So yeah.”

Regan shook his head. “We have our obligations as your attendants today.”

We, as in the other two maids behind him.

“Okay.. then.”

“Noel, Rin, let’s go,” Liliath urged.

“Got it, got it. Let’s go Rin.”

With attention gathered around us, we proceeded into the school compound. It’s been a while since we used this but.. Concealment barrier up!

335. 

The academy itself was huge. But it felt somewhat like my previous highschool, Mondai High, somewhat. It’s got a planked floor so clean it reflects your figure. French windows that allowed light to pour in, white plaster walls, wooden baseboard adorned with curly motifs, and abstract paintings.

This school had multiple floors, the stairs were a thing to behold. The artificial light sources include a stretch of wall light and hanging pendant lights. 

The biggest difference I found between the two schools was the theme. Lionheart has got more of a traditional look while Mondai High embodied a modern sleekness. In both cases, everything in the hallways, auditorium, cafeteria and garden screamed fancy.

As for the classrooms, it wasn’t a table to table type of arrangement. Similar to lecture halls, there was a podium in the center, an open aisle in the middle with two long tables on both sides built into the ground which served as seating spots.

“So this is a classroom?” Rin peeked into our class. There were a few students, chatting amongst each other. A pair of students were having a mock battle in front using imaginary swords.

Their skills were the real deal though.

“Then.. I’ll leave it at this point. I’m sorry I’ll have to part with you once again. We’ll talk again later during lunch?”

“I’ll look forward to it,” Liliath nodded with fervor. Valentine stroked Liliath’s head.

“Thank you, Valentine-sama.”
“Isn’t it time you call me your sister-in-law?” She placed both her hands on her hips and glared at me.

Valentine-sama has a pretty.. erratic personality. I find it hard to believe that this was the overworked girl, who bawled her eyes out under Liliath’s feet.

Well.. as long as she’s alright. 

“I’ll keep that in mind, sister-in-law.”

“That’s more like it.. and..”

“See you!”

She ran off, probably had work she needed to do.

“What did she pass you?” Liliath asked. Sharp as always.

I revealed the piece of paper.

‘Thank you for saving Liliath.’

“Well..”

“How many times does this make it?” Rin said.
“No idea.”

Too numerous to count. Small notes, public display, sending gifts. There were times during the past few days when we encountered each other that she’d whisper thanks.

“I’m concerned.”

“Huh?”
“Anee-sama.. doesn’t feel right.” Liliath said sorrowfully.

Hm.. I wonder?

As there wasn’t a point in hiding any longer, I took down the concealment barrier. The moment it happened, everyone turned to look our way.

“By the way.. Regan-san, where do attendants usually wait?”

“There are special facilities designed for us. Thank you for your concern,” he replied mechanically.

“Okay..”

This was the start of a different fantasy life I did not expect.

We entered the class. 

===

“As you may know, we have transfer students in our class today,” the lecturer announced, standing on the podium. 

Smooth black hair, black eyes. She wore fantasy-isque work clothes that felt like a combination of a business suit for females and medieval dresses. 

“Would you like to introduce yourself?” She looked up here.

Liliath stood up first.

“My name is Liliath Toren.”

What happened to ‘slowly’ leaking the information about Liliath’s identity? At this rate, wouldn’t she blow up?

“However, now that I’ve been engaged. I’ve since dropped the name and resume m.. my.. “

“Liliath..”
“W-WHy can’t I say it.. it was so easy last time..”
She was shaking like a newborn fawn. This is so damn awkward.

“Rinanalanashina Bougainvillea!”

Oh fuck. You’re trying to cover for her, Rin?
“My name i-is Rinalanashina Bougainvillea.”
If the Margrave found out about this, we’d been swiss cheeze for fuck sake.

And for fucking ducking damn fuck. I’m going to be seen as a womanizer won’t I? Damn it. You two are putting me in a pretty tough position here.
I stood up.

“I’m Noel. Nice to meet you.”

“Eh?”

“Noel you..”

A guy raised his hand. He’s the son of a Marquis, I think? The Faraday House.

“Miss Schweild, I believe this school isn’t here to nurture a bunch of scoundrels like..”

A deep pressure filled the room.

“Your Highness, please calm down,” Miss Schweild said calmly.

“What did you.. my family? Dare to explain how you came up with such a conclusion? Edgar, the son of Marquis Faraday?”

“Liliath.. chill..”
“I-It’s alright. C-Calm down Liliath..”
“Haha.. looks like I was too hasty in my judgement. Let me express my apologies.” there’s no way he wasn’t affected by Liliath’s bloodlust.

Liliath narrowed her eyes on him, I noticed his fingers begin to tremble.

“Your Highness, please.” Miss Schweild pleaded again.
Liliath exhaled and sat down crudely. 

“My apologies. I shall stop involving myself in such trite..”

“I guess.. that goes for me as well.”
“Me too.”
Rin and I sat down after saying such.

Miss Schweild coughed and all attention was focused on her once again.

“For those who are still ignorant of the matter, let me remind you that, Her Highness, Liliath Toren is now a student of our class. I’m sure many of you have questions in regards to her identity as a royal, however, it isn’t something I have the permission to disclose. Final note, please get along with her.”

The lecturer then looked at me.

“In this school, your status and what affiliation you have are not applicable. Everyone is treated as equals. Your Highness, Rinalanashina, and Noel, please take note of this yourselves.”
“Understood.”
After such an intense introduction, the class began.

Miss Schweild is the class teacher, but the subject she teaches is close quarter combat. I suppose it makes sense due to her race. She’s not human, just so you know.

First period is magic theory.

I went through the list of different subjects taught in this school, and there’s not a lot, surprisingly. History, Warfare, Magic Theory, Body Mechanics are the four core subjects. The elective ones are Alchemy, Rune Research, Magic Engineering, Sword Arts, Spear Arts, Knights Code, Politics, Economy, etcetera.

I’m planning to take up alchemy, or something..

Or maybe I shouldn’t get myself involved in anything.

Whatever.

What is being taught in magic theory is similar to the magic guidebook I have in my system. The lecturer just helped further deepen my understanding on the concepts and techniques for the Kagura Chantless System.

Not that I can actually use it since.. I could barely create a water sphere.

“Now then, let us proceed to the field,” Mister Sparks, our Magic Theory lecturer said.

Oh great. I’m going to die.

336. 

“It’s alright Noel,” Liliath was stroking my hair.

“I can’t even cheat my way through this..”

Not that I would even if I could.

Standing out in the wide open field, we were told to generate a spear of all elemental magic. There was a target dummy in the kill zone, it was wrapped with a dozen or so talismans. 

Magic is not a physical attack, the only exception being earth magic which uses objects that aren’t created by mana. There had been cases in the past where demon lords possess high resistance towards magic. For mages to fight in these sorts of situations, they’ve had to come up with creative solutions. One of them is to use weapon forms of magic to throw a feign. A small rock is wrapped inside a spear of any element.

The target dummy is resistant to magic attacks, and only physical attacks can pass through the barrier. That’s where the small rock comes in. It becomes the thing that can injure or harass the target dummy.

Countless spears rained upon it. Pieces of physical projectiles pierced into the dummy; the magic part of the spells dispersed the moment they came into contact with the surrounding barrier.

“You can’t use magic?”

“Sorry teacher. I can’t. I don’t even have the basics down.” I can only confess so.
“Teacher, my proficiency is also.. subpar to everyone here. I’m unable to create the spear as mentioned.”
It is possible for her if I stick [Magic Proficiency (SS)] into Rin’s skill column but.. I suppose that isn’t necessary since she openly admitted that she couldn’t.

While the sounds of class bombardment continued, Mister Sparks then turned to Liliath.

“Your Highness.”
“It’s alright. I can use magic without any issues.”
Liliath turned around and faced the target dummy.

The situation was that the class had to work together to destroy the target dummy.

Liliath raised her hands into the air. A spear darker than night appeared, purple-red lightning crackled along the surface.

“W-What is that..” Mister Sparks was taken aback.

“It’s compressed gravity. Noel calls it void.”
“I’m not too sure if gravity has a form…”

Can compressed gravity turn black? Ain’t that just a black hole? All I know is that this is dangerous stuff.

“Can I fire this? If I had to associate it with an element, it would be wind?”

“Please don’t mind it ,Your Highness..”

By this point, everyone had stopped their relentless attacks to look at the spear Lilaith had created.

Liliath made a thinking expression. More spears began forming. One for each element. The spears themselves looked pretty crude, but the functionality is what matters right?
7 spears in total.

The first spear, fire spear launched. The heat was so immense, everyone took a few steps away from the kill zone. Two of the talismans burned up the instant it collided with the barrier.

The next spear, water, didn’t have much of an effect. The projectile hidden inside the water sphere tore a hole into the dummy though.

Other spears launched themselves towards the killzone, reducing the talisman significantly. I’m pretty sure this is an impossible scene, they had wrapped a dozen talismans around the dummy for a reason. Moreover, I’m seeing Mister Sparks trembling in excitement.

Last but not least, the void spear.

“This should do it.”

Bloop.

The spear melted right into the magic barrier, vaporizing everything in its wake. Left was a crater on the ground.

“T-The lost princess..” 

“Huh? What lost princess?”

“You haven't heard? There’s this rumor that the demon lord is trying to find the lost princess.”

“You’re saying that she’s the one?!”

“How do you explain her magic?! It’s no different from the Grand Sage.”

“I remember hearing the Grand Sage having only one student..”

“You mean..”

“Oi, all the teachers had referred to her as Her Highness, right? Shouldn’t we change the way we address her?”

Gossips. 

“I took all credit, I apologize,” Liliath turned to Mister Sparks and bowed.

“No, please don’t be Your Highness. You’ve done very well,” he smiled to himself with a bead of sweat running down his cheeks.
“I don’t see it that way. There is something to be learnt from everyone, no?”
“HAhaha.. you’re right.”

Hah..

It’s great that Liliath is getting attention, but I can’t help but find that Liliath is the protagonist here. Oh well, I’ll just be a good supporting character for her. You go girl.

I patted Rin’s head. She looked pretty disappointed in herself.
“Hm?”
“Everyone has their own strengths.”

“Erm..”

===

With such a grandiose display of power, you would expect people to flock to Liliath right? After all, it’s pretty obvious to everyone in class by now that Liliath is this lost princess.

No.

Not at all.

We didn’t want the attention. 

Liliath’s got her concealment barrier up at full throttle after teleporting away the moment class ended. To them, it was as if we disappeared.

News will spread through the wind and hopefully cause some changes.

The academy is not without threats however. There are a few orange dots and red dots around, we had to purposely take detours to not bump into any of them.

In any case, we were now taking a relaxing meal at the cafeteria which.. feels more like a grand hall than anything.

Valentine-sama is also with us, along with Mister Sparks and Miss Schweild.

We were having a meal.

Yes. We didn’t forget tea.

Liliath got her favourite sour wild berry, honey sweet fragrant tea. I got to learn it’s name as Suckkle tea. Odd.. that’s all I can say.

I got totally wrecked during the 3rd period during the combat class (Body Mechanics). We changed into suitable clothes of course.

“I don’t understand why you would be even allowed here.”

“I know. I don’t understand it either..”

I’m being lectured by Miss Schweild.

“Really now. What should I do about you.”

I couldn’t even run the track without getting tired, and had no clue how to perform the footwork exercise.
Liliath and Rin were exempted.

For now..

“From today onwards, run the track twice a day.”

“Got it.”

“As for the footwork, I’ll give supplementary classes on Saturday, meet me at the field sunrise. 8 on the sundial, sharp. That goes for you as well, Rinalanashina-san, Your Highness.”

“Yes.”

“Alright.”

“Mister Sparks?” Miss Schweild called out.

“O-Oh yes. Coming up with a regime..”

“How bad is it? You magic, Noel-sama?”
“I don’t even know the basics.”
“How can you not even know the basics?!”
“I’m not from this world. Obviously..”
“”HUH?””

That reaction was expected.

“I’m from another world. I have my special blessing, unique skill, whatever someone calls it– yes. But I’m just not using them.”
“What kind of Unique Skill..”

“Then.. you’re a hero?”

“An Irregular.”
“That’s a really bold declaration.”
“It’s humble, considering the extent of his abilities,” Liliath bluffed.

“So.. what ability is it?” Valentine prodded. I hadn’t told her about it either.

“More like.. I share a number of Unique Skill with my other friends which came to this world with me. Mine is the ability to use system functions..”

I don’t even know where to start.

Nevertheless, I did my best to explain how it wasn’t just my abilities. It was a combination of abilities. Nine, Prune and Liliath, which come together to become this overpowered mess.

“My God..” Mister Sparks muttered, he stared into air.

“Is there a need to even be under my tutelage?” Miss Schweild muttered.

“It’s not like I’m omnipotent so..”

“Is it true?” Valentine-sama asked.

Liliath nodded her head and placed my cup back in it’s dish. Valentine-sama knew that I was an Irregular long ago, we’ve just never told her about our abilities.

Regan poured more tea into my cup. Liliath picked it back up. 

The reality was, I had only taken a sip of my tea.
The rest was finished shamelessly by Liliath. She had her own cup, yet preferred mine.

What a cute antice. 

On the same note, I pity Regan because I’m starting to think that Liliath is doing it deliberately to make a point. Was there something between him and her during their childhood times? 

“I’ll still take your advice. Run the track twice and.. practicing magic. It’s been around 3 months since I began.”

I conjured a small water sphere on the tip of my fingers. I had the gist of the feel for all the basic elements now, water being the only one I could stabilize. 

“It can’t be helped then. Though, out of curiosity, why is it that Noel-sama is unable to do magic like the heroes?”

“It’s due to the [Reincarnated Otherworlder] title.”

===

A whole slew of explaining and chatting later, we returned to class for the after session.

Morning focused on the body and mind, afternoon classes focused on will power.

“Noel.. don’t sleep..” I felt my shoulders shaking.

“I know that..”
The lecturer was going on about the Toren Kingdom’s ‘rich’ history. It’s a kingdom that has apparently weathered through 10 centuries. That’s normally impossible, and why it’s considered one of the Toren Kingdom’s pride.

An army state, lying at the border between the demon and humans.

Going back to the map of Imagi nation..

Did you catch that?

Imagi-nation?

Anyway, I went out of topic. Imagi continent is like a bateria in it’s telophase, about to be split into two, an 8-shape.

The Eastern side of the continent is where most of the human population resides. The western side was more barren. That didn’t mean there weren’t any kingdoms there, just that it was a harsher environment to thrive in.

Though it isn’t quite necessarily the so-called ‘dark territory’ in some novels, it’s dubbed by few as such.

“Noel-sama, please answer this question,” the lecturer turned a sharp eye at me. The other students followed suit.

I set my LUK stats to the value of 2000.

“In the 11th cycle, Miss Olivia, the daughter of the duke, was believed to have betrayed the crown prince. What was it that cause the death of the Duke? Do you require options to choose from?” the lecturer said with a sharp glint in his eyes.

“Miss Olivia died from a curse.”
“Pardon me?”

“The duke’s daughter died from a curse.”

More like.. she died because I couldn’t save her. 

The fuck is up wiht LUK. Couldn’t I have a dragon break into the wall and call off the class or something..

“Who hath called? Ribbit.”

“Eh? Since when..” 

So a frog came to save the day instead huh..

“What is that? There shall be no pets in my class.”

The frog jumped down from Rin and hopped to the podium.

‘Ribbit.’

Everyone’s eyes were practically glued to the abominable blue creature. It’s eyes reflected the lecturer’s own.

‘Ribbit.’

The ridiculousness of the situation has caused the class lecturer to resume a speechless response.

“Um..”

‘Ribbit.’

“What’s up with that frog anyways?!”

“It can speak?!”

“Could it be a demon?”

“It’s so cute though..”

Yes.. the frog is cute but don’t be fooled.

Princess the Frog. Otherwise known as the frog with Olivia’s soul, or spirit residing within it. 

Huh.. now that I’ve thought about it, why was our history lecture about Erudite Kingdom’s past? Should it be about Toren Kingdom?

“Noel, did you do something?” Liliath asked.

“I set my LUK stats to 2000..”
“What’s that?” Rin asked.

The frog stared at the chalkboard before it began hopping out of the class.

Only then did the lecturer resume. By then, I was already wide awake. No new questions were thrown at me.

If the frog is here then.. what will happen to the kids at the orphanage?

337. 

The history lecturer finally left. The class began preparing for the move. 

None of us had taken any elective subjects yet. So the period after this is free.

“Kyoshi-sama said that he’ll pick us up in the evening right?”

“There’s still time before then,” Liliath said, checking the time on the system map.

“How about we explore around?” Rin suggested.
“I suppose so.”

The school was pretty big, and can be divided into a few sectors. The one we were in was for aristocrats and royals. It’s got all the fancy things a noble or royal would need for their development.

Another sector is an adventurer training school. There’s a dungeon underneath the building, if you can believe it.

Then we also have the knights training school. It’s basically as the name suggests, the place where knights are trained to serve the nation.

Liliath, Rin and I packed up our stuff– not that we really had anything besides our individual out-of-place water bottles and notebooks. We were about to head out when a few individuals halted our advance.

“Good day to you Noel-san, Rin-san, Liliath-san. I am Jerome Laurell. I extend my greetings to you,” He bowed sincerely.

“Nice to meet you too Jerome-sama,” I replied back

“Hm?”
“Pardon his words. He’s wasn’t from a noble upbringing. Liliath Bougainvillea. What brings you here?”
“Nothing in particular. I came to say hi. Perhaps we could get along?”

“Nice to meet you, this one is Gina from the Ausi House.”

“I’m Helbert, son of Viscount Leslie, nice to meet you.”

The other two nobles that stood behind Jerome introduced themselves.

“It’s a pleasure to know you too.”
“You three have been only recently transferred and have yet to decide on elective classes, yes?”

Suspicious..
“Not yet. We’re planning to take the time to consider.”

“Then, how about you join us? We’re taking Advanced Magic. After all.. Liliath-sama’s performance totally blew us away. Just what was that?!” Gina said with a tired look on her face.

Liliath merely smiled.

“Outta the way.”

“Whoops.”

“Apologies..”

We accidentally blocked the way for others. Yikes.

Splitting apart, the students took this chance to surround Liliath. Hey! What the hell!
“She’s quite popular,” Jerome commented.

“I guess so.”

“I take it that she’s already been taken?” Gina joked.

“Obviously..”

Crazy. The thought of people proposing to Liliath flashed in my mind– no, worse. The thought of Liliath becoming the protagonist of an otome with multiple male leads to conquer came to mind.

I can only pray that she doesn’t come to me with some unreasonable requests like..

“Noel-san.”

“Oh. Edgar-sama.”

“Ho? From a commoner upbringing?”
“Somewhat.”
This person who made Liliath mad earlier in the morning, came and approached me.

“Edgar-san, they’ve only transferred today. Show them some courtesy, will you?” Jerome said.

Helbert stood between me and Edgar.

“Scram. I’m not talking to you.”
“Not on our watch,” Gina said, gnashing her teeth.

“Noel. Duel me.”
“Sure.”

Surprise, surprise. LUK 2000 has its uses. I suddenly thought up a plan to shake Javiel’s influence in this school.

““Huh?!””

Edgar showed me a smile.

“Everyone will become testimony of your words! Don’t regret it.”

“N-Noel..” Rin poked me from behind.

“We have free time right?”

“If I win, I shall have Liliath’s hand.”

Pfft, that’s so trope. He’s digging his own grave.

Fact was, this Edgar guy is orange. And if you trace his family.. you’d realize that all of them are orange. Which can only mean one thing.

“I guess.. if I win then you’ll stop supporting the pro-demon faction.”

“”OOWH?!””

The crowd was on an uproar.

I don’t think it’s really possible for him to stop supporting the pro demon movement when his entire family is part of the faction.. then again, even if he doesn’t quit being a supporter, it’s going to cause turmoil in his mind. 

“The duel will be prepared ten days in time, don’t chicken out. I’ll be expecting a wonderful performance from you.”

He flashed a belligerent smile and sauntered his way out of class. 

“Are you insane?!” Gina screamed.

“You could barely run a mile and you’re attempting to duel that guy?”

“It’s fine,” Liliath said, having returned to my side.

She looked at the crowd.. and then hugged my arm.

“After all, how could I have chosen a weak person as my fiance, would I now?”

I pressed my hands to my face. Liliath was making a public declaration of something this embarrassing. 

Jeez. I get that we’re trying to get the attention of the pro demon lords but still..

Whatever. Let’s take advantage of this duel and show them that there’s a new demon lord in town.

===

We didn’t follow Jerome to the Advanced magic class. Whether or not we’ll accept the invite will be decided later. For now, we had already made plans to explore school grounds.

“It’s a lot more complex than Mondai High,” I’m glad the system map had directions.

“I don’t find it so. Perhaps we’re still unfamiliar with the layout,” Liliath had contrary thoughts.

“It’s so big..” while Rin admired the sheer size of the building
It does feel odd considering how we’re the only ones out in the corridor. It’s contrary to the classes filled with students making a ruckus.

“Are there clubs?” I asked.

“Clubs are scheduled after elective classes.”

“Does everyone take elective classes? It’s so empty out here.”

Yeah. Rin’s right. Elective classes aren’t compulsory. Moreover, it wasn’t like all elective subjects were active from Monday to Friday.

“They could be in their clubs?” Liliath said.

If they don’t have any classes, going straight to their clubrooms would make sense since.. clubs are the continuation of this before school ends.

Though this is supposed to be a training school to nurture heroes, I’m not seeing anyone shedding tears of blood anywhere..
“Look,” Liliath pointed out the window.

Or so I thought..

Out in the field were knights conducting mock battles out in the courtyard. Oh hey, it’s one of those ridiculous scenes where you see an overpowered character mow through everyone else.

“She’s.. not an Irregular.. is he?” Rin asked out of curiosity.

“I don’t think she is.”
Her status is heck bloated, but there was nothing there to say she came from another world. Plowing through an entire class of students. Dodge, stab, swipe, bend, kick, roll, trip, strike, parry–

All movements seemed to flow into one another.

Though..

“I didn’t know Gina was a true demon lord..”
“”Huh?!””

“Should we go down and take a look?” I asked.

Liliath and Rin both stared at me without saying anything.

Oh. I know where this is going.

“Yeah.. let’s not. Instead, let’s find a pond and have tea somewhere.. alright?”

They nodded in unison. Yep, safety is best.
Let’s remind myself not to get myself involved in another.. oh yeah, I forgot to return my LUK stats to normal. No wonder.

===

‘Ribbit.’

“Today is a wonderful day, isn’t it?” Rin said, stroking Princess the frog who was sitting on her knee.

“There’s nothing but peace and quiet..”

The sun was dazzling. Flowers and grass in our surroundings swaying to the light breeze.
Not to mention, Princess was now in ownership of a new ‘throne’, the cleft between two rocks just beside this giant crystal clear pond. Said frog was currently enjoying it’s time in Rin’s company.

“You’re fooling no one, Noel,” Liliath took a sip of her tea. 

Yeah. Yeah.. of course. We’re being stalked.

“Still buckwheat?”

“The smokey flavor still has me coming back for more.”

I guess her favorite is still this one huh? 

“Anyways. About just now with the Marquis Edgar, I may have been a little impulsive. I just thought of something I could do during the short little match.”

“And that is?”
“I’ll reveal to everyone that I’m a demon. Though.. I want your input just in case that’s a bad idea.”
“Does that mean we two have to show our horns too?”

“I serve no demons. Ribbit.” Princess croaked.

“What are the further actions you’ll be taking after we reveal ourselves? Have you thought of that?”
“Not particularly. I’m just kinda going with the flow. I can’t read the future, and we have to do something.”
“What if they mistaken us as one of that demon’s accomplice?”

“I already told Edgar to quit supporting the pro demon faction so that makes a point, doesn't it?”
“Did you really? I didn’t notice it.”

“Noel did.”

“Then I suppose the plan could work out? Though.. the attention would be..”
“Will it die down? Normally, it would resolve itself after some time in the modern world. I’m not sure about what it’s like for school here. I’m still not used to the culture.”

“Yes. You must be careful not to meet your third wife here. I’m not accepting her,” Liliath joked.

“I’ll give you the honor to kill me if it does happen,” I hope not.

“I shall,” Liliath’s gave off a sharp glint.

“Then.. when should Liliath and I reveal our horns? When you reveal your’s?” Rin asked.

“Maybe after the match? Or during the match? Some people might misunderstand if we get the timing wrong.”

“How about at the very beginning?”

That could work too.

“Alright.”

“How do you intend to beat him up? Should I prepare something to send him to the depths of hell?” Liliath was smiling, her eyes were not.

“I think using [Absolute End] is good enough..”

“That’s against rules, unfortunately.”

“Really? What part is against the rules?”
“As it’s a duel of the swords, using magic is seen as disrespect.”

“Oh. So there’s such a thing huh? I’ll keep that in mind then.”
I opened up my loadouts and started preparing an arrangement for the duel. [Weapons Master (SS)] [Dodge (SS)] [Vital Strike(SS)] [Shatter (SS)] [Counter (SS)] [Blade Dancer (S)] [Feint (SS)], among other things. 

It’s probably overkill.

And also, here’s something interesting I found out after having experimented with martial skills in Bleu’s domain. It is actually possible to raise my abilities to a cheat level without having to attach [Reincarnated Otherworlder] to my title. 

The reason why combat skills didn’t work before was because I absolutely sucked at the sword.

But after around 3 months of mock battles and training, I’ve gotten to the point where I can defeat a Tuffkan through my own strength.

Combine that with the skills and.. I’ve become somewhat of a mini truck. I think the problem was my innate base skill stat, if such a thing existed. Then again, I could hit like a meteor if [Reincarnated Otherworlder] was equipped.

“Noel.” 

“Yes?”

“Regarding my family..” The way Liliath called out to me was a little..

“Uh-huh?”

She turned and looked down at her cup, the tea bag floating on top like an ice cube.

Not daring to meet my eyes, she asked.

“How do you forgive.. someone?”