Misery Loves Company
Star Lands. These were special domains where an excessive concentration of mana, for reasons unknown, created bizarre phenomena and environments completely unlike the outside world. Water might flow upward from the ground. A rain of fire might pour from the sky. Beings that were not human might imitate people to lure in outsiders. They were places so far removed from ordinary logic that such absurdities were simply the way things worked.
Just thinking back to what I’d experienced at the Lake of Wisdom was proof enough of that.
And now they were telling us our practical training would take place in one of those very locations.
If anyone else had said it, I would have laughed it off as nonsense or a bad joke. But the person delivering the news was an academy professor—one of the furthest from humor imaginable. The iron-blooded Neville Brix himself.
So I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
“Are you in your right mind? Do you have any idea what kind of accidents could happen?”
It was a question that bordered on rude—in fact, it was outright rude—but Professor Neville didn’t get angry. It seemed he had already anticipated exactly this reaction.
“Relax. The supervising instructor will be Istal.”
“......”
Anticipating a reaction and knowing how to handle it properly were two entirely different things. At the grim news that the academy’s most dangerous individual would be joining us, my face twisted like I had bitten into something rotten.
Is that supposed to be reassuring? The question never made it past my lips. I had already realized there was no point in saying it.
The fact that Professor Istal was the supervising instructor meant this practical wasn’t limited to the magic department. It involved the martial arts course as well. And since both were participating, there was no chance the support department would be left out. In short, the entire second-year class had been roped in.
No matter how much authority the professors wielded, they wouldn’t have arranged something like this on a whim. This had to be a directive from above.
Whether it was because of the second prince or those cultist terrorists, if the higher-ups were involved, a single student throwing a tantrum wasn’t going to change anything. On the other hand, if I moved from a position that wasn’t merely “a single student,” I might be able to exert some influence. But I didn’t feel the need to go that far. Playing the mastermind required timing. Trying to control everything would only bring a backlash I couldn’t handle.
The academy wouldn’t be ignorant of how dangerous Star Lands were, so they must have prepared some countermeasures.
“Additionally, we will select an advance team to conduct a preliminary inspection. Given the nature of Star Lands, unpredictable variables may still arise, but it will be far better than sending everyone in immediately.”
Hmm. I nodded in understanding. That did put me somewhat at ease. The advance team might suffer, but it wasn’t going to be me.
“Chrome Midas, you are one of the selected members. Prepare accordingly.”
“Pardon?”
“Departure is in three days.”
“......”
“All right, everyone! Nice to meet you! I’m Istal von Lebenstein! Some of you don’t see me often, but let’s get to know each other through this opportunity!”
Her energy was so high she seemed ready to bounce off the walls. A beaming smile. A leather outfit that boldly displayed her seductive blood-red hair and curvaceous figure. She was a beauty who would stop anyone in their tracks, yet none of the students gathered here were fooled.
The martial arts students who suffered under her on a regular basis already wore vacant expressions, staring into space. Students from other departments who had directly or indirectly experienced her madness during the academy’s various large events also wore stiff, awkward looks.
Whether aware of the atmosphere or not, Professor Istal continued her explanation with boundless enthusiasm.
“The place we’re heading to this time is a Star Land! Among them, it’s the one called the Shadow Mine. Your job is a preliminary survey! You’ll be checking in advance whether the Shadow Mine is dangerous and whether it’s suitable for student lessons! Any questions?”
At Professor Istal’s question, the students exchanged glances before one raised his hand.
“Um, Professor? If students are the ones determining whether it’s dangerous for students, doesn’t that defeat the purpose?”
“Not at all! What test could be more accurate than the people involved checking it themselves?”
Her tone suggested she couldn’t believe she had to explain something so obvious. The student who had asked—and everyone listening—suddenly felt like they had done something wrong.
Is that… right? It still felt off somehow.
This time another student raised his hand.
“Then, Professor, could you tell us the criteria used to select the members here?”
“The reasons differ by professor. For the martial arts course I’m responsible for, it was a lottery! Professor Neville most likely chose members with slow growth or those who need external stimulation. As for Professor Emilio……”
Istal, who had been speaking smoothly until then, unusually hesitated. After carefully observing the support course students, she nodded as if she understood.
“It’s because they’re male.”
“......”
“As expected of an old man… no, a priest of the Star God Church. His way of thinking is so outdated. I can clearly feel his intention to push all the dangerous work onto the men!”
“......”
“Ah, if any of you came here after hearing things like ‘You have a promising future,’ ‘I can only trust you,’ or ‘I see a destiny of great achievement ahead of you,’ I’m sorry! It might have been happier for you to remain lost in that illusion!”
“......”
The support course students, verbally shredded by her words, silently turned their gazes toward one spot. The student who had asked the question avoided their eyes, weighed down by an inexplicable sense of guilt.
To clear the awkward atmosphere, another student raised his hand again.
“Professor Istal, then—”
“Hmm, there’s far too much talking. People should know how to restrain their curiosity! We’re short on time, so let’s just depart! Yahoo!”
Istal von Lebenstein spun on her heel and walked away without another word. The students could only sigh and follow after her.
“The mood is off to a fantastic start.”
Inside the magic train where an entire carriage had been reserved exclusively for the students, the green-haired girl Pino grumbled.
“So, what scheme are you cooking up this time? Don’t drag it out—spit it out already.”
Her tone made it clear she was convinced I had done something again. What made it even more unfair was that the other students on the train were nodding in agreement.
“Yeah! Try being the one dragged into it for once!”
“Everyone else is taking normal classes at the academy. Why is it only us dealing with this nonsense!”
“I thought a bit better of you after hearing about what you did in the Mars Duchy, but nothing’s changed!”
“Compensate us! Release the cubes!”
I protested in genuine disbelief.
“Are you all insane? What the hell did I do to deserve this? Logically speaking, does it make any sense that I had a hand in something the academy itself arranged?”
Faced with the sincere desperation pouring from the bottom of my heart, the students…
“If it was anyone else, maybe not. But with you, it seems entirely possible.”
“So that’s why you’ve been running wild all this time claiming to follow common sense?”
“I’d believe an ordinary guy saying that, but nothing you say has any credibility, Midas.”
“Thirty cubes and we’ll forgive you!”
…didn’t buy it at all.
It was enough to drive me crazy. After all, I had only received a near-unilateral notice from Neville Brix a few days earlier. Still, this was my own karma. If Fiore had been here, her clever tongue and natural affinity would have redirected the arrows somewhere else. If Lyla had been present, I wouldn’t have been cornered and interrogated like this in the first place. Unfortunately, neither of them was among the twelve members of the advance team.
If it came down to physical “persuasion,” maybe, but Ligret—who was blankly staring at the scenery outside the train beside me—wasn’t much help in situations like this. And Pino, the only other acquaintance I had besides Ligret, was not supporting me but actively suspecting me instead.
In the end, I had no choice but to offer a different exit in front of this wave of suspicion.
“First of all, this is absolutely not something I caused. But since you’re all insisting so strongly, let’s just say it is.”
“You finally admit it!”
“This guy really is the mastermind!”
“What kind of grudge do you even have against us to pull something like this!”
“Cubes! Compensation! Cubes! Compensation!”
Had only these kinds of people been gathered for the advance team? Or had the students who were cool-headed upon enrollment regressed mentally after being beaten down so many times?
Feeling a vast gap between myself and the first-years who were currently busy with factions and politics back at the academy, I asked.
“But… so, are you not going to do it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Let’s say we all throw a collective fit here and refuse. Do you really think Professor Istal, who’s probably in the front carriage right now, will quietly send us back?”
“Midas, since you set this board up, you can reset it too, right?”
“No, you frustrating bunch. Do you honestly believe the words ‘Istal’ and ‘control’ can exist in the same sentence? If I went to the professor right now and said, ‘The plan’s ruined, so let’s just go back,’ my skull would obviously get cracked. But I doubt your heads would remain safely attached to your shoulders either.”
“Then what do you suggest we do?”
After confirming that every student was now listening intently, I lowered my voice to a whisper.
“Let’s think about it. If the reconnaissance we carry out this time ends in failure—or even if it succeeds but produces only half-baked results—this class will end there. The rest of the academy students will escape this incredible course without even dipping a toe in it.”
A strange silence fell over the group.
“Since Professor Istal is involved anyway, there’s no comfortable ending in sight. Us suffering is already set in stone. However, whether it’s only us who suffer, or whether the others suffer just as much, depends on what we do.”
“......”
“Star Lands! Legendary grounds! We can’t hog this amazing experience all to ourselves. As proud members of the academy, shouldn’t we give our fellow students the same opportunity?”
“That’s right. Good things should be shared.”
“Midas, it seems we misunderstood you without knowing your true thoughts.”
“Yeah, we can’t let only ourselves take the hit… I mean, we should work hard for our friends’ sake too.”
“Cubes… mmph!”
“Shut up. We’re discussing something important here and you’re still going on about cubes?”
As I watched the students all burst into suspiciously identical laughter, Ligret thought to herself, That’s why your misunderstandings never get cleared up, you idiot.