The Future Has Changed
Looks like there aren’t any assigned seats.
Plenty of students had already settled into the classroom, clustered together in little groups of familiar faces. I claimed a spot toward the back row and quickly realized the stares that had followed me outside were still locked on me in here.
“Look over there—it’s Lord Winchester.”
“We’re in the same class as the Winchester heir?”
“So the Winchester successor isn’t stuck with a D-Rank talent after all?”
“As expected of the Black Hero’s descendant…”
Thanks to the Dragon Knight’s innate skill, Dragon Sense, my hearing had sharpened to the point where every whisper reached me as clearly as if I were wearing a hearing aid. After the morning’s gauntlet of stares, I’d more or less seen this coming.
I let out a quiet sigh and ignored the chatter, sweeping my gaze around the room.
Come to think of it, where’s William? Hasn’t he shown up yet?
I was scanning for the protagonist who should have been in the same classroom when Elizabeth, sitting right beside me, suddenly shot to her feet. Every eye in the room—including mine—snapped toward her at the abrupt movement.
“Is this truly the conduct of students of the glorious Hero Academy?”
Those ice-cold eyes I remembered from the game swept over the class and crushed the noise under their weight. Honestly, everything Elizabeth had done since my possession had felt so different from the girl I knew that I’d been left puzzled. But right now, without a doubt, the Elizabeth I remembered stood before me.
“Do not sit there evaluating someone with words you would never dare speak to their face.”
Anyone who met her gaze flinched away from that frost-edged stare and dropped their heads. It felt incredibly satisfying.
You should’ve known when to stop.
I might have been annoyed, but they were just small fry, so I’d been willing to let it slide. Elizabeth, however, was a noble who understood her position perfectly well. Having her fiancé become the subject of idle gossip was something that could easily reflect on her and her house. That was a noble for you, I supposed. The same girl who’d flushed red under Enri’s teasing earlier could turn this commanding when she put her mind to it—it was almost impressive.
Huh. This situation feels… familiar somehow.
Something about it. Something about her words. A powerful sense of déjà vu hit me. I turned the feeling over in my head, hunting for whatever I’d missed, and the answer came easily enough.
That line… she was supposed to say that to the protagonist, wasn’t she?
In the game, after the protagonist made a name for himself as the academy’s commoner star during the terrorist attack and the class started whispering about him, Elizabeth had looked around with open disdain and delivered those exact words. Back then it had carried a note of pure contempt. Here, genuine anger burned underneath, and that shift in nuance had kept me from recognizing it right away.
“That was truly magnificent, Lady Elizabeth.”
“I merely pointed out something improper.”
“But only you could say it so boldly, Lady Elizabeth!”
As she finished speaking and sat back down, Enri’s eyes had transformed into the pure adoration of a younger sister gazing at her idol. Elizabeth offered her a wry smile, then turned to me and bowed her head.
“I acted without even asking your wishes, Young Master. I am truly sorry.”
Whatever steel she had shown moments ago had vanished; the twin drills of golden hair at the ends of her locks were trembling faintly. I almost laughed under my breath, then gave a small shake of my head.
“It’s fine.”
When she lifted her face again, for some reason she reminded me of the golden retriever the old lady next door used to keep when I was a kid. Thinking something that rude about a beautiful girl was probably rude in itself—and that was when I noticed her face had gone as red as a ripe apple.
“!!”
…Ah.
Without realizing it, my hand had reached out and was stroking her silk-smooth golden hair. I yanked it back the instant I registered the emergency.
She’s not about to fire off a Wind Cutter in the middle of the classroom over this, is she?!
I considered whether I should drop into a full formal apology and watched her carefully. Fortunately she stayed put, fidgeting quietly in her seat. For a fleeting second something like disappointment seemed to cross her expression—or maybe that was just my imagination.
“Heehee, you two really do look close.”
Enri beamed at us with open envy, and somehow that made me feel embarrassed too.
Damn it. Of all the stupid mistakes…
While I was busy berating myself for a blunder even a beginner wouldn’t make, the front door of the classroom opened and the crisp click of dress shoes echoed across the floor. I looked up to find a familiar figure standing tall on the lecture platform.
Aleister Crowley…?
A gentleman with a neatly trimmed mustache and an impeccably tailored suit. Tall and lean, yet the straight line of his back and the breadth of his shoulders kept him from looking frail. Pale, corpse-like skin, deep dark circles under his eyes, and dark navy hair combined into a figure that strongly suggested a vampire.
Why is that man here?
My brain short-circuited at the completely unexpected sight. Aleister opened his mouth, his pleasant mid-low voice filling the room.
“A pleasure to meet you all. I am Aleister Crowley, newly appointed instructor of Class 1-A.”
A top-tier hero who by all rights should have been fighting on the front lines had somehow become our homeroom teacher.
Even those who didn’t recognize his face clearly knew the name. The classroom that Elizabeth’s earlier outburst had quieted erupted into noise again.
“Crowley—as in the famous Viscount Crowley?”
“Why would someone active on the front lines be here?”
“I’ve never seen a Ranker hero in person before…”
Judging by the uproar, I hadn’t been seeing things.
“Who is he, that everyone’s reacting like this?”
Enri asked curiously, and Elizabeth answered with patient kindness.
“Enri, that gentleman is one of the most renowned Rankers among the active heroes currently serving on the front lines.”
“Heeh, I see…”
Enri still looked only half-convinced, but being a Ranker was no small thing. In the setting of Hero Con Brio, the Hero Rank system existed—compiled by the Bright Newspaper, the empire’s largest and most authoritative paper, based on a hero’s official achievements and contributions. To ordinary commoners it was little more than a popularity contest, but to nobles honor was everything. Plenty of people literally staked their lives on climbing those ranks.
“If I could have your attention, please.”
Seeing the class still buzzing, Aleister flicked his fingers lightly and sent a wave of mana rolling through the room.
“Uwaaah!”
“Wh-what the—?!”
“Kyaa!”
It wasn’t especially powerful mana, but caught completely off guard, several students toppled right out of their chairs.
This lunatic! I knew he’d pull something like this.
I knew exactly how insane the gentlemanly-looking man truly was, so I had already prepared for whatever stunt he might try. Thanks to that, I was able to scatter every scrap of mana that reached me, Elizabeth, and Enri.
“Th-thank you for protecting us.”
“Wow, that startled me! Thank you so much, Young Master.”
I accepted their slightly flustered thanks while noticing Aleister’s deep brown eyes fixed on me. The look said he hadn’t expected anyone to block his mana—and that he had just found something interesting.
“It seems you all already know who I am, so I shall forgo a lengthy self-introduction. However, I do owe you an explanation as to why I stand upon this platform.”
He placed his right hand over his heart as he spoke, the picture of a perfect gentleman—as if the mana storm moments earlier had never happened.
“As you are no doubt well aware, an unidentified organization recently carried out a terrorist attack upon the academy.”
My intervention had greatly reduced the casualties, but people had still died. Everyone present had been there that day; the atmosphere in the classroom plummeted at once.
“His Majesty the Emperor has commanded that certain heroes currently serving on the front lines—myself included—assume professorial posts at the academy in order to ensure your safety.”
This setting had never existed in the game.
“I cannot say how long it will last, but until the threat of that terrorist group is eliminated, I swear upon the name of His Majesty the Emperor that I shall teach and protect you as a professor of the glorious Hero Academy.”
Things I knew nothing about were unfolding right in front of me.
“Therefore, I ask only that you set your hearts at ease and devote yourselves fully to your studies—so that one day you may stand beside me on the battlefield as full-fledged heroes.”
The entire classroom broke into applause. Elizabeth and Enri on either side of me clapped as well. I stared blankly at the scene while goosebumps raced across my skin.
I had no choice but to admit it.
I did not know this setting.
I did not know this situation.
I did not know this scene.
Looking at the smile that curved Aleister’s lips, I became certain.
The future had changed.