Entrance Ceremony Catastrophe

Hero Academy.

The world's finest educational institution, founded in the Carlisle Empire by its first emperor, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Alexander Carlisle, as a cradle of learning where the gifted were gathered without regard to nation, faith, or station—all in preparation for the coming invasion from the demon realm.

And now the entrance ceremony of that storied academy, which had produced so many heroes across its long history, was well underway.

Any freshman present would have been savoring the joy of admission, looking forward to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the academy life about to unfold before them.

But the expression of this year's freshman representative, Elizabeth Spencer, was cold as a century of frost.

Young Master Taylor…

Taylor Winchester—heir to the Winchester Ducal House, one of the Empire's three great ducal families, and her own betrothed.

It had been an engagement arranged between their houses, yet the Taylor she had known as a child had been the very image of the prince she had always imagined. Even then, his clear-cut features and his unfailingly considerate, warm manner had been more than enough to capture her heart, and she had thought herself truly fortunate that he was her fiancé.

Until that day came.

Every child born in the Empire was required, at the age of ten, to undergo a mandatory talent examination at the temple. She had received an S-Rank talent—Wind of the Azure Sky—but her fiancé, Taylor Winchester, had been granted only a D-Rank talent: Fire Knight.

Had Taylor been born to any house but Winchester, he might have lived an ordinary life. But his station was that of heir to the Empire's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠foremost family. Those around him looked on him with pity for receiving a D-Rank. They never said so outright—not with the Winchester name attached—but the stares were blatant enough that even a young girl could notice. They mocked him. They scorned him.

To her, Taylor's worth was never something talent could dictate, and she had meant to treat him no differently than before. Yet people never stopped comparing their talents, and the more they did, the more Taylor blamed his own inadequacy and drove himself into a corner.

In the end, unable to watch any longer, Elizabeth chose to leave his side, hoping that peace might return to his daily life. And so that she might fulfill in his place the dream he had once spoken of—to become a great hero like the Winchester ancestors—she had worked harder than anyone to reach this very place.

"…On the path of chasing our dreams, let us join hands, strive together, and press forward as one. That concludes my remarks. Thank you."

She bowed once toward the professors seated behind her, then looked out ahead. A sea of newly admitted students filled the space below the dais. But of them all, only one person truly registered in her eyes—a blot of black ink standing out against a canvas of every color.

Young Master Winchester…

Everyone else was looking up at her on the stage. He alone was glancing this way and that, as if searching for someone else entirely.

Was it because she had fled and left him alone in his hardship? Or because he no longer even wanted to look at her face?

Sorrow settled into her cold eyes. Gazing at the fiancé who showed no interest in her, Elizabeth bowed her head in greeting.

The entrance ceremony was over. Now the true academy life would begin.

Far off on the dais, a beautiful golden-haired girl was giving her address.

Elizabeth Spencer.

One of the main heroines of Hero Con Brio—and, as it happened, my current fiancée.

Damn. She really is ridiculously pretty.

And it wasn't just Elizabeth. Looking around, I could see the faces of other heroines from the game, along with characters who had only ever appeared in supporting roles. True to their nature as game characters, every last one of them was beautiful or handsome.

This is not the time to be admiring faces. Get a grip.

Inside the auditorium, the entrance ceremony was still in full swing—Elizabeth speaking, the students watching her. The whole scene was painfully familiar. In Hero Con, this exact place and time had been the starting point when you created a character.

So what event ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠did the game always throw at brand-new players first? The answer was simple.

A basic combat tutorial to teach the controls.

And the trigger for that event would fire the moment that beautiful girl finished her speech and stepped down from the dais.

"…On the path of chasing our dreams, let us join hands, strive together, and press forward as one."

As her address drew to a close, I felt every muscle in my body tighten with tension.

"That concludes my remarks. Thank you."

I glanced over just long enough to confirm Elizabeth had finished and was coming down, then checked the spawn points for the monsters one more time.

One step. Another step. Each footfall as she descended the stairs from the dais felt like the ticking of a time bomb.

The instant her final step touched the floor—

Ding!

I didn't expect an actual quest to generate.

Along with the familiar quest hologram, the catastrophe began right on schedule.

BOOM!

"What—what's going on?!"

"Kyaaaaah!!"

"Monsters!!"

"Aaaaagh! Run!"

A thunderous explosion shook the auditorium. In its wake, one of the walls was half-destroyed, and through the breach dozens of small dog-like beasts—Scavengers—poured into the hall.

Grruff!! Grruff!!

Grrrrrrr!!

Scavengers were among the weakest of low-tier monsters. Their hides could be cut easily with a blade, and their claws and teeth weren't strong enough to pierce solid armor. But a monster was still a monster. At the very least, they were more than students caught completely unprepared could handle.

Kyaak!!

"Ghk—!!"

Sure enough, a Scavenger leapt high and tore into a student's throat in an instant. Blood fountained into the air, and panic seized everyone in the auditorium.

"Aaaagh!!"

"Somebody help me!!"

Students who could barely keep their feet shoved and trampled one another in a desperate scramble to flee. Absolute chaos. Even so, a few were already locked in combat with the monsters—and every one of them was a face I recognized, which left me with a strange feeling.

Named characters really are built different, huh.

I felt a little bad for the ones who would die or be hurt here, but it wasn't a situation I could prevent—and in my current weakened state, I needed the experience from even these lowly monsters.

In Hero Con Brio, characters had no levels. Skills did. And the most efficient way to raise skill levels was real combat. This horrific, nauseating massacre was going to be my springboard.

I pulled an iron short spear—purchased earlier from a weapons shop—out of my inventory and moved toward a Scavenger that was chasing after the fleeing students. The creature noticed me coming and our eyes met. Deciding I was the better target, it wheeled around and charged straight at me.

Grrraaagh!

The Scavenger's leap was sharp, but I couldn't keep the smile off my face. Familiar attack. Familiar movement. Familiar scenery. Everything was so familiar that my body moved as if it remembered too.

Mana surged through me in a rapid cycle, granting me motion no ordinary person could ever hope to match. In that sudden expansion of my senses, I locked onto the Scavenger's charge, read its path as naturally as breathing, stepped half a pace to the side—and drove the short spear straight down through the top of its skull.

Thuk.

The sharp spearpoint punched through bone.

Khek!

Blood sprayed up the shaft as a short death cry cut off. Was it because I'd never seen this much blood in my life? Looking down at the Scavenger collapsed at my feet, the wild excitement that had been roaring through me began to settle into something cold and steady. My mana, by contrast, only grew more frenzied, thrashing through every inch of my body.

It wasn't as if I'd spent the days leading up to the ceremony sitting around. Over three days I had bought and swallowed every elixir money could buy, and I'd collected every nearby hidden item that was easy to get my hands on. That effort was paying off right now.

The seething mana spun even harder, as if it still wasn't enough. I steadied myself and tightened my grip on the spear. There were enemies in front of me. The path I had to take was clear.

Shuk!

I read the next enemy's movement, timed it, and thrust. Everything is hardest the first time.

Kieeek!!

The spear must have pierced its heart—the creature's motion stopped dead. I wrenched the shaft free and, in the same motion, hurled the spear at a Scavenger lunging for a fallen student. Mana-reinforced steel cut through the air and ended its life.

Grruff!!

I pulled another identical short spear from my inventory and scanned the surroundings. Thanks to the professors' quick response, casualties had been kept to a minimum—but the enemies kept coming in overwhelming numbers.

There are way more of them than I expected. At this rate, there's no end in sight.

Not that there truly was no end. This was a terrorist attack on Hero Academy, in the very heart of the Empire. Real Heroes—on a completely different level from mere professors—would arrive soon enough. The moment they did, the attack would be cleaned up in an instant. But the longer the fighting dragged on, the more victims there would be.

I had to choose. Keep fighting and farm experience—or catch the mastermind and end this quickly.

The deliberation was short. The action was shorter.

"Hey. Blonde commoner. And you—green girl over there."

I called out to a pair nearby who were already in combat, faces only I would recognize.

"…Yes, Young Master?"

"Green girl—are you talking about me?!"

Both of them looked startled, as if they hadn't expected me to speak to them at all. I couldn't end this alone. That was why I had singled out the two people with the minimum talents I needed.

"You two look more useful than the rest. Follow me."

"Forgive me, Young Master, but… follow you where, exactly…?"

"I have a detection-type skill."

"What?"

"??"

The blank looks on their faces made me sigh.

"Tsk. I mean I'm going to find the one who caused this mess. Help me."

Their eyes went wide. They glanced at each other, then both nodded and came over.

"Wait—find the mastermind?!"

"If that's true, then I'll follow you."

"…Good. Come on."

I handed off the nearby monsters to the professors who were already fighting and started to slip away—only for a voice from behind to catch us.

"I'll go with you as well."

"Hm?"

I turned to find the speaker, and there she stood—someone I knew well.

"Elizabeth Spencer."

"!!"

Our eyes met. A flicker of unease lived in her steady gaze. I didn't know why it was there. But right now I had neither the time nor the leisure to worry about her feelings.

"Permission granted. Fall in behind us."

She seems a little off, but if she's offering to help, I'm not about to turn her down.

Knowing exactly how capable she was, I gave silent thanks for the windfall and started walking.