The Bomb
"It looks like the situation is wrapping up."
"Indeed. It must be difficult for a single person to maintain that many scarecrows."
I had been surprised when the scarecrows first started running amok. I expected only one to go wild, but suddenly every single scarecrow began moving at once.
...To be honest, I had been worried this event would end too anticlimactically. When playing the game, players accept certain things as "gameplay convenience," but reality doesn't work that way.
The Academy's instructors are all highly capable. Even the least competent among them is only "incompetent" in a relative sense. Outside the Academy, any one of them would be treated with the utmost respect.
It would be stranger to think such professors would just stand by and do nothing while watching this unfold.
That was why I had resolved to use my Hypnosis if things looked like they were going to end too easily.
But that proved unnecessary.
Contrary to my expectations, every single scarecrow scattered across the grounds had begun to rampage.
...I wasn't entirely sure why it differed from the game. Perhaps it was because of me, or perhaps this was how it always happened but the game had simply omitted the details.
It had to be one of the two.
Personally, I leaned toward the former.
After all, the scarecrows were already starting to stop, one by one.
"I don't know much about mana, but it really is impressive."
"Yes. It is impressive. To maintain the mana for that many golems all by oneself... But why do such a thing...?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
To keep the scarecrows active, the instructors had been supplying them with their own mana. This was designed so that even if a vacancy occurred among the staff, the scarecrows would continue to function properly as long as at least one instructor remained. The Principal had confirmed that my understanding of this mechanism was correct.
The culprit had exploited this very feature to overload the scarecrows. Because of this, the instructors had no way to stop them, and their efforts were limited to evacuating the students.
However, such a system didn't only have advantages.
A structure where the scarecrows would run as long as a single person remained.
Hearing it described like that made it sound impressive, but...
Looked at another way, it meant that the number of people supplying mana to those countless scarecrows had suddenly dwindled to exactly one.
It was like rent.
Let's say there are people living in a luxury mansion that costs five million won a month. The rent is incredibly high—more than any of their individual salaries—but they don't feel much of a burden.
Why? Because they aren't paying it alone. Ten or twenty of them are splitting it.
Even if one or two people leave the house, the burden on the remaining residents only increases slightly; it isn't an overwhelming blow.
But...
What if, one day, everyone except for one person is suddenly kicked out of the house due to some incident?
The sole remaining resident would have to shoulder the entire five million won rent alone.
That was the exact situation here.
The nameless instructor, who had been left to single-handedly support the countless scarecrows previously sustained by the collective mana of the entire faculty, had managed to hold out until now...
But they had finally reached their limit.
They had gone utterly bankrupt in an instant.
"Now all we have to do is find the culprit."
"I thought you said you didn't know who it was?"
"I don't. But we're about to find out. The culprit must be incredibly exhausted right now."
"...I see."
As I mentioned, the Academy's instructors were all top-tier combatants. They had only failed to rescue the Princess and the Watcher because they were blocked by the scarecrows, which felt like indestructible, un-damageable objects.
They certainly weren't the type to be exhausted by such crude, makeshift attacks.
Yet, if there was someone among them who was gasping for breath, completely drained of mana...
You could safely assume that person was the culprit.
Naturally, there was no way they could control the scarecrows this precisely from outside the Academy.
In the game, the instructor had appeared immediately after the scarecrows were defeated, almost like a phase two boss, so this was practically guaranteed.
"You seem awfully carefree, Counselor."
"Of course I am. At this point, the students have essentially gained valuable real-world experience in a safe environment."
How should students react to a sudden ambush? Realizing the answer to that question was more than enough.
To put it in game terms, they had gained experience points.
Any possibility of a Game Over had already vanished.
I had been on edge, worried that even one of the five might get seriously hurt...
But in the end, they were all standing there, completely unharmed.
...Still, it was surprising.
Honestly, I hadn't expected the students to fight like that.
I had hoped to see them do so eventually, but...
To think I would see them cooperating already.
It was a delightful miscalculation.
Seeing the playable characters join forces to defeat an enemy—something I had only ever seen in mods—almost made me squeal like an excited child.
If the Principal hadn't been watching me through the video call, I probably would have.
"Cooperation... That was an unexpected harvest."
"...You sound as if you truly never imagined they would cooperate."
"Of course. Principal, can you honestly picture Princess Stella joining forces with someone to fight?"
"Ugh..."
"..."
Was that reaction really necessary? Just what kind of relationship did Stella and the Principal have?
"I heard something so horrifying I couldn't help myself... My apologies."
"Ah, yes..."
"Sigh, if possible, I'd like you to keep that traitor alive..."
Was he embarrassed?
The Principal's voice trembled slightly as he abruptly shifted the conversation to the traitor, completely out of context, in a desperate bid to change the subject.
...I suppose I should play along and pretend not to notice. He has done a lot for me, after all.
"Don't worry. I'll keep him alive if I can."
"How? ...Wait, don't tell me."
"I was planning on heading over there anyway. Don't hang up, okay? If it's your order, I'm sure everyone will comply."
Making a promise I knew I couldn't keep, I slowly walked toward the practical exam grounds.
"Is everyone alright?"
"T-Thank you, Lady Watcher."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
You really don't need to thank me that much.
Anastasia wanted to say those words, but she held them back. Even though she had protected them, she feared they might resent her if they ever found out that she was the reason they had been targeted in the first place.
She was only human, after all, and no one liked being blamed.
Since there was no need to bring it up, it was better to remain silent.
"...It's over."
She raised her head to look at the scarecrow.
The scarecrow, which had raised its arms high to strike the students—no, to strike Anastasia—now stood completely frozen, as if it had been built that way from the start.
...Back when she was still at the Holy See, she had heard about what might happen once she entered the Academy.
They had warned her that the Academy's security would inevitably be weaker than the Holy See's, and that she must be careful, as there could be terror attacks targeting the Watcher.
The face of the priest who had repeatedly emphasized this, noting that the Second Princess was also entering the Academy this year, flickered in her mind.
At the time, she had dismissed it as mere paranoia.
To think a terror attack would actually occur so soon after her admission.
She felt a headache coming on.
"No, it is not over."
"...Instructor Ian?"
"I figured it was bound to fail... but I didn't expect it to fail this miserably. How disappointing."
"Was this your doing?"
"Yes. I did it."
She remembered seeing him occasionally.
The Academy's swordsmanship instructor. Anastasia had never had much to do with him, but his hearty laughter had left an impression on her.
"...You must know that there is no mercy for terrorists."
"I know it well. I've caught plenty of them myself."
"Then why...?"
"Revenge."
"Revenge?"
"Yes. Years ago, the Holy See and the Imperial Family..."
"Who the fuck cares about your goddamn sob story? And why the hell are you listening to him?"
"...Orca?"
Just as Anastasia was about to hear his motive, Orca barged between the two with her usual vulgar tongue.
"I don't give a shit about the history of a bastard like you, got it?"
"...How vulgar."
"So what? I don't care what kind of sob story you have, are you fucking blind? You talk big about revenge, but in the end, you failed, didn't you? People are already gathering. It's time to pay the price for what you did, criminal."
"You certainly have a silver tongue, you brat."
"Who are you calling a brat?! You're the one wearing mismatched socks!"
"This is fashion... No, never mind."
Before they knew it, a large crowd had begun to gather.
Perhaps they had sensed from the atmosphere that the crisis was drawing to a close.
"...Instructor. Why?"
"Leo. Aileen. ...I'm sorry."
"Tsk..."
Instructor Ian looked around, seemingly realizing that there was nothing more he could do.
He let out a heavy sigh, pulled a device with a button from his pocket, and flung off his outer coat.
Strapped to his torso were objects that looked incredibly dangerous even at a glance.
"I am truly sorry to my students... but you'll have to die with me."
"A bomb...?!"
"Since my revenge failed, I might as well take you all down with me, shouldn't I?"
"Wait—"
Horrified, we tried to scramble forward to wrench the detonator from his hand. But seeing the sheer determination in his eyes as he prepared to press down with all his might, we instinctively knew.
It was too late.
We wouldn't be able to stop the explosion.
At the exact moment everyone braced for the blast, a voice echoed from behind the students.