The Fallen Sword Princess
I collected every single napkin that the fallen Sword Princess Tana had written on. It was unlikely, but there was always the chance I might forget some of these stories later.
More than that, though, I wanted to use them as evidence.
An internal whistleblower, and the chairman’s own direct blood relative at that. Even if I couldn’t confirm every detail as absolute truth, it would be more than enough to launch an official investigation.
‘Since I’m changing things anyway, I might as well flip the whole damn board.’
In the game, it had been impossible to touch Erhen Pharmaceuticals. But this wasn’t the game anymore. With solid evidence and a living witness, I could strike at them if I had the power to back it up.
Only…
I pulled out the Holy Water I had carefully tucked away in my inner pocket.
“In the end, I couldn’t give it to her.”
When Tana had written that she wanted me to kill her, I had tried to make her drink this Holy Water. Just like in the game, consuming it should have erased the demonic contract medium embedded in her heart.
If that happened, the Fallen Sword Princess episode would never trigger.
That had been my plan, but Tana stopped me. She said that if the contract medium disappeared, the chairman would notice immediately.
She told me there were more than just one or two awakeners who had been created through the same kind of experiments. Even if she used the Holy Water to break free of the contract, she still wouldn’t be able to escape the chairman’s grasp.
I couldn’t grasp the exact reason, but the moment I saw the gloomy look in her eyes, I understood the general situation.
She had probably made some kind of additional deal. That was why she had said there were many others in the same position as her.
At a glance, it was obvious. If she succeeded in her plan, the others would be released. Chairman Erhen must have offered her that kind of deal. And Tana had no choice but to swallow her tears and accept it.
“But how the hell does that bastard know about me?”
While telling me all this, Tana had first apologized to me. She said her approach had been entirely intentional. The chairman had personally mentioned my name and ordered her to build a connection with me no matter what.
Even Tana didn’t seem to know the exact reason. All she knew was that the chairman occasionally spoke of “that person” who had given the order.
‘I can roughly guess who “that person” is.’
If the chairman—who dealt in demonic energy and used it to manufacture drugs—used honorifics for someone, that person had to be at least a demon noble. At worst, a full demon.
What bothered me was that those bastards had specifically singled me out.
Of course, my performance during the entrance exam had been outrageous. I had beaten even the Sword Saint’s granddaughter and Tana—who had been forcibly awakened through demonic energy—then taken the top spot while breaking every single record in the academy’s history.
In that sense, the reason Chairman Erhen wanted to approach me became clear.
Anyone who had ever received demonic energy became obsessed with strength. Whether it was a trait of demons or simply their nature, they endlessly pursued greater power and wanted to become stronger than anyone else.
That was probably why Tana had judged that she needed to approach me and build a relationship.
However, something about the way Tana Erhen had acted toward me in Final Academy still nagged at me.
In the game, no matter whether my character came in dead last or took first place, she had approached me without fail. Back then I had simply thought, ‘Guess that’s just her personality,’ and moved on. But now that I knew the truth, my thoughts had changed.
She had definitely approached me with a clear purpose.
No matter how many dozens or hundreds of playthroughs I did, it was always the same.
Which meant…
“There’s something about this body that I don’t know about.”
More precisely, there was something about the player who controlled the character. The only real difference between me and the other characters was that single point.
I had no idea what it was. After all, this world had already diverged quite a bit from the Final Academy I knew.
The game’s setting that I thought I had completely understood might actually be nothing more than the tip of the iceberg.
It didn’t matter. Even if the things I knew were only the surface, the fact that I possessed future information remained unchanged. On top of that, discovering there were still more mysteries for me to uncover was actually good news.
I had already seen multiple endings and dug through everything I could, yet there was still more to see.
Of course, to do that…
“I need to stop Tana.”
I clenched my fist a couple of times and then opened it. I had completed every preparation I could make. I had all the necessary items and had even obtained some unexpected ones.
All that remained was figuring out how to use everything I had gathered.
Using those tools and clearing the boss would come down to pure skill. There would be no more room for me to intervene using game knowledge.
But that was fine. This was an episode I had already cleared hundreds of times.
My mind was already busy calculating exactly how to subdue the Sword Princess.
My preparations had been thorough. The game’s progression had twisted a little, but everything had stayed within acceptable margins. No one knew I had gone outside to obtain the Holy Water.
I had also learned the truth behind Tana and Erhen Pharmaceuticals—something no player in the game had ever discovered—but it wouldn’t interfere with the playthrough.
My personal stat growth was continuing steadily as well, so there were no major variables.
The two companions I needed to recruit for the upcoming subjugation expedition—Cheon Yu-ha and Elesia—were both ready to join at any time. There was nothing to worry about there.
Up until now, everything seemed to be flowing according to the story I knew. The slight twists and changes were simply the natural result of following the standard route.
Well, with the midterms still some time away, obsessing over this might seem strange, but I only needed to do well enough. Academy grades included both written and practical exams, so there was no need to stress too much.
Even while worrying about the boss, student-like thoughts still slipped in. Since I was still a student whether I liked it or not, worrying about grades, the future, and preparing for daily life was simply unavoidable.
There was still quite a bit of time left before the first semester ended. The only way to earn money during that period was the scholarship that came with being the top freshman. But that alone wouldn’t let me fully enjoy the lifestyle I wanted.
“Now that I think about it, weren’t there a few early-game episodes that gave decent money?”
Because I had cleared so many playthroughs, I usually skipped most of the minor episodes. Among those I had skipped, there must have been a few small tournaments that handed out pretty generous prizes.
I would have to get my pocket money from there.
“Looks like I’m going to be busy again.”
There was more to do than I expected. I had to prepare for the main episodes while simultaneously raising my stats. I also needed to look into the spiritual medicines I currently possessed.
And most importantly, I had to locate the elixirs that could cure this damn condition.
“For now, let’s head to the training room.”
My head felt cluttered because I had too many thoughts. If I went to the training room and pushed myself hard, my body would be so exhausted I wouldn’t be able to think at all.
Tana Erhen’s full corruption by demonic energy happened exactly one week later. It was two weeks earlier than the scheduled timing in the game.
And so he offered sacrifices again and again. Each time, the demon bestowed its power upon him.
The power the demon granted was truly astonishing. When mixed into cheap medicine and consumed, it granted a new kind of strength he had never experienced before.
After consuming it multiple times and growing accustomed to that power, the man had a thought.
Why should I keep this power to myself? I should sell it to others as well.
Using the honor and wealth the demon had given him, he started a business. Because many people rejected this power, the business naturally slipped into the shadows.
The business grew explosively. Before long, there wasn’t a single person in the lower districts who hadn’t taken the drug. Society began calling them fiends.
To the man who continued creating fiends, securing his position, and offering sacrifices without pause, the demon made another proposal.
Among the freshmen entering the academy this time, there was one named Lee Sungjin. Either capture him alive or, if that proved impossible, kill him.
If he succeeded, the demon would grant him even purer power.
The man naturally accepted the proposal. He didn’t know who this Lee Sungjin was, but if the demon mentioned him directly, the boy would obviously be at least top of his class.
To deal with someone of that caliber, the one sent in would need strength on par with the top student.
Fortunately, he had someone with exactly that level of power.
Someone who carried his surname but was no different from the other test subjects. A test subject who foolishly sympathized with her fellow test subjects.
He grinned as he spoke.
Enter the academy, take the top spot, and meet Lee Sungjin. Once you become close to him, activate the contract medium when I give the signal. If you do that, I will release the others.
The test subject asked.
Is that the truth? If you truly keep your promise, then I will accept this proposal.
Did the test subject know?
That the man had no intention of ever keeping his word.
He had no desire to lose his precious test subjects.
Because every last one of them was a precious offering that would eventually be sacrificed to the demon for his sake.