The Blindfold That Pierces the Truth

For me, whenever something good happened, an equal amount of misfortune always followed.

As if to say sweet, unadulterated luck was far beyond my station.

There was once a special event in my favorite game that gifted an incredibly rare item to just one single player.

Since it was a single-player game rather than an online game with PvP elements, most people just shrugged it off as just another event.

Naturally, I entered as well.

It wasn't that I expected to win.

It was just one of those things you do without thinking—entering simply because the event existed, as natural as breathing.

But I never could have dreamed that I would be that one lucky winner, nor that it would become the catalyst for my transmigration.

This familiar screen floating in midair—unbelievably surreal despite the vivid reality surrounding me—was more than enough to throw me into utter confusion.

At first, I truly thought it was a dream.

However, it didn't take long to realize that this was reality.

This place, which was so incredibly familiar to me, was neither a game nor a dream. It was undeniably real.

The starting skills I had selected on the character creation screen had become my actual physical abilities, and the special item—the blindfold I received before my transmigration—had become an irreplaceable treasure.

And then there was the nickname I had chosen without much thought.

Zeto had now become my name, the identity I would carry in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this fantasy world.

Since I'll be wearing a blindfold that covers both eyes, I'll be blind.

And if you're blind, you have to use a sword.

A blind swordsman.

How perfectly fitting and cool is that?

Those two words were the rough concept I had envisioned for this character.

To ground myself in reality once more, I reached up and touched my face, feeling the thin fabric ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠covering my eyes.

The Blindfold That Pierces the Truth.

Not only in the game, but even now when the game world had become reality, it was a 'Legendary' grade item—something you couldn't easily find anywhere.

In terms of rarity, it sat at the absolute pinnacle: the highest, the best, the ultimate grade.

On the outside, it looked like an ordinary white bandage, but as the name 'blindfold' suggested, wrapping it to cover the eyes was the proper way to wear it.

The effects of this item, as described by the game developers, were utterly broken—befitting its legendary status.

Even if you took away any single one of these effects, it would still be considered an incredibly outstanding item. And yet, despite that, I still felt utterly lost.

The game was fundamentally combat-based.

Which meant that from now on, instead of using a keyboard and mouse, I had to physically move my own body to dodge incoming spells and arrows, and clash steel against steel.

For someone who had never even been in a proper fight in his entire life, this was no easy task.

The saving grace was that even though my eyes were completely covered by the blindfold, I could see perfectly fine.

This, too, was an effect of the Blindfold That Pierces the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Truth.

I looked up at the sky, bathed in brilliant sunlight.

The sky was flawlessly clear and blue.

On the streets, I could see people dressed similarly to me walking past.

There was no darkness.

I could see ahead without any obstruction, right through the fabric.

It was truly a bizarre, utterly fantastical phenomenon.

It's already the entrance ceremony.

Zeto—no, I—was walking briskly in the early morning.

The past few days since my transmigration had been like the prologue of a game.

Today was the day of the entrance ceremony for Innocence Academy, the primary setting of the game.

Since it was a typical academy-themed game, you could say the main story officially began today, with the entrance ceremony.

Of course, choosing not to enter the academy was a perfectly valid way to survive in this world. However, all the information I possessed had been obtained through the game.

In other words, since my knowledge was centered around the inner workings of the academy, it would be most effective to use it from within.

In that sense, leaving the academy right from the start didn't seem like a very wise choice.

Besides, in this medieval fantasy world, there was no better place than the academy for a commoner without a family name like me to aim for safe growth and success.

That being said...

It's further than I thought.

I had scraped together what little money I had to take a carriage bound for the academy, but the driver had suddenly stopped, claiming that carriages from the outside could only go this far.

Innocence Academy was not just an educational institution; it was a fairly large city-state in its own right.

I knew it was highly exclusive and closed-off, but I hadn't expected it to be to this extent.

With very little time left before the entrance ceremony, I hurried along. It was just as I was rounding a street corner—

—Crash!

I collided with someone coming from the opposite direction and tumbled to the ground.

"Hey! Watch where you're go—!"

It was a red-haired girl.

She raised her voice in anger, but cut herself off mid-sentence.

Still dazed, I propped myself up on the ground and slowly took in her face.

I recognized her instantly just by her appearance. And how could I not? She was one of the main characters in the game.

Finely braided crimson hair, the color of deep, rich blood.

Fiery red eyes that seemed to flicker with embers.

Yuri Clementine...

Of all the people to run into, it had to be her.

The young lady of the Count Clementine family, renowned across the continent for their fire magic.

The sole heir of the Clementine family, she possessed the epithet 'Blazing Flower' due to her striking beauty...

...though she herself absolutely despised that nickname.

But what mattered most in this current situation was—

Yuri was incredibly hot-tempered.

To put it simply, she had a lot of anger.

"I am terribly sorry. I wasn't paying close enough attention..."

I scratched my head and spoke as humbly as possible.

There was absolutely nothing to gain from getting on her bad side here.

Since she was a main character, the chances of us crossing paths in the future were extremely high.

"...Ah."

Yuri suddenly fell silent.

Actually, she had been speechless since a moment ago.

"No, it's fine. I should have been more careful too."

Yuri took a slow, deep breath and replied, her voice much calmer now.

TheYuri Clementine was apologizing?

It was a rare, unfamiliar sight, but it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.

Yuri's gaze was fixed on the blindfold covering my eyes.

Indeed.

To anyone looking at me right now, I was unmistakably blind.

It was a very simple assumption.

If someone had their eyes wrapped in bandages, anyone would naturally assume they couldn't see. After all, unless you were blind, there was no reason to walk around like that.

Even though I could see perfectly fine, from everyone else's perspective, I was definitely blind.

She probably wanted to vent her irritation as she usually would, but if she lost her temper at a blind person, she would be the only one looking like a monster.

The Yuri I knew was a fiery woman who lost her temper at the drop of a hat, but she was at least someone who knew where to draw the line.

I stopped sprawling on the ground, dusted myself off, and stood up.

"Judging by the color of your tie... you must be enrolling in the academy today as well. I'm Yuri Clementine."

Yuri extended her hand, but upon seeing my blindfold, she let out a soft "Ah" and froze, looking flustered.

Her clumsy, endearing reaction was so cute that a chuckle slipped out of me before I could stop it.

"Haha. I can perceive your extended hand through my Ki Sense. I am Zeto."

With that, I reached out and took her hand.

The feel of her hand, which I had only ever seen on a monitor, was incredibly soft. It was hard to believe that such a delicate hand could unleash devastating fire magic.

"Ki Sense...?"

"Though I cannot see, I can sense my surroundings through my other senses. At least enough to move around without any discomfort."

There was absolutely no benefit in letting anyone know that I could actually see.

If word got out that this seemingly ordinary blindfold over my eyes was a special item, my life could be put in danger by thugs targeting it.

It was a Legendary-grade item, after all.

Its value would undoubtedly tempt the villains lurking deep in the shadows.

Most importantly, knowing the effects of the blindfold, I had to keep wearing it.

Which meant I had no choice but to act blind.

Even if it meant spinning a plausible excuse.

Yuri let out an understanding "Ah..." as if my fabricated explanation of Ki Sense made perfect sense to her.

Since we were both incoming students, we naturally ended up walking together.

"Do you wield a sword?"

Yuri's gaze drifted to the sword resting at my waist.

"My skills are still far too humble to call myself a proper swordsman, but yes."

"A swordsman... as in, those swordsmen from the East?"

I nodded in agreement at Yuri's words.

'Swordsman' was an actual class that existed in the game.

And a blind swordsman sounded much better than a blind knight.

When creating my character, I had intentionally chosen the Eastern sword as my starting weapon for that very reason.

"As expected of the young lady of the Clementine family. You are very knowledgeable."

"I've had to endure all sorts of tedious tutoring since I was young. This much is nothing."

Despite the obvious flattery, Yuri seemed pleased, a gentle smile gracing her lips.

I don't remember her being a character who smiled this easily when I played the game. Is reality different?

The difference between a game and reality.

Things that were impossible in the game might actually be possible in reality.

For instance, while you could raise a character's affection level in the game, it never actually led to a romantic relationship. But now, in this reality, perhaps I could actually pursue romance with whoever I wanted.

But most importantly—

I might be able to save characters who were destined to die in the game, no matter what choices were made.

That carried immense weight for me.

After all, I too had desperately retried the game over and over again, struggling to save a certain character.

As I was lost in thought for a moment, I began to sense the crowd growing livelier around us.

"It seems we've almost ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠arrived at the academy."

"Come to think of it... how did you find your way here before you ran into me?"

"Well... I simply asked passersby for directions, or followed the flow of the crowd. I figured most people walking around the city at this hour would be cadets."

"Ho... that's quite a clever method."

It felt like our conversation was turning into an inquiry into the daily life of a blind person, but given Yuri's naturally inquisitive personality, it couldn't be helped.

As we continued along the path, the main building of the academy finally came into view.

Gathering the most talented youths from all over the continent, the main building of Innocence Academy exuded a grandeur fully befitting its legendary reputation.

The main story was finally raising its curtains.