The First Lesson

I took in the horrific sight of what had befallen Eisel and Yuri. I just hope the reward is worth it. Even if it was merely an illusion, it was deeply unpleasant. It would be incredibly unfair to endure such sickening emotions without getting anything decent in return.

Illusion magic. No matter who the opponent was, as long as they lacked resistance to it, this magic boasted devastating power. However, it possessed a fatal flaw. While it could drag a target into an unknown world of fantasy, the caster could never completely seal the entrance. In other words, the entrance was also the exit. This exit was commonly referred to as the "release condition" required to break free from the illusion.

Those trapped in an illusion could find clues to this release condition within the world the caster constructed. In truth, illusion magic itself wasn't inherently broken. It was utterly useless against opponents with strong mental fortitude, and with average skill, it often failed to work not just on academy cadets, but even on ordinary passersby. On top of that, it was notoriously difficult to learn. It was a complex school of magic that demanded exceptional observation skills, rapid calculation, and even high creativity. Because of this, illusion magic wasn't particularly well-regarded among mages.

"Ugh..." A cadet, stabbed through the lungs from behind by Edward, collapsed without even being able to scream.

"Cadet Zeto. What are you doing standing there when your enemy is right in front of you? Could it be... you're afraid?" Edward flicked his wrist, splattering the blood off his dagger once more. Even at this very moment, the "fake" cadets were charging at the "fake" Edward—created by the real Edward's illusion—and dying in droves. Up until now, that fake Edward had spared me from his attacks.

The terrifying aspect of illusion magic was precisely a situation like this—when one encountered an illusionist of Edward's caliber. Across the entire continent, such an encounter was exceedingly rare. Even if there were mages with a higher mastery of illusion magic than Edward, his father, Juliut, was likely the only one. Since Edward's raw talent surpassed Juliut's, even taking Juliut's experience into account, they were at best on equal footing.

Right now... my physical body in the real world must be standing completely still, trapped in this illusion. A state of absolute defenselessness, where anyone could easily drive a blade through me. This was the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠very reason Edward had been able to rise to the position of vice-commander of the assassination squad at such a young age during the war.

Leaving Edward's grotesque play behind, I began to observe my surroundings. I had a rough idea of the release condition based on the fake Edward's behavior, but there was no need to waste energy playing along. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Illusion magic was, in the end, still magic. Having already experienced Dispel, all I needed to do was find the magic's weakness and shatter it.

Illusion magic was incredibly intricate. Unlike the Chain Edward had sent flying at me in the proctor's room, it would have been difficult to weave this illusion without any gaps. The illusion magic Juliut used during the class placement exam had been highly refined, especially since the magic circle was physically drawn on the floor. That was likely why I couldn't spot any weaknesses in Juliut's illusion back then. The area was also far too vast. But this time was different. There was a massive difference in precision between a pre-prepared spell and an instantaneous one.

Ignoring the cadets dying right beside me, I focused entirely on examining the terrain. Every single element composing this space was part of the spell. Ultimately, it didn't take long to locate the weakness. It was situated right where Edward had first appeared. A distinct red circle was visible on the ground where he had stood.

Thud! I plunged my sword into the ground where the weakness lay. Despite being solid dirt, the blade sank into the earth effortlessly. Soon, my vision began to shift. My body was back in the exact spot where I had been standing when I first encountered Edward. Looking around, I saw the other cadets still trapped in the illusion, standing frozen with their pupils trembling violently.

"Oh. Cadet Zeto is the second one, I see?" Edward called out in a cheerful voice upon spotting me. The second? Next to Edward stood an elegant table and chairs, set up who-knows-when. There were three chairs in total. One of them was already occupied. I saw Eisel sitting gracefully, holding a cup in one hand.

"Cadet Zeto right after Cadet Eisel. This is exactly as I anticipated." Edward gestured toward the table. "The top three finishers must enjoy the luxurious tea party I personally prepared. Come, have a seat, Cadet Zeto." Guided by Edward, I sat down in the chair with a large number '2' painted on it. Eisel cast a subtle, sidelong glance at me.

"By the way, Cadet Zeto. You didn't happen to use Dispel again, did you? If so, this instructor will be deeply disappointed." "I used Dispel." "...How delightful it would have been if Cadet Zeto had actually solved the quiz I so painstakingly prepared," Edward prattled on, standing beside the table. He really was a chatterbox. Memories of struggling to skip his dialogue back when I played the game came rushing back.

A painstakingly prepared quiz, he says... Looking at the other cadets, their eyes held nothing but sheer terror. Was an act like this nothing more than an amusing quiz to him? "I already knew the release condition," I replied. Edward's eyes narrowed even further.

"Using such a shortcut despite knowing the answer... Cadet Zeto, you're bolder than you look, aren't you? Well then, let's see if you actually figured it out." "...To fight back. To continuously stand up and fight back even in the face of overwhelming terror. ...That was the release condition, wasn't it?"

Clap, clap, clap. Edward clapped his hands with exaggerated admiration at my answer. "My, my. Spot on. I, Edward Klaus, might be feeling a sense of pride for the very first time since becoming an instructor." Edward, who had likely been on the job for less than an hour, spouted nonsense with a straight face.

At this point, Eisel, who sat beside him without paying him any mind whatsoever, seemed rather impressive. Perhaps she found the "tea party" Edward prepared to her liking, as she simply sipped her tea, cup in hand. Suddenly, Edward waved his hand, calling out to someone. "Ah, the third place is already here? Over here, over here!"

The third-place finisher appeared. Perhaps because I had just witnessed a bloodbath, her hair looked exceptionally crimson as she slumped into the chair beside me. "Third place goes to none other than Cadet Yuri of the prestigious Clementine family! Now, shall we watch the rankings of the remaining thirteen cadets together?" Edward announced, sounding as thrilled as a circus ringmaster.

Of all people, the three of us? Eisel, Yuri, and me. "..." Sip. "..." Aside from the occasional sound of Eisel sipping her tea, absolute silence reigned among the three of us. I wanted to break the awkward silence somehow, but looking at their indifferent expressions, I couldn't bring myself to speak.

The one who broke the silence was Edward, who was standing nearby. "...I've suddenly become curious. Who was the very first to die in your illusions?" At Edward's random question, the girls glanced at him but offered no reply. Should I answer? Being physically sandwiched between the two of them, this silence was incredibly uncomfortable.

"For me... it was Cadet Yuri next to me." "Hmm?" Edward hummed thoughtfully at my words. "And the second?" he asked once more. "The second was Cadet Eisel." "..." Edward paused briefly at my response, but soon, the corners of his mouth curled upward. "Oh? Well, now... this might turn out to be unexpectedly interesting."

At Edward's suspicious remark, all three of us at the table turned our attention to him. "...Does the order happen to carry some special meaning?" "Cadet Zeto. No... Zeto, is it really alright for me to say it out loud right now?" "...No. I've suddenly lost interest." I politely declined. Judging by Edward's sly smirk, he was practically dying to spill the beans despite his teasing words.

This was a trap. A bait. I didn't bite. I could easily resist. However, another fish suddenly swam up and snapped up the bait. "Why? I've just become curious." That fish was Yuri. Keeping her gaze somewhat ambiguous—it was hard to tell if she was looking at Eisel or Edward standing behind her—she spoke up.

"Instructor Edward. Won't you tell us? Does the 'order' in which people die in the illusion carry some sort of special meaning?" "Hmm... This is a bit difficult. Since Cadet Zeto said he isn't curious..." "What about you, Zeto? Still not curious?" Yuri, naturally dropping her formal tone, stared intently at me. She was smiling brightly, but this was a blatant threat. I could feel it. Her bloodlust.

Did she drop the honorifics because of what happened with Eisel yesterday...? For now, I decided to play dumb. I had a strong feeling that whatever Edward was about to casually blurt out would open a Pandora's box that was best left shut. "Ahaha... Is that so?" "I'm so curious... Are you really going to be like this to a 'friend'?" Yuri suddenly leaned in close. Should I just let him tell us and get it over with? It might not be a big deal. It could all just be Edward's prank. ...My head began to throb.

It was then that a voice spoke up from behind. "I'm not particularly curious either," Eisel said with an indifferent expression, setting her teacup down. "Just like Zeto." At Eisel's remark, Yuri's eyebrow twitched upward. Edward watched the entire scene unfold with immense amusement, looking as if he was about to pop some popcorn.

"Sigh... Just tell us, Instructor Edward. What is the meaning behind the order?" Maybe I was worrying too much over nothing. More than anything, I disliked how much Edward was enjoying this situation.

"Ah, then I shall grant the wish of Cadet Zeto, who was the first to be questioned. It's really nothing major. Just a mechanism I set up when constructing the illusion. You all saw the cadets dying, right? But I thought it would be boring if they just died randomly..." Edward leisurely explained his illusion magic. "I programmed the order of death to match the level of intimacy the target feels toward them, starting with the highest. It makes it much easier to induce panic. Please keep in mind that this was strictly to assess your capabilities, and there was absolutely no personal malice involved."

As Edward finished his irritating explanation, Yuri beamed a sweet smile at me. Eisel, seemingly genuinely uninterested, took another sip of her tea, her expression unchanged. Intimacy... Well, that makes sense. If the order was based on intimacy, it explained why Yuri had died before Eisel. The Eisel before me was so different from the Eisel I knew in the game... Honestly, she felt unfamiliar. I couldn't feel the same level of closeness with her as I did with Yuri yet. Both characters had been precious sources of joy for me, and there were plenty of others besides them. It was just that Eisel's guaranteed death in the game had been the main issue.

"For something we had to wait so long to hear, it really was 'nothing major,' wasn't it, Instructor Edward?" Yuri asked with an innocent face, her eyes wide. "It was all to provide some entertainment for you cadets. Cadet Eisel, wasn't it amusing to see Cadet Zeto squirming?" "Not particularly." "Hahaha, I suppose it's a failure if I was the only one entertained. I'll think of something more ingenious next time," Edward chuckled awkwardly, bringing the conversation to a close.

However, as I habitually checked my status window, a question arose.

"...Instructor Edward. Are we to consider our class finished now?" "Of course. For the three of you, the lesson is indeed over." The reason I asked such a puzzling question was due to my level, which had risen before I even noticed. I had received experience points because the class was treated as completed.

Four levels from a single class? The blindfold certainly played a huge part, but even taking that into account, the experience gain was exceptionally high. Just a few days ago, I had to complete several minor quests just to raise my level by five...Was it because of my good performance in class? In the game, making a good impression on instructors occasionally yielded bonus experience. And looking at the results, I had placed second out of sixteen cadets.

"If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you are tired, you may head back, but I stake my name on the fact that you won't get to see a spectacle like this anywhere else." Even in this situation, Edward's tastes were truly bizarre. Asking us to watch cadets who were frozen and trembling in fear. Edward should be glad there was no Board of Education in this world.

Still, at least for today... he had been an excellent instructor to me. With this, I should be able to go gather the 'materials' tonight. Taking a sip of the tea on the table, I began to formulate a plan in my head for what was to unfold tonight.