The Valedictorian's Declaration of War

Hurtlocker stepped through the barrier. "Iskandal. Why is this taking so..." His words trailed off.

A pale woman lay sprawled in a pool of blood. Beside her rested a headless corpse. The carnage was so extreme he couldn't even finish his sentence.

"What in the..."

Hurtlocker narrowed his eyes and walked forward, examining Iskandal's remains. The severed neck was a ragged mess. It didn't look like any blade had done this. And the missing head was nowhere in sight.

"Ah."

After scanning the surroundings, Hurtlocker let out a low sigh. Scattered across the ground were countless filthy crimson fragments. It took him another moment to realize they were shards of skull and brain matter.

So Iskandal's head hadn't been cut off. It had exploded. Something had struck it with such force that the impact had shattered it into pieces.

Yet he sensed no mana in the area. Aside from the barrier's faint magical emission, there wasn't even a trace of any spell activation. Which meant it wasn't magic...

Could a human body truly generate that kind of power?

"Hmm..."

The blood had cooled considerably. The perpetrator must have left at least five minutes ago. Chasing them now would be pointless. And even if he caught up, he doubted he could face them in his current state.

Hurtlocker abandoned the pursuit without hesitation.

"This is trouble."

An irregular enemy had appeared. One possessing at least Ma-in level strength. It might even be an actual Ma-in, though the odds were extremely low.

Still, the fact that they had committed this act inside the cognitive inhibition barrier meant it was no coincidence. The likelihood was high that someone had noticed the Kingdom Intelligence Agency's activities.

No wonder things had been going so smoothly lately. Ever since the failure to enroll in the Imperial Academy, the Agency had been hit with one crisis after another. It seemed the Empire had finally caught wind of them and was beginning to apply pressure.

It looked like he would have to send Emilia back to the kingdom. By force, if she refused.

"Still... how long is this going to take to clean up..."

Standing amid the blood and scattered flesh, Hurtlocker let out a heavy sigh.

An unexpected situation had occurred. Iskandal was dead.

In the original story, Iskandal survived all the way to the final ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chapter. He wasn't supposed to die at all.

Yet here he was, killed off in the extreme early stages—before the Imperial Academy had even opened its doors.

That said, it didn't create any catastrophic problems. Throughout the original work, Iskandal's role had never been particularly large. He had simply handled all the Agency's dirty chores. His absence wouldn't twist any major events off course.

He had been a character created purely for my convenience, designed to keep the protagonist's hands from getting too bloody.

But that didn't mean there would be zero consequences going forward. All the filthy work Iskandal used to manage would now fall squarely on the protagonist.

One of the reasons the protagonist had been able to regain his emotions and begin his redemption arc was the reduced number of murders he had to commit...

Now, it seemed Hurtlocker had no path to redemption left at all.

He'd truly become a full-fledged villain. What a fucking bastard.

"What am I supposed to do about this?"

I picked up the pocket watch and stared at it. The hands weren't moving—clearly broken.

The information wasn't particularly helpful.

Marie had asked me to deliver it to her son, no matter what.

The problem was that I had no idea who her son even was. I could only guess that his surname might be Aile. But how many men named Aile existed in this world?

If I started making open inquiries, both the Kingdom Intelligence Agency and that protagonist bastard would grow suspicious of me. The only option was to find him quietly, using my own power.

"It'll be difficult right now. Maybe I'll search during the break later."

I had no intention of ignoring the final request of the person who had saved my life. I would find him somehow and deliver it.

By the way, this pocket watch... I had the strangest feeling I'd seen it somewhere before. Must be my imagination.

I placed the watch inside a small box and locked it away in the safe.

"Ha... Fuck. This is shit."

Come to think of it, the entrance ceremony was in an hour.

I unwrapped the bandages on my right arm and struggled into my uniform. The arm throbbed like it was on fire.

It was time to go. Straight into the den of madmen.

"It appears everyone has gathered. We shall now begin the Freyja Imperial University entrance ceremony."

I'd once read a novel like this. A story about an author who possessed a character inside his own book. Despite being a newcomer, the writing had been so good that I'd devoured it in one sitting.

But starting at chapter fifteen, the quality and plot had collapsed as if by magic, and around chapter twenty it had ended with that infamous "I woke up and it was all a dream" bullshit.

Part of me wondered if I'd open my eyes and find myself back in my own room.

"...Ah, fuck. This is reality."

"Shh! Shut up, idiot!"

It was a futile hope. This novel wouldn't reach its ending until at least three hundred chapters. Which meant I had to live as Schluss Heinkel in this damned world for at least another five years.

"...We will now hear a congratulatory speech from the top entering student."

"Ah."

The head professor's voice rang out through the microphone and I froze on the spot.

A speech? Come to think of it, I vaguely remembered the original story mentioning a very brief valedictorian address. But no one had told me anything about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it.

"Schluss Heinkel. Please come to the podium."

"Yes."

Would there be a script waiting at the microphone? I slowly climbed the stairs under the gaze of hundreds of eyes. I'd barely given any presentations back when I was in school. This was going to be interesting.

"Hah."

Ludwig stepped away from the microphone. The moment I took his place, a sigh escaped my lips. There was no script. Nothing. I glanced at Ludwig, but he didn't seem inclined to hand me anything.

"Pfft."

"Heh..."

I heard stifled laughter and turned around. Several of the professors seated behind the podium had their heads bowed, desperately trying to hold in their amusement.

Now I understood what was happening. They were the ones who should have informed me about the speech. Instead, they'd deliberately kept quiet to mess with me.

Damn them.

I was now expected to give a speech with no script whatsoever.

"......"

I pulled the microphone closer and looked down. Over a hundred new students were staring directly at my face. Their expressions were filled with displeasure, contempt, and outright scorn.

This was going to suck.

It wasn't like I'd wanted to possess a commoner's body.

I gripped the microphone tightly and began.

"Good day. I am Schluss Heinkel, the top entering student. I consider it an honor to stand here on this blessed day to commemorate our entrance."

Maybe it was because I'd been an author, but the clichéd opening of a formal speech came to me instantly. The worrying part was that it was coming out without any filter. I just hoped I wouldn't say anything too strange.

"A commoner taking the top spot..."

"Must have cheated."

"This is so annoying. Why did our year have to get stuck with that lowborn—"

Not long after I started, the students in the front rows began muttering. Did they think I wouldn't hear them over my own voice? I could hear every word, you idiots.

I was cursing them inwardly when—

"As you all know, the Imperial Academy is the finest university not only in the Empire but across the entire continent. A university of such prestige—"

"Cheating bastard. Tsk."

"...I believe none of you would suspect that such a university would admit a commoner who committed misconduct. And even if that were true, I wonder if you understand that spitting on someone who has entered that university is an act of spitting on yourselves."

"......"

I'd gone and done it. The constant whispering had finally gotten ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on my nerves and I'd drifted straight into the danger zone. When I came to my senses, I was staring directly at the nobles in the front row who had been talking. They had shut their mouths and were looking up at me.

The moment I paused, a chilly silence fell over the hall.

I was screwed.

But since I was already screwed, I figured I might as well go all the way.

"Do not look for the reason you failed to claim the top spot anywhere but in yourselves. It was simply because your own ability was lacking. Does the idea of a commoner taking first place still not make sense to you? Then take it from me."

"......"

At some point, my speech had turned into something resembling a declaration of war. The nobles who had been talking so freely gradually lowered their gazes as the speech continued. Soon they couldn't even meet my eyes.

"I make this promise here and now. If even once during the first semester someone takes the top spot from me, I will voluntarily withdraw from the academy. Therefore, if you truly believe you are superior to a commoner, prove it with your skill. Stop skulking around in the shadows like cowards."

"Head Professor! Drag that bastard down!"

"I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wish the entering students of the Imperial Academy luck in their futures. That concludes the valedictorian's speech."

"......"

By the time even the professors in the back were growing noisy, I quickly wrapped up the speech and stepped down from the podium. On my way back to my seat, I noticed one of the professors who had been chuckling earlier glaring at me with a twisted expression. I ignored him and looked up at Ludwig, who had returned to the microphone.

I thought he would say something to me, but—

"...Next, we will hear the chairman's admission approval."

He let it pass without comment. That was unexpected. I'd assumed Ludwig would try to humiliate me any way he could. Still, it was fortunate it had blown over. I relaxed, letting the tension ease from my shoulders...

Only to feel sharp gazes stabbing at me from every direction.

"What kind of insolent speech was that! We put him up to give a congratulatory address and he mocks the nobility! Head Professor! That Schluss or whatever his name is! We must punish him immediately!"

After the entrance ceremony ended and all the students had left, Relic stood before the other professors in the empty hall, passionately ranting. His face was still bright red, just as it had been during the speech.

"Professor Relic."

"You will punish him, won't you? Right?"

"Professor Relic."

"...Yes."

Ludwig's sunken voice made Relic calm down slightly.

The fact that Ludwig was repeating himself was proof that his mood had soured.

"I clearly instructed you to tell the top entering student to prepare a speech, did I not?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Did you deliver the message?"

"I-I did."

"Is that the truth?"

"......"

Faced with Ludwig's icy gaze, Relic lowered his eyes. Even among fellow nobles, Ludwig possessed an aura that could intimidate anyone. Relic, who had been about to deny it, suddenly met eyes with Alexia, the chairman, who sat alone in the back.

She sat with her legs crossed, watching them with a faint, intrigued smile. Cold sweat began to run down the back of Relic's neck. Lying in front of that woman was simply impossible.

"I... did not deliver it... I'm sorry. It was my mistake."

Relic finally confessed the truth. Ludwig let out a deep sigh.

No wonder Schluss had looked around in confusion when he stepped onto the podium. Of course, that man's dead eyes hadn't shown the slightest perturbation. A person with the mental fortitude to withstand the barrier of fear would hardly be shaken by something like this.

"So you're saying that entire speech was improvised on the spot?"

"It would appear so. What can you expect from lowborn trash? If they don't prepare in advance, they can only spout such crude, undignified words."

"...Tsk."

Ludwig clicked his tongue in clear disgust and turned away entirely. He had no desire to listen any further.

To be honest, I was slightly impressed.

It had started with a bland opening, so he'd expected it to end uneventfully. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined the boy would drop a bomb like that.

One of those bombs had been the declaration that he would voluntarily drop out if anyone took the top spot from him during the first semester. To the new students, that must have been even more shocking than the fact that a commoner had taken the top entrance score.

After all, not a single person in history had ever left the Imperial Academy of their own free will after enrolling.

Yet to Ludwig, it hadn't sounded like a provocation at all. The condition for maintaining the top spot during the first semester had always been tied to the provision of dormitory and dignity maintenance expenses. Schluss had simply raised the stakes on a bet he'd already placed. There was no additional risk for him.

And then there was that phrase he'd muttered in the middle.

"Stop skulking around in the shadows like cowards."

That had been a jab not only at the freshmen who were gossiping behind his back, but also at Professor Relic, who had deliberately withheld information about the speech. After all, Relic had literally been standing behind Schluss at the time.

It had been a scathing criticism in many ways.

Since "fairness and integrity" was one of the virtues nobles emphasized most, they couldn't even reprimand him for speaking out of turn. The fact that Relic could only resort to crude personal attacks—calling it insolent or undignified—proved that much.

He's not your average madman.

To cause such a commotion right at the entrance ceremony... Ludwig could only imagine how chaotic the actual semester would become. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

Pinching his throbbing temple, Ludwig met Alexia's eyes. She smiled brightly and waved at him.

Well. He is the one she brought in, after all.

The boy to whom Alexia had given full marks. Of course he was insane.

Only then did Ludwig feel somewhat convinced.