The Suspended Student of the Tempest (3): The Tempestuous Return
Flash—!
The blue light that had filled my vision shattered like a lie.
The floating sensation subsided along with a wave of intense nausea, and I felt the solid ground beneath my feet.
I had finally arrived—not on the gray marble of Undine, but in the teleportation gate plaza inside the Empire's Ariel Academy.
"Ugh... My organs feel like they are twisting inside out, sir..."
"..."
"Young Master?"
Miel was panting and dry-heaving in the corner, but none of it registered.
My mind was completely consumed by the lingering image of the woman I had encountered right before the teleportation.
—I'll be looking forward to it.
That chilling voice had pierced through the roaring din of spatial teleportation to reach my ears.
It was undoubtedly laced with a mocking sneer, but beneath that lay a strange trace of pity, as if she were looking down on some fragile, pathetic creature.
It was exactly like the way the border guard captain had called me a girl.
—My lady.
A sudden surge of irritation flared up at the memory of being mocked.
...If she received a divine revelation, she should have known I'm a guy.
Destiny or whatever, I wanted to make both her and her god regret this.
I needed to bulk up my terrifying, combat-compressed muscles even more so that absolutely no one would dare mess with me.
"Oh, Young Master! Did you have a safe teleportation?"
As I bit my lip, Victor, the carriage driver who had just stepped out of the carriage, came running toward me.
"Are you feeling alright? No motion sickness? As you can see, we have arrived safely in the Academy's teleportation zone. Our long journey is finally at an end!"
Victor rubbed his hands together, bowing with a jovial, obsequious grin.
Well, the guy did make a mistake at the start, but he came through.
I pulled a heavy gold coin from my pocket and tossed it to him.
Thanks to the generous thirty thousand gold advance I had wrangled out of Baltar, a bonus of this size was pocket change.
"You did well, Mr. Victor. I'll be counting on you when I return to the duchy for the break."
"O-Oh my! Young Master! Such a precious thing...! Forget the break, I would gladly serve you with my life for the rest of my days!"
At the sound of the gold coin clinking in his pocket, Victor's face split into a massive grin. He looked ready to prostrate himself right then and there.
"Then, may your day be filled with great achievements!"
After sending the driver off in high spirits, I turned around.
"Hey. Get up. We're going to be late."
"The motion sickness... My organs feel like they are about to escape through my mouth, sir..."
"Is that so? I suddenly find myself wondering which hurts more: motion sickness, or this collar—"
"I am fully upright, sir! What are you doing? Let's move."
"..."
Miel stood perfectly straight, dusting off her butler attire as if she hadn't just been on the verge of death.
...I don't even have the energy to call her out.
Without a word, I rolled up the fluttering, oversized sleeves of my uniform. Then, I took long strides toward the massive arched main gates of the teleportation plaza.
"..."
"W-Whoa..."
Standing before the main gates, Miel let out a soft exclamation of awe.
"As expected, the place where wealthy noble pigs study is on a completely different level."
"I'm a noble too, you know."
"Please just let it slide, si—Aaargh!"
Truth be told, though I was acting nonchalant, I was just as stunned.
This was the panoramic view of the Academy that I had stared at until my eyes bled back during my beta-testing days, whether on a monitor or through a VR headset.
I had always known the scale of this academy city, but seeing it in the flesh sent a massive rush of dopamine straight to my brain.
Seeing it in person, it really does feel like a massive, independent city.
Grand white towers built in towering Gothic style pierced the heavens, surrounded by magnificent marble architecture.
They stretched out endlessly, all the way to the horizon.
The commercial districts nestled between the buildings were incredibly well-developed, showing a thriving student infrastructure.
[Safety First! Under 24-Hour Surveillance!]
[Club Recruitment Period Starts in 3 Days! ♥]
[We look forward to your active participation!]
Walking a bit further, I spotted giant magic circles floating in the sky, projecting various notices.
They seemed to serve as both security wards and academic guides.
Keeping such high-level magic active twenty-four hours a day was a testament to their absurd financial power.
Yeah, this is what Ariel Academy is all about.
After all, this was the game I had quit my job and practically sacrificed my life to play.
But as I stood there admiring the scenery, a chilling realization that I had been overlooking suddenly struck me.
...Come to think of it, haven't I gotten a bit too used to this world?
Humans truly were creatures of habit. The problem was that even my sense of mana felt so natural, as if it had always belonged to my body, without a single shred of dissonance.
I had firmly believed it was just a game connection error, but how many months had it been now?
At this rate, my real-world body had probably already shriveled up and died of malnutrition. It was safe to assume I had been completely reincarnated or possessed this character.
"...Son of a bitch."
Just as I was about to step through the main gates while having this existential crisis—
"Over there! Teleportation Gate Number Four was just activated! Usage logs confirmed!"
"Don't let him escape! Surround him before he gets inside!"
Urgent, sharp shouts echoed from a distance.
Thud, thud, thud!
Along with the heavy thud of running footsteps, a group of female students aggressively pushed through the crowd, heading straight for us.
Perfectly pressed uniforms.
Sharp, fierce glares.
And matching armbands wrapped around their left arms.
Miel gasped in shock, quickly ducking behind my back.
"H-Hieeeek! Young Master! Did they find me out?!"
"It's not that, so act natural."
In a way, this was only natural.
The original trash Sian had been suspended for sexually harassing female students and bullying the weak.
Today was the exact day the notorious villain's suspension was lifted—his first day back. To the Student Disciplinary Committee, who was in charge of campus security, he was Public Enemy Number One.
They probably rushed over the second they saw the log of someone using the teleportation gate.
Clack!
In an instant, the disciplinary committee members blocked my path like highly trained knights, forming a semi-circle to surround me.
Step, step.
From the center of the group, the sharp-featured disciplinary committee president stepped forward, her hand resting menacingly on the hilt of her sword.
"Halt, you lecher of the Brace Duchy! Do not think that just because your disciplinary period has ended, you can act as you please in this Academy—"
The president's thundering shout cut off abruptly the moment her eyes locked onto my face.
"...Huh?"
The murderous intent radiating from the committee members instantly dissolved into sheer bewilderment.
Their eyes glazed over as they stared blankly up and down at me, dressed in my loose, fluttering, oversized uniform.
"W-What is this... this adorable creature...?"
"But the logs definitely said that notorious fat pig had arrived?"
"I... I want to buy her cake and convince her to come with me..."
Even the president couldn't hide her confusion, blinking rapidly.
Of course, having already gone through plenty of "prior training" with this kind of reaction, I didn't find it all that surprising anymore.
I worked myself to the bone to scratch this lottery ticket, only to get treated like this.
Reality really wasn't like a comic book.
Quickly snapping out of it, the president gave her members a subtle look, cleared her throat, and asked me.
"May I ask what business you two have here?"
"..."
It was an excellent, professional response fit for a president.
Even if she was briefly thrown off, an unregistered person trespassing into the Academy was a serious security matter, so it was only natural to remain on guard.
I smirked at her and replied.
"Flirting and calling me adorable right to a ducal heir's face... Is the Disciplinary Committee allowed to be so indecent?"
"...?"
"I am that Sian Brace of the Brace Duchy."
"What on earth do you mean..."
"Do I have to repeat myself?"
I placed my hands on my hips and delivered the final blow.
"That fat pig you were talking about? That's me."
"..."
In that instant, every single committee member in front of me wore the exact same dumbfounded expression.
Yes, this was it. This was exactly what I wanted.
I had been looking forward to this reaction.
Though the nature of it was slightly different from what I had envisioned.
The Academy's information network was faster and more sensitive than anywhere else in the Empire.
The rumor that swept through the campus that morning was no mere innocent student gossip.
The shame of the Brace Duchy.
A breathing piece of trash.
The worst degenerate in the Academy.
—The trash young master, Sian Brace, has returned!
It was practically a disaster warning.
Because of this, one would have expected a heavy, gloomy atmosphere to settle over the Academy...
"Hey, did you hear the news? That trash young master from the Brace Duchy is back."
"Ah, that fat pervert? Is his suspension over already? This semester is going to be exhausting."
"But that's not the point. Apparently, his appearance... he's a completely different person now?"
"A different person? Did he lose weight or something?"
"It's not just that! The Disciplinary Committee blocked him at the gates, and they all lost their minds the moment they saw his face. They said some delicate, beautiful girl walked in..."
"Cut the crap. Do you think I'm an idiot?"
The students' reactions were split between shock and disbelief.
It was hard to believe the shocking claim that the degenerate had returned as a delicate beauty who triggered everyone's protective instincts—at least, not until they saw it with their own eyes.
Thack! Thack!
At the same time, in the Academy's student training grounds—
"Hey, hey, hey! Did you hear the news?"
"...What's going on?"
A boy, silently swinging a wooden sword with calloused hands, paused.
He was forced to lower his sword and catch his rough breath as his classmate came running over in a frenzy.
And then—
"Sian Brace is back!"
"...!"
The boy's hand, which had been wiping away sweat with a towel, froze.
The pathetic young master who had harbored an inferiority complex toward him ever since admission, picking fights at every turn.
The unpleasant, bloated face of that tub of lard, who bullied the weak and harassed female students, instantly flashed through his mind.
Yet, the boy showed no outward agitation.
Instead, he stared quietly at the training ground floor for a moment before slowly adjusting his grip on the wooden sword.
"I see. So he's returned."
The boy's clear, firm blue eyes flashed with a sharp light.
"A person's true nature doesn't change easily. If he starts bullying defenseless students and pulling his usual tricks again... I will stop him with my own hands."
...The great gears of the original story.
The narrative of the true protagonist, Cain, was beginning to churn toward Sian once more.