Entrance Ceremony
The spring air carried a faint scent of cherry blossoms.
After waiting and waiting, the acceptance letter finally arrived. As if by magic, it flew in through the windows.
All three passed safely. They officially became students of Stille.
From today onward, fresh-faced new students!
Sugar, wearing a cape embroidered with the Stille emblem, rushed out of the room.
Ryly, dressed in a neatly ironed shirt, tie, black pants, and the cape over them, stood by the window.
Under the breaking sunlight, his golden hair sparkled. His slightly shadowed face gave him a masculine charm.
“...Wow.”
He had been about to brag about the cape, but forgot.
“Why are you doing that?”
“Ah, no, just... how do I look?”
“You're short.”
“Not that!”
“The clothes are weird.”
“Cute.”
“...Adorable.”
Sugar ran to Ryly and hugged him tightly.
Ian, frowning from the side, watched the scene. Now that they're going to the dorm, this won't do.
“Hurry up and go... all you do is strip... the entrance ceremony is starting...”
“Today we're leaving, let us stay a bit more. Ian-ssi is also going to the boys' dorm, right?”
“Of course!”
While hurriedly checking Ryly's reaction and answering, she suddenly realized something and glared at the two of them. Both were too calm.
“...I see everything.”
Suddenly it clicked.
When getting along well with Sugar, I thought 'Later, Ryly might not be that hostile to me?' But after reunion, there was little reaction, so I figured she doesn't get jealous.
But that's not it. If I had known she was female from the beginning.
“Ehehe...”
Sugar smiled shyly.
Ian had planned to tell Ryly about her gender someday. They would be in the same school, and who knows what might happen.
But it was a bit disappointing. She told the secret without asking.
Looking at Sugar with that in mind, Sugar approached Ian and hugged her.
“Sorry, Ian-ssi.”
“Ryly was really jealous when he was little— his gentle words feel like a warm breeze. His body is warm and soft, smelling like dessert from somewhere.”
“Ideal woman.”
“Different from me, a woman who is neither here nor there.”
“...”
Ian smiled bitterly and stroked Sugar. She was two years younger, her little sister, and she wanted to pamper her.
“It's fine. Treat me to dinner later.”
“I'll treat you to dessert too.”
Her playful smile was adorable. That's why she couldn't resist. Ryly understood why he always treated her.
“...Ian-ssi. About this—”
“No, it's okay. Honestly, if Sugar hadn't told you, you would have been suffering outside.”
“...”
“So, it's fine. You two aren't the type to blab outside. I'm trusting you.”
Ian stopped Ryly from apologizing and let go of Sugar.
“Let's really go now. We'll be late for the entrance ceremony.”
Smiling brightly, she led the way, and Sugar and Ryly followed with emotional faces. She was kind and had a big heart. Especially Sugar knew Ian's heart was very big.
It felt warmly concluded.
“Ah... I want to go to the boys' dorm too.”
“Lewd Sugar!”
Entering the banquet hall, the noise of people was low, with a faint floral scent. Red curtains interspersed with flower arrangements blooming on the pillars. Students wearing Stille capes were bustling.
Going deeper, under the mana lights, tables were set with food. Sugar held a plate and her eyes sparkled.
Putting this in, that in.
Then, snapping out of it, she approached Ryly stealthily.
“Ryly. Eat as much as you couldn't eat before...”
There was a letter from Ryly before, with a taste evaluation of monster meat, shocking her, and she contacted Cedric directly via communicator. What is she doing to a growing kid? Eat properly, at least as much as a meal.
But eventually blocked. Ryly had written it thinking Sugar would like it. That's how it turned out.
Anyway, since she grew well, it's fine.
Ryly looked down at the much smaller Sugar than himself and took the plate. Then Sugar, from the side, used tongs to pile food on it. Mostly meat.
She didn't stop him.
“Hehe...”
Sugar, satisfied with the full plate, smiled.
The two went to Ian standing in the corner. Since she doesn't eat in the morning, she had no plate. Just sipping drinks. Her hand trembled.
Because she had to stand in front of the banquet hall later. No matter how she treated her as a student, she was still the Tianzi. She had been asked to come out at the entrance ceremony and greet the students.
Standing there quietly sipping, the entrance ceremony was about to start.
The emcee came out to greet, introduced the school, introduced the dean. The usual entrance ceremony.
However, it was the starting point of the original work.
Calculating the year, this was exactly that point. The protagonist enters, is chosen by the Holy Staff, a day to be remembered in history.
Sugar, while eating, swallowed nervously.
Because there were two beings who shouldn't be here.
The Saintess of the Evil God. And the Saintess hiding her gender. Moreover, Ryly is not the black villain.
How much had the fate been twisted?
She had long given up on the thought that the future would flow as in the original. Sugar entering the Holy City not the Shadow Cult, Ryly becoming a saint by entangling with Sugar, Ian reconciling with her sister and coming out of the Holy City. How would the butterfly effect appear?
This world is not a game. It's reality where all kinds of creatures interact with each other.
The above are all positive directions, but there was concern that something serious might happen on the other side because of this.
While eating with tension, Ryly slowly rubbed her back. Because Sugar's eating speed was slow, he thought she was tense.
Actually, there was someone more tense than this.
“Ian-ssi, are you okay?”
“Y-y-y-y-yes.”
Soon her turn to greet would come.
At that moment, the emcee spoke.
“Well, then the next is... Since many have already heard the rumors, I think those who know will know. The person who came from the holy land. The descendant of the holy Gabianto is here as a student. They have something to say to the students.”
Really?
The banquet hall became noisy.
Then Ian, creaking, went forward.
Platinum blonde hair sparkling in the light. Noble purple eyes.
Her somewhat ugly male appearance focused the students' gazes.
Should she kneel? Bend her waist? While murmuring, Ian stuttered, 'Y-you don't need to do that, just stay still.' And her face reddened from the slip of the tongue, closing her mouth tightly.
Ah, this type.
The viewer feels more embarrassed.
Then Sugar from afar cheered 'Waaaa!' and clapped, and other students started clapping too. The professors with them. Everyone welcomed with one heart.
Amid the applause, Ian's tension eased a bit, and she started greeting with a shy smile.
“Hello, students of Stille. I am Ian. The Heavenly Island that rose following the will of the great ancestor. It is an honor to be with you at the best school below. It is very rare for our purple-eyed bloodline to engage in such public activities. Nevertheless, in response to the winds of change in this world—……”
......
“Ugh...”
“Good job, Ian-ssi. Excellent greeting.”
Sugar and Ryly dragged the dazed Ian out of the banquet hall.
Since the entrance ceremony was over, there was free time, but they were going to the main building because they had to check something as the school guide was at the front of the main building.
Some students passing by bowed their heads to Ian. Normally they would say 'You don't need to do that', but since she was dazed, she naturally raised her hand to greet like in the Holy City. It was a habit from living like that.
Arriving at the main building, there were quite a few new students. Some students purely wanting to tour the school, some wanting to bond with each other.
Sugar, joining the group, quickly looked around.
Black hair, black hair.
Black hair, black eyes. Found it.
In this fantasy world, people with both hair and eyes black are not common. Easy to find.
But was his impression like that originally? In the illustration, he had a slightly dazed look. Here, he had a sharp impression.
Anyway, having found the protagonist Leon, from now on, just follow that man with the eyes.
“From now on, I'll start the school tour, so please follow along, new students.”
A woman who looked similar to Mel, the secretary in charge of the dean, but with longer hair and a much gentler feel, led the way. In the game, the guide was an old professor, but it's different now.
“Well, the place we gathered earlier is the banquet hall. Usually gather there when there's an event. This is the main building. Since it's the biggest, it must be the main building? Let's go in. Ah! You there, student. Don't lose focus. If you go anywhere and get lost, you might not be able to get out again.”
After explaining simply what was on each floor, whether professor or secretary, they headed to the top floor.
“This is the exhibition hall. A place where the school's history is asleep. For example, what's here?”
“The white birch staff.”
Legendary
A legendary staff made from the branch of the White Wood (white birch), granted to the Saint. It maintains the Holy City's barrier and chooses its bearer.
“Yes! The legendary staff held by the Saint! It's sleeping deeply in our Stille. Look up there. You can see the white and noble figure?”
Even at the top floor, the ceiling was high. In that high ceiling, the staff wrapped in transparent crystal floated.
“There are triple barriers set, so if you approach carelessly, it's bad. Just look from afar. I haven't seen it up close either. No flying there! If you want to die, keep going up!”
Clearly, extreme rigidity of mana was felt from above. No, it was more than rigidity, like rejecting it. The mana voice said so.
The mana under Ione's influence in the Holy City was just ignored silently, but the things laid in that space felt like 'No, get out'.
While Sugar was looking around for a long time, she turned her gaze to Leon.
“Well, then I'll explain the others! Here next to you, there's something like bones, which is—”
As the lively woman moved to the side, students passed the staff. Leon followed behind them.
Sugar, watching from afar, Ryly and Ian looked at her strangely.
'Something should be happening soon...'
While a bit worried because the mana from above was reacting the same.
Crack, crack-
“Eh?”
“What is this sound.”
A sound of tearing, crushing.
It clearly echoed in the exhibition hall.
It happened. Sugar clenched her fist.
The barriers were cracking little by little. Cracks appeared from outside and tore. Soon they would scatter into pieces. Then the next barrier.
“Eh...? Eh eh?”
“What?”
“Hey! The staff's barrier is weird!”
The guiding woman immediately ran over.
“What is this...”
Her expression, which had been smiling lively all along, distorted in shock. An unprecedented event since the establishment of Stille.
But how to deal with this being fate.
Soon the second barrier also cracked, and the third barrier disappeared all at once with shockwaves. Simultaneously, the staff began to emit light.
The internal mana was jolting, eyes hurting, all the mages in the place frowned.
Amid this, only one person. Only one male student lifted his head to watch the staff.
Towards that male student, the staff slowly descended from the air. Like the Saint descending from the sky to the land in ancient times.
Leon, in a trance, reached out and grabbed it.
Soon after, the light faded.
“...”
The exhibition hall was silent, as if no one could move. I wonder if people were breathing properly.
Here too, I have to do something.
Sugar took a deep breath and spoke.
“Uoooooooh! The Saint's Staff has arrived!!”
Oh, oh!
In the world!
A miracle!
From that, cheers followed.
Ryly stuffed Sugar's head. Ian opened her mouth wide from the side. S, s, s, the ancestor's staff, the staff...- It would fit an apple in the mouth.
Sugar, rubbing her sore head, looked at Leon and smiled faintly.
Well, peace and hello is hello. Now I have to suffer a bit.
It was the prologue of the original game.
After the entrance ceremony, during the school tour. The Holy Staff in the exhibition hall broke the barriers by its own power and the beginning of the hero's tale.
With this, Leon's story begins. Using that staff to solve disturbances in the school, confront the sect, confront Ryly, and finally seal the Evil God.
'Ah... Game Ryly. How many times did I retake to catch that guy...'
While holding Ryly's hand standing next to her, recalling a sad memory.
But suddenly, something strange.
Sugar immediately narrowed her eyes. From afar, it's clear, but Leon's expression holding the staff was strange.
'...Eh?'
It couldn't be expressed as simply surprised.
Anger and grief. Like angry, yet sad. An expression furrowed beyond words.
No matter how you look at it, it wasn't just a surprised expression.