The Half-Angel Savior Knight Appears
The protagonist's half-angel. The Savior Holy Knight revealed herself.
"Pleased to meet you, Summoner."
"Yeah, likewise."
A beautiful, melodic voice tickled my ears. Her face was half-hidden by a helmet, so I couldn't see her full features, but even just her jawline told me she was a beauty.
'Not that it matters.'
I turned to meet Stella's gaze. She was staring at me, her eyes trembling in disbelief.
"What's wrong?"
"Ugh... Th-this... This can't be real. How could someone like you..."
"Someone like me? You can't judge a summoner until they've actually summoned. Even the founding Emperor said as much."
I hit her with some political pressure, implying she'd just disrespected the founding Emperor. Sure, as the daughter of a duke, she could ignore that kind of talk... but not here. Among the crowd were kids from families powerful enough to pressure her—the heirs to border baronies, marquises waiting for a duke's seat to open, and capital nobles entrenched in the city.
Getting caught with a weakness by them wouldn't be smart. Stella seemed to realize it too, clamping her mouth shut and glaring daggers at me.
"Y-you... youuuu..."
"Keep your promise. I kept mine."
I didn't think a lady of House Iritz would stoop so low as to break her word. Brushing past her, I headed back to my room. The Savior Holy Knight trotted after me.
"Hey, you! Summoning a summon inside the school is...!"
Professor Oliver Crockett, heading to the staff room, froze at the sight of my summon. Then he looked at me in utter disbelief.
"Sorry about that."
I flashed a grin and walked past him. The majesty of a 3-star summon was obvious at a glance, so every kid we passed in the hall gaped at her, mouths agape. Among this year's freshmen, only two had pulled a 3-star on their own: me and Stella.
In other words, publicly, I was now on the same level as the duke's daughter.
'Won't last long, though.'
If I were just some normal baron's kid and let my summon rot without training, she'd overtake me in no time with her duke family's support... but I had the system. Reinforcement methods no one in this world even knew existed, plus precise knowledge of summoning.
'Next goal, then...'
Join the main story.
Stella Iritz couldn't believe the reality unfolding before her eyes. She didn't want to believe it.
'That loser...'
A 3-star summon was the wall dividing upper and lower nobility. Summoning one alone earned you a barony outright. Even as a baron's son, he'd just grabbed that status for himself.
'Annoying.'
Someone at baron level wasn't easy for even a duke like Stella to dismiss. The gap between 2-star and 3-star was huge, but 3-star to 4-star? Not so much. Plenty of 3-star marquises with battlefield merits were gunning for duke seats right now.
"Arrrgh!"
And worst of all, she'd promised him a family heirloom with her own mouth. She was the sole heir and had inherited the 4-star Ifrit, but that didn't mean she could swing the family around however she wanted. Ifrit was more like a loan than true ownership—without formal succession, it could fly back to her father, the original master, anytime.
"What do I do?! What?!"
If it'd been a private promise, she could've denied it. But she'd blabbed it in front of everyone...
'No, this doesn't make sense.'
Common sense said maybe a 2-star was possible. It wasn't rare—one in ten pulled it off. But a 3-star? In her whole grade, she'd been the only one to summon one on pure talent.
And yet... and yet!!!
'He must've cheated somehow.'
She wanted to believe that. But she knew better. Tampering with the magic circle to force a 3-star? That wasn't cheating—that was skill. The emperor himself would come running barefoot, offering his daughter for marriage.
"Arrrgh!"
Thinking of the scolding from her father, Stella's head already throbbed. She wanted to kill him. But she couldn't.
After rolling around on her bed forever, she sat up at her desk and pulled out stationery. Dipping her quill in ink, she started writing.
The first line read:
Dearest Father,
Pouring on uncharacteristic aegyo, Stella penned the letter.
Back in my room, I eyed my summon and started grilling her for info. I knew most of it from the game, but confirming it matched reality was key.
"Should I call you Master...?"
"Whatever."
Once we were in the room, I chatted with the Savior Holy Knight. First off, her name was a mouthful.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Since offering my body and soul to the divine, I abandoned my name as well... In life, I was called Anna."
"Got it. Anna it is, then. Cool?"
She nodded. Anna, the Savior Holy Knight. For a 3-star summon, she was solid—no, strong enough to carry me straight to the ending.
'And cute face.'
And a pretty face. Worth mentioning twice. In Project Luna, where beasts, monsters, and dudes popped up as summons left and right, filling your roster with pure female summons was near impossible without whale-tier spending. If that were easy, I'd have stacked 5-stars and stormed the Demon King's Castle ages ago.
So pulling Anna? Lucky break.
"Master, what shall I do now?"
"Nothing."
"...???"
Anna looked baffled. But it was still week one. In Project Luna, the real story didn't kick off until midterms. No point rushing now.
'Well, one thing... but not for a first-year like me.'
"Alright, Anna. Dismissed."
"Yes. Until next time. May the divine will be with you."
With that, she dissolved into a crest on the back of my hand. Staring at the wing tattoo, I mapped out my plans.
'No clue what heirloom I'll get... assume nothing.'
Quests and main story were key. Stick to the main story, and soul power farming was a breeze. The issue?
'Haven't found the protagonist.'
Did I replace them? The protagonist should've shown up by now, racking up heroine encounters. No sign.
Honestly, no protagonist wasn't a dealbreaker. This wasn't a game with protagonist buffs—without cash, even they hit walls.
But every event revolved around them, so I had to find them.
'Where... right, around now, they meet Stella.'
In other words, stick to Stella.
"Ian!"
The moment class ended, someone called my name. I turned to see Sheera smiling at me.
"...What?"
"Heard the rumor. You really summoned a 3-star? Show me?"
I'd paraded it openly that morning—what, too busy to notice? Shaking off her clingy grip, I shook my head. Good thing I had a legal excuse to refuse.
"No."
"Why?"
"Summons banned on campus."
"Oh—then we just leave campus? Training grounds!"
"Busy."
"Whyyy?"
"Got plans."
"...With a girl?"
Sheera's eyes iced over. Not her business, but I nodded.
"Girl."
"Who? Far as I know, you don't know any girls..."
"Stella."
Sheera let out a gasp and backed off. She was a marquis's daughter; Stella, a duke's. Status gap. Unlike me, planning to bounce back to Earth post-graduation, she had to live here forever.
"Why the Iritz girl?"
"Gonna squeeze her from now on. Make her cough it up fast."
"That heirloom rumor? She's really giving it?"
"If not, take it."
My real goal wasn't that. I needed in on the story—main story starts with the protagonist saving an ambushed Stella. Problem: I'm not the protagonist, and I don't know the trigger spot.
Simple fix: Shadow Stella. She'll meet the protagonist—fate.
"Now beat it. You're annoying."
"No need to be so harsh~"
Sheera grumbled but packed up and left. Once she was gone, I grabbed my books and bag, dumped them in my room, and headed for Stella.
Stella, heading to her room after class, scowled when she saw me.
"...What?"
"Need to talk. Got time?"
"I don't."
"We're in debt, remember?"
"Sent a letter. ...No idea when the reply comes, but I'll keep my word."
She brushed past me. Couldn't let that happen. You're essential for story progression.
"Wait. So I just wait indefinitely?"
"...Tough break, but—"
"If I'd asked for understanding over my situation, would you have delayed my expulsion?"
She shut her mouth. Yeah, nothing to say. If I hadn't pulled 3-star, she'd have booted me that day, excuses or not.
"...What do you want?"
She glared up at me. I grinned.
"Tea first. My treat—your wallet."
"...What?"
Academy cafeteria nearby. Stella brought our drinks with a sour face. I smirked at her.
"Problem?"
"...Drinking tea with a guy like you? Why would I enjoy it?"
"Hey, you didn't say no."
"Only 'cause I hate owing debts. No more favors after this."
She gulped her coffee. I sipped mine, eyeing her. Red hair, orange-glowing eyes. Cute enough to believe one date could wipe the debt. Not why I called her, though—I just enjoyed my free drink on her dime.
After a while, she snapped, bored.
"...What? You drag me here and say nothing? Man up."
"Sorry. Reason I brought you here is..."
"W-wait, where—!?"
A scream echoed from afar. I'd been waiting—I bolted. Summoning Anna mid-run.
Wings unfurled, she assessed and shot ahead.
"I'll scout ahead, Master."
Boom! Air exploded; she vanished from sight.
I sprinted after, finally reaching the source. Anna had arrived first, shielding a student while fighting a demonkin. But spotting the student's face froze me solid.
'...No way, why's it a girl?'
There was the protagonist.
A genderbent one.