An Unscheduled Encounter
"Strange," Angelica said, spitting out a cigarette that had been chewed to tatters. She pulled a fresh one from her inner pocket, popped it between her lips, and furrowed her brow.
The bus had parked ten minutes ago. All the students had disembarked and had been waiting for several minutes now, yet there was no sign of their guide. Normally, the Academy instructor would contact the research institute just before arrival. Upon receiving the call, a guide would meet them at the entrance to lead the students inside. But this time, something felt off.
Sitting in the back, I couldn't hear perfectly, but I caught Angelica grumbling under her breath about someone not picking up.
What's going on? Was there a development like this? I don't think so. Or was there? It's not like I remember every single detail of Dawn Swordsman. After all, Dawn Swordsman was just one of the many novels I'd read. I certainly loved it, but not to the point of memorizing every line and sentence. I remember the major events of the story in pretty good detail. But everything else is shrouded in a hazy fog. Besides, the field trip takes place at the absolute beginning of Dawn Swordsman. It wouldn't be strange at all if my memory was just playing tricks on me.
"For now, you kids stay put. Just wait here a moment. Siul, keep an eye on them so they don't wander off."
"Uh, Senior? Where are you going?"
"No one's answering the phone, there's no guide, and even the guards who should be watching the entrance are gone. I need to check if something happened."
Deciding that waiting any longer would be a waste of time, Angelica gave her instructions to the assistant teacher and turned around. But before she could take more than a few steps, she stopped. Someone had grabbed her.
"Arin?"
"Wait, Teacher... Just a moment, please."
Arin said, tugging at Angelica's sleeve. Cold sweat was trickling down her pale face.
"I don't think you should go. My supernatural ability... it's been 'warning' me for a while now."
"...Tell me more."
Arin's supernatural ability was Crisis Detection. Though limited strictly to 'danger,' it was a form of future prediction. If she felt a sense of crisis, it wasn't an illusion or oversensitivity. It was a genuine warning sign that danger was imminent.
"At first, I thought it was just about the field trip... you know, nerves about our first real combat. I figured my senses were just hyperactive because of the upcoming battle with the magic beasts, so I tried to ignore it... but no. This is different. For a mere field trip, it's too dangerous."
"...Understood."
Angelica didn't brush off Arin's warning. It was only natural, given that it came from a supernatural user with Crisis Detection, even if she was still young. Patting the pale girl's shoulder a couple of times, Angelica raised her voice.
"Everyone, get back on the bus. We're leaving."
The murmuring students obeyed their homeroom teacher without a word of complaint. They all knew about Arin's ability—she was their class president, after all.
I moved along with them, feeling utterly bewildered. This is bizarre. This isn't just a misunderstanding or a trick of my memory anymore. I can't write this off as a hazy recollection. There was absolutely no development like this. The field trip arc didn't go down this way. The real trouble was supposed to start much later, right in the middle of combat. Until then, Arin's Crisis Detection shouldn't have triggered at all. What is going on? This shouldn't be happening... Did the future change because I became Lucia? No, that can't be it. Sure, I altered some things, but those were just personal relationships. I became close with Aris a bit earlier. That was it. I never did anything that could cause such a massive anomaly in the field trip. I can say that with absolute certainty.
"Hm?"
Everyone boarded the bus calmly, without rushing. Angelica, who was the last to step back inside, let out a grunt of confusion while counting the students to make sure everyone was accounted for. Wondering what was wrong, I followed her gaze.
The front row. Someone seemed to have followed Angelica onto the bus. A girl... with straight, obsidian-black hair, her face concealed behind a Red Fox Mask? Wait, what?
"Are you really just going to leave? I thought you came all this way for a field trip."
"...Who are you?"
"It'd be such a shame to go back empty-handed after traveling all this way, wouldn't it? Don't worry. I'll help you."
Her face was hidden, but I could tell. That girl was smiling right now.
"Teach—!"
Arin's urgent cry was cut short. The girl lightly tapped Angelica's chest with her parasol. It was a movement so casual and effortless, like a child playfully poking a caterpillar on a branch.
But what happened next was anything but light.
Crash! Angelica was blown backward. She smashed through the bus window, spinning through the air like a top before crashing outside. Paying her no mind, the girl turned her head as if completely uninterested. She looked at the students inside the bus and spoke in a syrupy-sweet voice.
"Now then, students. This is your field trip. What should you do when a magic beast appears right before your eyes?"
The answer came in the form of a sword. Siul, Class 1-A's assistant teacher, lunged forward with a swift motion, thrusting her blade straight at the girl's throat. While the students were still too dazed by the sudden turn of events to react, she had responded with the rapid precision expected of an Academy instructor.
However.
"Oh? You're not a student, are you?"
The parasol rippled gracefully, parrying the sword aside. Then, a pale white palm clamped over Siul's face. With a casual flick, as if tossing away a piece of trash, the girl threw her. Siul smashed through the side of the bus and hurtled outside.
In the blink of an eye, both teachers had been neutralized. Assistant Teacher Siul was one thing, but Angelica was a high-ranking combatant even among active heroes. She was absolutely not someone who could be defeated easily. And yet, so effortlessly...
"What are you doing? I asked what you should do when a magic beast is right in front of you. Aren't you going to answer?"
No one. Not a single soul dared to open their mouth. The overwhelming pressure radiating from the girl completely swallowed the interior of the bus.
...Why? How? What is this? I don't understand. What the hell is going on? Why is she appearing already? ...Astaroth.
One of the strongest entities in Dawn Swordsman. Even among the interdimensional monsters, there was a strict hierarchy. At the very bottom were the standard magic beasts. Most monsters from the other world belonged to this category. They were further divided into low, mid, and high ranks, with extreme disparities in ability and strength between individual specimens. While some were weak and mindless, others possessed intelligence and power rivaling humans. High-ranking magic beasts were monsters that could give even seasoned, veteran supernatural users a run for their money.
Above them were the Calamity-class Magic Beasts. These were true disasters that made high-ranking monsters look like child's play—avatars of destruction that had only appeared six times in the entire three-hundred-year history of the war.
And... even higher than those Calamity-class beasts. Transcendent beings who possessed unrivaled power in Dawn Swordsman. Entities that had never appeared in the past, only revealing themselves to the world after the plot of Dawn Swordsman had progressed significantly. The Mains.
Astaroth was one of these Demon Kings. Though she occupied a mid-boss position, her raw strength was easily among the top tier in Dawn Swordsman. She was absolutely not a character who should be appearing this early. A boss character who was supposed to make her debut near the end of winter, when the first year was almost over, had suddenly shown up at the absolute beginning of the story.
"Oh? No one's going to answer? Really? Even though I'm asking so nicely?"
A subtle note of irritation crept into Astaroth's voice. If you want an answer, maybe dial back the murderous aura first. There's no way a bunch of students can withstand the pressure of a Demon King.
It was terrifying. A scream of pure terror threatened to burst from my throat. If even I felt this scared, how must the other students feel? My shoulders trembled uncontrollably. My heart hammered so violently that my face flushed hot and my chest ached.
...Honestly, if the situation weren't so dire, this wouldn't be a bad sensation at all.
Astaroth rested her parasol on her shoulder and tilted her head. I couldn't be sure because of the mask, but she was probably scanning the students. Looking for someone to pick out and kill on a whim.
No. I can't let that happen. It's still the beginning of the story. I can't let the students die here. Dawn Swordsman was never a kind story. Students died. Countless hardships and trials awaited the protagonist. But that wasn't supposed to happen now, and certainly not in such a meaningless death. Getting brutally slaughtered by a boss character who skipped the queue and showed up out of nowhere? That's just wrong.
"...We fight."
"Hmm?"
"Heroes... protect people from magic beasts. So... we have to fight."
Like a student answering a teacher's question, I raised my hand and stood up. I had never been more grateful for Lucia's masochistic nature. It allowed me to process this absurd, crushing pressure in a completely different way.
"L-Lu... Lu... Lucia..."
I felt a trembling hand grab my sleeve. I didn't even need to look back to know who it was. Aris's voice was shaking far more than usual.
Gently prying Aris's hand from my sleeve, I took a step forward.
To be honest... I have no idea what to do. She's a Demon King. Astaroth. What am I supposed to do against her? Don't underestimate her just because she's a mid-boss. She is absurdly strong. Even an awakened Yujin barely managed to defeat her by exploiting a weakness... Right, Yujin.
I stole a glance at him. He had his hand on his sword hilt, glaring at Astaroth. He hadn't drawn it yet, clearly aware of the massive gap in their power, but his body was tense, ready to spring at any moment.
If nothing else, I have to protect this boy. I need to draw Astaroth's attention so he doesn't do something reckless and get himself killed.
"Hehe, that's right. Correct. That is your role, isn't it?"
Astaroth nodded in approval. Then, she began to walk forward. *Click, clack.* Her heels clicked against the floor as she approached and opened her parasol. She reached her hand inside it.
"A good child who answers deserves a present. Here, take it."
I reflexively caught what Astaroth tossed to me. It was round, surprisingly heavy, and hard. I felt the texture of hair... Oh, my god.
"I picked it up on my way here. Do you like it?"
Astaroth giggled, casually handing over a severed human head. I stared at her, utterly speechless. I mean, I do want to get my own head cut off eventually, but I have absolutely zero interest in someone else's severed head... Ah, I get it. If I say I like it, she's going to cut my head off next. That's exactly the kind of twisted personality Astaroth has.
I quickly calculated the outcomes. If I say no, she'll probably say she's disappointed and hit me, but she'll control her strength. Probably. But if I say I like it, she'll say, 'Then I'll make you look just like that!' and ruthlessly decapitate me. I'm absolutely sure of it.
I assessed the surrounding situation and recalled what I needed to do right now. Yeah, okay. I've decided. I opened my mouth.
"I love it."
"I'm so glad! Then I'll make you look just like that!"
Slash. Astaroth swung her parasol. My vision spun. Round and round. Oh, the bus is spinning! Ah, wait, it's my head that's spinning. Getting decapitated legally in a public place? Oh, I absolutely cannot resist this.