Terror (1)
Terror (1)
"...And so, for centuries, the countless graduates who completed their studies at the Royal Academy have served as sturdy pillars of our kingdom and the royal family. I trust that all of you will devote yourselves wholeheartedly to your education as well, following in the footsteps of your parents and seniors who graduated before you..."
In the movies and comics I watched in my past life, the headmaster was usually a white-haired old man in a pointed hat who delivered a grand speech. Regrettably, the Headmaster here was no such cool old gentleman.
The Headmaster of this academy was a tired-looking man somewhere between middle-aged and elderly, with a protruding belly.
Word had it he was a fairly prominent noble in the capital, but one look made it obvious he was a textbook nepotism hire.
Even now, he was droning on endlessly in a speech that was extraordinarily hard to stay awake through. If he'd given it on a training ground, dozens of freshmen would have fainted from its sheer length.
Some of the students were nodding off, and I could even see the little princess beside me pinching her thigh to stay awake.
After a considerable amount of time, the Headmaster's speech finally came to an end, and the audience gave him thunderous applause. Everyone was clearly deeply moved by the fact that the endless speech had finally finished.
Then came the introduction of the faculty members.
A sage stepped forward to greet us as the instructor for core subjects like history and etiquette, followed by a Royal Knight who taught a subject that was either physical education or military drill. Finally, the instructors for Awakened power training offered their greetings.
Men and women who looked unmistakably like aristocrats stepped forward to introduce themselves.
After instructors from various viscount and baronial families offered their greetings, a familiar face stepped out to greet the crowd.
"This is Katrin de Rattenhamar, in charge of physical Awakening training."
At the host's introduction, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
There was no one who didn't know the Rattenhamar Count Family, nor anyone unaware that the Count's house was maternal relatives to the Princess.
Everyone's eyes turned toward the Princess sitting beside me, then swept around the room.
Many people's eyes gleamed when they saw Manuel seated near the Princess, but not a single person failed to look puzzled when their eyes landed on me.
Their gazes swept over me once again. I was dying inside. Please, just end this quickly.
Since suicide was out of the question for now, I could only pray that the entrance ceremony would hurry up and conclude.
After that came the oath taken by the freshman representative and various other procedures, but I just waited blankly for the ceremony to end.
As time ticked by, the entrance ceremony, which had seemed like it would go on forever, finally came to an end.
The audience cheered, and the students stood up from their seats.
And then—
Goosebumps ran down the back of my neck.
"Demonic mana!"
The Headmaster, who had been sitting blankly after his speech, shouted, and several instructors standing on the stage sprang up to survey their surroundings.
Startled shouts echoed through the hall, and I felt mana surging up from the rear.
At the same time, Katrin launched herself toward us—or rather, toward the Princess—and I reflexively flared my mana as well.
'What is this?'
The moment I flared my mana, I realized what had caused the goosebumps.
The auditorium was filled with a strange aura.
It was an energy distinct from mana—no, an aura that felt like strangely mutated mana, spreading throughout the hall.
I couldn't tell where it had started or when it had reached this point.
No, there wasn't time to think about anything else.
The moment the Headmaster screamed, Katrin leaped, and I channeled my mana—
Boom!
The energy filling the hall exploded.
A brilliant light filled the entire hall.
The light turned into heat. A thermal storm swept through the hall. I saw the expression on Katrin's flying figure shift.
I felt the Princess flinch.
But all of it crumbled in an instant.
The sensation of my entire body being torn apart and scorched to ash.
'No one inside this place is going to survive this.'
That was my thought in the very last moment.
And then, darkness. Followed by light.
[You have died. Restarting from the Automatic Save Point.]
When I opened my eyes, I saw the back of the tiny Princess.
I was right at the moment of stepping into the entrance ceremony hall.
The 'Automatic Save Point' created just moments ago.
'Did I come back to life?'
The moment I realized it, my face twisted violently. My hands trembled, and my breath hitched.
I stopped at the threshold and leaned against the wall.
"Fuck, this bullshit."
Profanity burst out of my mouth in Korean for the first time in a while.
The aftermath of the horrific pain I'd felt when dying was still overwhelming my entire mind.
That was because I hadn't died a normal death.
Fortunately, the Princess and Manuel walking ahead didn't notice. The Princess's attendant and butler followed behind them, looking puzzled at my signal to keep going.
What a relief. Being ignored was actually helpful in times like this.
After stepping through the doorway, I leaned back against the wall and took deep, ragged breaths.
It was phantom pain anyway. Just mental agony. I had to suppress it as fast as possible and focus on the current situation.
This was a trick I'd picked up after dying multiple times. Taking deep breaths, I slowly circulated small amounts of mana.
The pain gradually subsided. It was hard to tell whether it was actually fading or if I was just getting used to it, but either way, it was becoming bearable.
Once I regained my composure, curses rose to my lips again.
Thanks to the absurd Save Point set just a few hours earlier, there was very little time left until the moment of my death.
Right now, I had no idea what was happening or what the situation even was.
'A natural disaster? A bomb? An accident? An experiment? A terrorist attack?'
For now, there was no telling which one it was.
'Either way, since it happened inside this building, if I just get out of here...'
When my thoughts reached that point, I couldn't help but sigh.
If I alone dodged the disaster and everyone inside the hall died...
'I'd have to deal with the horrific aftermath all by myself.'
Manuel dying, countless nobles and noble children dying, and even the first massive explosion in the academy's history.
On top of that, the biggest problem was that the Princess had just walked inside.
It was obvious that everyone in the royal palace knew I'd been summoned by the Queen to meet the Princess. Not to mention the Queen herself.
If I ended up as the sole survivor...
I'd naturally be framed for the murder of royalty.
The Duke's estate would fall into chaos, and even if I cleared my name, suspicion would linger forever.
At best, assassination; at worst, hanging.
'Dammit, fleeing is out of the question.'
Even in the worst-case scenario, I had to get the Princess out alive.
No, I had to save Manuel too.
Katrin as well...
Hah, finding the cause of the explosion and stopping it might actually be easier.
Escaping alone was a last resort. I needed to find the cause first.
At the same time, a sigh escaped my lips.
"Getting through this without dying is probably going to be tough."
There was simply too little time to resolve it in a single try.
The strange energy that blew up the entrance ceremony hall. It was definitely an aura similar to mana.
'The Headmaster noticed it first.'
He looked like a typical middle-aged boomer, but I guess he had enough competence to be headmaster after all.
I'd noticed it too.
But before flaring my mana, I'd only felt goosebumps on the back of my neck.
'So I can feel it once I flare my mana...'
Because I flared it too late, I couldn't discern when or where it had originated.
'Then I just need to start flaring my mana in advance.'
Oh, a good idea struck me right away. I might be a fake genius, but my brain wasn't so bad after all.
"Are you alright?"
As I sat down beside the Princess a little late, she took one look at my face and spoke softly.
My face must have been pretty stiff.
I wiped my hands across my face once.
"I suppose I'm just a little nervous."
I replied with a smile.
Manuel gave me a strange look at my response, but I ignored him and began flaring my mana bit by bit.
If I raised it too much, the knights and nobles would make a fuss, so I kept it faint and subtle.
While I focused on my mana, the ceremony commenced.
After several items on the agenda had passed and the Headmaster's address concluded, it was time for the introduction of the faculty.
Following several instructors, just as Katrin stepped forward—
Tap.
A hand settled on my shoulder.
I flinched.
Who? I hadn't even sensed a presence.
The sound of breathing reached my ear, followed by a low whisper.
"Didn't you hear the safety instructions? Excellent control, but using it during the entrance ceremony breaches etiquette. Penalty points for student Alex. Getting penalty points at the entrance ceremony is quite rare indeed."
It was a quiet voice. Its tone was plain, but listening to it gave me goosebumps.
There was weight behind his words. Whether he was an Awakened power user or a knight, he certainly wasn't an ordinary person.
And someone who could penalize a student—he was definitely an instructor.
I felt the instructors and the Headmaster looking at me. Even Katrin.
Mm, I was blacklisted. Definitely blacklisted.
For an instructor to detect such faint mana... maybe this academy was surprisingly terrifying.
Manuel clicked his tongue, and the Princess didn't look pleased either.
At this rate, whether things went well or not, I might have to reset again.
The instructor who'd warned me walked away.
Perhaps he wasn't one of the teaching instructors; he went to stand separately in a corner of the auditorium.
He was an ordinary-looking man in his thirties with blonde hair.
Another person I was curious about had appeared, but now wasn't the time to worry about him.
Since things had come to this, I dampened it even further and began flaring my mana again.
I immediately caught the blonde instructor's eyebrow twitching.
Mm, if things went south, I might get expelled right after the entrance ceremony.
Still, he didn't come back over. I wasn't sure whether it was because he'd already warned me once or because it wasn't worth coming back to scold me again.
Either way, it didn't matter. This time, I was prepared to die anyway.
'Man, that hurt like hell.'
Grimacing at the impending pain, I surveyed my surroundings.
The movement of mana. The people's expressions.
Time trickled away, and eventually, the moment of my previous death drew near.
"This concludes the Royal Academy entrance ceremony."
The moment the master of ceremonies finished speaking—
Found it.
I was able to locate the exact spot where the bizarre energy causing the explosion was emanating from.
[You have died. Restarting from the Automatic Save Point.]
The back of the Princess in front of my eyes.
Once again, I returned from death.
I leaned against the wall and inhaled deeply.
'If I repeat this a few more times, my mind won't be able to hold up.'
The pain upon death was too excruciating, and the interval was far too short.
I felt my limit after just twice. One or two more times, and I'd have no choice but to give up on dying altogether.
'Still, it wasn't a useless death.'
Just before the explosion, I discovered the point of origin for the energy that caused it.
It was an unexpected place, and a moment that reminded me once again that this world was fundamentally different from my past life.
Phew, the pain gradually subsided.
Regaining my senses, I looked around.
A few people were watching me with puzzled expressions, but most paid me little mind.
'Alright, shall I make my move?'
Straightening my posture and masking my expression, I headed toward the seats where the Princess and Manuel were sitting.