The Massive Ripple Effect of the Field Exercise Accident
The impact of the accident that occurred during the practical walk exercise was enormous. Every event at the academy was canceled, and the entire staff threw themselves into cleaning up the mess. Instructors faced disciplinary action while wild rumors swirled among the students. Absurd tales spread across the whole school—that I had sliced apart a dragon, or single-handedly slain a hundred monsters. In those stories I had already become a hero who had died and come back to life three times over. Naturally, rumors about Irene circulated as well. For someone who had only ever been the subject of nasty gossip, new whispers emerged that were almost positive: that she had even brought the dead back to life. It wasn’t entirely an exaggeration. After all, she had grabbed most of the people caught up in the incident by the collar and saved them.
“Lee Han.”
“Yes, President.”
“You’ve been through something quite terrible. My deepest condolences.”
It was afternoon tea time, and I was in the student council room enjoying refreshments with Claudia under the pretext of an investigation. My arms still hurt too much to stretch properly, so I simply sat there. If I had to rank the places in the academy I wanted to avoid for the rest of my life, the student council room sat firmly in first place. But I had promised to attend these regular meetings, so there was no escaping it.
“There are a few things I need to confirm.”
Claudia flipped through her documents.
“Where a monster like the minotaur could have come from, the black stone that student Lee Han claims to have witnessed, and why the return stones and communication devices stopped working.”
“That’s quite a list.”
“It is. The student council is also doing its utmost to investigate this incident. You may not know everything, but could you tell me what you do know?”
“Well…”
I gave Claudia as detailed a report as I could about what had happened in the dungeon. Naturally, I left out anything about who was truly behind it.
“Hoo…”
Claudia let out a long sigh—something very unlike her.
“Is something weighing on you?”
“Weighing on me… Perhaps it is. Shall we take a short walk together?”
“With my body in this condition?”
I gave the wheelchair I sat in a light pat.
“Hehe. I’ll push you.”
“What an honor.”
“Indeed. Consider it an honor to receive such personal service from the student council president and imperial princess.”
Claudia pushed the wheelchair, and we made our way out onto the school grounds. It was a perfect spring day, the trees and grass bursting with fresh green life. Every student’s eyes turned toward us. Some gazes held curiosity about me; others held pure astonishment at the sight of the noble Claudia personally pushing a wheelchair. The attention felt somewhat burdensome to me, but Claudia acted as though she didn’t notice it at all.
“Lee Han.”
“Yes.”
“If there existed a force that kept putting you in danger, what would you do?”
“What would I do…? I’d fight with everything I have, I suppose.”
“Even if they weren’t your enemy?”
“Pardon? If they’re putting me in danger, wouldn’t that make them the enemy?”
“It could be more complicated. An incompetent ally, for instance.”
“Hmm… That’s a difficult question.”
Given Claudia’s personality, she wouldn’t ask something like this lightly. Was there a traitor inside the academy?
“This is what I believe. Even if it’s a good and diligent ally, if it becomes a threat, it must be cut away. That is the only path on which everyone can survive.”
“So you would sacrifice the few for the many.”
“Exactly.”
Our trio came to mind. At this point the three of us weren’t of any real help to me. We were all weak. But to coldly cut them loose just because of that? No. You can’t form relationships by calculating only profit and loss. You shouldn’t.
“I’m afraid I still don’t quite understand.”
“Most people wouldn’t.”
“Does that mean you’re different, President?”
“Given my position, I have no choice even if I dislike it.”
Suddenly Claudia reached out and stroked my hair.
“President?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. It was unconscious.”
She withdrew the hand resting on my head. For something supposedly done without thinking, she didn’t look the least bit startled.
“It’s all right.”
“Thank you. You seem to trigger my protective instincts, Lee Han. Enough that my hand moves on its own.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing.”
...
I was certain I had just heard something strange.
“Ah, there’s one of your admirers over there.”
Claudia pointed toward a corner of the training grounds. Ines was swinging her sword. She appeared to be sparring with several students, but the others didn’t look like willing participants. Their faces were stiff, as if they had been dragged there against their will. The atmosphere was downright murderous.
Ines swung her blade at her opponent. It was far rougher and more savage than the swordsmanship I remembered from her. She looked like she was venting everything bottled up inside her. It seemed less like sparring and more like she was beating up someone who had personally offended her.
“...The mood is rather brutal.”
“It is. Diligence is admirable, but this does seem a bit excessive.”
“I wonder what happened to her.”
“...Lee Han, you really can be quite oblivious.”
“...?”
“Now that I think about it, you mentioned waking at dawn every day to train.”
“That’s right. I can’t do it in my current state, but I can’t afford to miss even a single day. I need to recover quickly and get back to training.”
“You really are always like that, student Lee Han.”
She spoke as if she knew me well. Which, to be fair, she did.
“Always?”
“No. A slip of the tongue.”
As if. Claudia didn’t make slips of the tongue.
“This isn’t a very pleasant sight. Shall we move on?”
“Yes, let’s.”
Our tour of the grounds continued. This time we stopped at the academy’s church.
“Did you know, Lee Han?”
“Know what?”
“They say the academy was founded by a hero chosen by the gods.”
“That’s right.”
Of course I knew. The descendant of that hero was me—the protagonist of the game.
“The hero overcame countless trials and ultimately slew the demon king. Much like you, Lee Han.”
“I don’t believe I have the right to be compared to a hero.”
“No. You are filled with possibility. Perhaps you are the true protagonist of this world.”
Yes. I had been the protagonist. But not anymore.
“You’re exaggerating quite a bit.”
“That’s why I want to keep you close. I want to protect you so that an incident like this never happens again. This is both the wish of the student council president and my own personal desire.”
She was being remarkably direct today. After I had nearly died, it would have been strange if she weren’t feeling anxious. Still, there was one correction I needed to make: when Claudia spoke of “protection,” she meant surveillance and control. She had always been that way—controlling every situation, moving pieces across a carefully arranged board. It could even be called obsessive. She despised anything that slipped beyond her control.
“When you say it like that, I don’t know how to respond.”
“It’s an honor, isn’t it? So please, this time, try not to get hurt outside my sight.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Good.”
“But President.”
The preamble had been long enough. It was time to ask what I had really come here to learn.
“Yes, Lee Han?”
“What do you think about this incident, President?”
How much did the student council—and the academy—actually know? It was time to test the waters.
“Hmm… a very regrettable event?”
Was this woman seriously treating me like an idiot?
“Not that. Who do you believe is behind it?”
“What is the intent behind your question? I assumed you already knew.”
“Me? No way. What could I possibly know?”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then shall I tell only you, Lee Han?”
Claudia gave a playful smile.
“That black stone you saw.”
“Yes, there was one.”
“It vanished without a trace during the body recovery process.”
“Right.”
“The academy doesn’t know this, but I know who it belongs to.”
Of course she did. With her memories from previous rounds, she couldn’t not know. However—
“It belongs to the cultists. They are the ones who caused this incident. This is a secret, so please keep it to yourself, Lee Han.”
As expected, she didn’t know the full truth. Calling it the work of cultists wasn’t entirely wrong, but Claudia only saw the surface. She didn’t understand what lay beneath. This incident would not end as a simple disturbance by cultists.
“I see.”
Academy life was about to become considerably more difficult.
“Then what will you do now? Will you report it to the academy?”
“Even if I did, we have no evidence. So we will have to handle it internally within the student council. However, we will make every preparation necessary to ensure something like this never happens again.”
“How exactly will you prepare?”
“First… we will reinforce our forces and expand the student council’s authority. Enough to intervene across the entire school.”
“Hmm. That sounds promising.”
“In that spirit—won’t you join the student council, Lee Han?”
“Me? My skills are lacking and I have no particular talents.”
“That can’t be true. Even if your current abilities are insufficient, it’s fine. You work hard every single day, Lee Han. That’s more than enough.”
“Earlier you said that even a diligent and good-natured ally should be cut away if they’re incompetent.”
“Oh dear. You’re sharper than I gave you credit for.”
“Compared to you, President, it’s nothing.”
“You’re different. Because you are you, Lee Han.”
So she wanted to keep me close in order to protect me. Absolutely not. That would mean getting caught in her grasp and slowly turning into a bird in a cage.
“I’m grateful for the sentiment, but I don’t have the capacity for such a role. I must respectfully decline.”
“As expected, that is your answer. You really aren’t an easy opponent.”
“I’m a rather expensive man.”
“Hehe. That’s all right. There will be another opportunity. Even without it, you will end up under my protection regardless.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I have upgraded student Lee Han’s protection management level. From now on, student council personnel will be assigned to guard you exclusively during all classes—both on and off campus—as well as after school hours.”
...What was she saying?
“Wait. There’s such a level? Does the student council even have the authority to do that?”
“We created it recently. After the practical accident, the academy officially approved it.”
“And you were the one who created it, President?”
“Correct.”
“Are you joking?”
“Didn’t I say we would expand the student council’s authority? This is part of that expansion. I am completely serious.”
“...”
“From now on, you don’t need to worry about anything, Lee Han.”
Claudia smiled softly.
“This time, I won’t let you slip away.”