The Heroine’s Silent Reckoning
As I had said, my ultimate goal for joining Class A was to build ties with the main characters and become Elcia’s disciple.
But that wasn’t what I meant when I said I wanted to become her disciple in this way.
If we were talking about the original timeline, Elcia was a nuclear weapon. Not affiliated with any country, yet the moment she moved, she could erase one nation from the map all by herself.
Every power in the world had been trying to win her over, and among them, there was surely a method of recruiting her as a disciple to strengthen their own faction.
But Elcia had rejected every single one of those offers.
The reason was simple.
She just didn’t find anyone she liked.
At twenty-five, after only five years since graduating from the Academy, she had become one of the world’s most respected powerhouses.
Naturally, anyone with that kind of talent would see everyone else as lacking in potential.
Imperial spies even ranked her that way.
“High self-esteem. Arrogance. But the kind of arrogance backed by overwhelming power.”
She had discarded her nationality, her family name, everything.
All to protect them.
The Academy was the only place where she had come to escape becoming a weakness that could be tormented by someone else.
She had never taken a disciple in her entire life—until now.
Just that fact alone would shake the entire world. I couldn’t guarantee my own safety.
In short, I was the only key that could control a nuclear weapon. People weren’t going to leave that key lying around.
Elcia had to understand why she was making me this offer.
“……Why are you making me this proposal?”
I had no choice but to ask.
With the main characters, I could at least gauge their true intentions.
Aspilia was too straightforward, and even Selena had a decent read on people.
They had both lived through multiple loops and the previous timeline. But Elcia was different.
‘This Elcia is something I’ve never heard of.’
At my calm question, Elcia stared at me for a long moment, eyes unreadable.
When I tilted my head in confusion, she finally spoke.
“……You really are surprising.”
“In what way, Master?”
“I’ll say it myself—I’m naturally talented. I’ve heard people ask me to take disciples, but I’ve never once actively sought one out.”
“……”
“And you’re taking this insane offer without batting an eye?”
It was definitely an insane offer.
But the risk was enormous.
“……I just want to know your intentions.”
“Same here. Your talent impressed me.”
“Compared to the others, it’s pretty mediocre.”
I could have said something about lacking self-confidence, but even if I ranked myself at the top, my talent couldn’t reach the toes of the golden-generation main characters.
Elcia smiled as she answered, either pleased with my calm attitude or my objective self-assessment.
“At seventeen, facing something unknown with perfect composure. The way you hold a sword, your posture…… everything. I decided right there.”
“……”
If it had been the previous loop, maybe. But this time, those old habits had surfaced.
The way you hold a sword, your stance…… small details that looked like veteran skill to someone like her.
“I might not be able to, but just in case, I’m a survivor from a fallen noble house.”
“I know.”
“If you need a shield, there are other alternatives besides me.”
Even though the remark could have offended her, Elcia’s expression stayed perfectly calm.
She understood the situation, after all. I waited for her reply with my usual composure.
“You already know I don’t need that, don’t you?”
“……If you say so.”
Honestly, there was no return without risk.
High risk, high return—or low risk, low return.
I had to accept some risk. And if I was going to take one anyway……
‘It’s better to lose big and win big.’
Vague risk, vague return— this world wouldn’t be cleared that way.
It felt a bit unsettling that the future was already changing this early, but that was exactly why I couldn’t let it happen.
In a game it would have followed the script. Here it didn’t. I was already planning for my small actions to change the future.
I stood up from my chair, bent at the waist, and continued.
“I’ll be in your care, Master.”
“Yeah. The honor’s mine.”
Elcia smiled brightly as she accepted my greeting.
A strange feeling of unease washed over me, but I didn’t dwell on it.
After all, the entire first day of this loop had been nothing but unease.
@
‘……Good.’
Elcia watched Allen bow properly in front of her.
No matter how cautious I tried to be, her stomach almost flipped at the excessive caution. But it didn’t matter— he would accept her offer soon anyway.
The fact that he wasn’t the average kid was a huge plus.
If any of the other students had heard her proposal, they would have jumped on it without hesitation, even without knowing her or the world around her. But Allen was different.
He had probed her intentions hundreds of times, checking and re-checking until he was satisfied. Just that alone was enough.
Allen di Boerger.
The boy who had poured his life into stopping the Demon God’s descent, the same boy who had shown up at the entrance ceremony.
From those images, Elcia saw a future.
If she handed over everything to the only person who could stand alone against the apocalypse when everyone else was helpless, the result would be different from the last loop.
So, even if it meant pushing herself a little, she decided to take him as her disciple.
‘……The enemies will come, of course.’
No, they would come hard.
But she could block them from her own territory. The reason she had given up everything and entered the Academy wasn’t because the nobles feared her.
It was because she didn’t want anyone else to suffer, and because dealing with them all at once was simply too much trouble.
On top of that——
‘If worse comes to worst, I can always get help from the dean.’
The dean had already stopped every threat that had come her way so far. He would help again this time.
Elcia snapped out of her thoughts and looked straight at Allen once more.
‘……I feel a bit sorry.’
Placing such a heavy burden on a boy younger than her was tough, but there was no other choice.
She would add her hand at the very end, but not before she had to.
‘So——’
‘I’ll train you properly.’
Elcia smiled faintly at the black crown of his head, then exhaled deeply and calmed herself.
“I’ll contact you later for our private lesson.”
“……Yes, I understand.”
Still a little uneasy, Allen answered and turned to leave the lecture hall.
Elcia watched his retreating figure for a moment, then sank back into thought.
Plans to strengthen Allen, ways to fight off the ugly threats that were sure to come——
Her long, pale fingers tapped the desk as she lit up with excitement.
“First——”
I need to start with some changes.
Elcia muttered that to herself and began writing a list.
Teaching assistants, professors——there were a lot of people to organize.
The most effective way to deal with those who bent to strength and threatened others was to show even greater strength.
When they realized that laws and power were nothing compared to the sword gleaming before their eyes, she exhaled quietly.
She had never done anything like this in the past few years, but——
“For the one and only precious disciple, this much is nothing.”
Besides, it wasn’t just for the world.
This was a perfectly reasonable reason, even if the goddess herself had to agree. Elcia slowly stood up.
The purge would begin.