On the Way to the Academy

On the way to the academy, a building with a blue roof stood as if the whole place were slowly falling in on itself.

Before a structure that looked as though no one ever came or went, a girl with dark brown hair stood where not a soul would notice her.

Is this the place?

Gloomier than I'd expected. Was there really anyone here?

I pushed open a wooden door that felt ready to come apart at a touch, and a thin little bell was the only thing that welcomed a customer inside. The man behind the counter — the one who ought to have met me with a bright smile — was dead to the world, fast asleep with his head pillowed on his arms.

This is the person who's supposed to give me directions? He looked thoroughly unreliable at a glance. Still, I shouldn't judge on sight alone. For all I knew, he was simply worn out from hard work.

I stepped closer and shook the dozing man awake.

"Um, excuse me. I'm a customer..."

"Nnngh... mm. What?"

He didn't seem to appreciate having his sleep cut short. The answer came out sharp and irritable.

Did I come to the wrong place?

"I... I'm looking for the way to Nertia Academy. Someone named Hex said that if I came here, you'd kindly tell me the way..."

"Oh, for— ...hm? Hex?"

"Yes. Mr. Hex."

"Oh my, then— no, of course! You've come to exactly the right place! Heh heh heh."

His manner seemed to flip all at once, but it did look as though I'd found the right spot after all. You really shouldn't judge a person by the outside.

"So you'll show me the way to Nertia Academy?"

"Oh, goodness, I can't be the one to do that, miss. I'll introduce you to the person here who handles the guiding. Right this way, if you'll follow me."

"Thank you."

He was genuinely kind. There wasn't a thing in it for him, and still he was going out of his way for a lost stranger. The world was warm yet. I felt ashamed of myself for having doubted him.

"This is the room."

He led me deeper into the building and stopped before a door. It opened with a long, grating creak. The room beyond was so crude and bare it might as well have been a cell.

So this is really...

I'd felt it from the moment I arrived: the building this man kept was wretched beyond words. Were kind people simply fated to be poor? They gave and gave to everyone else until they had nothing left with which to look after themselves. People like him ought to prosper. Realizing that this world and the one I'd left behind were the same in that regard, a bitter feeling washed over me.

"What the— where'd that bastard go?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Ah, no, not at all, miss. The guide who should be here seems to have stepped out for a moment. Ha ha... this is a bit embarrassing."

"It's all right. I'm already grateful you're going to this much trouble."

"Wait here a little and he ought to be back soon. I'll bring some tea, so — humble as the place is — would you mind waiting in here?"

"Humble? I'm the one being helped. I think it's a very cozy room."

"You do? Well, then."

With that, the man left me behind and went off to fetch the tea. He'd be back any moment, wouldn't he? I thought I heard a lock click shut, but that must have been my imagination.

Victor, just then, was in an excellent mood. It had been a long time since goods of real quality had walked in on their own two feet.

That Hex bastard. Useful for once.

Nertia Academy, was it? An incoming student, no doubt. And Nertia Academy was where the talented gathered. Sell her on the slave market and she would fetch a price to match. Heh heh heh... about time he scored a proper haul.

That aside, where the hell had that bastard Felis gone? The one who was supposed to cast the brainwashing magic was out of the building at the single moment he was needed. Useless wretch. Now that he thought of it, had the man said he was going to pick up new goods? He was just turning over how miserably the timing refused to line up when the door opened and a man and a woman came in. A bell gave a thin chime.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"You little shit, what took you so long?"

"Why are you picking a fight out of nowhere? I told you I was going to Lesmond for the goods."

"Hic... hnn..."

The man arguing with Victor as he came through the door had a woman slung under one arm. Disheveled blonde hair, clothes gone shabby — she would be the goods brought in this time.

"Haa... fine. Just take that one and get to the workroom. There's another piece of goods in there, so deal with it yourself."

"What? I thought we didn't have any new merchandise coming in."

"Hex brought her. She's fairly high-grade, so don't break her."

"Oho..."

He said it that way, but leaving the matter to Felis would be fine. The man might not look like much, but he was a C+-rank mage. There was no chance some mere academy applicant would give him trouble.

"Then you know what to do. I'm going to see that Hex bastard, so wrap it up quickly."

"Yeah, I'll handle it, so quit breathing down my neck."

"Bastard..."

A man he thoroughly disliked. Felis's standing in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠organization was plainly beneath his own, and yet the mage climbed all over him just because he counted as skilled personnel. It was infuriating. Mages capable of brainwashing magic rarely tumbled down into the underworld of their own accord. Now and then a fugitive put himself in their hands — someone who had run inhumane experiments, or sat buried under debt after a failed investment. Short of that, people trained as elites had no reason to come here.

Enough. What good was thinking about it? So long as the money came in. He would treat the man as a machine that earned him cash. Step out for a little while, and the money would be ready when he got back. That was plenty.

I had been sitting quietly in a corner of that bleak room for only a little while when I heard the door open and someone came in.

Oh. He's finally here?

I was just about to greet him when I saw the mood of the room turn strange.

Something crashed to the floor.

"Kyaaah!"

"Hm? There's nobody here."

Some sleazy-looking man had come in with a woman tucked under his arm, and then he'd gone and thrown her down onto the floor.

"Did that bastard lie to me? No... that can't be it."

"Please, save me... sob..."

Don't tell me—

"He nagged me half to death about it, and he can't even keep track of one of them? Unbelievable."

"Please! I'll do anything! Just let me live!"

"Ah, shut up!"

The moment he spoke, something like a magic circle bloomed from his hand and dropped the woman straight into sleep.

This is a robber!

No question about it — a robber, come to prey on kind people and take their money. What could people who lived by helping others, by giving themselves away, possibly have that was worth stealing? And yet he was doing a thing like this. The worst of the worst. That much was obvious.

"Tch... now I have to look for her. What a pain."

This piece of human garbage still hadn't noticed I was right here. He settled into a cross-legged seat and raised a magic circle.

A spell for finding me, probably. Except I was right here. Darkest, as they say, directly beneath the lamp.

I wanted to click my tongue at the robber's hopeless field of view, but this was a chance. While his attention was somewhere else, I had to settle it somehow. Being found was only a matter of time. I had no idea how strong he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was, but if I stayed where I was I would die anyway. I had only just transmigrated into this world; I didn't think I had it in me to beat a robber throwing magic around. Better to ambush him in the gap. That gave me even a slightly higher chance of staying alive.

There was no need for questions like how I could bring myself to kill a person. He was trying to kill me. A vow not to kill was a story out of a fantasy. If I didn't kill him, I died. That was the law of this world.

I didn't know why, but the table in the room was crowded with short blades. Whatever the reason, I could put one to use now.

Quietly. Very quietly, I chose a single dagger and slipped in behind the man. If I was noticed, it was over. Fortunately, he still hadn't sensed me.

And then—

The dagger punched through the robber's throat and burst out the other side.

Both of his eyes flew wide in shock.

"Ghk... kuh—"

Thrown into a panic, he scrabbled with his hands and feet. I set my strength into my wrist and twisted the dagger. The life went out of him at once, and he stopped moving.

"Whew..."

That had been close. If his field of view had been even a little wider, it would have been a disaster.

Poor man. Back in my original world, he would have eaten a mountain of abuse in the games I used to love and been forced to build up his map awareness. Vision on that level, and allies and enemies alike would have taken turns farming him. Then he might have widened his view whether he wanted to or not. His own fault, for being born in the wrong age.

In your next life, be born as someone who's good at reading the map...

A clear chime rang.

"Huh?"

...What is this?

Holographic letters had suddenly floated up in front of my eyes.

Why now, of all times?

No — what is even going on?

Hoo... All right. Calm down first, and try that once more.

"Status window."

Nothing. Still nothing at all.

Was the method wrong? The holographic text that had appeared before my eyes a moment ago was clearly something akin to a status window. Until just now I'd been wondering whether this world simply didn't have them. What had shown up felt very much like one, which meant a status window might exist after all... and I couldn't understand why I was unable to call it up on the spot.

There was still far too much I didn't know about this place. I really would have to learn it little by little.

And it had said trait, hadn't it? Now that I thought of it, the word trait had been written on my certificate of admission as well. Special Trait Admission. I took that to mean I possessed a special trait. Unable to open a status window, I couldn't even tell what kind of trait it was.

All I could make out was the ability that had appeared together with the notice of an additional effect. I could tell whether or not someone had perceived me? Did that mean I would know when I had been noticed? Because I had killed him in an ambush? I still didn't understand the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠structure by which the ability had been granted.

Only one thing was certain. The trait I carried would play a crucial part in how I lived through this other world.

Transmigrators usually possessed traits or abilities well outside the ordinary, and more often than not they used them to steamroll everything in their path. I hoped I was that sort. If it happened to be an ability that let me gather a huge harem while I was at it, all the better.

In that case, shouldn't I get to the academy?

The guide seemed to have fallen asleep. I'd have to wake her.

"You shouldn't sleep in a place like this. Your mouth will end up all crooked."