"Is this all of them?" a man with a rustic voice inquired, his menacing red eyes scanning us with a sinister grin.
The scar that marred his face only served to accentuate his villainous appearance.
"Yes, sir," came the obedient response.
"Good..."
With a flick of his finger, he conjured a small fire magic spell, igniting the tip of his cigar as he regarded us with intense scrutiny.
Is this bastard finding pleasure in mentally tormenting us like this?
Upon boarding our ship, the terrorists wasted no time in rounding us up on the deck. From the ship captain to every member of the crew, none were spared.
Even the magic engineers responsible for the ship's flight trajectory, hidden below decks, were not exempt.
Currently on autopilot, our vessel relied on their constant monitoring of the ship's mana pathways.
Without them, it wouldn't be long before we plummeted from the sky.
'Tsk...'
Whether by the hand of these suicidal bombers or a natural descent into oblivion, we were well and truly screwed.
Even as panic gripped practically everyone on board, there was an unspoken understanding that showing fear in front of the menacing figure before us was not an option.
With his menacing demeanor and the aura of danger that surrounded him, it was clear that this man was not to be trifled with.
Even the students from the knight department, who were likely the most capable of taking action in this situation, remained motionless.
Fear had paralyzed them, rendering them unable to intervene.
As for the rest of the students, most of whom were enrolled in general education programs, they seemed utterly helpless in the face of the unfolding crisis.
While their future careers as civil servants may have required general knowledge skills, such expertise was of little use in the current situation.
Scanning the room for familiar faces, I spotted Lorraine among the crowd. Despite her high rank as a noble, her status offered little protection against the deranged individual on board, whose organization was known for targeting royalty and nobility. In this moment of crisis, social standing held no sway over this crazy fucker.
For now, I had to think of a way to get out of this situation. Roughly around 3-5 minutes had passed since I directed Alice towards the protagonist. As strong as a swordmaster Auvin might be, in front of a powerhouse like Alice, even he wouldn't last long. In just a few minutes, she should be returning soon.
"Shouldn't we help the captain, sir Gabin?"
"Nah... the old man wouldn't like that," Gabin responded casually, his demeanor unwavering as he puffed out the smoke on his mouth.
"He resolved to kill the princess himself. Let's just respect his decision and wait here. It won't be long before we reach our goal."
Listening to Gabin's words, the other terrorists nodded in agreement before turning their attention back to the crystallized ship in the distance.
A hush fell over the room as the gravity of their conversation sank in.
"The princess?"
"Are they going to kill the princess?"
"But who?"
Speculation ran rampant as minds raced to comprehend the implications of the terrorists' intentions.
Who among the multitude of attending princesses could be their target? And more importantly, why?
For those gathered here especially those of noble descent or any other ruling status knew that the implications were dire.
The death of a single princess could serve as the catalyst for a cascade of international conflicts
It was clear now just how serious and atrocious this group's plans were.
But for me, it wasn't the notion of the princess potentially dying that troubled me as I knew she would be relatively safe throughout all this.
"Gabin..."
As the name "Gabin" resounded in my mind, a surge of memories flooded back, jolting me with the realization of who he was.
Gabin—the one-hand grappler, a formidable adversary encountered by players in Act 1, Chapter 3 of the game.
How could I have overlooked such a crucial detail?
My heart raced as I grappled with the implications of his arrival here.
Gabin wasn't just another terrorist; he was a powerful mid-boss, a significant obstacle in the protagonist's journey to uncover the secrets of the New Wind organization within the academy.
The fact that he was here, of all places, was deeply unsettling. In the game, he was known for his ferocity and combat prowess.
But why was he present in here of all places? And why did he have two arms now, when in the game, he was famously depicted with only one?
Realization washed over me as I struggled to reconcile the stark disparity between the Gabin I knew from the game and the man standing before me.
'That explains why I couldn't recognize the man'
In the game, he exuded a rustic charm, resembling someone who had spent his life in the wilds.
But now, clad in a black cloak and suit, he bore the demeanor of a mafia boss—a far cry from the character I remembered.
Yet, despite his altered appearance, I couldn't overlook the connection between his presence here and the game's storyline.
Alice Holloway, my favorite character, likely played a pivotal role in this unexpected turn of events.
Slowly the puzzle was piecing itself together, if in the original he did approach this ship just like now.
He would've naturally faced off against Alice.
In the game's original story, Alice would have remained on this ship to protect everyone when these guys attacked... if so, that would explain a few plot holes in the game.
'So there really was a reason as to why Alice couldn't join the battle in the first chapter. I thought the devs were just yapping to excuse their mistake and made a small description as an excuse about what happened on Alice's side.'
But, shit... had my actions inadvertently altered the course of her story?
Now that I think about it, my existence in and out of itself already altered the course of her entire story, ever since I saved her four months ago...
Despite my supposed expertise in the game, I realized I had neglected to pay attention to the intricacies of the side characters' backgrounds and narratives.
Perhaps, in my single-minded focus on all the Heroine's path ways I completely forgot about most details as to what happened in the story as I slide right through them with my brain in full auto mode.
The realization hit me like a ton of bricks: with a middle boss from Chapter 5 of the first act present, nobody among us stood a chance of even contemplating a fight.
Our only viable option was to keep quiet and bide our time.
In 3 to 5 minutes, Alice should be finished assisting the protagonist, and the antagonist should meet his end as intended. The outcome of this experiment would then reveal itself.
All we had to do was wait and pray for a peaceful resolution. As long as nobody in our midst provoked them, things should remain relatively calm.
But, of course, luck wasn't on our side.
"Y-you do you guys not know who I am?"
I couldn't help but scoff inwardly. It seemed my hopes for a quiet resolution were nothing more than wishful thinking a young male student rose to his feet and pointed his sword at Gabin.
'Does this idiot really want to die?'
"My name is Rhoades Edris, heir to the county of Edris! I will not have myself get threatened and played with by mere peasants like you!!!"
His voice boomed with misplaced bravado as he assumed a fighting stance.
I couldn't help but marvel at his misplaced courage, even as I inwardly lamented his lack of common sense. When had noble upbringing forsaken all grasp of reality?
As Gabin fixed him with a piercing gaze, Rhoades stood his ground, his trembling demeanor belying his earlier boldness.
The tension in the air grew palpable as Gabin advanced towards him, each step a deliberate measure of dominance.
We held our breath, bracing ourselves for the inevitable confrontation.
"Rhoades Edris, correct?" Gabin's voice was like a steel trap, trapping Rhoades in its cold embrace.
"Y-yes…." Rhoades stammered, his sword now resting limply on the ground, his bravado reduced to mere vapor in the face of Gabin's presence.
In a surprising turn of events, Gabin embraced the young man, his actions defying all expectations.
The sudden shift in demeanor left everyone in shock, their eyes widened in disbelief.
"For a young child like you to be this corrupted this early, you must've had a hard time…. Allow this adult to put you on the right path," Gabin said, his embrace tightening with each passing second.
"Ughhuck?"
Rhoades struggled to comprehend the situation, but before he could react, blood began to spurt from his mouth as his bones crushed within him.
In a matter of seconds, a flash of red light enveloped him, followed by a gruesome explosion that scattered his remains in a horrifying spectacle.
His organs and blood rained down upon us, transforming the scene into a nightmare straight out of a horror movie.