Monday morning.
After a good night's sleep, I woke up to find that many things had happened at the academy.
Zoe seemed to have contacted the Hunter Association first and reached out to those who were previously in charge of dungeon exploration.
The exploration team claimed that the professor had misinterpreted their exploration results and recklessly ordered the dungeon entry.
The association, unable to ignore the influence of S-rank hunter Zoe, immediately sent an investigation team to the dungeon on Sunday evening.
The professor, who had connections in the association, belatedly grasped the situation and tried to contact Zoe, but it was already too late.
Around midnight on Sunday.
The bodies of S-rank students Samuel and Sarah were found in the dungeon.
The professor was immediately arrested on Monday morning.
"I never dreamed they would die in a B-rank dungeon when I sent four S-ranks.
No, I've never even heard of an abnormal dungeon. I sincerely apologize to the public for causing concern."
This was widely reported in the news.
'To think the protagonist died.'
My naive assumption that the protagonist would somehow survive was wrong.
According to the original story, the protagonist Samuel was supposed to awaken when the dungeon wall collapsed on him.
This time, he wasn't crushed, didn't awaken, and the party's strength was weakened as they split into two/three groups while moving.
What was particularly fatal was that Samuel, who was a veteran in academy life due to being a returnee, had no information about this dungeon as it was the first incident he experienced while trying to change his fate in the second round.
How unfortunate.
I paid my respects to the two deceased and left the dormitory.
There was an F-rank class, but I didn't attend.
I followed the promotion procedures as Lucy and Zoe had informed me in our group chat.
I went to the administration office of the student headquarters and filled out an application to enter the S-rank class.
"Student Ikan. Your documents have been received. Please go to the measurement room to get your awakening grade measured and receive a confirmation."
I went to the measurement room.
"Student Ikan?"
"Yes."
"Come in."
A woman wearing horn-rimmed glasses let me into the measurement room.
The interior was about the size of a small gymnasium with a fairly high ceiling.
"You said you awakened Holy Explosion?"
"Yes, that's-"
"How did you know it was S-rank Holy Explosion?"
I couldn't say I knew from the status window.
"Just... a feeling, I guess."
[Ava]
[Occupation: Hunter Academy Staff]
[Status: Unimpressed]
[Sigh. They all think they're S-rank as soon as they awaken.]
"You know that if the measurement shows it's not S-rank but B-rank or C-rank, you'll have to submit the application again, right?"
"Oh, is that so? It's not automatic, I have to apply again-"
The staff member sighed.
"There's the simulation mana."
She pointed to a spray bottle on the table.
"Ah. Yes."
A spray that releases mana like oxygen when you press the button against your nose.
After inhaling the simulation mana, the staff member entered a glass-isolated room and spoke to me through a microphone.
"Student."
"Yes."
"I'll summon evil/undead/ghost type monsters in order, and you need to use Holy Explosion with the simulation mana to defeat them."
"Okay."
"First, evil attribute."
The first to appear as a hologram was a truck-sized Cerberus with five heads.
I snapped my fingers.
[Holy Explosion]
Gaaak.
The Cerberus collapsed.
The staff member was blinking at me blankly.
[What? Defeating Cerberus in one hit? Is he really S-rank?]
I stared at her intently.
She's quite cute, looking about twenty-five, though not comparable to Zoe and Lucy.
[Gaze Rape]
"Huk!"
She suddenly jerked her hips.
[W-What? What's this? Why am I suddenly...]
"Excuse me. Isn't the next one coming?"
"Huh? Ah... Next is undead attribute."
She manipulated the panel.
It was a giant zombie with tentacles.
[Holy Explosion]
Crack.
Urgh.
The zombie fell with a thud.
I silently looked at the staff member.
[Gaze Rape]
"Nngh."
The standing staff member sat down on a chair with a flushed face.
"L-Last one is ghost attribute... okay?"
Whoosh-
Along with a black wind, a giant reaper wielding a scythe appeared in midair.
It felt eerie.
[Holy Explosion]
Kieek.
The reaper vanished into smoke.
I looked at the staff member inside the glass. I approached her.
[Gaze Rape]
[Gaze Rape]
[Gaze Rape]
"Mmnh♥"
The microphone was on.
The female staff member who inadvertently let out a moan turned bright red in an instant.
She started to panic as I approached.
"Ah. Um... You can't come in."
"Is it over?"
"You can go now."
"Pardon?"
The female staff member spoke hurriedly from inside the glass.
"I said you can go now since your S-rank is confirmed."
She seemed unable to get up from the chair.
"Huh? I heard I needed to receive a confirmation..."
"Ah. It's a mobile confirmation. I'll process it electronically and text you."
"Is that so?
Alright then. Thank you."
I left the measurement room.
'Hmm. It seems to have some effect.
But to know the detailed skill usage, I guess I should try it on Zoe and Lucy?'
A moment later, I received a text message.
[Your requested S-rank promotion has been processed.]
[Please click below to check the detailed changes]
[Academic Schedule] [Timetable] [Dormitory]
[How to issue mobile awakening grade confirmation]
'Ah, how bothersome.'
I also need to move to the dormitory where S-ranks live.
'This won't do. I need to time skip for a few days without interacting with Zoe and Lucy.'
All three of us needed a rest period, both physically and mentally.
It was concerning that my body was [Addictive Body], but.
'I should be able to endure for a few days.'
Thump.
Just then, someone bumped into my shoulder as they passed by.
More precisely, because the other person was short, it was more of an arm bump than a shoulder bump.
Anyway, it was clearly intentional.
I turned my head.
The other person also stopped and turned to look at me.
It was a cute and haughty-looking girl with twin tails.
We looked at each other for a moment.
"Hmph!"
Looking angry, she snorted and walked away.
'No way.'
There's only one cute girl described with twin tails in IBVNA.
[Mia (Virgin)]
[Occupation: Hunter Academy Student]
[Status: Annoyed]
[Two S-ranks died, yet an F-rank like him...]
The third heroine of IBVNA.
The heroine that readers hated the most because she was so ill-mannered and acted crazy.
And the heroine I pushed to be the official wife, even leaving comments.
Why, you ask?
It was cute how she only behaved herself around the protagonist, and.
There's nothing more reassuring than having a crazy person on your side.
'Given the timing, she probably didn't have a thing with Samuel yet.
She's probably acting like this because I, who was an F-rank, came back alive while two S-ranks died.'
There's a saying in the Hunter Academy that S-ranks are dragons, and F-ranks are commoners.
This was something that only a few S-ranks who discriminate based on ability would say.
And Mia was an extremely radical meritocrat belonging to that minority.
'When I get back, I'll have to properly indoctrinate her with my Huge Dick for Training.'
I moved my feet.
"Leah. The Black Knight Swore to the Blind Saint. Are you ready?"
[Y]
Look at her being stingy with words for plausibility.
So cute.
"Send me."
Whoosh-
Everything went black before my eyes.
I opened my eyes.
I saw the sea.
In the middle of the sea.
I looked around.
Kree- Kree-
The sound of seagulls.
I was on a ship.
A huge sailing ship.
I examined the clothes I was wearing.
Fortunately, they looked quite luxurious. At least I didn't seem to be a sailor working on the ship.
"My lord."
Someone approached and spoke to me.
The way they politely clasped their hands gave the impression of a servant.
"...Yes?"
I responded awkwardly.
"I've found the person you mentioned. They're at the front of the deck over there."
I rubbed my face and asked.
"Umm. Who was it again? Who did I ask you to find?"
"You asked me to find the Priestess, didn't you?
You said there was someone famous for being the most devout and respected in the Empire on board."
"Ah, right. That's right. Where did you say they were?"
The servant guided me.
I looked around.
On the ship, besides sailors, there were nobles, merchants, mercenaries, and even several magicians.
A pure love story where a black knight, abandoned by humans and raised by demons, meets a blind saint and learns about human-like love.
It was a beautiful pure love story, but in the end, the blind saint dies trying to protect the black knight.
The story concludes with the devastated black knight fighting against the demon faction to save humanity from evil.
The blind saint and the black knight truly loved each other sincerely.
Even though there wasn't a single physical contact until the ending.
At least that's how I felt, and I thought that was good enough for a good story.
But Leah, as the Goddess of Heroines, seems to dislike the ending where the saint dies.
'But this is strange.'
No matter how much I try to recall the contents of this novel with my good memory, I don't remember the sea ever being a setting.
The servant guided me to the priestess.
People around were sneaking glances at this priestess, unable to approach her directly, as if watching an idol.
The priestess lightly bowed her head to me.
The priestess was a woman.
There was nothing strange about that.
In this world setting, women could become priests too.
Just look at the female protagonist.
Wait a minute.
"Your name is?"
She asked for my name.
Leah informed me about myself in this world.
[Ikan Castoloni. A merchant running a toy shop in the capital.]
I smiled like a savvy businessman.
"My name is Ikan Castoloni.
I run a small toy shop in the capital."
"Mr. Castoloni. Nice to meet you.
I'm Emilia Rosebloom.
I heard from this person.
That you want to make a donation to the main cathedral in the capital? Is that true?"
Emilia Rosebloom.
The heroine of this novel.
She looks at me with her characteristically clear eyes and smiles brightly.
She's fucking beautiful.
Get a grip, Ikan.
You seem to be in deep shit.
I recalled the sentences from the novel.
[Emilia Rosebloom was the sole survivor of the sunken ship Loraine.
She lost both her eyes in the explosion that caused the ship to sink.
Emilia gathered the thirty-five corpses that had drifted to the uninhabited island where she was washed ashore and held a funeral mass for them on the beach.
A month after the accident, when the navy found Emilia on the uninhabited island, she was kneeling in front of the corpses, praying.
They said she had been praying for a month without eating or sleeping.
As if to prove that, not a single corpse had decayed.]
At that moment.
I caught the scent of oil at the tip of my nose.
And gunpowder.
We were standing in front of a warehouse.
The scene before my eyes moves in slow motion.
'Fuuuuuck thiiiiiiiis'
My body moves instinctively.
I pulled Emilia into my arms and jumped into the sea.
Boom!
As we fell into the sea, I witnessed a series of explosions occurring on the ship with a massive sound.
If we had been on the ship, there would have been a high chance of instant death.
It's amazing that Emilia only lost her eyes in that explosion.
"You fools! The end of the world is coming!"
Someone was shouting from the sinking ship.
They seemed to be terrorist dark wizards.
Splash.
Glug glug glug.
Emilia and I sank into the sea.
...
....
.....
"Puha!"
I spat out water.
The sunlight was hot. I could hear the sound of waves.
"Mr. Castoloni. Mr. Castoloni. Are you conscious?"
Someone was shaking my body.
I blinked my eyes.
My blurry vision gradually returned.
The platinum-haired saint.
Emilia Rosebloom was looking down at me with worried eyes.