Vanitas entered the grand venue with his sister, Charlotte, by his side.
The hall was enormous, with marble floors polished to a mirror-like shine.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the room buzzed with quiet chatter. Nobles mingled in small groups, as their laughter and voices blended with the classical music playing in the background.
Rich velvet drapes framed the tall windows, and servants in formal attire moved between the guests, carrying trays of drinks and hors d'oeuvres.
'...Damn.'
Vanitas took a deep breath as he tried matching the confident strides of the nobles around him.
He glanced at Charlotte, who moved with an effortless grace, giving him a reassuring nod.
"You nervous?" Charlotte's lips curled up and chuckled. "You're usually calm and composed in settings like these, even more so than me. What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Vanitas shook his head. "Just... my stomach is aching."
"Still? I don't know where the bathroom is."
"That's not what I meant….."
"Nervous then?" Charlotte eyed him once more, gauging his reaction.
"Maybe?"
"Still, you passed the Ascension Licensure Exam in the top twenty. If anything, you should be proud." Charlotte said, her mention of specifics catching Vanitas's attention.
"Y–Yeah, you're right…." Vanitas took note of the details.
Ascension Licensure Exam?
The hell was that?
He passed no such exam at all!
"Oh, Vanitas?"
A soft voice cut through the siblings' conversation.
Turning around, what greeted his sight was a woman, with hazel–brown hair and captivating blue eyes.
"You're here."
"Yes?"
This is...
There was no mistaking it.
"You look like you've seen a ghost~"
"...Headmaster Elsa?"
"Nice to see you again, Professor," Elsa said.
Indeed, it was Elsa Hesse. The appointed Headmaster of Silver University Tower.
She was a popular NPC in the forum community due to her captivating appearance.
In fact, he could solemnly swear he had seen R18 fanarts of her on the internet.
But somewhere down the storyline, there was uproar regarding her death which was done off–screen.
Elsa turned towards Charlotte, who looked flabbergasted by the sight of her.
"Hello there," Elsa gave her a small smile.
Charlotte blinked her eyes and composed herself. Then, offered a light bow and introduced herself.
"Greetings, Headmaster Elsa. I'm Charlotte Astrea, a first year student at Silver University."
"Oh? Our Professor's little sister?"
"...Y–Yes," Charlotte nodded awkwardly.
Charlotte relaxed a little, her stiff posture easing.
Then, Elsa turned towards Vanitas, who was lost deep in his thoughts.
'I swear she was my Senior's wallpaper at one point….'
"Hmm~ What are you thinking about, Vanitas?"
'No, I'm right, it's definitely her.'
"Eh? Vanitas, why are you looking at me like that?"
'So this woman was the reason why my Senior's wife left him, huh?'
"Uh, I…. I don't know if I should take this the wrong way. But you're a bit…. Uh, too young for my taste…."
'I understand the appeal, Senior. But I don't think losing your wife over your obsession was worth it….'
"Gosh, at least speak up!"
"Yes?"
He was snapped out of his thoughts as Headmaster Elsa exclaimed.
"..."
Vanitas's brows raised, noticing the expression Elsa was making. Her face looked like a tomato.
"What's wrong—" Vanitas paused.
"Headmaster, over here!"
A deep voice resounded, urging for Elsa.
"I–I'll be right back, V–Vanitas."
"Okay?"
Vanitas eyed the other Professors first. Some of them were giving him looks of disapproval. However, as soon he met their gaze, they quickly shifted into fear.
"..."
Elsa disappeared after that brief interaction. "Gosh~!"
Charlotte blinked her eyes, then turned to look at her brother.
"Are you targeting the Headmaster?"
"What?"
Targeting?
What sort of nonsense.
Then, he looked around, scanning the aristocrats loitering about.
The game's narrative had told him about the rogue Professor, Vanitas Astrea, accused of severe allegations.
However, for how those allegations came to light, he had no idea at all.
He had simply acted according to the quests given.
But if that were the case, it was highly likely it was a fellow Professor at the university.
It started with rumors, blatant evidence, then persecution, eventually leading to the boss fight.
But who?
It could've been anyone. The Professors, who seemed to disapprove of him. It could even be Elsa herself.
Indeed, his main suspect could be anyone present in the banquet.
When the game began, Vanitas Astrea was already oddly suspicious.
However, he wasn't particularly sure at which point in time he was in the game's storyline.
His mind went around in circles as he formulated theories and conjectures.
But ultimately, it led to nothing.
"Haaa..."
Vanitas sighed, realizing he had to interact with the nobles around him, just so he could paint himself in a positive light.
"Let me introduce you to my Brother."
Charlotte spoke, snapping him out of his thoughts as he turned to the side.
There were three girls around Charlotte. Most probably, her friends during high–school.
Charlotte introduced Vanitas to her friends, in which Vanitas nodded with a charming smile on his face.
"Looking forward to your class, Professor. Please go easy on me."
One of the noble girls spoke. She was rather petite, way shorter than Charlotte.
"I'll do my best." Vanitas said.
Then, he leaned close to Charlotte's ear. There was a question in his mind.
"Are you in my class too?"
Charlotte whispered back. "Didn't you check your course schedule?"
"...N–No."
Charlotte couldn't help but chuckle. "No, relatives aren't allowed to enroll in a course taught by a family member."
"...Ah, right."
"What's with you? You seem forgetful today," Charlotte eyed him.
"Is that so? Haha."
There were several other nobles, who had an established relationship with the Astrea's that approached.
It seemed like they wanted to speak with Vanitas, but Charlotte would always answer instead.
Nonetheless, Vanitas managed to gather quite a bit of information just by eavesdropping on nearby conversations.
Aristocrats of all ages offered him praises, expressing high expectations for this semester.
However, they didn't seem genuine. He could tell by merely observing.
Many came from prestigious branches, including the Magic Department and the Crusade Order.
Yet they all told him the same thing.
—I'm eager to see what the mage with the fastest recorded casting speed has in store for this year.
Magic normally required chanting to imprint circuits and bring spells to life.
But apparently, Vanitas held the record for the swiftest magic creation in history.
However, none had ever told him about his incantion–less casting.
From what he knew about the game, talented people had unique traits known as stigmatas.
If he had started off with Vanitas' base stats, then that meant, it was highly likely Vanitas was hiding his stigmata.
Now that he thought about it, during the boss–fight against Vanitas, his casting actually was swift.
But then, another question arose in his mind.
He leaned over to Charlotte once more, and whispered, "Why did the Imperial Family host this party again?"
There were plenty of aristocrats here, sure. But it didn't seem to be an exclusive gathering for Silver University Tower students and alumni.
Nobles from all kinds of backgrounds, hailing from different University Towers filled the room.
"Didn't you read the contents of the letter?"
"I forgot..."
"Is that so?" Charlotte tilted her head, about to say more when—
Flick—!
The lights dimmed, and a spotlight glowed at the center of the staircase.
Instantly, the room fell into a hushed silence.
A voice echoed through the hall.
—Presenting the Princess of Aetherion Empire.
Amidst the announcement, Charlotte leaned close to Vanitas, whispering, "It's a celebration for the Princess. She passed the ESAT—the Essence Scholastic Ability Test—placing second overall."
"Second?"
In the game, she was always third, while the player was first. He realized now that there was no player.
In any case, the game's tutorial was the ESAT entrance exam.
However, he couldn't measure its difficulty appropriately. It was just a point and click tutorial game with a mouse and keyboard, after all,
Then, as the announcement concluded, the spotlight shifted, catching a figure at the top of the staircase.
A beautiful girl with flowing blonde hair and jewel–like golden eyes stepped forward, gracefully descending in a gown that shimmered with every step.
"...It's her," Vanitas whispered under his breath.
He realized now at which point in time he was in the game's storyline.
The announcement came again.
—Astrid Barielle Aetherion, Third in Line to the Throne.
"The very beginning."