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Grandis Academy boasted the size of a small city, so countless events took place throughout the academy in a single day.
Some stores offered drastic discounts, martial arts tournaments were held, magic performances and demonstrations were conducted, and academic conferences were held in the administration department.
Also, the children of high-ranking nobles gathered for meetings, and various clubs showcased what they had prepared.
As such, students and visitors enjoying the festival were naturally scattered according to their interests.
However, at this moment, a large crowd was gathered in front of a makeshift stall.
"Move aside! Let's go to the front!"
"Is this really the line? We can really get our fortunes told by the student council president?"
"It's probably fake, but she's a Rank 6 mage, right? Honestly, how can you resist?"
"So is this the line? I see someone cutting in line right next to me. Hey, you, come here."
"Get in line, you bastards!"
This place, which seemed to have attracted more people than the elaborately prepared places or the venues for large-scale events, was…
…a makeshift stall that looked like it was just built. The frame was roughly made with lumber found nearby, covered with black cloth, with only an entrance.
It looked so shabby that it seemed like no one would even enter, but…
There was a single line written in front of it.
[Great Prophet Cassandra will tell your fortune.]
People didn't believe the words "Great Prophet" and "fortune-telling." The reputation (?) of the student council president, Cassandra, was already well-known in many ways.
However, Cassandra was a Rank 6 mage, and considering her age and talent, she was a promising individual who could become Rank 8 in the future.
Those who wanted to form a connection with her, those who were simply curious about the self-proclaimed Great Prophet's fortune-telling, and those who came for the amusement…
The result was the current chaotic scene.
Then, one might think that the person at the front should just enter the fortune-telling shop. In fact, the students tried to do that.
However, they could only see the postscript written below the sign when they got closer.
[However, only students of the same rank as the Great Prophet Cassandra will be accepted as the first customer.]
It was practically the same as designating a specific person as the first customer.
A Rank 6 could be treated with great respect in most territories and would be welcomed even by the royal family. It was unlikely for such a powerful person to be attending the academy, but…
There were two Rank 6 students at Grandis Academy, including Cassandra.
"Someone quickly bring Ruth Spero here!"
"We can't enter until he gets his fortune told!"
Those who tried to barge in, regardless of the first customer rule, had long since collapsed, caught in an illusion.
The students who witnessed the fearsome combat strength of a Rank 6 agreed to let Ruth Spero go first and then have their fortunes told.
And in the midst of that commotion…
"Could you all please step aside?"
"Huh? Who… Princess Beatrice? And!"
"It's Ruth Spero, whom we've been looking for. I brought him here."
"Hey! Everyone, make way! Princess Beatrice brought Ruth Spero!"
"Hurry up and move!"
"Let them through quickly!"
Dash!
The students who were tangled up moved aside, either voluntarily or by being swept away.
As if by a miracle, a path opened, and Beatrice, with a proud smile, let Ruth Spero lead the way.
"Now, let's go!"
"…Okay."
Ruth was momentarily dumbfounded, but since she had already decided to leave the academy, she answered nonchalantly.
After this fortune-telling, she would kill Circe and escape from the academy.
If she killed as many of the future villains as possible, the future would improve somehow.
Ruth, who had been wallowing in frustration and self-deprecation for a month and was becoming increasingly negative, stood in front of the makeshift fortune-telling shop with somewhat dead eyes.
'…Cassandra.'
It was someone the past Ruth had never met. There was no way she, a perpetual last-place student, would have met the student council president.
However, she had heard a lot about her.
The self-proclaimed Great Prophet, the phony prophet, the monster who went from Rank 4 to Rank 6 in three years, the master of illusion and manifestation magic.
She remembered her because she was one of the most famous students in the academy. However, that was all the information Ruth had about Cassandra.
Despite being such a promising prospect and a Rank 6 mage, she had mysteriously disappeared after the academy collapsed.
Where was Cassandra during the chaos when the world was burning and the Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and the kingdom were collapsing?
With that small question in mind, Ruth entered the fortune-telling shop.
Beatrice also tried to follow Ruth inside as promised, but…
"Ahem, no can do. The first customer is the most important!"
"Huh…?"
Clap.
At the sound of clapping coming from somewhere, Beatrice collapsed as if falling asleep.
Ruth moved to support Beatrice, but she was already lying comfortably on a bed that appeared out of nowhere, breathing evenly.
Although she couldn't use magic properly due to her chronic illness, Beatrice proved her strength in the second duel with Chloe.
The one who neutralized such a person with a single clap.
Cassandra tilted her eyepatch-covered face with a smile.
"You're Ruth Spero, right?"
"…Student Council President."
There was no need to use honorifics since she had already decided to leave the academy.
Ruth was on high alert, trying to figure out Cassandra, whose whereabouts were unknown.
"Is this our first time meeting? Welcome, Regressor!"
"…What?"
Just now.
What?
Ruth, her speech returning to formal language, asked back with a dumbfounded expression.
"I said Regressor. You came from the future to the present… ah, is it the past from your perspective? Anyway, you came from the future, right?"
"...…."
There was no mistaking it. Cassandra called Ruth a Regressor.
Therefore, Ruth's hesitation was short-lived.
Clang!
"You."
"Hmm?"
"What."
Although she didn't bring her sword, Ruth had a soul contract with the Dark Sword. If she wanted to, she could summon the sword to her hand even from afar.
Ruth quickly summoned the Dark Sword and pointed it at Cassandra's throat.
If possible, she wanted to use more force to completely subdue Cassandra, but…
"Oh my, you're quite ruthless, aren't you?"
"…Weren't you blind?"
"This is just a decoration. Everyone thinks I'm blind when I wear an eyepatch, right? There's no point in explaining that a blind prophet is more appealing than an ordinary prophet."
"...."
Cassandra lightly dodged the swung sword, took off her eyepatch, and grinned with eyes like the Milky Way, but…
Prophet, Regressor, eyepatch, Cassandra.
Ruth's mind was already sufficiently complicated and tangled.
"You."
"Why?"
"Did you… cause this regression?"
That was the only guess Ruth could come up with.
It didn't make sense for anyone to know about regression. And yet, if she openly mentioned it, it meant she knew about it somehow.
If Cassandra was the one who caused Ruth's regression, the culprit…
"…Tell me."
"Tell you what?"
"Everything, everything…!!"
Then Ruth wouldn't hold back. Her hand holding the Dark Sword was already trembling with anger and various other emotions.
She had already been pushed to her limit for the past month. In that situation, Cassandra's sudden appearance, mentioning regression, was both a lifeline and a target of resentment.
Although she told her to tell her everything, there was one thing she was most curious about.
Ruth shouted with bloodshot eyes,
"Why me!?"
"...."
"There were so many other amazing people, I'm just this insignificant… why!?"
It was an outburst and resentment from Ruth, who had to shoulder the heavy burden of regression and the future.
There were so many people who were superior to Ruth in terms of skill, mental strength, power, knowledge, everything.
Why me?
At her cry, filled with pent-up emotions, Cassandra…
"Well, I don't know what you want me to say."
"…What?"
"I'm a prophet and an astrologer. I only know that you're a Regressor because of that. I don't know anything else."
"That's bullshit…!!"
"No, isn't it true? If I really made you regress, why would I mention your regression at this point in time? Wouldn't it be wiser to pretend I don't know even though I know everything?"
"...."
"And there's only one reason why I revealed your secret."
"…What is it?"
"Because you're going to join the student council soon! It's a student council tradition to expose the embarrassing secrets of new members with my prophecies and astrology!"
…I can't follow what she's saying at all.
Ruth didn't lower her sword despite her confusion. Perhaps it was because she felt resentment towards Cassandra, who was smiling as if she found all this amusing.
Cassandra, after briefly looking at the Dark Sword pointed at her throat…
"Still, since you're a new member and my first customer, I'll tell you one more thing as a special favor."
"What…"
"You asked, didn't you? Why you? Why did you have to be the one to regress?"
The girl with the decorative eyepatch smiled.
That smile… unlike the playful smile she had shown until now…
…was a smile filled with unfathomable depth and benevolence.
"You already know the answer."
"What…?"
"Anyway! This concludes the freshman initiation ceremony! Congratulations on joining the student council, Ruth Spero!"
"...…."
In the end, it was just a farce.
Ruth decided that for herself and glared coldly at Cassandra, who was offering a handshake as if to reconcile.
Anyway, she knew that Ruth was a Regressor. It was terrifying to imagine how that fact would affect the future.
'Let's kill her here.'
She had already decided to kill Circe. For the sake of the future, for the sake of the world, and… for the sake of a certain Finance Director she deeply respected.
Ruth's hardened gaze turned towards Cassandra.
"From now on, you're the vice-president of the student council!"
"…?"
"And as the vice-president…"
—You have the authority to access various confidential documents.
—And you can request a meeting with the department heads of the academy whenever you want.
"...."
"How about it?"
…She was going to see Adam before leaving. However, since she was planning to withdraw from the academy after today, she was going to barge into Adam's office.
If she could do it more peacefully, if she could avoid Adam's hatred and annoyance…
And if she could learn a little bit about the academy's information, which she desperately wanted…
In the end, Ruth, unable to resist the temptation, slowly lowered her sword.
It was a sign of acceptance.
***
"Damn it."
I suddenly felt like cursing. It wasn't because I couldn't leave work and had to work for six days straight. It wasn't that, at all.
The bathroom and bedroom installed in the office were quite useful at times like this. The facilities were even better than those in the dormitory where I was staying.
Of course, that didn't mean I liked sleeping and washing up at work.
'Is there a leak?'
Washing up was one thing, but whenever I took a short nap and woke up, my neck or lips were sometimes damp. It reminded me of the deserted island.
It wasn't like the Headmistress was playing a prank by putting seawater on me again, so it must have been a water leak from the ceiling. Carpenters' Guild bastards, I should take this opportunity to rip them off.
Today, my little finger was damp again, so I quickly washed it and, as I had been doing for the past five days, reviewed and organized the documents and submitted them to the Headmistress.
And with this… it was finally over.
Of course, it didn't mean it was truly over.
"Haa… Finance Director."
"I know. Now I have to take care of the existing tasks that I couldn't do because of the review and re-approval, and the tasks related to the magic explosion event tomorrow. Since it's the biggest event of the festival, the workload will be significant."
"It's not tomorrow, but today."
"…? Really?"
"Really. Finance Director, it seems like you're starting to lose track of time."
It was true that my sense of time had become hazy from working like crazy, taking short naps, roughly washing up, and simply eating to survive.
Then I had been doing this for seven days, not six?
I chuckled at the fact that it was already the last day of the festival.
"But Headmistress, if it's really today, shouldn't I be processing the magic explosion event report already?"
"I took care of everything. In return, the Finance Director handled the rest of the tasks."
"Why did you do that?"
"…Because I'm fine even if I don't eat or sleep for a week. It's a bit burdensome even for me to work while barely breathing like this, but it's fine."
Rustle.
The Headmistress took something out of her desk drawer and handed it to me with a slightly tired smile.
It was a small map of the academy, with a circle drawn somewhere.
"What's this?"
"The magic explosion event starts at 10 PM tonight, right? And this is a spot I picked out. I'm sure no one else in the academy knows about this place."
The magic explosion, simply put, the fireworks show, was the highlight and finale of the Grandis Academy festival. Since it exploded quite largely in the sky, it was naturally visible from the Headmistress's office.
However, it seemed like the Headmistress wanted to watch it from a different location. Well, she must have her own favorite spot after watching the festival for decades.
So she worked hard and pushed herself with this in mind.
"What time is it now?"
"It's 6 PM."
"Then you can leave work, Finance Director. You finished your work for today with the report you just submitted, right? I'll see you at this spot."
"…Headmistress, can't we just go together at 7? Why do we have to go separately?"
"Th-this kind of thing is all about the atmosphere! And I have some… preparations to make, so just wait there!"
"I under… stand."
I was bewildered by the somewhat strange words, "preparation" and "atmosphere," but I nodded and obediently received the map.
But more importantly…
I can really leave work now, right?
"Then, Headmistress, I'll be going first. I'll see you at the meeting spot."
"Yes!"
It was common sense for an office worker to decline even when their boss offered them to leave work, but it would be crazy not to offer to let them leave after they worked all night for a week.
From past experience, whenever the Headmistress told me to leave work, there were no problems, so I said goodbye to the Headmistress and left the office.
Crack.
'Ugh.'
I stretched my body for the first time in a while, and an ominous sound came from my back. It didn't hurt because of the military stimulant I took earlier, did it? I should ask the Headmistress to fix it with her Aura when I see her later.
I didn't have anything to take with me. I simply left the building as I was and walked, receiving greetings from the staff.
It was the special spot the Headmistress emphasized.
'I should just sit here for a while.'
I didn't feel like having dinner, and it was too late to go back to the dormitory and sleep since I had to meet her in an hour.
It was more comfortable to come early and wait in case I was late.
But the special spot was on the roof of a building?
'Well, the view is good.'
I climbed onto the roof using a nearby ladder and sat down, and as expected of a special spot, I could see the surrounding scenery at a glance.
Watching the fireworks from here would be quite a spectacle. I had finished my work, and I was waiting with a bit of anticipation.
"…Finance Director?"
"Headmistress, you're already here…?"
Huh?
What?
"Student Chloe?"
"F-Finance Director."
Why are you coming out of there…?
And this is the roof of a building? I can't be seen from below. And didn't the Headmistress say that no one in the academy knew about this place?
Since there was no reason to be on the roof of a building during the festival, it seemed like she knew about this place from the beginning.
'What a secret spot that no one knows about.'
Perhaps this was already a well-known spot among the students, even for a first-year like Chloe.
As I chuckled awkwardly, Chloe, looking a bit hesitant, stepped back.
"…I-I'll be going down now."
"Student Chloe?"
"Goodbye!"
"Student Chloe, what are you saying? I haven't even properly thanked you for the hair loss agent incident. Come and sit here."
"…Really?"
"Didn't you say that I should rely on you from now on, Student Chloe?"
So, let's rely on you. I was honestly terrified because the roof was a bit high.
And it would be more fun to watch with three people rather than just the two of us, the Headmistress and me.
"Come on."
"…Okay."
But…
Don't people usually sit a bit apart when they sit down? Am I the strange one? Why is she sitting so close?
Am I being too old-fashioned…?
————-