Episode 124. Princess, please have mercy… (1)
A week has passed since school started.
It’s Monday of the second week. It’s finally the day when the long-awaited club activities resume.
A club tends to close down when a certain number of members fail to gather. If a significant number of members leave for whatever reason, the club will soon disappear.
In particular, there comes a day when members leave the group without any reason. That day comes when the year changes and a new semester begins.
“Damn, a lot of them left because of graduation.”
Newspaper editor Trisha Marelin was looking at the archive screen engraved on the back of her student ID card.
On the screen was a list of cadets who had been in the newspaper club until last year, and I was looking at the seniors who had graduated among them.
Since half of the members were third-year seniors and had all left after graduation, it was necessary to gather freshmen to prevent the group from being shut down.
“Radon, do you know what we have to do from now on?”
“….”
There was no need to say it.
If there are too few people, it will be closed. There is no announcement yet on what the standard for that number of people will be.
Above all, since it is a time when even a new student council president needs to be elected, there is no major movement in the student council. It is natural that there is no detailed announcement.
It is necessary to gather enough people inside.
“But don’t worry. You’re in our club.”
“….”
“Okay, shall we begin?”
A sigh escaped me. And a yawn came out as well.
It was 6:30 in the morning. I was standing in the student plaza holding a large picket sign.
Not only me, but also my fellow members including Trisha were waving picket signs in the same manner.
“Radon! Can’t you shake it harder?”
“Ah…yes~”
My body feels heavy because I didn’t get enough sleep. Something in my stomach is writhing, perhaps because of the rice ball I had for breakfast.
I’m anxious that I might have eaten something past its expiration date. I really hope that’s not the case. I can’t stand being late because of constipation in the middle of the morning before school.
‘Yeah, that’s right. I guess I’m not the only one having a hard time.’
I tried to hold back while thinking that way. Because it wasn’t just the newspaper club… other clubs were also holding picket signs.
-Welcome, freshmen!
-Please join our club!
-If you join our department, you can get feedback on your first semester alchemy!
-You can learn first-year basic academic subjects more easily!
-Our medical department is a verified department that has been personally recognized by the vice principal!
-Please give us lots of support!
Shouts can be heard everywhere. It’s practically a competition to see who can shout the loudest.
Because the voice needs to be conveyed to them to attract aggro.
The sight of people holding pickets and shouting for others to look at them seemed like a concert hall… or more precisely, a protest.
‘Even if the security guards rush in and spray water bombs, it doesn’t look uncomfortable.’
There are already some people who have caught several cadets and are trying to persuade them to join. When I see them, they look like some kind of cult you might run into on the street.
“Radon! Speak louder!”
“yes yes.”
Our leader Trisha, who was urging us from behind. Seeing her so passionately was proof that the club had a sense of mission.
Moreover, looking at it comprehensively, it is an activity that is far removed from protests or cult activities. It is just that my body is sore and my will is not fulfilled.
Plus, it’s also quite unfamiliar.
“Did you eat breakfast well, Radon Crowler?”
I wondered who was talking to me… and then something flashed.
It was a very familiar head, emitting a dazzling light that was blinding.
“Nice to meet you! Drink this while you do it.”
Art Department Head, Refrain Halo, handed me a sports drink and spoke. He still looked like he could blind me if I approached him.
“I’ll decline. I already ate and came out.”
“Is that so? But why are you so weak?”
“Well, that’s true.”
I didn’t eat much or little, but I feel quite heavy. It’s as if I swallowed a lump of iron disguised as a rice ball.
“But can you help me, a rival department? It’d be like providing supply support to the enemy.”
“Enemy! I benefited from the request you drew for me in the first year. I may not be able to trust anyone else, but I can trust and help you.”
There was a reason why he was so curious about me. Above all, he seemed to be close to our manager.
“Thank you so much for this vacation, Trisha. Your words really helped my drawings shine.”
“You’re welcome. I was also deeply moved by your sincerity!”
The two continued to have a conversation where they laughed and laughed. I don’t know the details, but it seemed like the two had known each other for a long time.
Could it be because it was the same magic? But I felt like it wasn’t an ordinary friendship.
And cherry blossom petals fall little by little on top of my head.
‘Wow… Now that I think about it, that season has already come.’
Although they are not in full bloom yet, the spring breeze is blowing and the cherry blossoms are fluttering. Next month, you will be able to see Alighieri embroidered in pink.
“huh?”
“…!”
At that moment, a cadet passing by me glanced at me. As soon as I saw him, I took a deep breath.
“Lyman…?”
“What the heck? What are you doing here, you conman?”
“Well… you see.”
I wanted to act cocky and say, “Don’t you know when you see it?” but I didn’t have the guts to do that.
I never thought I’d meet the main character while recruiting members. Come to think of it, when I played as him, I saw a lot of NPCs handing out pickets and leaflets.
‘Here, the protagonist hides in a crowded place to shake off a female student.’
Wait, it’s about time for that female cadet to appear.
“wait a minute!”
As expected, a girl was seen coming from far away, pushing her way through the club members.
She used to hand out flyers to new students who came to her on their own. However, the members froze in thought as soon as they saw her face.
Her fluttering hair was as red as a rose.
Her delicate and pure face stimulated the protective instinct, but everyone turned away from her as if she had grown thorns.
“That person is definitely….”
“It’s Princess Mirona. Radon, wake up.”
Refrain and Trisha also recognized her and became very nervous. No matter what her status was, she was in front of the princess.
“Wait a minute! Please listen to me!”
The path opened up on its own, allowing Mirona to approach easily. The one she was doggedly pursuing was Lyman.
The moment I finally grabbed our protagonist by the collar… the in-game event scene I had seen many times was reenacted before my eyes.
“Why do you keep chasing me!”
“Just for a moment… Can you talk to me? Okay?”
“….”
Lyman can’t shake off the girl who is holding onto his arm. If it were normal, it wouldn’t be strange for Lyman to throw her away.
But this time, that couldn’t be the case. Of course, she was the princess, but to Lyman, Mirona was special in another way.
“I’m sorry, but I have nothing to say.”
“No! It’s important!”
Lyman is very angry right now. He wants to shake it off but can’t… and the soldiers who are supposed to be guarding this girl are nowhere to be seen or what they are doing.
I just wish he would show up right now and take this girl away, but that scene never happens.
And finally, the scene that ranks among the best gag scenes in the game unfolded.
“I didn’t see anything then! I didn’t see a single nudity on your part!”
“….”
A great silence fell. The young girl’s desperate cries had the shock of three or four nuclear bombs exploding.
As the silence continued… I found myself smiling.
“Do you remember when we first met at the hot springs? Please don’t misunderstand! I’m not a woman who would ever look at a naked man or spy on him…”
“stop….”
“I swear on the name of the royal family! No, I swear on my throne. I will never…”
“I told you to stop!”
There is an event that occurs when you play as Lyman during the winter break. There, you meet Mirona for the first time… and there is a scene where she is exposed to the whole body while taking a bath.
Mirona let go of her sanity in an attempt to clear up the misunderstanding at that time.
‘You might want to ask her why she’s saying that in a public place, but… there’s nothing you can do about her lack of common sense.’
Mirona was not only innocent, but also clumsy and dull. She looked so uneducated that you would wonder if she was really the princess of an empire.
This shows that she didn’t receive even a little bit of the emperor’s love. It was her upbringing that caused the current turmoil.
‘That’s why I shouldn’t laugh in this situation…’
The directing in the original was so funny that the same directing flashed before my eyes.
Just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt. And now it’s time for the finishing blow.
“I absolutely…”
It’s coming out… It’s coming out… !
“I’ve never had a nosebleed watching that important part!!”
A tremendous scream rang out. The conversation that had been rumbling for some time was instantly silenced.
It was cold and quiet, as if everything had died, as if the world itself had been destroyed.
“Phew…”
In the midst of all this, I ended up laughing. I was the only voice in this quiet atmosphere.
“Phuhuhuhuhu…!”
I couldn’t control my laughter. I covered my mouth, but it didn’t help. The laughter just burst out like water pressure from a cracked dam.
“Poohahahahahaha!! What the f*ck, seriously…!”
I ended up giving in to my instincts. As a Devil Ark user, I couldn’t stand this scene.
If you see it in person, even your superhuman patience will be of no use.
“Ahahaha… I’m going crazy… Huh?”
I finally calmed down and raised my head. But then a cold air came over me.
“hey.”
A voice that was familiar yet gave me chills. I could see Lyman’s face, his eyes wide open.
“Is it fun?”
Something ran up my spine, stimulating my nerve cells. I didn’t have to explain what it was.
You could tell what was going on just by looking at the nerves.
“See you later.”
Lyman smiled rottenly and spat out a word, then leisurely walked away.
“Wait a minute… Ouch!
Miro, who was chasing Lyman again in a hurry, fell down with a bang. She got up again and continued to chase him, just like in the main story.
“Ohhhh…! That would make a good article!”
Trisha, who had caught the scoop, quickly took out a notepad and pen and wrote it down.
“Ohhhh…! This is a great piece of material that just popped into my head!”
Inspired by something, Refleine took out a notepad and pen and drew a picture.
And I…
“X is done.”
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come to any other conclusion.
* * * * *
Monday of the second week. Today is the day of the freshman class placement test. It is conducted in a manner not much different from the practical test that is conducted once a month.
The old method involved trapping cadets in groups in a subspace and having them fight to the death. It was common for cadets who dropped their badges to be eliminated.
However, after the artificial golem was stolen, a new method was added. It is none other than the method of hunting battle golems.
Likewise, you enter the subspace wearing the badge. There, you must defeat the golems that rush in one by one.
At first, a low-level golem of level 1 appears, but the more you catch, the more higher-level golems appear.
“Melody of Destruction.”
The freshmen’s beautiful singing voice echoes throughout the space.
In the space that recreates a pure white square room, a green-haired saint plays the strings and sings sweetly.
Professor Manus Holonez, who was supervising the exam with a cold expression, his expression changed faintly as if it sounded like a heavenly melody to his ears, which were always cold and indifferent.
Squeak!-
bang!-
However, apart from being beautiful, the song was also destructive. The golems that were touched by the sound waves made irregular noises and then burst on their own.
It was a stage 4 golem with a body as big as a group and made of ultra-hard armor. And then the last stage 5 golem appeared.
“Is this the last….”
It was three times larger than the 4th stage and had a different sense of pressure. The magical power detected was truly indescribable.
Eventually she chose to take off the badge, and she was brought back to reality.
“Congratulations on being confirmed as a member of Class A, Saint Nevia Cromag.”
Manus’ voice spread like waves throughout the examination room. The onlookers were amazed, thinking that he had not been chosen by the light for nothing.
First of all, since he was a candidate for the presidential election, there was an opinion that he should do that much.
‘Yeah… I have talent. There was no need to be pessimistic in the first place.’
First of all, he was the first to be assigned to class A, which no one had been confirmed to be in. There was no feeling more proud than that.
Even though I’m mentally unstable because of the bloodthirsty insects… if I just do as Jason says, I can survive.
If it’s your talent, you can do those things without hesitation. The same goes for being assigned to class A right now.
“Next, it’s Princess Mirona’s turn.”
At the moment I was thinking that way, the next cadet entered the subspace. She was also a famous person, no less than Nevia.
“Okay, thank you for your consideration.”
The situation in the subspace was clearly visible through the mirror screen. The students who saw the princess’s timid appearance were secretly disappointed.
I expected a charismatic princess, but what I ended up with was a coward.
-Are you really the princess of the Divine Imperial Family?
-I heard that all the royals who entered Alighieri were very strong.
-And did you hear what happened this morning?
-Oh, right! Didn’t you say something like you saw me naked in front of a second-year senior?
-Did you forget that? You didn’t see the important part, hahaha!
-Kikkikkik!
Anyway, the person involved cannot hear it because he is in a subspace.
Despite being a member of the royal family, he receives no protection at all. Furthermore, his social skills are at the level of a kindergartener or lower.
No matter how noble or humble one’s social status was, being ridiculed was unavoidable.
‘That’s too much.’
When Nebia saw that, she felt sorry for her. It was because she was experiencing the feeling that the power she could rely on was not hers, even though it was right next to her.
“Quiet!”
Only after Manus’s growl was heard could silence be achieved. And then the magic circle that signaled the start of the exam was unfurled.
The first stage golems that start appearing first. If you catch them up to stage 4, you can be assigned to class A. From stage 5, you can’t catch them, not even class A or active mercenaries.
The level of golems should not be underestimated. Therefore, the cadets have long since given up on their expectations.
Because it’s hard to imagine Mirona even getting to level 1 with her current timid appearance.
“Well… well then….”
And Mirona, who was assigned to the combat department, which was out of place… holding a single sword.
It just feels like a little kid threatening me with a toy knife.
“Let’s get started!”
The freshmen watched in boredom as Mirona declared. However, they had no idea what was about to happen.
Kwajijik!!-
They were shocked and startled by the tremendous impact.
The ripples from the battle within the subspace reach this area. Professor Manus instinctively creates defensive magic to protect his students.
And something absurd unfolded before the eyes of the cadets and Nevia.
Stage 1… Stage 2… Stage 3 The corpses of the golems piled up like a mountain.
Below that, three of the fourth-tier golems were dead with their limbs disintegrated, and the last fifth-tier golem was also lying on the ground with its body torn in half.
“This is nonsense….”
Manus was horrified, for the boundary between reality and subspace was completely torn apart.
The cadets who had been laughing at the sight of the 5th stage golem and even the space being torn apart trembled like aspen trees.
“I, I….”
Princess Miro and Princess Hwangnyeo poked their faces out through the gap in the space. Aside from their wild antics, they looked extremely timid.
“Do I have to pay for this?”
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
