Even now, I think persuading Marquis Gernik back then was an excellent choice.
Thanks to that, I can’t even grasp how much opposition there must have been from the nobles he kicked out early on.
Just the other day, I ran into some guest who happened to visit the family estate.
Without any warning, they grabbed my hand and shouted, “I’ve heard a lot about you from Marquis Hasen! You’re an example of a noble!”
I don’t know where that person heard such things, but it’s clear that they’re seeing me in a positive light.
This connection could be useful down the line.
Well, that’s all good.
But the problem is that, as the day of my inauguration approaches, my heart feels like it’s shriveling up.
“Anis.”
“Eh, Hyeni?”
When I called out to Anis, who was sitting across from me nibbling on cookies like a rabbit gnawing on carrots, she responded with her mouth full.
“No, answer me after you finish eating.”
By the way, this kid doesn’t particularly like sweets, yet for some strange reason, she loves cookies.
It’s not exactly weird, but I find it a bit unusual.
“How much time is left until my inauguration?”
“Since the inauguration is scheduled to coincide with the opening ceremony, it’s exactly 14 days, 4 hours, 44 minutes, and 44 seconds.”
“No, I didn’t need the exact time. In short, I’m screwed.”
I couldn’t hold back my curse in response to her answer.
Anis, accustomed to this by now, simply continued eating her cookie while staring at me.
Anyway, I need to arrive at least ten days earlier to complete the handover, and I’ll need to get the principal’s approval.
So, realistically, I have about four days left.
‘But why is there so much of the number 4? Is this some kind of divine sign telling me to die? I’ve never believed in gods since I came to this world, so is this a punishment from some heretic god? If that’s the case, they should just nail a stake through my heart and let me die quietly. ‘
Damn.
“By the way, have you heard the news?”
“Huh? What news?”
As she was eating so happily, I was worried about whether she was okay, so I grabbed a cookie and started nibbling on it.
Anis replied with a voice full of curiosity.
‘News? Did something important happen? Please don’t tell me someone from our Special Forces unit started a relationship or sent out a wedding invitation. ‘
I really hope I don’t hear such nonsense.
“This time, the 3rd and 4th princesses of the Hildek Kingdom are said to be enrolling at Trivia Academy.”
“What?!”
I thought it might be some trivial news, but as I was about to sip my coffee peacefully, the news hit me like a punch in the back of the head, making my senses snap to attention.
‘If I had coffee in my mouth at that moment, I might have accidentally sprayed it all over the poor assistant.’
‘Wait, what did she just say? Who’s coming to the academy?’
“Why would princesses from a neighboring kingdom come all the way here to our academy? They have their own academies in their own country, don’t they?”
I asked, suspecting that she might have heard some nonsense.
The Hildek Kingdom already has a well-established educational institution, Eldrid Academy.
While it may be a bit inferior compared to Trivia Academy at this point, it’s still a prestigious school, and it’s the setting for a significant portion of the original story.
Besides, if we’re talking about the 4th princess of Hildek Kingdom, I can understand that.
But the 3rd princess, Ping Chang, is a major character from the very early stages of the original story.
She should be attending her own country’s academy, not ours.
‘So why would she be coming here?’
“I’m not sure, but from what I’ve gathered, it seems to be due to the educational policy.”
Anis explained casually, adding that it was a guess, but hearing it made my blood pressure spike.
“Yes, I know. Even though I threw the original story aside after just the beginning, I still remember that the royal family members, once they reach a certain age, are traditionally sent out of the royal palace—or even out of the country itself—to refine themselves. It’s a strict educational policy, much like how lions push their cubs off cliffs to test them.”
Moreover, the higher-ranked individuals in the royal family must be more considerate of those below them, which is why the 4th princess was sent to Eldrid Academy to mingle with commoners in the original story.
So in this case, if they’re sending the 3rd and 4th princesses here, then someone must have intervened to enforce a stricter educational policy.
But if that’s true, then whoever thought of this is seriously out of their mind.
They might as well be stabbing a knife into their own flesh, not just pushing them off a cliff.
‘After all, if these precious princesses were assassinated or something, what then?’
‘In other words, a major character from the original story, one with significant importance, is about to attend the academy I will be leading? And, considering their status as princesses, they could cause major diplomatic trouble?’
Ah, I already feel like running away.
So I did it.
As a man of action, a true leader should turn his thoughts into actions.
But it didn’t take long for my plan to fall apart.
It turned out that my diligent assistant had been secretly watching over me, staying at our family estate and keeping tabs on my every move.
I tried to sneak away in the middle of the night and climb over the wall, but when I saw him standing there, it felt like I had seen a ghost.
I realized then that he was just as abnormal as I was.
Anyway, after my escape attempt failed, I was caught by Anis and ended up heading to Trivia Academy ten days earlier than my inauguration.
We were traveling from the northeastern part of the Arschen Empire, which was practically on the opposite side of the continent, so the journey took a significant amount of time.
Even with the use of dimensional stones, it still took this long.
Without them, it would have been an absolute nightmare.
It really made me appreciate how much transportation development improves quality of life.
“It’s huge.”
“Yeah, it is.”
***
When we finally arrived at the academy, it was clear that the title of the empire’s best educational institution wasn’t just for show.
The size was enormous.
Moreover, the place had been designed by skilled architects, with vibrant spaces unfolding everywhere I stepped.
It reminded me of the royal palace I had visited before.
It wasn’t just that the buildings were large and numerous; the grounds were incredibly vast as well.
It would take forever to walk around, and I couldn’t help but wish they could install a few dimensional stones here.
But they’re too expensive for that.
After wandering around for a while, we were about two hours late, but I was finally able to meet the principal.
“Welcome, Sir Rudius. It’s the first time I’m seeing you in person. I’ve heard much about your reputation.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Sir Glast. I am Abel Rudius, and this is my assistant, Anis Castle.”
“This is Anis Castle. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
As the elderly man with a long white beard approached, I bowed in greeting and introduced Anis, who was standing beside me.
This man’s name is Delon Glast.
He’s the former principal of the academy, and while he has a friendly smile, he’s notorious for hiding a mind full of cunning tricks, like a snake breeding hundreds of them.
According to rumors, the money the principal quietly pocketed during his tenure was enough to build an entire castle.
I also remember that, fittingly, his actual evaluation was not particularly favorable.
One reason for the bad reputation was that he was completely inexperienced in magic.
In other words, he was a purely administrative figure, but on top of that, he was excellent at making connections and managed to hold onto his position until retirement without losing it.
“Let’s start with the handover. I’ll deliver the important news afterward.”
“Yes, of course.”
***
After exchanging simple greetings, we immediately headed for the principal’s office.
This would be the place where I would manage affairs from now on.
‘By the way, important news?’ That made me uneasy.
Please don’t tell me that commoners are coming in, or that the current students suddenly caused a riot.
If that’s the case, I’d just run away without a second thought.
“This is the new seal issued in the name of Lord Rudius. It will be officially in use starting tomorrow, so you can start using it for official duties afterward.”
“I see.”
Unlike the typical seals you might expect, this one was quite thick and large.
It looked familiar, and when I took a closer look, I realized it was the item I had invented around three years ago.
“Looks like the item you invented is being used here as well.”
“Shut up, be quiet, you.”
Anis seemed to notice it as well and, poking me in the side, expressed her joy as if it were her own achievement.
Feeling embarrassed, I scolded her.
Unfortunately, it seemed that the voice reached Delon Glast, who overheard it.
“Wait, did you invent this seal, Lord Rudius?”
“Yes, well… Back when I was with the Special Forces, there were many cases of document tampering, so I made it, albeit roughly.”
I scratched my cheek awkwardly in response to the elderly man who asked with a stunned expression.
Typically, something like this would be handled by the department responsible for developing new magical tools, but at the time, the Special Forces’ work had almost finished, and I had some free time, so I created this item just for fun.
The principle behind it is simple.
When the seal is pressed, it responds to the user’s mana, leaving behind an invisible special mark.
By using tools like mana detection devices, the mark can be checked to verify that the seal belongs to the person who signed it.
In other words, it is impossible for someone else to steal the seal and forge a signature.
It also prevents primitive document tampering.
Mana is like DNA, so it’s practically impossible to fake someone else’s mana.
Furthermore, it’s not that you have to inject mana into it to use it; it automatically responds to the user’s mana.
This made it easy for even ordinary people like Delon Glast to use, which I remember was met with positive reactions.
Well, at the beginning, there was an incident where some crazy person put sleeping powder into the Treasury Secretary’s drink, handed him the seal, and forced him to use it to forge documents.
After that, I improved it and released an updated version, so it wasn’t a problem anymore.
“I remember it was highly rated among the staff as well. Especially among the financial management department.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
But, for some reason, his tone and eyes were completely different.
“Wait, could this old man be upset because after I invented this seal, it became harder to tamper with documents, and he couldn’t receive bribes anymore? Who in their old age is still accepting bribes?”
“Anyway, it looks like the handover is mostly done, so shall we look over the list of students who will be enrolling in ten days? Heh, aren’t you excited?”
“Yes, indeed.”
I was so excited that I ended up gritting my teeth and responding.
As a principal, of course, I’d be excited to see the new students I would be leading.
I was so excited I almost cried.
Still, I managed to calm my emotions, and since I had already heard that the third princess would be coming, I figured there was nothing to be surprised about.
But just as I was about to casually look through the stack of documents, something caught my eye.
“…Riley, Tern?”
However, the first name on the acceptance letter was so familiar that I froze for a moment.
‘Wait. This kid… He’s the main character from the original story.’
“Oh, it’s that friend. Even though he’s from a commoner background, he’s quite skilled, and he passed the entrance exam with flying colors. Do you happen to know him?”
Delon Glast, who was asking me about the document I was holding, seemed natural about it, but I didn’t have the time to answer.
Yes, I know him well.
‘How could I not? But this is definitely news I didn’t want to hear.’
Back when I had spoken with Marquis Gernick, I had a nagging feeling that something like this might happen, but I never thought it would become a reality.
What a damned butterfly effect this is.
‘Does this mean that the main character’s actions are influencing my future? I don’t even remember mentioning it aloud, but did my thoughts become reality? Why couldn’t the wise ancestors come up with a decent proverb? I guess they didn’t anticipate innocent victims being affected by their actions.’
‘You can now see the power of the very commoner you despised so much!’
‘I remembered the scene in the early part of the original where the protagonist destroyed the sparring hall with a combat power meter and made the staff cry.’
Overcome with emotion, my eyes started to water.
Now, it seems that I am the one who will be shedding those tears.
It means that I will have to deal with all the accidents and messes this kid causes.
I must be out of my mind.
To think I voluntarily got involved in this bad ending route just to fulfill that perverted teacher’s wish.
‘On top of that, if the gods are watching this, why not give me a reincarnation ability while you’re at it? I don’t need infinite reincarnation, just one reset would be fine. I’ll admit I was wrong. I’ll apologize.’
Sigh…
I sighed deeply, lamenting the dark future that lay ahead of me, where I couldn’t even see one step ahead.
Then, suddenly, a wave of unease hit me again.
Wait a minute.
‘If the main character and the third princess are coming here, does that mean the original story’s main stage, Eldrid Academy, might be moving here?’
No, it’s definitely going to happen.
The key players in the original story are all coming here.
That means… the terrorist attack at the entrance ceremony from the beginning of the original story? Oh, shit.
“Lord Glast, I’m sorry, but could you immediately call the head of security at the academy?”
My heart chilled as I quickly asked Delon Glast to summon the security chief.
‘How did I end up with a fire under my feet on the first day of my handover?’ Damn it.