Academy Chronicle is an open-world RPG.
In other words, there are an absurd number of side quests.
From simple requests from students to grand, long-chain quests on par with the main story, the game is packed with content.
But that’s only in the game.
This is reality.
So things don’t play out like a game at all.
For instance, Act 1’s incident was prevented in advance, leaving Kazeine safe as Can Opener No. 1, and Alice’s arc was resolved in an instant.
Not to mention nearly two years’ worth of Irina’s suffering over the Hunter Department’s restoration.
Everything has been wrapped up way too early.
…Orca was originally supposed to track the mastermind in Act 2, but things got a little tangled.
Basically, too much has changed for me to just follow the original story anymore.
Of course, events outside the academy were likely still unfolding as expected.
The butterfly effect exists, but I doubt the outside world has been completely altered to this extent.
Ultimately, all these disruptions were just internal academy matters.
So—I figured that if I kept interfering, I’d eventually stumble upon a side quest.
But I didn’t expect Orca to bring one in?
Is this the appeal of auto-hunting?
“Orca, so you’re saying you want to rescue kids being forced to work like slaves in the underworld?”
“…Yes. As a knight, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”
“Hm. Did that kid you saved have any information?”
“…No.”
Orca shook her head.
Well, unless the kid was exceptionally smart and observant, it was unlikely she had anything useful.
This wasn’t even a planned escape.
She just happened to catch Orca’s attention by chance.
So whether we rescued the others or not, gathering intel was the top priority.
Even the best knights can’t do much without information.
“One more thing—did you report it to the city guards?”
“I did before coming here, but… they looked troubled.”
Yep, just like in the game.
The criminals lurking in Pelisec’s underworld weren’t easy for the guards to catch.
They couldn’t just storm in and wipe it out either.
The underworld itself was intertwined with nobility, housing secret auctions and hidden routes with tight security maintained by crime syndicates.
That meant we needed to find a lead into the underworld, disguise ourselves, infiltrate, locate the criminal organization, and then safely extract the kids.
In short, it was insanely difficult.
On top of that, this quest wasn’t even supposed to trigger yet—it was originally meant for months later, possibly early in the second year.
Even if Orca was a human weaponized orca, this wasn’t something she could solve easily.
At least… not without me.
“Orca, how much do you know about the underworld?”
“…I’ve heard about it in passing.”
“From where? The academy? Or the streets?”
“The academy.”
Hm, that route, huh.
There were two ways to learn about the underworld—investigating around the city or finding students at the academy who had access to it.
“Do you know who it was?”
“I think… it was Bernard.”
“The knight department?”
“Yes.”
“Well, asking him is one way, but… even for you, I doubt he’ll answer honestly.”
If it got out that he was involved with the underworld, he’d face punishment, so he’d probably deny everything.
In the game, the standard approach was to coax the info out of him through persuasion.
But that’s the game.
This is reality.
Why bother following the quest steps one by one?
Watching Orca work her way through the process might be amusing, but I wasn’t here to spectate.
I had more than just Orca to look after, and this quest was a serious time sink.
Who knew when something major would happen?
I couldn’t afford to spend too much time on rescuing the kids.
That might sound heartless, but if things went south, the black dragon could revive, and we’d all be wiped out—kids included.
Prioritization was key.
“Call Alice and Irina over.”
“Bringing them into this… isn’t that a bit much?”
“What, are you planning to go in alone?”
Even for an orca, that’d be pretty damn tough.
The underworld of a major city had its fair share of skilled fighters, and we needed backup to extract the kids.
There was no way she could handle it solo.
The original side quest even involved gathering allies.
Normally, you’d recruit teammates and tackle the mission together, but since we already had a party, we might as well use it.
“I’ll look into the underworld’s location. You bring Alice and meet me here tomorrow morning, okay?”
“…Thanks, Nine.”
“No need for that between us.”
I already knew the underworld’s location from the game, but I couldn’t just blindly trust game knowledge.
A bit of scouting beforehand was necessary.
It had been a while since I last had to move seriously.
“Nine, where are you going?”
“Something came up.”
“Should I wait for you?”
“Ah, you can follow if you want. Or just wait here and hang out when they arrive.”
“Hmm—I’ll just wait and have fun!”
That works for me.
“Orca, you free tomorrow? Let’s go check on that kid in the morning.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Alright, time to check in on my old connections—or rather, my buried ties.
I leisurely made my way to the garden.
———————
It had been a while since I last needed to slip out, but the hidden gap near the garden, which led out of the academy, was still there.
Unless someone specifically pointed it out, it was hard to notice, as it was concealed by thick bushes.
With spring ending and summer approaching, the foliage was growing denser, making it even harder to see.
I shrank my body down to its pre-spirit beast size and slipped through the gap, inhaling the unpleasant air outside.
Ugh, the stench.
My feline sense of smell, far more sensitive than a human’s, nearly staged a protest, but I managed to reach a compromise by holding my breath.
Spirit beasts really are the best.
Being able to hold my breath for long periods is such a blessing.
It’s been a long time.
How long has it been since I last sneaked out this way?
I looked around what felt like a second home—though definitely not a beloved one—the junkyard, searching for the key figures in my plan.
“Hey, Blackie!”
“My name is Shadow.”
“Oh, right, that’s what it was.”
Testing the waters, I approached while keeping my previous form.
Shadow looked healthier than before—probably thanks to the regular food supplies I had arranged for him.
Or maybe it was just my imagination, but he even seemed a bit more muscular…
“You’re looking much better than before.”
“We’ve completely taken over this area, so securing food has become much easier. It’s only natural.”
“Ah, I see.”
It seemed that, thanks to Momo distributing food on my behalf, Shadow and his gang had expanded their territory comfortably.
“So, what brings you here?”
“I need your help with a job.”
“A job?”
Shadow and his crew tilted their heads in curiosity.
“There’s a place I want to hit, but if I move personally, I’ll stand out too much. So, I need some help.”
“I see… You want our strength, then.”
“Exactly.”
“Understood.”
Shadow agreed without hesitation.
A cat who understands honor and duty—how admirable.
I was a little worried he might refuse.
Of course, refusal wasn’t really an option for them.
I wasn’t just a stray cat anymore; I was a spirit beast. If they resisted, I could just beat them into submission.
Honestly, just revealing my true form would probably be enough to make them comply.
The law of the wild is survival of the fittest, and in the wild, the strong are always guaranteed the highest status.
Some might say I’m being too harsh, but the world naturally favors the powerful.
“You guys know anything about the underworld?”
“Never heard of it.”
“It’s a place where rough-looking humans gather. Have your subordinates gather some intel on it.”
“We’ll try, but finding it without a lead might be difficult.”
“That’s fine. I already have a rough idea of where it is.”
I scratched a rough map onto the ground with my claws.
“We’re here. If you head toward the area where the Three Brothers are, then cross the main road and go west…”
I carefully explained the location of the underworld.
But instead of nodding in understanding, Shadow and his gang shook their heads.
“I don’t get it. What’s north?”
“…Ah.”
That’s where we hit a snag?
Faced with an unexpected hurdle, I let out a sigh.