Chapter 3: Academy Heroine’s Right Diagonal Back Seat

"By the way, we're in the same class. I was a bit nervous about being late on the first day, but it's a relief to see a familiar face. Were you late too?"

"I got lost on the way..."

"I see. We haven't even introduced ourselves. I'm Yoon Si-woo. What's your name?"

"Scarlet... Evande."

"Scarlet, huh? Since we both were late on the first day, let's get along from now on."

"..."

Don't talk to me, you oblivious idiot...

Can you not hear the silent outcry of the crowd condemning this cuttlefish?

The stares from the crowd made my limbs tingle and my stomach churn.

So please, turn around and sit properly!

A chair is meant for one's back to rest against the backrest!

No matter how much I screamed this in my head, the oblivious protagonist kept smiling at me without taking his eyes off.

Maybe he was waiting for a response to his suggestion of getting along, so I hurriedly nodded, and he finally nodded back, satisfied.

No, damn it, just sit properly already.

While everyone was staring at Yoon Si-woo and me, something unusual caught my eye.

As if it had always been there,

A giant bat-like monster was hanging upside down from the ceiling above the teacher's desk.

Seeing that, I was reminded that this world wasn't just a happy place filled with dreams and love.

Some of the sharper students quickly looked at the front of the classroom just as the monster opened its mouth.

"Everyone, evacuate the classroom!"

[■■■■■■■■■!!!!]

As someone shouted, a horrible noise filled the room.

"This can't be real. A demonic beast? But the academy is within the barrier!"

"Damn it, the door won't open!"

"The windows won't break either! If this is a barrier, it means it's at least a mid-level demonic beast, and we can't handle this on our own!"

Most students huddled at the back of the classroom, away from the beast.

Screams of panic and loud shouts from students trying to use their abilities to protect themselves filled the room.

Amidst the chaos, only two people remained calm: Sylvia and Yoon Si-woo, who stood ready for battle.

I was not included, as I just sat in my chair.

I knew those two would take care of it, so I stayed still.

...To be honest, I was too scared to move, afraid I might wet myself.

Unlike me, Sylvia was chanting a spell to deal with the beast.

-Alf

-Ad

-Astra

With each line of the spell, starlike light sparkled around her.

Sylvia Astra, a high elf, was a contractor who could borrow the power of the star spirit in this world where spirits were rare. The destructive power of her spell was already beyond most active heroes.

As she finished chanting, a brilliant ball of light formed on her palm.

She aimed her palm at the beast flying towards her with bared teeth.

"I graduated from dealing with mid-level demonic beasts a long time ago."

The ball of light shot towards the beast—

But it passed through the beast's body and vanished as if nothing had happened.

-Huh?

Sylvia, who had been confident she would defeat the beast in one hit, was startled and let out a sound of confusion.

Naturally, she couldn't react to the beast's teeth aiming for her neck.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

It was the blood of the beast, pierced by Yoon Si-woo's sword.

With a heavy thud, the beast's body hit the classroom floor.

Yoon Si-woo pulled his shining white sword, matching his hair, out of the beast's body and smiled at Sylvia standing behind him.

"Are you okay?"

Sylvia answered softly, "Yes..."

It was the moment the protagonist planted a flag with the heroine.

And I was witnessing it up close.

I wish I had some popcorn.

It was a bit disappointing that I couldn't see Sylvia's face, as she fell for the protagonist from the back seat, but it was still satisfying to witness this scene up close.

Yoon Si-woo, looking unnecessarily cool, shook off the blood from his sword with a quick flick.

As he let go of the sword, it disappeared in a trail of light.

Wow, come to think of it, that guy has an inventory for his sword, so why don't I have one?

While I was feeling relatively deprived, the classroom started to crack from the beast's corpse, and with a chime, the beast's body and the traces of the battle disappeared cleanly.

In short, everything we had just experienced was an illusion spell.

Moreover, it was a high-level illusion spell that could only be broken by those who realized they were under it.

Of course, Yoon Si-woo wasn't fooled.

As the protagonist of *The Holy Sword of the Academy*, Yoon Si-woo possessed a sword called the Holy Sword of Radiance.

The wielder of the sword was immune to all forms of illusion and enchantment, making it an almost cheat-like weapon.

Yoon Si-woo had not just one but seven of these similar holy swords.

*The Holy Sword of the Academy* is a total munchkin novel.

Some people can only breathe fire...

Anyway, as everyone realized what they had experienced was an illusion, they were left dumbfounded. At that moment, a woman dressed unmistakably like a mage entered the classroom.

It was Eve, the world's greatest illusionist, who, despite her youthful appearance, had a secret age, earning her the nickname "Eternal Mom" among the readers.

She was also going to be our homeroom teacher for the next year.

"Seventeen students who did nothing but tremble, zero points."

Eve, standing in front of the teacher's desk, glanced at the students still huddled at the back of the classroom.

"Ten students who shouted to evacuate, noticed the barrier, or tried to use their abilities to protect themselves, fifty points."

She then slowly turned her gaze to where the protagonist and heroine were, looking at Sylvia.

"Those who launched an effective attack against the beast get eighty points, but you lose twenty for poor response to the unexpected situation, making it sixty points."

Ignoring Sylvia, who clenched her fist in frustration, Eve looked at Yoon Si-woo with interest.

Then, for a moment, our eyes met.

She smiled broadly, showing her teeth.

Huh? Why?

"To be honest, I didn't expect it, but there are two outstanding students who immediately realized it was an illusion. These two get two hundred points!"

Everyone, applause!

At Eve's words, everyone clapped, looking bewildered.

I didn't do anything, so why am I getting two hundred points?

Is this some kind of hidden camera prank?

Eve looked around at the entire class and continued.

"The average score now is 32, but everyone should aim for an average of 80 points. If you don't, you'll die."

She said it casually, but by the end of the novel, only a handful of this class survived.

Even Eve, our teacher, couldn't escape death.

...Can I survive in this crazy world as a human fire hazard?

"I hope everyone will still be alive next year. Welcome to Aegis Academy!"

With Eve's bright voice, I bid farewell.

Goodbye, my beautiful school life.