I Possessed a Character in an Academy Without a Protagonist – Chapter 9

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

 
“Impertinent words for a mere commoner-”

“Ruining the mood on the very first day of admission.”

As the entrance ceremony ended and the new students poured out of the auditorium, the topic of discussion was just one – the commoner who had been admitted as the top student, walking alone up ahead.

‘They’re still not coming to their senses and just gossiping behind his back.’

On the other hand, Erica clicked her tongue and shook her head upon seeing them. Those fools probably didn’t even realize that Schlus had mocked them.

A proper noble should be upright and straightforward. It was simply shameful that they were also considered nobles.

“Wow. Our top student is quite bold. Don’t you think?”

“…… Aintz.”

Someone had approached Erica’s side and spoke to her without reserve. It was Aintz von Wiegenstein, the eccentric genius and heir to the renowned Wiegenstein family.

He was addressing her casually after only meeting a few times. How unpleasant. Erica tried not to express her discomfort outwardly…… She tried.

“What kind of confidence does he have to stake his expulsion on this? How many people have maintained the top spot throughout the entire first semester?”

“Not a single one.”

“Not even one? Whoa. He’s really bold.”

Erica glanced at Aintz, who was expressing admiration. Her thoughts were completely different.

Schlus wasn’t taking a risk or making a provocation. Because for him, maintaining the top spot would be a simple matter. After all, he had sold his lifespan to a demon.

It wouldn’t be surprising for him to achieve the highest grades. It was certainly an act that amounted to cheating, but she couldn’t say it to anyone.

It was merely a circumstantial speculation without any proper evidence. Nevertheless, Erica decided to wait patiently.

If a commoner had paid such a price to become the top student at the Imperial Academy, Schlus’ days were numbered anyway. If she endured, he would surely face the consequences someday.

“I heard a bit about the special exam. I heard it was to check how long you could endure in the Barrier of Fear.”

“…… Barrier of Fear?”

Erica narrowed her eyes. She had heard of the Barrier of Fear before. It was a barrier that the Knights Order sometimes used when they wanted to conduct a rigorous entrance test.

It was said to awaken the fundamental fears of humans, to the extent that if you didn’t wet yourself, you passed.

“How long did he endure to get a perfect score? Is it like, if you don’t cry, it’s a perfect score? Ha! I should have applied for a double major and taken the special exam too!”

“……”

“If his mental fortitude is that great, let’s test it out.”

“Aintz. What are you-”

Erica, who had turned her head away as if disinterested, widened her eyes. Aintz was extending his arm towards the back of Schlus’ head.

Breaking out in a cold sweat, Erica cast an amplification spell. By amplifying the subtle mana vibrations, she could quickly discern that Aintz was weaving a spell.

“Wait a minute.”

“That’s! A fire-type spell, isn’t it!”

“Ehehe. I told you to be quiet.”

As the spell slowly took form and mana was infused into it, Erica’s hands began to tremble. It was unmistakably the formula for a flame spell.

Moreover, the amount of mana flowing into it was steadily rising. 1000…… 2000…… 3000……

It soared endlessly, surpassing 10,000. A spell with enough power to easily reduce a small building to dust was being prepared.

“Hey! Commoner top student!”

“……?”

Aintz called out with a hint of laughter in his voice. At this, Schlus turned around with an annoyed expression. Just as Erica was about to stop Aintz-

“Quickly stop that spell-”

Kwaaaang!

With a thunderous roar tearing through the air, flames erupted in the sky. The instantly fired flames reached Schlus in less than a second and……

Just before engulfing Schlus, they split into two and grazed past his sides. As the flames subsided, smoke filled the surroundings.

The ground was left with distinct scorch marks, not just charred but hollowed out. Some people were so startled by the immense power that they fell on their buttocks, even though they were standing behind Aintz.

However, Schlus Hainkel, who had received the spell head-on, simply stood calmly and replied.

“Why did you call me?”

“……”

After a moment of silence, Aintz and the new students all went quiet.

***

Was it because I was tense from giving the speech?

‘This son of a…… Why is this happening?’

I kept turning my vision on and off repeatedly. If my concentration slipped even a little, this was the result.

Who said using a sixth sense like actual eyes and ears would be as easy as it sounds? It had only been a few days since I gained this damn body.

‘Oh. It’s back.’

I finally succeeded in restoring my vision. It was at that moment when I was feeling proud, thinking I was getting used to it.

“Hey! Commoner top student!”

“……?”

A playful voice came from behind me. I felt like I could tell who it was just by hearing the voice now. It was exactly the same as the voice I had imagined in my head.

Aintz von Wiegenstein. The troublemaker of the Imperial Academy. Hiding my delight, I turned around.

‘Oh, for fuck’s sake.’

What was the problem this time? As soon as I turned around, my vision and hearing went haywire again.

First, stay calm. I had to restore them as quickly as possible. Otherwise, I would look like an idiot standing still and spacing out.

But why was I feeling a warm sensation on both arms right now? Was the sun suddenly shining down on me?

Anyway. I was almost done now.

‘It’s back.’

As soon as I regained my vision, I saw thick smoke. And beyond that, the new students were staring at me with wide eyes.

I had no idea what had happened. Why was even Aintz, who had called me, spacing out?

Still, I thought I should at least answer so as not to look like an idiot.

“Why did you call me?”

“……”

Silence again. It was uncomfortable how an awkward stillness kept falling despite the large crowd.

I quickly glanced around, trying to grasp the situation belatedly. The ground was…… hollowed out……?

In a Y-shape, with me at the center. Now I had a rough idea of what happened.

That bastard shot a spell at me.

“Top commoner student! You’re really tough! I like you!”

“……”

Aintz, who had returned to a surprised expression, walked towards me with a distinct smile. A kid who recklessly caused trouble first and then looked into it later.

But a good person who acknowledged someone’s excellence, regardless of who they were, if he judged them to be outstanding. That was the essence of Aintz von Wiegenstein.

So it wasn’t surprising at all that he had suddenly shot a spell at me.

The only thing was, if my vision hadn’t gone out at a ridiculous timing, I would have shown an unsightly reaction of being startled and falling over.

For once, I was grateful for my clumsy control over my sixth sense.

“I’m Aintz von Wiegenstein. You can call me Aintz.”

“……”

Aintz said, putting his arm around my shoulder. I started to feel conflicted.

Aintz was definitely someone with great talent. At this point, that is. In the original work, he fooled around and got utterly defeated by Hertlocker in a duel.

After that, he became a mindless exclamation machine, sticking close to the protagonist’s side. His talent had clear limitations from the beginning.

I didn’t think he was necessary for the final battle at all…… But I couldn’t completely ignore him either.

In this world where the future had already been twisted, I didn’t know what would change and how.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Schlus Hainkel. But could you remove that arm?”

“……”

I muttered softly so only Aintz could hear, and his expression gradually stiffened. Then he slowly removed his arm.

For now, I planned to build up both friendship and dislike with him. That way, I could cut ties with him at any time.

He was such a frivolous and reckless guy that I didn’t know what kind of trouble he might cause at any moment, so it was better to prepare in advance.

Getting involved with him could be tiresome.

“Uh, um…… Sorry. Why don’t we have a meal together later-”

“Let’s meet again when the semester starts.”

“Huh? Uh……”

I cut off Aintz’s words. Once Aintz took a liking to someone, he would show endless favor unless they stabbed him in the back, so it would be fine to treat him coldly like this.

Glancing behind me, I saw Erica, Trie, Iris, and others…… The faces of the named characters entered my sight.

It would be helpful in the long run to have a word with them in advance too. But I decided to give up because there were too many things I had to do before the semester began.

I turned my back on Aintz and walked towards the dormitory. Ignoring Erica’s distinctly audible voice saying,

“That fucking asshole-“.

***

“Haah……”

Madam Lichtenburg sighed weakly and closed the door. Her legs wobbled, trying to collapse, but she barely supported herself by grabbing the door handle.

-Ah, right. What did sister Erica say? Her thoughts on attending the entrance ceremony of the Imperial Academy she had yearned for……

The scene of Julia smiling brightly with a pale face and speaking kept replaying in her mind. She must have been trying to change the subject as Madam kept crying.

Julia was Madam’s other daughter, in other words, Erica’s younger sister. Unlike Erica, who was lively and born with outstanding talent, Julia was born with an incurable disease.

That disease, which no doctor could identify the cause of, ate away at Julia’s strength as she grew older and eventually left her unable to walk.

‘Even the heavens are heartless.’

Madam Lichtenburg staggered down the hallway, wiping away tears. The doctors unanimously said that Julia would not live past the age of 10.

That was the optimistic projection, and there were doctors who said it wouldn’t be strange if she died as soon as tomorrow. Of course, Madam didn’t believe those words at all.

No, she didn’t want to believe them.

“Madam.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“There’s a man at the back door asking for you. He said you would know if I mentioned ‘the crow’……”

“……”

The crow. Upon hearing those words, Madam Lichtenburg’s expression stiffened.

“Shall I open the door?”

“No. Leave it as it is.”

“Yes. Understood.”

Leaving the butler who bowed his head in response behind, Madam Lichtenburg quickly walked through the hallway and went outside.

She passed through the dark garden and headed towards the back door, but no one was visible in front of it. Just as Madam was puzzled, a black figure slowly revealed itself from the darkness.

“Madam Lichtenburg. The information you requested has arrived.”

“Who told you to come to my house? I’m certain I told you to send it by mail.”

“I had no choice but to be cautious about security as sensitive information could be included.”

“……”

“Haha. Even if I say this, you still look very uncomfortable. Did you dislike meeting me that much?”

Madam Lichtenburg frowned and pressed her lips tightly. Normally, she would never request anything from a mere ‘crow’.

But it was a matter concerning the commoner her daughter Erica was interested in, so she had no choice but to borrow the power of darkness to conduct the investigation.

“Just hand over the information.”

“Here it is. Hehe.”

“……”

Madam Lichtenburg took a sheet of paper from the man who was giving a servile laugh. Madam tried to pull the paper out through the iron gate, but met resistance.

The man was holding onto the paper and not letting go. “…… What are you doing?”

“Let’s just confirm one thing. Could it be that your daughter-”

“If you say anything more, you won’t be safe.”

“Haha. I apologize. I overstepped my bounds. The request is complete, so I’ll be on my way now.”

The man turned around with a sneer and soon disappeared into the darkness. Madam Lichtenburg watched him leave, then turned her gaze to the paper.

Schlus Hainkel. It contained information about the commoner who recently became a hot topic as the top student of the 1st year.

The beginning was filled with basic information about Schlus Hainkel. It was content she already knew, so she read through it without any expectations, but-

“What is this……”

As she moved on to the part about Schlus’ past, Madam’s hands began to tremble.

Madam’s face was filled with shock by the time she finished reading.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇