I wake up to someone poking me.
I look up and see a black-haired girl with bright yellow eyes.
The expression she wears on her face seems to be curious.
Although… I do wonder what she sees with that [Fate Sight] innate skill of hers.
"Class is over. You should leave now. And something tells me Mr. Veylar didn't miss you sleeping. With how he is, I'm sure he has something in store for you next class."
She turns and walks out of the classroom.
I get up and leave as well, but on the way to my second class of the day, my mind can't help but wander.
Why did she care to speak to me?
Alexandria Xott is a quest-giver type character in the game War on Zelks. She's the kind of NPC the protagonist—Hamon—would only interact with if some impending disaster was about to happen. Normally, she only took her magical studies seriously and didn't talk to anyone outside of a few pre-scripted scenes.
If Alexandria Xott took time out of her day to speak to you, and you weren't Hamon—or one of the rare few she called a friend—then it meant she was feeling you out.
Her dreams, the ones tied to her innate skill, usually showed people who would eventually become a disaster.
In the game, during the Academy arc, there were multiple individuals like that—people who all turned into villains, one way or another.
Alexandria would always try to speak to these soon-to-be threats, to see if there was a way she could help them.
But if she couldn't?
She'd kill them.
Sometimes they were too powerful for her to handle alone, and that's when she would call upon Hamon for help—triggering a quest for the player.
But here's the kicker: in the game, she never acknowledged Amit. Not once. Which meant she never had a dream about him.
So the fact that she just spoke to me now?
It meant I was now a "disaster."
I mean—what the hell?
How could I ever be evil?
I'm going to kill Monistar, a fake god, and a monster lord! I'm practically a hero! …Right?
Well, I don't have to do those things. I could just leave it all to Hamon and live on some remote island until everything plays out.
But… I wouldn't get any credit that way. And maybe, just maybe, with enough sway I could force some geniuses into making a phone again.
Still—I don't plan on being evil. I'd even say I'm too good for this fake world!
I stop in front of the classroom door that reads:
Magical Application – Reina Dyemond
I walk in.
At the front of the classroom sits a red-haired woman who looks around twenty-five. She's leaning back in her chair, skimming over some notes.
Reina Dyemond.
I remember some slight lore from a loading screen. House Dyemond, if I recall correctly, is a Count-rank house that focuses heavily on spellcasting and developing new types of magic.
I nod toward the teacher. Her eyes seem to lock onto mine immediately.
She's definitely heard what happened.
I try to ignore the way the room gets noticeably quieter when I walk in, and how just a bit too many pairs of eyes follow me.
I walk to the back of the class and begin observing.
I look around for any notable characters. Last class, I noticed a few, but I was too late and too distracted to really pay attention. I had completely missed that Alexandria was even in the same class.
The first one I spot is Clare—the school gossip. A minor character in the game, mostly used for giving information to more important ones.
She's surrounded, as usual, by a mix of students—both guys and girls. She's the type that draws people in easily. But she's a snake hiding in the grass. Manipulative. Opportunistic.
Then I spot someone else. Someone who genuinely makes my blood boil.
Orange hair. Glasses.
Roland Thresk—the fireball maniac.
This guy was a genius, sure. But only in one thing.
Fireballs.
Yes, you heard me. Not fire magic. Just fireballs.
He's sitting there, calmly reading a book I can't make out from this distance.
I definitely didn't nearly lunge at him in anger.
I'm better than that.
I didn't nearly choke him out the moment I saw him.
What am I? Insane?
I didn't pull out a blade of aether and swing it his way.
What do you take me for?
…Although I did think about doing all three at once.
During the ranking tournament event in the game, this guy's attack pattern was absurd. He could predict where you were going to move next. You'd have to constantly switch up your path or else get nailed by one of his personalized fireballs. And as Hamon, who had no reliable long-range skills, it was a nightmare.
I died so many times trying to beat him.
I may not hurt Roland for what his game counterpart did…
But I will punish him for it. Spiritually. Emotionally. Maybe academically.
A feminine voice cuts through my musings.
"Quiet down."
Reina Dyemond stands up, gaze sharp.
"Today, I hope everyone in this class knows the spell Fireball. If you do not, please raise your hand."
Not a single student raises their hand.
"Good. If any of you had, I might've considered kicking you out. How can you come to a mage-focused class and not know Fireball?"a
She turns and walks to the door.
"Follow me. To the training ground."
And with that, she walks out, her coat flaring behind her like a banner of war.