The early‑morning classroom smelled awful.
Mr. Kureman was shouting.
«Hey! Who the heck did this? Clean up! Clean up! Homeroom’s cancelled, everyone’s cleaning together!»
The trash scattered on my desk even had food waste.
The textbooks and notebooks left on the desks were in terrible condition.
They were torn to shreds, and the desks and chairs got banged up too.
«People can be so cruel, huh?»
The other students exchanged glances, then silently stood up and started cleaning.
No one came over to talk to me.
I never imagined I’d be bullied in another world.
But—deep down I couldn’t stop laughing.
◇ Mr. Narcis’s private office.
When I showed up with Mr. Kureman, we ended up sitting on the sofa and chatting.
I was sipping the tea I’d brewed while the three of us talked.
Mr. Narcis looked apologetic, but— «What are you really thinking… By the way, Mr. Kureman, isn’t this a bit too close?»
«Oh dear, I’m being indecent. The sofa’s a little small, so bear with me, Narcis‑kun.»
«Y‑yeah, I guess.»
The two sitting in front of me were practically shoulder‑to‑shoulder, but from my angle Mr. Kureman still had a bit of space.
…I’ll just keep quiet.
«So I heard Pierre isn’t even showing up at school?»
When I brought up Pierre’s absence, Mr. Narcis answered.
«He’s apparently playing around with the armor you brought in. The port’s been flooded with complaints.»
Mr. Kureman said the same.
«Sounds like a huge output. Is that already mainstream in the kingdom?»
Alorgantz—though reported as a replica in the kingdom,
«That thing’s a Lost Item. I discovered it. It’s not mainstream.»
Hearing «Lost Item» made Mr. Narcis’s eyes light up.
He’s the type who loves dungeons and Lost Items.
I knew he’d be interested.
«Did you actually go into a dungeon at your age and find a Lost Item? That’s impressive. Tell us about it—Mr. Kureman, you’re getting a little too close.»
«Narcis‑kun, now’s not the time for that kind of talk.»
But I…
«No, actually it’s perfect timing. I’ll tell you. Maybe we should even go into a dungeon together. Look, there are already too many problems if we just go to school.»
Mr. Kureman’s massive frame slumped his shoulders.
«Sorry. When the six great houses get involved, the students just shut up. It wasn’t like this back in the day.»
Back then—maybe when the Respinus family still existed?
Unlike Kureman, it was Narcis who showed enthusiasm.
«A dungeon, huh? Nice. A good change of pace. Any place you wanna go? If not, I’ll pick a few candidates.»
I told the excited Mr. Narcis.
«Then… the Respinus Cave, please.»
Mr. Narcis looked a bit surprised.
«That place is high‑difficulty. It’ll take time to prep, and we’ll need more hands.»
The Respinus Cave is a notoriously tough dungeon, even by game standards.
It was written in
«Don’t worry about manpower. I’ll handle that. There are some people who need to be useful for once, you know?»
The two tilted their heads.
Finally, it was time to get those guys to step up.
◇ The port with the Einhorn.
A huge gray craft zipped past the airship at breakneck speed.
«Move out!!»
Pierre, riding the Alorgantz, was goofing off in the port where airships come and go.
He slipped between two airships, and the shock from the Alorgantz rattled the ships as it passed.
On the deck of the Einhorn, Pierre’s retainers and vassals were hanging out, eating food they’d pilfered from the galley and drinking their own booze.
Even the vassals who’d come to investigate the Einhorn were ignoring work and playing.
Watching from the shadows was Luxion.
Even though other airships tried to protest over the comms, Luxion fell silent at the sight of the Fevele family flag hoisted on the Einhorn.
The vassals on deck were chatting over drinks.
«Is that toy his favorite, young master?»
«It’s not pretty, but it’s got power. He’s talking about taking it back and modifying it.»
«Still, how do you even investigate a ship that doesn’t need people?»
They came to check the Einhorn, but all they could conclude was, «We don’t know.»
The Einhorn itself could be reproduced with this world’s tech, but they couldn’t figure out the robots that powered it.
Even dismantling the robots would require moving them to a domain first, or else the Einhorn would become immobile.
Pierre and his crew were running amok, hated all over the port.
Luxion leapt off the ship and moved to where the dockworkers were.
Three workers were grumbling while looking at the Einhorn.
«Stop messing around.»
«Just the other day a merchant ship lost balance and people got hurt.»
«Those are kingdom ships, right? Aren’t you going to protest?»
«It was the Fevele family’s second son who stole it. Heard he used some forceful method.»
Word about what Pierre’s crew had done was spreading.
Pierre, aboard the Alorgantz, got cocky and landed on another nation’s deck, pointing his weapon in a threatening way.
«Fevele’s Pierre! Anyone wanna fight me?»
He was drunk on the Alorgantz’s performance.
Since no one stepped up, he bored himself, took off, and kept causing trouble.
«Someone fight me!»
His retainers and vassals laughed at his antics.
Then a shady-looking group headed toward the Einhorn, dressed in flashy suits.
They hid weapons under their jackets, but Pierre’s goons were already ushering them inside.
◇ Marie’s manor.
When I showed up, a terrified Marie poured tea.
She took a sip and said in one line, «The water isn’t the right temperature. I demand a remake.»
«Yes, ma’am!»
Seeing her hurriedly set the cup down made me feel a little sorry, but I kept quiet.
Sometimes it’s good medicine.
She gets all cocky fast.
…If I say something like that, the round‑about guy who usually throws sarcasm would be missing. It feels lonely without him.
«Count
All I asked was to remake the tea, and he’s already sounding like that.
He’s still under the sway of romance, apparently.
«Is that so? Then you’re officially part of this team.»
«Team?»
«Hey, Marie was crying while measuring the water temperature with a thermometer. What the—»
«Should we also bring the sword‑obsessed idiot?»
«Huh?»
While the two were confused,
«Hey, Marie was alternating hot and cold water in the teapot and muttering something. What experiment is this?»
Three of them were now in the room, so I stood up and said, «Alright, you three, get ready.»
The three tilted their heads.
Marie came back in.
«I’ve remade it!»
Grabbing a cup, I drank the tea and announced with a grin, «Terrible.»
Marie started to sob, which was oddly amusing.
«By the way, Marie, can I borrow these guys? About two weeks, give or take.»
Marie looked up.
«The Julius crew? Sure, why not.»
Julius looked shocked.
«Marie! Wait a second. We haven’t even confirmed anything yet, and you’re already loaning us out?»
Marie’s face was pretty cold.
«There are a lot of problems, we can’t even attend the academy, and everyone’s just playing around.»
Jilk made an excuse.
«No, we’re not just playing.»
Marie stared at me.
«Where are you going?»
«To a dungeon. I want to retrieve a few items.»
Marie tilted her head a bit.
«Then wouldn’t
«He’s tough, perfect for guarding the manor. Those three are fine. Also, I’m leaving Noel with you, so treat him well.»
Chris looked a little angry.
«Hey, aren’t you treating them badly?»
Marie clapped her hands.
«Yes, everyone get ready. And don’t cause trouble for Leon. Make sure you earn some coin.»
Marie’s orders made the three wear a weirdly grimace, then they looked at me.
Julius asked me, «What on earth are you thinking… I mean, what are you planning, Bartfort?»
I twisted my mouth into a crescent and told everyone there, «…I’m the kind of kid who’ll strike back if I get hit.»
In the
◇ Lelia was a bit on edge.
She was walking faster than usual down the academy hallway, clearly anxious.
(What the heck is going on?)
Pierre was messing with the exchange students.
That’s something Pierre might do normally.
Games and reality differ.
Lelia had thought about that and warned them.
(It was a mistake. Five exchange students arrived, and I assumed a few were just background mobs, but those guys… they’re just like me.)
Clearly mob‑looking boys.
A few cute girls and ordinary girls… Since they were exchange students, it wasn’t weird to have other students around.
She even thought it lucky to see boys from the
But…
«Hey, did you hear? Girls from Holfart Kingdom keep slaves nearby.»
«I heard that. That Marie girl has a cute elf servant. So jealous.»
«What’s his name…
Hearing those rumors, she frantically dug around and found nothing but weirdness.
Avoiding them as much as possible had backfired.
(There’s no older sister either, what am I supposed to do?)
Lelia was—a reincarnated person.
She knew the otome game, even the first title.
She knew Kyle was the protagonist’s personal servant.
When she hurriedly looked it up, everything she found was unbelievable.
When she showed up in Leon’s and
«What’s up, Lelia?»
«Um, about the exchange students…»
The acquaintance took Lelia to a quiet spot and started talking.
«Neither of them are here right now. More importantly, you should be careful. Pierre’s got his eye on you. You’re close with Emil, but who knows what he’ll do.»
«Y‑yeah. By the way, can I ask about that black‑haired guy?»
The girl she was with tilted her head.
«Not Brad? You like plain guys, huh?»
«It’s not that.»
She gave the girl a serious look.
The other girl seemed to sense something and brought up Leon.
«Leon… uh, Fou Bartfort, right? Supposedly an earl. I heard from Brad he was a hero in the war with the duchy, but it sounds shady. Doesn’t look that impressive. Oh, and the airship Pierre stole was apparently his property.»
Lelia was skeptical.
(A count who owned an airship? A hero in a war that supposedly never started yet?)
Lelia, still doubting Leon, pressed on.
«Don’t you know that petite girl?»
«Marie? Isn’t she Brad’s fiancée?»
Hearing that, Lelia grew more suspicious.
«Everyone I asked in other classes said she’s engaged to a different guy.»
In one class it was Julius, in another it was Greg.
That’s why it felt off.
«By the way, I heard you and Leon were sneaking around the courtyard. He’s popular with guys, so maybe that’s why he’s liked?»
Lelia realized.
(Sneaking? Maybe they’re just reincarnated folks consulting each other?)
Wanting to get in touch fast, Lelia just kept probing the exchange students.
«So, where are you right now?»
«Exchange students? We’re not attending school right now.»
Lelia felt dizzy.
(How can nobody be showing up at the academy! At least one person should appear!)
◇ Respinus Cave.
Standing before the cave named after the Seven Great Houses, I was shouldering a rifle and the like.
«Perfect day for an adventure.»
Narcis‑san shot back at my comment.
«It’s a cave, so weather doesn’t really matter.»
But— «It’s exactly an adventure day. Look, the sun’s practically blessing us!»
Julius, all pumped up, drew his sword and held it up to the sky.
Chris did the same, smiling at his own blade’s shine.
«It’s crazy how excited you can get even in this situation.»
Chris’s happy grin got a nod from Jilk.
He checked his pistols and rifles, counting ammo.
«Can’t wait. I wasn’t really motivated at first, but standing in front of a dungeon gets me all giddy. I even brought bombs.»
Seeing us all hyped, Narcis turned pale.
The teacher only had minimal self‑defense weapons.
«W‑what are you all looking for in the dungeon? And the bombs… uh…»
Jilk smiled, «It’s fine. I know explosives, so we can blow things up inside the cave if needed.»
«No, that’s not what I meant—»
The three were having a blast, while the teacher looked bewildered.
The five of us were about to take on a notoriously hard dungeon.
«Hang tight, Sapling‑chan. I’m coming to fetch you soon.»