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I failed a subject.

I thought I did fairly well, but in the end, I failed the theory portion.

I felt disappointed deep down. Looking at the scores, if I had answered just one more question correctly, I would have passed.

I put the report card back into the envelope and looked out the window before heading outside.

A few days had passed since the end of the semester exams.

Now, for nearly two months, it was the break period with no classes. In other words, it was vacation.

Half a year has already passed.

Half a year had gone by, and there was still no progress, just standing in place.

The human relationships around Kaen were forming as intended from the beginning. The problem was that it was all there was.

Something needed to happen, but expecting a dramatic event in this academy to meet the conditions for inheriting the Holy Sword was unrealistic.

I contacted the hero, thinking that something might have changed with the Holy Sword during the combat test, but she said there was no change at all.

Maybe it’s time to do something different?

Even if there was no better option, I couldn’t just waste time like this…

I should discuss it again when I meet the hero.

I had planned to meet the hero when the semester ended.

Asher would also come with her to report on what had happened in the monarchy.

“Ran! Where are you going?”

I turned my head at the voice calling me from behind.

Kaen was standing there, waving her hand with a usual smiling face.

“Just to the library. How about you?”

“I’m just taking a walk until dinner.”

“Our grades had arrived. Yours probably already arrived at your dormitory room.”

“Oh, really? How did you do?”

“Unfortunately, I failed one of the theoretical subjects.”

“I see. That’s a shame.”

Kaen gave me a quizzical look, then turned away.

“I should check mine, too. Well, I’ll go first. See you later at dinner.”

Esca should probably be fine. I heard her murmur like that. Kaen walked towards the dormitory.

There was an incident during the combat test, and Kaen and Esca immediately reconciled.

There was no need for actual reconciliation; one side apologized while the other side reassured them, and that was all.

The atmosphere was still awkward, but that was a problem that time would solve.

As I made my way to the public library, I encountered an unexpected sight.

Rigon and Lea were standing side by side in front of a bookshelf, engaged in a hushed conversation.

Rigon, upon spotting me, greeted me.

“Oh, Ran.”

“What brings you to the library? You said you were going to the training grounds earlier.”

“I finished training and came back. Since I don’t have much to do, I thought I’d read a book or something.”

I glanced briefly at Lea.

Unlike the composed Rigon, she seemed startled, as if caught in the act of doing something suspicious.

“But it’s an unexpected combination, isn’t it?”

“Huh? Haha, you think so? We happened to run into each other and were having a little chat.”

“Oh, earlier Vaion was looking for you. And the semester exam grade reports arrived in our rooms.”

“Really? You didn’t secretly read mine, did you?”

“Why would I?”

“It’s a joke. Well then, I’ll go first.”

Waving at me and Lea, Rigon walked out of the library.

As I was about to walk away, Leia stopped me.

“I heard it’s spatial magic. The magic you used during the exam.”

I stopped and turned to look at her.

“I heard it from Rigon.”

“Oh, I see.”

During the previous combat exam, I used space leap without hesitation to help Kaen, who was struggling.

Unless it was a really necessary situation, I didn’t intend to use my original abilities within the Academy.

It wasn’t without its problems. There were plenty of magical observers all over the testing grounds.

There were risk, but I did it anyway, and then I was summoned to speak to Professor Rokel.

I told Professor Rokel that it was my unique magic. It was the most convenient excuse.

The concept of unique magic meant that it was an entirely different field from existing magic systems, and it was impossible for anyone to realize it was magic just by observing it momentarily.

I’m lucky it didn’t cause any major issues.

The reason the professor didn’t ask further might be because I was admitted to the academy based on the recommendation of the headmaster.

In any case, I also told Rigon, who witnessed my abilities firsthand. Unique magic.

It seemed like Lea had also heard that from Rigon. Was that what they were discussing just now?

Lea expressed her displeasure.

“That’s annoying. Have you been deceiving people like that all this time, while laughing at them on the inside?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“You’ve never used that magic in our combat training before. You have the ability to get behind my back so easily, and yet you did it in moderation?”

So, what?

Was her pride hurt by the fact that I had been holding back against her?

“You’re not in the position to say that, right?”

“What?”

“You’ve never given your all in a combat or fought with full power, except against Rigon, right? It’s the same for me and the others. We’re all the same.”

“I can win easily even without giving my all! You, on the other hand…”

“Why should I reveal my unique magic in combat just to win against you? It’s common sense.”

Turning to Leah, who was speechless for a rebuttal, I waved my hand in the air.

“But when did you become so close to Rigon?”

“Well, what?! No way!”

“It’s not ‘no way.’ You’ve been interacting with him like a professor, having conversations alone together.”

“I’m telling you, it’s not like that!”

Lea glared at me as the surrounding gazes gathered and then hurriedly ran away.

She showed such a strange reaction. Did she really have feelings for Rigon?

Putting aside such pointless thoughts, I moved on to attend to my own business.

Visiting the public library every week to check if the mystery had appeared had become routine for the past six months.

Confirming that there was no one around, I absentmindedly examined the hidden spot on the bookshelf…

“…!”

Startled, I instinctively looked around again.

In a dark corner, there was a bright light emitting from a symbol, a mystery.

It has finally appeared.

I quietly pushed aside the bookshelf as quietly as I could and reached out my hand towards the symbol.

For a moment, it glowed brightly, and then the scattered symbols were absorbed into my arm.

Lost in a momentary sensation of faint excitement, I stood there absentmindedly when an urgent voice reached my ears.

“Hey there! What’s going on?”

I hurriedly stepped out into the hallway and bowed to the librarian, who was coming this way.

“I’m sorry, sir. I’m reading a spellbook, and I was just trying to control my magic a bit, and I accidentally cast a flash magic…”

At that, the librarian sighed with a relaxed expression, and then spoke up.

“Don’t you know that using magic outside the training grounds is strictly prohibited on campus? And you’re a first-year student, right?”

“Yes, I’m really sorry.”

“Follow me and write down your name and the name of your assigned professor.”

After fulfilling all of the strict librarian’s demands, I finally stepped out of the library.

There would probably be a penalty imposed later, but it wasn’t important at the moment.

The name of the mystery I’d acquired this time was “Soul Convergence.”

It allowed me to absorb the soul of a deceased being into my body and borrow their abilities.

In the game, it was an ability to randomly steal the target’s skills and use them for a certain period of time…

Until now, the mysteries I acquired had all been somewhat different from the game, and this time no exception.

The moment I obtain a mystery, I naturally knew how to use it.

It’s different in this way.

In this world, Soul Convergence was a onetime, or rather, a single-target mystery.

It could only be used once on a single individual.

Naturally, the target’s soul must still be in the real world, not yet extinguished, and there was also a time limit.

Furthermore, since it involved borrowing power, there was a constraint that I couldn’t use the mystery without the target’s permission.

But despite these penalties, the ability itself was a very powerful mystery.

Because, unlike the game’s setting of random skill acquisition, the return was exceptional.

I may use all the living abilities of the target whose soul I have taken.

If I were to accept the soul of the Overlord, it meant I could use her magical abilities, physical capabilities, and racial traits for a limited time.

However, even though the abilities were powerful, the conditions for using them were difficult in various ways, which was the problem.

I thought it was an obscure mystery before I got it, but this makes it even more obscure.

Anything is better than nothing.

Anyway, this was the fourth mystery I acquired, following super regeneration, floating veil, and space leap.

***

A few more days passed, and with the official start of the school year, I was fully cleared to go out.

I went outside the academy and moved to the meeting point to meet the hero and Asher.

I entered a tavern located on a main street and gently knocked on the door at the end of the second-floor corridor.

Clank.

The person who opened the door was an unfamiliar woman. I glanced at the level above her head.

The hero had changed her appearance from the last time I’d seen her.

I entered the room without saying a word.

Another person was sitting at one of the tables, and she stood up, bowing her head in greeting.

Blonde, even Asher has changed her appearance, though it never hurts to be cautious.

Immediately, the hero spread a barrier around the room to block the sound with magic.

I sat across from Asher.

Since it had been a while, it was a reunion that made me quite happy, so I opened my mouth to speak.

“It’s been a while, Asher. You’ve worked hard.”

“Yes, Sir Ron. Have you been well all this time?”

“Did anything happen in the monarchy?”

“Everything has been as usual. There hasn’t been anything special.”

I turned my gaze and exchanged nods with the hero.

Since we had been in regular contact through magic communication, we were always aware of each other’s whereabouts.

“And as you mentioned, the Shadow came to the Lord’s castle not long ago.”

I nodded my head.

The Shadow was supposed to come this time of year to report on the information she had gathered.

Since I had to be away, I had already informed Asher in advance and entrusted her with that part.

“Did she find any significant results?”

“Yes, they found a trace of the target’s past.”

I couldn’t help but be slightly surprised since I hadn’t had high expectations.

Did she really manage to find something with such limited information?

“She said all the detailed information is compiled here.”

I took the scroll from her hand, unfolded it, and read it carefully.

“…A Shadow Division affiliated with the Santea Royal Family?”

Summarizing the information gathered by the Shadow, it went like this.

In the past, there was a secret organization within the Santea that handled the dirty affairs of the Empire, and all the members of that organization were wiped out after a certain incident.

Among them, it was suspected that one surviving member might be the person I mentioned.

The one with the mystery of possession, the very person who would soon launch a terrorist attack on the capital of Santea.

Comparing the knowledge I possessed with the information written on the paper, I concluded that it was a quite reliable assumption.

“Did the Shadow leave any additional message?”

“She said she would continue to track based on the collected information.”

Anyway, if all of this was true, it was reasonable to expect to catch the elusive scoundrel’s tail as well.

After putting the information sheet into my pocket, I asked the hero standing next to me.

“Let’s get straight to the point. Do you have something important to say?”

The hero responded calmly to my question.

“It’s about my physical condition, nothing else.”

“When you say physical condition…”

“This may not be of concern to the Seventh Lord, but I think I need to focus on recovery in Eastern Castle for a while.” (T/N: ‘Seongdong’ was the word used here. The direct translation for it is ‘eastern castle’. Which, most likely, was not the real translation. But since I couldn’t really find the right word/s for it, let’s just go with ‘Eastern Castle’ for now.)

Upon hearing those words, I involuntarily let out a small sigh.

Going back to Eastern Castle again meant that the hero’s condition had worsened.

“Is your condition not good?”

“To be honest, yes, it’s quite bad.”

“What happened during that time? Did you have another clash with–“

“No, it’s not that.”

The hero shook her head.

“While sealing the Demon King in the past, traces of his power remained within my body. It continues to gnaw at me, as you are well aware.”

“I know.”

“It seems that the resurrection of the Demon King is not far off. The presence of that bastard’s energy within me has been unusually restless lately.”

“…”

I couldn’t help but be surprised.

I was well aware that time was running out, but…

“If it’s not far off, how much time exactly do we have left?”

“I don’t know. It could be years from now, or it could be tomorrow. That’s why it’s dangerous.”

It wouldn’t be weird if it came back at any time.

According to the game’s story, it’s normal for the Demon King to be resurrected years later.

Had something changed, or was this just the way things were supposed to be? I wasn’t sure.

“Has there been any revelation from the Holy Sword?”

“No, there hasn’t.”

The hero shook her head.

I let out a deep sigh.

…It’s frustrating.

Suddenly, to my irritation, I realized that I still knew nothing.

In other words, there was no clear motive presented to me.

If Kaen successfully inherited the Holy Sword and defeated the Demon King, what would come next?

Why did I become trapped in the game world?

When everything was over, could I return to my original world, or would I have to live here forever?

The silent hero summoned the Holy Sword in the air.

“I’m sorry. Since the Holy Sword informed me about the heir, there hasn’t been a single moment…”

Flash!

Suddenly, a bright light burst forth from the Holy Sword.

At the same time, I felt a momentary detachment from reality.

“…!”

What was it?

What just happened? What did the hero do?

When I regained consciousness and vision, what I saw before me was not the room I had just been in.

It was a space enveloped in pure white.

A massive entity with a human form was sitting and looking down at me.

Feeling overwhelmed by its presence, I managed to open my mouth. Could it be?

“······Who are you?”

As if responding like a god, that existence replied.

[I am the Holy Sword. Let us have a conversation for a moment.]