I Became The Academy’s Joker Character

Chapter 26

—–CROW—– 

No matter how I thought about it, something was wrong.  I couldn’t help but think that the guardian and warrior Lucia had called weren’t here to support me, but were assassins targeting me.

“What the hell is this?”

Baekyang was creating ice obstacles in our path, clearly playing pranks. She wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that she was following us.  I could still understand that much.  Weren’t goblins creatures who enjoyed playing pranks on people? Yes, that was possible…

But Eleanor was different. I couldn’t understand what she was thinking.  Normally, she would have gone berserk by now, but she was just quietly watching us.  I couldn’t read her expression.  Even with [Observation] activated, it was the same. I couldn’t decipher the meaning in her clouded eyes.

“…Prince Oz? Did something happen with Noah?”

“It did.”

Just yesterday. We’d made a rather serious promise.  According to that promise, I should find her and talk to her in this situation. But wouldn’t that ruin the mood, no matter what?

“Was it bad timing?”

“Absolutely the worst.  If you were planning to assassinate me, you’ve half-succeeded.”

When I narrowed my eyes at Lucia, she averted her gaze. But seeing her tail bristle, I was relieved that she understood how irritated I was.  After fidgeting with her tail for a while, Lucia sighed and made a suggestion.

“It can’t be helped.  After we’re done with today’s business, should I make up an excuse that I dumped you?”

“Why would you dump me?  If anyone’s doing the dumping, it’s me.”

“That’s fine too, but… can you handle the aftermath?”

Lucia flicked her stiff tail and pointed in a direction.  It was where Eleanor and Baekyang were hiding.  That single gesture made me understand.  I wasn’t sure I could handle the consequences if I said I’d dumped Lucia here.

“…How humiliating.”

After yesterday’s incident with Eleanor, it seemed I couldn’t escape my comedic fate in this area.  Did I have to experience being dumped before even confessing, even in this world?  How cruel.

“I’m sorry it turned out like this, Prince Oz.  It hurts my heart to think I have to say I dumped you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. We can just say it wasn’t a date.  Why are we even talking about dumping each other in the first place?”

“That’s true.  Then should I make an excuse that Prince Oz summoned me because he needed my knowledge?”

“Sure. And for the record, the knowledge I need is alchemy. Specifically, potion making.”

“You’re such a robber…”

Well, who was the one who provoked me?  This wouldn’t have happened if we’d just clarified what we wanted from each other.  Even now, Eleanor’s gaze was sending chills down my spine, so I considered this a generous compromise.

“There are many types of potions, but…”

“Mana recovery.”

“…Do you really have situations where you run out of mana?”

Lucia looked up at me in surprise.  It was a look of pure disbelief and astonishment, but I wished she wouldn’t make that face, as it might be misinterpreted by the troublemakers following us.  I could feel their gazes on my back.

*Crack.*

Baekyang stomped on an ice pillar she’d created near Lucia’s feet, shattering it.  Lucia almost tripped thanks to Baekyang’s perfectly timed act of malice.

“Focus.”

“R-Right… First, among the ingredients necessary for mana recovery potions…”

Lucia quickly regained her composure and continued her explanation.  Most of it was information I’d already read in books, but the manufacturing know-how she’d gained in the Empire seemed quite helpful.

“You have to maintain a temperature of 80-85°C during the reaction.”

“What happens if it’s too high or too low?”

“If it’s too low, the won’t melt, and if it’s too high, they’ll react with the blue moss catalyst and become unusable.”

“That’s a troublesome condition.”

Lucia continued her explanation while dodging various obstacles.  It was because Baekyang kept creating ice in her path.

“…Baekyang?!  Could you please stop it?”

Lucia finally yelled at Baekyang’s blatant pranks.  Baekyang, as if she hadn’t been hiding at all, peeked out from behind a wall with a sly smile and then disappeared.

“This is driving me crazy! Why are you only targeting me?”

“Because you threatened to kill her if she targeted you.”

She quieted down after I glared at her with [Observation] activated.  After the previous incident and the training session, Baekyang had given up on defying me. It was a desirable outcome, but I should be careful when I went near the in the future.

“…Prince Oz is impartial.”

“Not really.”

Considering the special treatment I gave Eleanor and Arieta, I was also swayed by emotions.

“This is tiring. I thought this was supposed to be a date.”

“It’s an escort mission. Why do you keep saying such nonsense?”

Stop it, or Eleanor might pull out her sword.

“Well, either way… More importantly, my throat is dry from talking while dodging obstacles.”

Lucia pointed to a fruit juice stand, subtly hinting. She wanted me to buy her a drink.  Honestly, buying her a fruit juice wouldn’t be a problem, but how was she planning to deal with the aftermath?

“Continue.”

“Ah, thank you.”

I bought her a fruit juice, and Lucia accepted it with a bright smile.  Did cat-people like sour things?  Lucia took a large gulp of the juice, then continued speaking while chewing on the straw.  It seemed she liked the juice, which was a relief.

“And when the reaction occurs, adjust the acidity to 7 through titration…  Hmm?  Is there a festival?”

“…”

Lucia tilted her head and pointed forward. I followed her gaze and saw a large crowd of people dancing, chatting, and moving about.  It was like a lively parade.  The sight made me freeze.

“If we go into that crowd, the risk of assassination will increase, and we’ll be separated from those following us. What are you planning to do?  Take a detour?”

“…Yes.”

“Hmm? I never imagined the Successor of the Mage King would suggest a detour.”

“Sorry, but this situation is more dangerous than you think.”

“What do you m– Mmph?!”

“Shut up, please be quiet. Just wait for them to pass.  We shouldn’t encounter them now.”

I covered Lucia’s mouth and whispered a warning.  Her cat ears twitched, and her tail swished back and forth.  Could she stay still?

[Observation] could see through people’s expressions and detect hostility.  So, I’d had it activated since we left Scientia.  I’d been avoiding those with hostile intentions and murderous assassins.  Had I directly encountered about three of them so far?  I’d been able to avoid them without incident by creating distance, but this time was different.

“Did you see someone dangerous in the crowd?”

“Yes…”

I agreed, although it wasn’t entirely accurate.  It would take too long to explain, so it was easier to let her think that.

“Someone you consider dangerous…”

Lucia muttered, calming her twitching tail.  I was even more surprised. My heart was pounding.  At first, I thought I was mistaken.  No, it was more accurate to say that it was difficult to comprehend.

“So? Who was it?”

“…”

“You’re not planning on telling me, as usual?”

I almost wanted to applaud Lucia’s persistence in seeking information even in this situation.  I felt like I was about to throw up, and I envied her ignorance.

“Uh… Prince Oz?  You look pale…”

“I need to rest for a moment.”

With Lucia’s help, I sat down on a nearby bench. It was difficult to explain how [Observation] detected hostility.  If I had to make an analogy, it was like seeing a red light emanating from someone with murderous intent.  And the crowd I’d just seen was a sea of red.  Beneath their cheerful smiles and chatter, a thick, viscous killing intent was suppressed, ready to explode.  The child holding a balloon, the man selling cotton candy, the elderly raising their glasses – they were all in cahoots.  The contrast sent shivers down my spine.  They infiltrated the crowd like a contagious disease, dyeing everyone their color.

, one of the main villainous groups in *Broken Sky*, was that kind of organization. They consumed ordinary people and turned them into monsters.  Monsters not in appearance, but in their hearts. They twisted people’s values.  They were a criminal organization that would appear in earnest from Chapter 13 of the main story, after Tia’s death.  In other words, they were a group I absolutely shouldn’t encounter at this point, early in Chapter 2.

Doomsday cultists who were neither on the side of humans nor the ‘outside existences,’ hostile to both.  And leading them was the final Key Person, whose name and face were unknown, only their title revealed:

[KP Spokesperson of the Other Side]

I’d been brought to this world before the game’s story was complete.  I knew Oz died, but I didn’t know how, and I didn’t know how the later parts of the story would end.  But based on the foreshadowing and plot twists up to that point, I could make some guesses.  The one who broke the sky, brought in the ‘outside existences,’ and ultimately killed Oz was likely the leader of , the [Spokesperson of the Other Side].

Why? Why were they roaming around the heart of the Empire at this point in time?  What were their intentions?  Had they come to kill me?

* * *

[Erosion Blade 30%]

Even after [Erosion Blade] reached its maximum and I activated [Observation] to its fullest, I couldn’t figure it out.  There was too little information.  Their true motives weren’t revealed in the game either, so I had no clues.  The anxiety was driving me crazy.

“Master, are you alright?  Do you want something to drink?”

“…Yes.”

I came to my senses to find Eleanor and Baekyang near me. Lucia, realizing the strange situation, must have called them over.

“…How brave.”

She actually spoke to Eleanor.  The three of them, including Lucia, were now positioned as if to protect me.  Perhaps I’d narrowly escaped death thanks to her.

“I’m glad you came to your senses. The crowd is starting to thin out.  Master is… popular, you know?”

“No need to beat around the bush.  I’ve known since I escaped Spellergy that there are many bastards targeting me.”

The Empire wasn’t completely safe. When I first arrived, I had the Imperial army as escorts, but now it was different.  I was completely vulnerable.  They wouldn’t give up on assassination just because I was in a foreign country.  My neck held the position of successor to a nation, after all.  They wouldn’t let that go easily.

“Let’s go back quickly. We can deal with your mistakes later.”

“I don’t know what I did wrong, but it’s too late.”

There weren’t many people left after had swept through like a festival.  Just a few passersby and some vagrants.  And they were all assassins targeting me.  They’d gathered quite a crowd.  Compared to when I’d encountered earlier, they were much calmer, but it was enough to make me realize how much of a target I was.  It was the first time I’d received this much attention in my life, and I didn’t like it.  As expected, I wasn’t an attention-seeker like Eleanor.

“Lucia, shoot the vagrant 45° to my right, 21 meters away.”

“Got it.”

*Bang!*

The moment I spoke, Lucia drew the pistol hidden under her skirt and pulled the trigger.  Without a moment’s hesitation.  Perhaps because she was a trained soldier, she didn’t question my orders in this situation. It was chilling.

“Uh… Did you kill him?”

“Don’t approach him, stay where you are, Noah.”

The vagrant, who had been lying on the ground as if asleep, didn’t move after being shot by Lucia.  If anyone else had seen it, they would have thought he’d been instantly killed.

About two seconds passed. The vagrant remained motionless.

“Kyaaa!”

“H-He suddenly killed him!”

Then, as if finally realizing what had happened, the passersby started screaming.  No, they were *acting* like panicked passersby. They were decoys meant to distract us.

“Shoot the two who just yelled.”

“Got it.”

*Bang! Bang!*

Lucia pulled the trigger again without hesitation.  But the result was different this time. The “passersby” who had been screaming in panic immediately drew their weapons in practiced movements and blocked the shots.  So, they didn’t want to die after all.

“Baekyang, forward.”

“Okay~”

*Clap!*

Baekyang spread her hands as if opening sliding doors.  Ice shields formed between her fingers, fueled by the cold air.  The preparations were complete.

“Noah, kick the one who comes close.”

“Master, you look so cool giving orders while sitting on the bench. Let me do that later!”

“When you get a little smarter.  Focus. This is a valuable opportunity to gain real combat experience.”

Eleanor kicked the approaching man in a suit without hesitation, sending him flying.

“Uh… Come to think of it, isn’t this just… real combat?”

Was it because I hadn’t ordered her to kill directly?  Contrary to my worries, she didn’t seem uncomfortable.  But I could sense her concern about our actions.  Well, I’d think about that later.  The current problem was me.

“Here comes another one.  Take him down with a kick, like before.”

Lucia aimed at the fallen target.  The moment I saw a blue light of mana flicker at the tip of her gun, a gunshot rang out, and the target, who had been trying to get up, fell silent.  He was probably dead.  Baekyang blocked the attack of another assassin who tried to exploit Eleanor’s opening. And then the same scene repeated.  Their teamwork was pretty good.  Lucia must have trained them well.

“Sniper at 34° to my left, elevation 72°.”

Lucia was aiming at the fallen target again, but the moment I spoke, she shifted her aim and fired.

*Bang!*

The pistol emitted a blue flame.  The bullet flew towards the exact location I’d specified, and the hidden sniper fell.  To have such precision with a pistol, she was indeed a soldier of the Empire.  Considering her specialty was rapid-fire, it was somewhat chilling.

“Prince Oz, are your eyes better than a marksman’s?!”

“I can’t see as far as you, but I can see a wider area.”

I gave a vague answer to Lucia’s theatrical question and began drawing a formulaic structure with my fingertips. I should have done this the moment we encountered the assassins, but it had taken too long to calm my mind due to the [Erosion Blade].

“Hold onto me.”

The moment I spoke, my companions gathered around me.  Eleanor clung to my arm as if it were the most natural thing to do, Baekyang created a line of ice and attached it to my clothes as if she didn’t want to get any closer, and Lucia gently wrapped her tail around my wrist.

Intermediate Magic

[Mirage Fog]

Fog spread out from me, obscuring vision and distorting senses. Normally, the mage casting this spell would remain outside the fog, but it would be pointless if I was left alone outside and assassinated.  But I had [Observation].  The only other person who could navigate in this situation was a marksman with good eyesight.  And the enemy marksman had just been killed by Lucia.

“Lucia, ready?”

“Anytime!”

“Then take your position and get ready, based on my front.”

Understanding my meaning, Lucia held a pistol in each hand.  It would be good to escape like this, but I couldn’t be certain there wouldn’t be other attackers waiting outside the range of the magic.  In the worst-case scenario, we might be surrounded the moment the magic dissipated.

So, I would eliminate everyone here.

“17°, 0°”

*Bang!*

“215°, 43°”

*Bang!*

“0°, 0°”

*Bang!*

Lucia’s pistols continued to flash blue.  The assassins fell one by one, hit by the bullets that flew with unwavering accuracy.  Inside the shimmering mirage fog, only the loud gunshots and blue muzzle flashes of the mana-infused bullets remained.

—–CROW—–