I Realized It Was an Academy Game After 10 Years

“Nice to meet you, Sir Quartz!”
“Is the Emperor inside?”
“He’s in a meeting!”
“Please tell him that Marquis Quartz has arrived with an urgent matter.”
“Yes! Understood!”
I watched the back of the guard entering the meeting room, then turned my gaze to another guard looking at me.

That guard was sending me an admiring gaze through his helmet.
“Sir Quartz, seeing you here in such a hurry, something must have happened, right?”
“It’s a big deal—so big that even the Empire might struggle to handle it.”
“Hahaha… you sure do know how to tell a terrifying joke.”
“I’m serious.”

This is something that could make even the Emperor collapse in shock. I wasn’t even sure if the people in the meeting room could comprehend what I meant.

There are quite a few smart ones, but in an extraordinary situation like this, I can’t be sure they’d think flexibly.

Considering I’ve faced demons and dragons, it wouldn’t be strange for a god to pop out now, either.

I stepped into the open door, pondering how to explain the war that’s looming on the horizon.
“Oh, Sir Quartz! I heard you’ve come with urgent matters—what is it?”

Is this getting straight to the point?

I skipped the usual formalities and went straight to the subject.
“An enemy more powerful than a dragon will appear in a month.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s quite alarming.”
“Bringing up something so suddenly…”

Both the Emperor and the high-ranking nobles looked at me, bewildered. I hadn’t said a word to these folks while I was out there slaying gods, after all.

From their perspective, it’s like suddenly shouting, “The world is on the brink of destruction again!”
But where do I even start explaining this?

In the end, I started recounting events over the past month to convince the Emperor and his officials.
“Are you aware of the tsunami incident that happened recently in Lorelei?”
“…Are you talking about the event from a month ago?”
“Yes. That sudden tsunami wasn’t a natural disaster. It’s a sign left behind by the sinister beings that are reaching out into this continent.”
“Whoa…”

The Emperor seemed torn about whether to believe me or not. So it’s hard to believe that a natural disaster that happened a month ago is actually caused by unknown entities.

To ease the Emperor’s skepticism, I began to recall the aftermath of my battle with the gods one by one.
“Are you aware of the city of Gray on the eastern side of the Empire disappearing overnight?”
“I have heard about it. Was that also…?”
“Exactly.”
“Then, what about the collapse of the Cranka Mountain Range in the northern region?”
“Correct.”
“And the swamp area in the south turning into a wasteland overnight?”
“That too.”

The Emperor and the officials continuously mentioned disasters that had occurred over the past month.

…Looking at it this way, it seems I’ve wiped out about 10% of the continent over the past month through my battles with the foreign news.

But I felt no guilt about that.
If I hadn’t stopped them, losing 50% wouldn’t be strange at all in a continuous war. Those foreign news folks were all crazy in their own way.

Ah, except for Hecate.
Wait, should I include her too?
“Are you saying that the string of disasters over the past month was due to your battles with those enemies?”
“That’s correct.”
“Whoa.”

The Emperor sighed for the second time, looking deeply troubled.

Was he worried, or did he see this as an opportunity to showcase himself? The second prince—now the crown prince—quietly asked me.
“I never imagined we would learn the cause of the sudden series of calamities like this. But do you have evidence to back that up?”

Evidence, huh.
I hadn’t thought much about that, but there might be a way around it.
“Please call Archbishop Kranchia. Lord Kalon laid a prophecy upon him regarding me, so it should be proven sufficiently.”
“A prophecy… has come down?”
“Prophecies are rarely given except when the next saint is decided, you know?”
“A prophecy…”

While everyone was in chaos, the Emperor first regained his composure and called a guard to summon Archbishop Kranchia.

As the guard left and the atmosphere grew tense, I decided to ease the situation with my request.
“A war that will determine the fate of this world will break out in exactly 25 days. I came in a hurry because I believe the Empire’s strength is necessary for that war.”
“Sir Quartz, I’m having trouble following your story.”
“I want to explain everything, but if I laid it all out, I could be talking until the day is over.”
“Can you just summarize the core of it?”

Should I add a bit of seasoning to make it easier to understand? I began to spin the facts a bit.
“Long ago, Lord Kalon expelled the evil gods from this world. They have recently returned—with a terrifying backing.”
“…Are we suddenly talking about myths here?”

It’s heading towards myth.
Even while I was saying it, I wondered what on earth this was, but facts are facts. I nodded along to the crown prince’s words.
“It may be hard to believe, but yes.

Thanks to that, I’ve been running all over the continent, dealing with them one by one without rest.
But the hidden mastermind behind it reached out to me recently in the desert. I’ve managed to buy a month’s time, but… it’s a problem I can’t handle alone, so I’ve been gathering reinforcements.

I’ve secured reinforcements from other factions, so now I just need to select the elites from our Empire…”
“Wait a minute. Reinforcements? What do you mean by that?”

The crown prince asked frantically, his face a mixture of confusion.
Did I say something weird?
Why does everyone look as if they have a headache? Did I make it too complicated?
“Sir Quartz, what exactly are these reinforcements?”

The Emperor, with his hand on his forehead, asked me with a dark expression. I immediately provided the answer I had prepared.
“I’ve received a promise of reinforcements from the factions I’ve formed bonds with.”
“What kind of factions are you talking about? It can’t be the kingdoms…”

Since mentioning demons might cause shock, it’d be better to start with the elves, who shouldn’t be as shocking, right?
“First, I received 100 elite soldiers from the High Elf Queen of Yggdrasil.”
“Yggdrasil, you say… whoa.”
“I understood that elves are hesitant to engage with humans. Even the previous emperor failed in attempting to contact them… how did you manage?”
“I once helped the elves with a matter related to the World Tree. Thanks to that bond, I managed to secure those reinforcements.”
“…Let’s move on then. What other factions are there?”
“The Witches. I received a promise of reinforcements from their leader.”
“A witch. Sure, that might make sense. What’s next?”
“…Demons.”
“What?”
“Your Majesty!”

Why is he suddenly swaying?
I rushed towards the staggering Emperor and quickly infused him with the energy of the World Tree. The lively power of life filled his body, and with a relaxed expression, he asked me,
“What on earth is this energy? It feels so soothing…”
“It’s the energy of the World Tree.”
“Could you please give me a bit more… this feels really nice…”

At his request, I infused him with a bit more of the World Tree’s energy. Gradually, changes began to occur in the Emperor’s body.
“W-What’s happening?”
“Your Majesty’s hair color is changing!”
“Your facial wrinkles are smoothing out!”
“I want some too! Can I have some?”

…This is dizzying.
I glared at the old men with their eyes rolling.
“Aren’t we in the middle of an important discussion?”
“This is part of an important discussion!”
“Right! How very right! For once, someone is making sense!”
“What’s going on?”
“Everyone, quiet down! The discussion isn’t over yet!”

As expected of His Majesty. With one shout, everyone quieted down.
I took a proud look around the meeting room filled with longing gazes and continued speaking.
“I managed to secure reinforcements by blackmailing the Demon Duke. And… should everything go well, I also got a promise to prevent any further incursions from demons into our continent for the next hundred years.”
“Just let it be your problem.”
“Your Majesty!?”
“Father!?”
“When I granted you the title of Marquis, didn’t I also give you the right to command my soldiers? Just handle it on your own… After all, there’s really nothing more I can do now.”

The Emperor had a face full of joy despite the murmurs around him, gazing at his palm.
But it seemed the World Tree’s energy is potent enough of a life force to make him look about ten years younger.
…Should I ask for his rejuvenation as a condition the next time I want something from him?
“Archbishop Kranchia has arrived at the palace!”

While letting the guard’s exclamation flow in one ear, I looked at the entrance where Archbishop Kranchia was to become my witness.
Archbishop Kranchia, perhaps nervous about meeting the Emperor, awkwardly greeted him according to royal etiquette.
“Oh, you’ve come, Archbishop. I heard a prophecy has been bestowed upon you… tell me about it.”
“Ah, yes, y-yes! It was fifteen days ago…”

As Archbishop Kranchia trembled and finished explaining, I was looked upon with more credibility and then said,
“Archbishop, please summon the Templar Order of the Sun as well.”
“The Templar Order of the Sun, you say?”
“This isn’t just the Empire’s affair. This is a war concerning the life and death of every living being in this world. We need to gather every available warrior for a chance at victory.”

So, let’s get prepared for war from now on.
Having said what I needed to, I left the Imperial Palace with a considerably lighter step.