I Will Carry as an Academy Veteran

1

At some point, everyone must have dreamt.

What if you were to enter into a game world?

You could become the protagonist, overwhelming enemies with unmatched power, or become a companion of the protagonist, leading a prosperous life.

And that’s not all.

Utilizing game knowledge to strike it rich, becoming a lord, or even an emperor.

That’s why I was confident.

Even if I became just a passing village resident or an extra soldier A, anything seemed better than this reality.

I was confident I would survive no matter who I possessed.

…But.

“Adrian Rothschild de Repelheight, from this day forth, you shall be completely stripped of all rights and qualifications as a member of the Repelheight family.”

Filling the room with a soft yet firm resonance.

A young girl unfolded a long parchment and recited my sentence.

And I stood there blankly, just listening.

“From now on, you will be completely erased from the long history of the Repelheight family, and this fact will be made public three days from now. Three days are your final grace period.”

That was it.

You’re a disgrace.

We’ll block all the honors and privileges you could have had from the family, so live on your own.

There’s no intention to honor a leech sullying the family’s reputation.

I can’t stand the sight of you, so leave immediately.

That was all fine.

At least they’re sparing my life.

However, I know that the moment I leave this place, I will die.

Because.

This is exactly like the prologue cutscene event in the game I used to play!

The moment I opened my eyes and saw the unfamiliar ceiling, I instinctively knew.

This is not a dream; it’s truly the world inside the game.

I woke up to find myself exactly where I always wanted to be – inside the game.

However, the character I have possessed, ‘Adrian Rothschild de Repelheight’…

He’s a character who appears in a cut scene before the start of Act 1, before the main story even begins.

Not exiting, just dying.

And the reason is quite remarkable.

He became the stepping stone to solidify the ‘belief’ of the title heroine confidently occupying the center of the main screen.

Wait, he dies for such a trivial reason? Seriously?

It’s not that I couldn’t understand.

This ‘title heroine’ was quite a complex character.

Adhering to righteousness, never tolerating corruption or decay, a holder of unwavering beliefs.

That’s why she ended up as a pitiful girl trapped by her own convictions.

To shape such a personality, a trigger was necessary, although it was problematic that it happened to be the current country.

“Sigh.”

The length of the cut scene is a total of 5 minutes.

About a minute has passed, so I can now say I have precisely 4 minutes and 4 seconds left until my death.

“Darn.”

I glanced around.

I have no intention of dying as the story goes.

Since I’ve possessed this way, I will enjoy and live in this world to the fullest.

Definitely.

I must survive.

***

The Selenium Saga.

The full name is ‘Selenium Saga Revolution.’

The Selenium Saga was truly my life game.

An RPG game set against the backdrop of the virtual Selenium Academy.

This game, which even incorporated unbeatable fan service elements, rose to fame and swept the gaming industry entirely.

My playtime amounted to a whopping 10,000 hours.

Naturally, I cleared all the stories, all endings, affection level events. I memorized all branches and triggers.

I not only bought the official anthology but also meticulously read the setting book and collected all the limited edition figures without fail.

So, I always believed that if I were to possess the ‘Selenium Saga,’ I could live well as any character.

…However.

“Damn, seriously.”

I never imagined this.

I possessed, but as a character for whom survival itself was not permissible.

In a way, it was like possessing a ‘fragment of data that wasn’t even a character.’

Adrian Rothschild de Repelheight, the son of the imperial successor Repelheight, was thoroughly defeated in the family inheritance dispute.

Of course, he didn’t lose in a fair competition… As is the case with characters of this concept, he was raised by the family, indulged in all sorts of villainy, and then cast out by the head of the family.

Even being driven out was painful, but right after being expelled from the family, he was stabbed and killed by an unknown attacker.

After the culprit was arrested, it was revealed that Adrian was the last survivor of a thief guild that had been sucking the life out of him and was abruptly cut off.

So, this was about venturing into one’s own business.

“Furthermore, a new successor has been decided as Efnis, so be aware of that.”

“Efnis… Are you saying.”

Words sprang out of my mouth automatically, regardless of my will.

Looking up, I met the eyes of a bold girl standing next to the successor with her arms crossed.

The girl who had judged me while looking at the documents was now glaring at me with fiery eyes.

“Efnis is different from the likes of you. Nobility, wisdom. And temperament. She has it all.”

“….”

A statement that hits the mark.

That girl was none other than the heroine of this game, Adrian’s step-sister.

And indeed, she would become the successor of Repelheight in the latter part of the story.

As the “prologue” of the game had progressed from her perspective, it would probably be the same for the current “prologue.”

I am now observing this from the viewpoint of a third party.

Judging by the script that appeared, there were about 2 minutes left.

Two minutes later in the original script, Adrian would leave the mansion with a despairing expression.

And as he walked through the garden.

He would be stabbed and killed by someone hiding in the bushes.

Efnis, who had been concealed, would witness it all, and as she clenched her fist upon seeing Adrian’s body, the title of the game would emerge above her, marking the end of the prologue.

It is indeed a lively game that begins with someone’s death.

I quietly rolled my eyes.

Think.

Is there a way?

“…Respected Repelheight successor.”

“….”

“This is my final wish.”

I hadn’t planned to say this, but strangely, the tone of my words automatically adjusted.

Could it be that I sounded like a noble in appearance?

“Could you at least assign one… no, two escort knights until I leave this place?”

The successor’s response to my question was firm.

“The knights of Repelheight are loyal only to Repelheight. Are you from Repelheight?”

As soon as I heard those words, I realized.

The successor would not care at all whether Adrian left or not.

The ‘Repelheight successor’ was such a cold-blooded character even in the game.

‘Can’t even hope for escort knights…’

Honestly, it was frustrating.

I only knew a few past mischievous acts of Adrian from setting books or character mentions.

I couldn’t even know his skills since he was just a piece of data dying from a stab wound in the cutscene.

No, even a tiny bit of information would help for preparation.

While pondering all this, there was only 1 minute left.

“…Get out. I don’t want to see your face.”

Adrian in the cutscene heard these words and immediately turned his body to run outside.

But.

I didn’t move.

“….?”

I stood there stiffly, looking at Hujak and Ebvenis.

Come to think of it, there’s really no reason to be scared.

If I’m a game piece, I can probably handle the Emperor just like that, but I can be confident that I know this world better than the Emperor in the game.

Hujak and Ebvenis looked at me with slightly surprised eyes.

…Until the cutscene ends, just like that, for a minute.

And then.

Thud!

Hujak, whose face turned bright red, shouted loudly.

“Weren’t you told to get out!”

…Until 0 seconds.

Ding.

Right at the moment when the calculation in my head ended.

“….!”

With the sensation of time stopping, in the darkening vision, before me, a bright white spark burst.

[Cutscene will end.]

Suddenly, the empty space trembled, and unknown characters appeared in a row.

[Cut■ is ■ing$■ow%&.]

[$name■ of ■ is oc■u@$ing■ow#!]

[Activating #!@em…….]

[Reboot complete…… 98%]

[……100%]

At that moment.

The shattered characters in front of me lit up.

[A character who cannot survive has survived!]

[You have fulfilled the conditions of the ＜Hidden Quest: The Fallen Noble＞!]

[Congratulations! Synchronization with the hidden character, ＜Adrian Rothschild de Repelheight＞, has been completed.]

“….What is this.”

I stared blankly at the translucent window that appeared before my eyes.

It was familiar.

Wasn’t this the interface UI that I’ve seen countless times in the Selenium Saga?

It was impossible.

‘A hidden quest, a hidden character…?’

I’ve never heard of such a thing.

Originally, the cutscenes were short scenes made by the production team in animation form, placed between chapters.

So no matter how many times Adrian repeats the game, no matter what happens, he is a character who ‘must die without fail.’

However, there was no time given to examine the window in front of me more closely.

Just by blinking once, new things had appeared again.

[Adrian Jinneding]

Ending Condition: Build your support base and become a legitimate Repelheight successor.

Root Entry Condition: Complete the hidden quest, ‘The Just Fallen Noble.’

Failure: Death

–Pat.

In an instant, the blue windows all disappeared.

The stagnant air around began to flow once more.

“Are you going to continue standing like this?”

The successor’s cold voice.

Unfortunately, it seemed that time could not be delayed any longer.

“Then, please stay safe.”

I lightly bowed my head, resting one hand on my shoulder.

“…Father.”

No response.

It seemed expecting familial affection in this lineage was futile.

Yet, I did catch a glimpse of Evnis’s surprised expression and the successor’s thick eyebrows twitching momentarily.

A servant handed me a bag.

It was a wooden trunk with a handle.

“I have packed all your personal belongings from the room.”

“Thank you.”

The servant seemed surprised by my response, eyes widening.

‘….’

I turned and left the room.

Walking through the corridor past luxurious candelabras and knight statues holding swords.

Beyond the paintings by renowned artists, a large door came into view.

Grasping the handle of the trunk, as I opened the door…

“What.”

Near the entrance to the garden.

Under the stone steps.

Among the knights gathered, a subdued figure of a hooded villain in black was visible.

The moment our gazes met.

“I, I’m just…”

“Shut up!”

Due to the knight thrusting the villain’s forehead to the ground, the voice filled with hatred could not continue.

“…I see.”

I understood.

Adrian’s death flag… had disappeared.

Unlike the original Adrian, I did not immediately flee the mansion.

Therefore, the one who originally had to assassinate me was caught before meeting me.

“…No, can it be like this?”

In the end, because I didn’t act as expected, the future changed.

Raising my head, I looked back.

There, far away, I saw someone staring at me.

As our eyes met, he quickly turned his head away.

But I had already seen.

A posture that seemed ready to run towards me at any moment.

A face trying to conceal it, but with a hint of relief.

In the prologue where only a despairing expression was ever shown, that person’s face felt oddly unfamiliar.

Yes, in the game and here as well.

Seems like a dishonest fellow.

“Well….”

I turned my body back and walked towards the garden.

Adrian died here in the original work.

Adrian’s death became a trauma for Evnis, the reason she became obsessed with righteousness and integrity.

But I survived, and because of my survival, the future will change.

So, Evnis.

Live diligently from now on.

Since things turned out this way, don’t confine yourself to your beliefs.

I’ll just live well, sucking up all the honey for myself.