The morning of January 1st of a new year on the Alexiel calendar had begun.
Instead of being a good morning, it turned out to be a tragic one.
Yesterday, the murder of a noble took place.
He belonged to the faction of the empire's second prince.
Not only the noble, but also the knights, servants, and even adventurers hired as bodyguards were killed and then their bodies and the mansion burned.
For that reason, an emergency meeting was held at the empire's ministry of magic.
Normally, the knights would get involved to investigate who was responsible for it. But since it seems to have been done by a mage, due to traces of magical elements in the environment, the ministry had to intervene.
The central building or headquarters of the ministry of magic is located in the capital, on the north side, several kilometers near the imperial palace.
At the highest part, exactly like a capitol building, an emergency meeting was taking place.
The room was large, spacious, and dark.
There was no floor, only a large empty circumference.
In the center of all that emptiness, some individuals were gathered.
They were sitting in elegant wooden chairs. These were resting on a false floor that floated through magic circles.
The table was round and the individuals were dressed in pure white.
They were called the 10 holy mages.
Those who have been able to develop enormous knowledge about magic and earn their title as a saint among mages.
That was the concept in the game.
(The truth is, this was never investigated more than necessary. That was because the developers didn't care at all about those holy mages.)
(In fact, the only important people in the game among the ten are only two.)
(Seat number two, who was the father of one of the capture targets. And seat number 1.)
(He was called the god mage. A title impossible to obtain in any way.)
(But that person achieved it. He had developed a level 6 magic circle.)
(For the people of this world, there were 10 levels of magic.)
(Levels 1 to 5 were levels that any person training their magical power could achieve. But the other 5 are a mysterious zone.)
(Levels 6 and 7 are the maximum that humans have been able to reach over the years; the other three levels are considered divine ground.)
"According to the report from the magic knights, they found remains of Judecca-kun's magical element."
Said the first seat, an old man with long gray beard and a pointed hat.
"We don't know what he was doing in Viscount Lussuria's mansion, but what we did manage to find out is that he was destroyed at the cellular level."
(The magic knights were what they called the soldiers employed by the ministry.)
"Excuse me, first seat-dono."
Asked the eighth seat.
"What do you mean by destroyed at the cellular level? Such magic is impossible to achieve. Only remains of him would remain anyway."
The other seats discussed this.
"Level 5 magic can't do that."
"It must be a mistake by the magic knights."
"I think they didn't know how to search for the remains properly."
Everyone had different points of view, which were eliminated by what the first seat said next.
"The remains of the magical element were incalculable, so I consider that his killer used level 6 magic."
Everyone's mouths fell open.
"Are you really sure, first seat-dono!"
"Yes. The knights were bewildered. Not even the 'analysis' magic spell could detect who it belonged to."
"This is truly terrifying. One of us was killed so easily..."
The faces of the holy mages showed concern and panic.
The first seat murmured.
"Is this perhaps the beginning of some omen of the empire's end?"
◇
"All set."
After getting out of bed, I went to do my morning business and then have breakfast with my family.
My mother prepared a large family breakfast for me. It was because this is the last time we'll see each other until summer vacation.
My father told me. "If you're going to come to laze around, better not come."
(Those were some beautiful words of encouragement.)
I looked at myself in the mirror before grabbing my suitcases and taking them to the carriage waiting outside.
I was contemplating my school uniform. It was the second time I wore one, but this one was much more exciting.
Beige pants, white shirt with dark green edges on the collar sleeves, arms, and buttons. Also part of the set was a red jacket, tie, and black shoes.
(I looked good. Even if I'm ugly.)
(Why was I born ugly?)
(Even if I am, I already have a woman waiting for me in a secret mansion, so it's a victory against the handsome men of the world.)
◇
After a couple of hours in the carriage, since we're not the only ones going to the empire's royal magic academy.
I had to have a numb butt because of it.
(Now that I think about the school's name.)
(Why is it called "royal" if the country is an empire?)
(Well. I thought it made no sense at all, but it seems not.)
(Long, long ago. The last king of the small Arklight Kingdom founded an educational center.)
(That's the whole story.)
(Disappointed?)
(The truth is, I don't care.)
"Razel, there you are!"
"The guys have arrived!"
I was standing at the door of the male dormitory, leaving my suitcases in my room.
The rooms are private, so no problem.
Two guys came to see me.
(I met them last year.)
(It was mandatory to take a test to prove their acquired knowledge.)
(Of course, I got a bad grade. But I still passed.)
(The exam we take is to know if the education distributed in our homes is not just for show.)
These guys were: Derrick Larkin on the left.
A brown-skinned boy with green hair like the boogers I pick. He had a funny hairstyle style as it was spiky like a hedgehog.
And on his right side was a short boy named Cliff Easton. His skin was so pale it made him look almost like a ghost; his hair was black and he had a strange bowl cut in the front with a V that hid his eyebrows.
The similar detail the three of us had was that besides our black eyes, we were also ugly.
(For that reason, we became friends and we are the three ugly musketeers.)
"Did you check the list of classes we'll be in?" Cliff asked me.
"No. Not yet. I just arrived."
"... By the way, is there a lot of commotion around here?"
Since I arrived, I've seen different teachers running here and there.
Derrick, who was picking a booger, told me.
"Didn't you hear? This year, their highnesses. The third prince Regulux and the fourth prince Cidfert will enter the academy."
I made a big, "Oh." At his response, but Derrick also added.
"That's not all. I heard from my father that this year, something that has never happened before will occur!"
"Will his majesty come in person to see them off?"
Derrick shook his head and then said.
"I heard that a commoner will come to the academy, and she's a girl."
"... A commoner girl, what are the teachers thinking?"
"I don't know. But my father is part of the same faction as the director. So he told me that the director himself approved her."
"Uwah~, it really will be a restless school period."
(Hearing my friends only confirmed once again that this world was that of that Otome game.)
(And the names of the princes. I'm not interested in the main capture target, but rather that last one.)
(The fourth imperial prince, Cidfert.)
I put my finger on my chin and murmured while letting out a fart.
"It seems I'll have to start my work as a guardian of the shadows from the prologue."
"Razel, damn it!"
"It stinks a lot!"
(Sorry, I ate broccoli salad with cheddar cheese and bacon wrapped in jam.)
◇
After finishing the preparations, the teachers led us into the academy courtyard.
We were all standing.
Then, in front of us on a platform were all the teachers.
An old man in a robe walked to the center; he had a staff in his hand.
The staff shone and a magical hologram of his face formed in the air.
"Welcome, dear students."
His face was very old; he had spots on his forehead, a large chin, gray hair combed all the way back.
"I am the current director, Aaron von Karman. It is a pleasure to welcome you, young people who will bring prosperity to our country."
(The director appeared in the game; useless information was mentioned about him being from a viscount household, but I don't really care.)
(In fact, many others are doing other things while he speaks.)
Cliff yawned, Derrick adjusted his pants, and I hummed in my mind.
(Lalalalala~)
(Now I remember. This year there are many barons as well as upstart viscounts.)
(Since we all managed to become nobles thanks to the 100 years of service that our late grandfathers or great-grandfathers did, it's normal that they didn't give us the surname prefix von.)
(For that reason, the empire prohibits the children of nobles without the surname prefix from going to primary school.)
(Primary school is an educational center created by the nobles themselves.)
(That is, nobles who have a surname prefix can go to other nobles' houses and receive training for their future.)
(The study period is five years and starts from age 10 to 15.)
(After completing it, the young people take the exam to be ready to enroll the following year in the academy.)
(Very strange, isn't it?)
(Well, in the game, the study period and also the prologue of it lasted the two years that the academy lasts.)
(After finishing school, the protagonist and the targets spent the next four years working until the holy war broke out.)
(Millions of innocent lives were lost on the first day of the war.)
(That's why I was so terrified of having reincarnated in this world.)
(And it is for that very reason that my desire to be a guardian among the shadows was born.)
(I'm going to do everything possible to prevent that catastrophe from happening... or at least prevent the number of victims from being large.)
"Good. With nothing more to say, let me conclude with some words from the best student who took the entrance exam."
(Oh, finally the introduction to the game world will come.)
(The protagonist will stand in front and give a moving message about the effort of how she got here.)
(... Wait, who the hell is that?)
A tall boy, uniform the same as mine, but with the edges of his shirt gold, was at the front.
His head was completely shaved like Buddhist monks, his eyes were closed, and his muscles made him look intimidating despite his relaxed expression.
"Hello everyone, my dear kouhais, I am Squall von Iscariot."
(As if I cared!)
(Wait... what did he say?)
(That name... Squall... Iscariot...)
(I remembered!)
(... No fucking way!)
I looked with deep anger at the guy talking about what the protagonist should have said.
◇
"I am your homeroom teacher for the rest of the year; if you have any questions or suggestions, don't forget to count on my help. I'm not only your magical theory teacher, I'm also your ally. I also sat in your seats several years ago, so I understand what you'll go through."
The classroom was like the interior of a university classroom.
I was in the last seat of the last row. (The reason was that I could slack off.)
A man with short light gray hair introduced himself.
"I am Manfred von Zeben, the third son of a count household."
That's what he said before starting to sound very enthusiastic.
He had a fine, large, pointed mustache that covered his entire upper lip.
His beard was small, his sideburns well-trimmed, and his manners first-rate.
"Since I've introduced myself, I'd like you all to do the same. Let's start with you, young lady."
The teacher asked a girl who was writing something; from my position I could only see her hair and hear her murmuring.
"U-Uhm... I am Evelyn von Exner! The youngest daughter of Marquis Exner! A wor—! My tongue..."
She accidentally bit her tongue.
(Is this what they call clumsy charm?)
The other students introduced themselves, including Cliff who made a joke, but nobody laughed.
(There were different students with high and low ranks in our class. That's because they assign us by our grades.)
(In the classroom with the most students are those who scored less than 30 points.)
(By the way, I got 27. Derrick 17 and Cliff 11, hahaha, what idiots they are.)
"I..."
My amusing thoughts stopped because a certain student caught my attention.
That person was...
"I am Cidfert von Bryes. It's a pleasure..."
(This unlikeable and antisocial guy was the fourth imperial prince. He already introduced himself, so I won't say his name.)
He's a boy taller than me; his hair was navy blue and messy, also bushy as it covered his ears.
His eyes were dark blue; on his right shoulder he had a mantle with the empire's crest.
A lion with a large golden mane with angel-like wings on a battlefield.
The boy sat down. Instead, I looked at him and whispered to myself.
"One of the secret capture targets has appeared... at the same time, the bearer of the sin of envy."
◇
"Everyone gather around."
The next class we had was training.
We weren't going to do much, just measure who was strong and who was weak to verify the type of training they would have.
"I am your main teacher in this class. Johnny Morlett, you can call me Professor John or Mister John. I won't accept any other name than that. You hear me, worms?!"
A dark-skinned man, dressed in classic physical education teacher clothes, but with his jacket tied at his hips, shouted at us.
He had dreadlocks that were tied in a ponytail.
He had a sweatband on his forehead and dark glasses.
"Alright. We're going to measure your abilities. First will be..."
He had a list in his hands; he lowered his finger to call students at random.
"Derrick Larkin and Oscar von Pleven! Step forward."
My good friend Derrick stepped forward, with the hilt of a sword in his hand.
It was a practice weapon.
The hilt sucks magical power and materializes it as the blade of a sword.
It can cut, so they create them with a power restrictor to only absorb 3 to 6%.
Derrick was trembling, unlike his opponent.
Standing there was one of the five capture targets.
Heir son of a renowned marquis household. Grandson of the first seat of the 10 holy mages and also one of the saviors of this world.
His hair was pink with several white streaks, it was fluffy and smooth as silk, reaching his neck and covering his right eye, but it was still transparent so you could see his beautiful and bright indigo eyes.
"Begin."
Said the teacher; Oscar didn't move. In fact, he didn't care about Derrick at all.
(Just like in the game, he had little indifference towards his opponent.)
(That was because he was confident of his victory.)
Derrick shouted while brandishing his sword made of magical power.
But Oscar...
"Fall."
He knocked Derrick down with a blast of air coming from his floating sword.
(That was this boy's talent, a born genius with wind magic.)
"Good. Next..."
Cliff next to me said.
"I feel like you're next, hehehe."
"Cliff Easton and Jake von Fitzclarence! Step forward."
Cliff was horrified; I touched his shoulder and said.
"I'm sorry."
(But actually I was...)
(Hahaha, you deserve it for wishing me ill!)
Cliff was scared.
His opponent was another of the capture targets.
Another handsome boy with good features.
His hair was fiery red and wavy, covering part of his ears.
Bright blue eyes with an extremely confident look.
Heir son of not just one of the seven dukes of the empire, he was also the son of the second seat of the holy mages.
Jake laughed, and after the teacher's signal, he charged at Cliff and they began to fight.
(Jake and Oscar's strength wasn't physical combat but long-range with magical attacks.)
In the end, Jake won.
"Hahaha, I'm the best!"
(Just like in the game, he prided himself on something small like this.)
More and more students came; suddenly everyone fell silent when two names came out.
"Step forward. Bellange von Fraser and Lambert von Attley!"
I swallowed saliva upon hearing those names.
Two boys— no, it would be better to say two monsters stepped forward.
A very tall, muscular boy with tanned skin, an attractive face with a mischievous smile stood on one side.
His hair was combed back, some tips rose showing a wild appearance; the color was black with gold lines and light brown eyes.
"It seems destiny once again wants to test our strength, don't you think?"
Meanwhile, the other boy, who was much shorter than him, was calm.
His expression didn't change; he seemed like a martial arts master totally calm under a noisy waterfall.
His appearance was very beautiful; his skin was pale as a sword's edge.
His body was toned, though slender.
His hair reached below his shoulders; the color was ash gray.
The back middle part was tied in a small braid.
His beautiful and crystalline blue-green eyes showed no interest in his opponent.
The teacher looked at both and when he was about to blow the whistle.
"Begin!"
Everything had ended at that moment.
Lambert disappeared.
No. More accurately, he jumped forward in a fraction of a second, knocked Bellange to the ground, and lightly touched his neck with the sword hilt.
"You lost."
That's what Lambert said before standing up and paying his respects to the duel.
(Bellange among the capture targets was undoubtedly the strongest, but Lambert was the one who possessed the stats of agility, luck, magical power, and intelligence at maximum from the beginning.)
(It seems he was the developers' favorite.)
Everyone was amazed; the teacher didn't know what happened until Lambert told him it was over.
The dreadlock teacher blew the whistle to end the duel; now we'll move on to the next ones.
As Lambert returned to his position, I stared at him.
But he quickly, without changing his expression, turned to my position and I was picking my boogers to pretend I wasn't doing anything.
(That scared me.)
(Really, Lambert's skills are even more incredible seeing him in person.)
(The fate of the world will be guaranteed with a guy like that.)
While I was thinking about how wonderful it was to have Lambert on the side of justice, Cliff tugged on the sleeve of my jacket.
"Razel, they called you."
His tone was cold.
(I didn't understand why until I stepped forward.)
(This truly is unexpected.)
In front of me was the last, but most important character of the game after the protagonist. As well as the main capture target.
The third prince of the empire, Regulux von Bryes.
A tall and slender man with an appearance so beautiful that, if you were a woman or a man with strange tastes, you would fall at his feet. Or if she were a woman, she would be the girl everyone would kill just to touch his hand.
Every feature of his body and face suggested that his illustrator and voice actor must have been of the highest level due to how costly his appearance was.
His hair was blonde, of the same type as Amy's.
His eyes were emerald green.
(This man was a work of art.)
He got into an attack stance; I did too.
The moment the teacher blew his whistle, I let go of my sword.
"It's my defeat."
I didn't even fight or move.
I simply accepted my defeat.
(I have no reason to fight or measure our strengths.)
(Since this man will become the strongest person in the world in a few years.)
(I don't want to earn his hatred.)
The other fights continued and I returned to my original position.
(I'm a background character, a guardian among the shadows. I must not stand out for anything in this world.)
◇
Class had ended.
It was etiquette class now, but I felt like releasing a brown baby.
So I hurried to go to the designated classroom.
While running looking for the classroom with music, a girl was coming from the front.
She walked elegantly and at a slow pace.
At the moment our paths crossed, she murmured something.
"Liar."
But I couldn't hear what it was since I was in a hurry.
I continued on without looking back even once.