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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Private Meeting
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In the world of Sera, there exists a concept known as Perpetuity.
It's that realm where, once you surpass a certain level in any field, you unite with the will that encompasses the world... something like that, a complicated setup.
And humans who reach this Perpetuity are granted a single "authority" as their reward.
An power that can even interfere with the laws of nature, which no human body could possibly touch.
A prime example is the first Grand Duke of Tristan, counted among the strongest knights in history. There are legendary tales abound of him slicing through time and space itself with a single sword.
They say he cut through space itself, rendering any armor useless. That with one swing of his sword, "morning" was severed, and "evening" arrived...
And the Tristan-style Swordsmanship I'm holding now was created by such a man.
Though these days, it's treated half as fabricated myth because it all sounds so absurd.
'But that stuff probably isn't bullshit.'
Considering the sheer power of the Perpetuity being right in front of my eyes, it's more like the tales have been passed down without exaggeration.
Atalante Swansong.
The immortal granted the authority of "immortality" as the price for reaching Perpetuity. Her fame echoes not just across the Empire, but the entire continent.
"Oh my, student. You arrived early?"
But even someone like that just looks like a somewhat short young woman at first glance.
With violet hair and eyes brimming with vitality—how is this a thousand-year-old monster?
"Student?"
"Yes."
I quickly take my seat at the voice calling me with a slightly chilling tone.
I'm good at reading the room.
"I'm sorry for summoning you so suddenly; it must have been startling. Thank you for coming without complaint."
Her tone is friendly. The way she smiles brightly, trying to ease into the conversation, shows it.
"..."
But I know what Atalante is like.
Even after living a thousand years, she hates wasting time more than anyone.
If she's decided to meet me one-on-one, it means there's something just as important.
"Do you know why I've called you here, Dawood Campbell?"
"Not really."
"There's bad news, and worse news. Which would you like first?"
"..."
Why is there never any good news?
"I'll take the less bad one first."
"Hmm~ Dawood Campbell, you're getting caught up in all sorts of incidents even before class assignments."
The chancellor said that as she put on her monocle and scanned the documents. Probably a list of all the events I've been through so far.
"...None of that was by my choice."
"That's what's so ridiculous about it. Elpante has a long history with all kinds of students, but you're the first to stir up this much trouble before even your first class."
Atalante let out a deep sigh as she said that.
"But escaping those unscathed is a talent of yours too. Impressive, isn't it?"
"...Why is that the less bad news?"
That just sounds like straight praise.
Atalante chuckled and replied.
"Because having that level of misfortune means you'll get dragged into more incidents ahead. So, it's bad news."
"..."
Can't argue with the truth.
"And that misfortune leads into the second piece of news."
Atalante grinned as she removed her monocle and propped her chin on her hands.
"By the way, student."
But.
"Yes?"
"How much do you know about demons?"
The gaze that came with those words.
Wasn't smiling at all.
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What kind of man Dawood Campbell was had been one of the things Atalante was immensely interested in.
Even for her, who knew almost everything happening inside the academy, he was unpredictable.
Just look at his demeanor right now.
'His reactions are amusing.'
She smiled inwardly as she watched Dawood Campbell, whose expression didn't change even after her last statement.
Any ordinary student would freeze solid just from a one-on-one with Elpante's chancellor. The gap in status alone would be intimidating.
But this man?
'He's not tense at all.'
Even after the chancellor herself brought up the ominous topic of "demons," his face doesn't shift. You'd expect at least a little surprise.
Instead, his consciousness sinks calmly inward.
As if pondering what response would be best for the current situation.
'Crisis management: pass, just from that.'
He's already plenty seasoned. No need for her to fill in any gaps.
"I don't think I should say how much I know about that."
His follow-up answer was unexpected too.
"Pardon?"
"Because I don't know what you'd scheme with it."
Atalante couldn't hold back a laugh.
"...You don't like me much, do you?"
It wouldn't be hard to guess she's scheming something around him. She's dropped hints plenty of times.
Any other student would question it if everyone else was in classes while they hadn't even been assigned a proper one.
"It'd be hard to like it when my reputation's being manipulated like that."
But.
She hadn't expected him to pinpoint one of the specific "methods."
Atalante blinked and asked back.
"...What did you say?"
"As you mentioned earlier, I've been tangled in several major incidents already. With so many eyes on me, rumors would spread one way or another."
Dawood continued calmly.
"The hegemonic powers right now are in turmoil. It'd be weirder if they weren't approaching me. The times being what they are, they'd drag any standout talent back from hell itself."
In fact, such reports were trickling in from various places.
Coup in the Tribal Alliance, massive shifts in the Holy Kingdom's organizations. Power struggles over imperial succession, and so on.
The entire continent's atmosphere was off.
The Golden Triangle was no different.
On the surface, friendly neighbors helping each other, but underneath, a fierce competition to snag the best talents.
"..."
But this wasn't something a mere student could gather, analyze, and logically deduce on his own.
Especially not the son of a minor baron's house without access to such high-level intel.
Yet this man was laying it all out casually.
As if it were obvious.
Atalante smiled with delight inside.
"But there's nothing. It just means someone's deliberately suppressing info about me. Or else."
"Or else?"
"They're all colluding to pretend they don't know. I can't imagine what massive thing you're plotting to go that far."
If there were no witnesses, she'd be clapping like a seal.
Spot-on judgment. Excellent skill in weighing information and situations to fill the gaps.
'Political sense: pass!'
She'd been worried about shortcomings since he held such a key role in the future "plan," but he wasn't disappointing.
No, finding a gem like this at student level was worth a cheer of joy.
And perhaps from the excitement of meeting such talent.
Though this "phase" of the original plan meant she absolutely shouldn't leak this info, she ended up opening her mouth anyway.
"For now, sorry about the info control. But please understand it was necessary."
"...So, is it a big deal if I stand out?"
"Yes."
Atalante continued with her still-smiling face.
"The world ends."
"..."
Watching his poker face finally crack was quite enjoyable.
Atalante poked teasingly at the stunned Dawood.
"Not a lie. It's not like rumors blowing up would end it immediately, but the probability definitely rises."
"...World ending? What are you even...?"
"Focus on academy life for now. You'll learn about that soon enough. For the time being, we're doing our utmost here to prevent it."
With that, she spun around smiling and handed him a single sheet of paper.
"More importantly, look at this first?"
It was a single sheet with a certain symbol enlarged and drawn prominently.
"I asked about demons earlier, right? This is why."
"Yes?"
"It's the seal of a group called the Purifiers."
Dawood's expression turned grave.
'He knows about this too?'
Thinking that, she continued in a calm tone.
"It's not well-known, but they're a notorious demon-worshipping cult. They've been implicated in both the recent Tristan Duchess assassination attempt and the sabotage using magical beasts."
Demon worshippers.
A group that reveres demons—humanity's arch-enemies—as gods, lurking to bring about their resurrection.
In modern times, they were a blight on the entire world.
"Two direct attacks on House Tristan. No guarantee there won't be a third."
"...Why tell me this?"
Atalante responded with just an enigmatic smile.
She'd already shared plenty on the plan. Couldn't say more.
Thinking that, she pulled something from her drawer.
If she couldn't give details, the least she could do was show maximum sincerity.
"Want to take this?"
A small black "card." It looked utterly ordinary, but Dawood's eyes widened at the sight.
What an expressive face he has.
'...He knows what this is too?'
As she thought that, he spoke in a stiff voice.
"...Can the chancellor decide to give something like this to someone on her own?"
"..."
Even as chancellor, handing out something this precious casually wasn't allowed—his words carried that vibe, making Atalante pause.
He really knows what it is?
No, even so.
This was something known only to a tiny handful in the academy, including her. Knowing about it wasn't just info-gathering; it was near-superhuman.
'But maybe.'
With a hint of expectation, she asked again.
"You're talking like you know what it is?"
"This is for the event at Gregory Hall in a week—"
Dawood couldn't finish.
Because Atalante burst into loud laughter at his perfectly fluent, matter-of-fact response.
'Ah, what a masterpiece. For real.'
This man never once followed her expectations.
She couldn't even remember the last time she'd met someone like this.
"Just take it. With your level of misfortune, you'll need it for sure."
"..."
And since he'd amused her this much, she had to reward him accordingly.
"If you know what it is, you know how to use it. Use it properly, grab what you can, then show me the results. If you use it just right and it impresses me, I'll give you an extra gift. Got it?"
She winked as she said that, and Dawood, still dazed, pocketed the card.
"...Never thought I'd get homework from the chancellor."
"Oh, right. Yeah. I actually had real homework for you."
"Yes?"
"How are things with the Savior candidate and the Tristan Duchess?"
Dawood's face crumpled horrifically. Enough to startle Atalante herself.
This was a guy whose expression didn't flicker hearing demon worshippers had terrorized the school twice. What was this?
"...I'd like to get along with them, if possible."
His whole body screamed he wanted nothing to do with them.
"Then do get along."
Even so, she had to say it.
"Is there a reason I must?"
"Yes."
She answered with a bright smile.
"The world ends otherwise."
"..."
She burst into giggles again at Dawood's glare screaming "how does the world end so easily?"
No lie this time either.
After all.
The plan's ultimate goal depended on these three.
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"World destruction, huh..."
I mutter the words Atalante told me earlier as I walk in a daze.
Honestly, it doesn't really hit home. The scale's too massive.
Sure, in the game, bad endings involve world destruction and such, but my actions swaying that? It feels completely unreal.
'...I'll think about what it means later.'
More importantly, this.
"Got handed this."
I gaze at the black card in my hand.
It's a kind of "key."
One that opens a "door to another world."
Something never given to the player character originally. Even among academy staff, only deans or the chancellor know it exists.
And I get why the devs set it up that way.
Hand this out early, and balance shatters.
Did I clear the Main Quest bonus emergency mission so smoothly that I get this out of nowhere?
"..."
But that doesn't mean I can just rejoice.
'The main scenario's off track.'
The Purifiers should've appeared months later than this. Not at a point before even first classes.
The scenario's progressing way faster than I predicted.
"..."
Meaning I need to grow as fast as possible too.
Like it or not, I'm tangled with the protagonist and final boss. Bound to get dragged into the scenario somehow.
I sigh and sort my memories.
Chapter 1's final boss of "Secret Society Uprising," the "Purifier," is trickier than expected.
It's notoriously called a newbie shredder; patterns are brutal for an early boss.
Even with my Desperate Situation, considering his "uniqueness"... I could really die.
'But with this...'
I twirl the black card in my hand again.
It could make things a lot easier.
Depending on how I use the materials from the space it accesses.
I mentally organize ways to leverage it further.
Prior connections with the magical beast research department, access to the forbidden warehouse, the one-time wish voucher for Persy—if I combine them organically...
'...Yeah, doable.'
I can definitely craft something to smooth out the Purifier boss fight.
"Ah, there you are. I was looking for you."
Lost in those thoughts while walking the hall, a voice calls from ahead.
Konrad Baltador. Knight Faculty Dean.
"You were looking for me? What's up?"
"Your class isn't set yet, but the admin team's notice said we can't let you skip lessons. Take this."
"..."
Why's the dean delivering this himself?
How much special treatment am I getting for this crap?
"It's a temporary class. Start lessons with them tomorrow."
"..."
No.
Yeah.
I get it.
Are you kidding?
"...This right?"
"Anything wrong?"
Yeah. Plenty.
I point at the student list with trembling hands.
Class President: Elnor Erinarije la Tristan.
Vice President: Eliya Chrisanax.
No need to check the rest. These two names already reek of doom.
Why cram these two in with me, of all people?
"This is right?"
"Yeah."
"The Student Council President in a newbie class...?"
"Yeah. Told you."
Konrad grinned broadly.
"Chancellor's orders. Can't be wrong."
"..."
Come to think of it, she mentioned homework.
To get along with those two.
'I wanna kill her. For real.'
I meant it.
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