༺ Physio(F=ma)Therapist ༻
“… Who are you?”
Vermel asked unconsciously.
But this was an act of shooting himself in the foot, because he’d spoken out of an assumption without being certain if Aether was a transmigrator.
Vermel immediately realized that he made a mistake.
SYSTEM : ‘Dark Day Aether’ is highly apprehensive of you.
Wait, let’s think
He racked his brain and went over every route. It wasn’t that the original Aether never monitored or stalked the main character. He just hadn’t recalled it right away because it was such a rare path. Moreover, the chances of going down that kind of route were extremely low.
As far as Vermel knew, there was only one route where Aether observed him from the beginning of the semester.
Has she already been corrupted before admissions?
Really. There was only one prerequisite for the route that was discovered by the veteran players.
Corruption.
Unlike other species, this concept of ‘corruption’ existed for the Golden-Eyed.
It was a special event that occurred when a Golden-Eyed became disillusioned by humanity for some reason and turned their back on the world. When that happened, the Golden-Eyed became enemies of humanity and hindered the main character party in any possible way.
And it was near-impossible to reconcile with a Golden-Eyed once they turned on humans. It wasn’t completely unfeasible but it was better to defeat the Demon King and see the ending rather than trying to achieve that. It took unimaginable effort to get a Golden-Eyed corrupted to that extent back on the main character’s side.
Why did it have to happen before I got here…. No, it isn’t for sure yet.
Aether’s corruption before admissions wasn’t a common route. The probability was about one in hundreds of thousands. If this was the route they were on, then it was just awful luck.
Vermel wondered. How had Aether answered on that route when the MC asked something like this?
It’d been….
─ Who do I seem like?
“Who do I look like?”
We’re screwed.
No, it was probably more accurate to say they were fucked. Vermel barely kept his poker face. Sweat started to drip down his back.
I can’t falter here.
SYSTEM : Warning. The probability of heading towards the Bad Ending is currently 93%.
He managed to still his trembling hands.
It wasn’t 100% yet. A probability was just probability, not something that actually happened. With that thought, he calmed himself.
Yeah, as long as there was a glimmer of hope, he couldn’t give up.
He let out a big exhale and blurted out an impromptu answer.
“A classmate.”
As expected, her response was cold.
─ Why are you asking a pointless question?
“Why are you asking something you already know?”
Vermel quickly came up with something to say.
“I mean, because I think you’re amazing. It’s also my first time seeing a Golden-Eyed, but it was awesome how you were able to help out a classmate with just a few words. I didn’t mean anything else by that question, really.”
He was just spitting out words, but it should be enough of an explanation.
Gratitude and appreciation for resolving the situation rather than a question suspecting her corruption. Steering the conversation in that direction should reduce some of her doubts about him.
“Ah, is that so?”
SYSTEM : ‘Dark Day Aether’s psychosomatic state has changed to ‘Calm’.
He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
It was 2% short of a decent response, but enough to avoid further scrutiny from Aether. Vermel kept his eyes on hers and slowly put distance between them as if in a bear encounter. Those yellow eyes that he’d seen numerous times while playing the game seemed like they could swallow him at any time.
I’m probably the only person in the world who was traumatized while playing a VR game.
As soon as Aether nodded with an “Alright, I see,” that was when Vermel could finally escape this hell-like situation.
The chances of Aether being an actual transmigrator is….
SYSTEM : The probability of heading towards the Bad Ending is currently 93%.
Low.
It was as the System had told him. If Aether went down the same route as the game, the world was definitely going to be doomed. The Demon King would resurrect and the Ahrens continent would become a barren wasteland where not a single blade of grass could grow. The world would be blanketed by a dark sky and suffer from a little ice age for decades as the remaining plants all withered up from lack of sunlight.
The chances of her being a transmigrator was 100% total minus 93%, making it 7%. And if it was truly coincidental that she was saying the same things as the original Aether…. Then there was still some hope.
Vermel decided to consider all avenues and do everything he could rather than blindly cling onto that tiny chance. Of course, that included monitoring Aether for the next while.
He needed to do well from here on.
If he couldn’t overcome his fear from the game within this reality, nothing would be left standing at the end.
**
When Vermel asked ‘who are you’, I wondered if I heard wrong for a moment.
It was such a random question. ‘Who are you’? The guy who was dragged into this world while reviewing a 1300-page paper, but I couldn’t give an answer like that. Anyone would be stumped if they were asked this.
There was a good way to go about it in this kind of case. That was to ask the person right back.
“Who do I look like?”
“A classmate.”
The answer was rather disappointing. What the heck.
“Why are you asking something you already know?”
When I said that, Vermel’s eyes shook like crazy. His efforts in trying to handle this were… not impressive, just stupid as hell. Was he really a transmigrator? He was lousier at this than I thought.
Still, it was somewhat acceptable seeing how he managed to get through the explanation.
He at least seemed to know what incidents were going to take place in the future. The answer was there when I looked, from the way he followed Iluka to his reactions when we were alone after I finished talking to Iluka’s father.
These series of events couldn’t be explained if it weren’t for Vermel knowing the future. With this, I now had direct evidence.
I could use this guy.
[Good. Now we can respond accordingly depending on the transmigrator’s reaction.]
I didn’t know what kind of ending awaited this world, but I’d be able to gauge the general future from Vermel’s expressions. That alone was a great advantage.
And I’d have an easier time knowing what to do if I could see how Vermel’s expression changed when some incident occurred. Even if the decision might seem like a loss in the short-term, it would surely be beneficial from a long-term perspective.
I planned to watch Vermel closely for some time. If anything happened in his vicinity, it was probably going to get troublesome for me, too.
**
But I didn’t expect it to happen this quickly.
The dick-for-brain bastard of a Prince came back to school. There went the good times.
Today, Prince Klion didn’t hit on me.
I knew why. Vermel probably did, too.
Passing the desk where I was sitting, the Prince headed towards a window seat in the back. He had a pair of white ceremonial gloves on.
The Prince took off those gloves and threw them suddenly at the girl sitting at the back.
A thud rang throughout the classroom. It was nowhere near as loud as environmental noise but the students were all focused on it.
Everyone turned their eyes to the Prince, Vermel and myself included.
“You’re quite brazen, casually showing up to school after stabbing me.”
“What?”
Vermel and I were the only ones who knew the whole story. Our eyes met briefly, warily glancing at one another, then returned our gazes to the two people.
It was finally happening.
“Don’t play dumb. Who else would have stabbed me at the fountain if it wasn’t you?”
“Do you have proof that it was me?”
“How could you not even bat a lash after attempting to assassinate the Emperor-to-be? I admit that you have some nerve.”
Klion was basically digging himself into a grave..
The students here were all going to be vassals assisting the future Imperial court. He should’ve behaved in a way that’d gain their support but he was pulling this kind of shit instead….
The Empire must have spent all of its fortunes. Well, if a country was in this much shambles, then it wouldn’t be surprising if a guillotine made an appearance.
Iluka scrunched her face and glowered at Klion.
“You think you can keep lying…! I’ve asked the inspection department and confirmed it. It would be better for you to confess while I’m feeling merciful!”
“If I’m really guilty, then you should be presenting evidence or bringing a warrant at the very least. Do you think everyone here will follow you when they become vassals when you don’t even know the basic rule of law as the future Emperor?”
“I don’t believe this…. Fine, I will not have you confined or anything because I’m generous. But we can settle this with a simple suggestion instead.”
“A suggestion?”
Klion pointed his finger at Iluka and continued.
“This will be dealt with in a legal manner since you like the rule of law so much. But instead of taking this to court, we’ll do it right here at Tilette!”
“… You want to engage me in a Campus Duel right now?”
Campus Duel.
It sounded fancy but it just meant duking it out in school.
A duel within school grounds took place inside the fences of the law from start to finish. It could nominally be incorporated into the curriculum and there weren’t any risks of death or serious injury since a teacher refereed the whole thing.
It was the tradition of all academies for the loser to grant the winner a favor. There wasn’t anyone here who didn’t know that.
“That’s right. If you win in a duel against me, then I’ll do as you wish. But if I win, on the other hand, you’ll become my mistress. How about it, doesn’t that sound…….”
“I refuse. Why would I?”
“What? You won’t accept this?”
“There’s nothing that I want from you. I’d rather you just get the hell away.”
“A-alright. Then if you win, I’ll no longer bother you.”
“No, I mean you should just drop out of school. I don’t want to see you at all.”
[Wow. She’s not backing down against the Prince. Does she have some kind of leverage, perhaps?]
Vermel stood up at that moment. With a grim face, he marched towards Klion.
“If you want that Campus Duel so much, I’ll accept it instead.”
“What’s this, are you interfering with me again, elf?”
“It’s because I can’t stand seeing you do this to not only the Golden-Eyed girl, but also to a Viscount’s daughter who is to attend to political matters with you in the future. I’ll be your opponent if it’s alright with Iluka.”
I had forgotten the fact that Vermel was the top student. A genius who achieved 90 points even on the practical.
There wasn’t anything higher than first place obviously so based on admission rank, Klion had no chance of beating Vermel.
“I refuse. Why should I have to fight with you for nothing?”
That had to be why this cheap bastard was backing out now.
“That’s what you were doing to Iluka.”
“Wait, that’s different. Eliyev attacked me….”
“Both me and the second place know that Iluka never attacked you. When the investigation results are eventually overturned, the rest of the class will also know. That you orchestrated all this.”
“You son of a…!”
“Come out to the large field after class, Klion. I’ll smack some sense into your sex-rotted brain.”
Oho. Would he become normal if he got a smacking to the head? It sounded pretty convincing if a transmigrator was being specific like that.
“That won’t be necessary. I don’t have any reason to fight with you. However….”
“What are you trying to say now?”
“If that Golden-Eyed fights in Lady Eliyev’s stead, that’s a different story.”
“What….”
Scowling, Iluka glared at Klion. With a shrug, the Prince smiled slyly and spoke further. They were words were clearly directed at me.
“We have unsettled matters, don’t we, wench? You’d have plenty cause to.”
“Ha.”
I stood abruptly from my chair.
It wasn’t out of incredulity, but rather, it was something that I’d hoped.
“Then if I win this fight, you don’t mess with either of us ever again. How about it?”
“A fast decision, as expected of a Golden-Eyed. You see this as a decent proposition, don’t you?”
“Mm, of course.”
“But there is one condition.”
“Spit it out, then.”
“You both have such foul mouths. Well, no matter. The condition is that neither of us can use mana grass.”
“Wait, that’s…!”
Lotte, who had been listening from the adjacent seat, reacted upon hearing this. Because she knew from having dueled with me during admissions.
That I couldn’t use magic without mana grass.
But it didn’t matter. Mouth twisting, I stepped in front of her.
“You want this to be a hand-to-hand combat?”
“You can do that on your end. But I’ll be using magic.”
“Ah, that so?”
“You can try beating me with physical strength alone, though it won’t be easy.”
Nodding, I accepted the Prince’s proposition. Vermel and Lotte didn’t look too happy.
But this situation was the most concerning for Iluka because to her, some Golden-Eyed was suddenly responsible for her fate.
I smiled at her to let her know that she didn’t need to worry.
Right now, my mind was stuffed with all the legitimate ways I could bash the Prince’s head in.
“Let me get this right. I’m supposed to beat you using only physical means, right? Without using a single stick of mana grass?”
“Exactly. You aren’t thinking that you’d be able to beat me without magic as a Golden-Eyed, are you?”
“I think it’s plenty doable.”
Why? Because I have a knack for physics, you see.
