120: Defining a Protagonist

The Sports Festival was finally over, marking the end of all scheduled events for us Lowerclassmen. Honestly, I was pretty thrilled that the Red Team pulled off the win.

At Nobless Academy, Intermediate-year Students have to take Promotion Exams to move up, and Upperclassmen face Graduation Exams before they can leave. However, Lowerclassmen have no such obligations. In other words, as long as I kept my nose clean for a few more months, our promotion to the intermediate tier was basically a done deal.

By the end of the festival, my point total had officially hit 10,000. That corresponds to a B-class Rank, which should be formally announced once the faculty finishes their final tallies. I’m actually looking forward to it—ranking up means a bigger private room and a whole host of other perks.

I’m still gunning for S-rank before graduation, so I can’t afford to let up. I have to keep taking first place.

As I planned my next move, my mind drifted back to the Original Story. Specifically, I thought about the Witch Sisters, Eleanor and Sierra. Since they were Upperclassmen, they would be leaving the Academy the moment their Graduation Exams concluded.

They show up later during the Calamity and in various side stories to bail Allen out, but as far as the Academy Arc is concerned, this is the last we see of them.

Between the Snowball Fight, my clash with Duran, and the Sports Festival, I’d been through one thing after another. Yet, for some reason, I was experiencing a sensation that was entirely new to me.

Was this... a premonition of loss?

No, I can’t afford to get bogged down in sentimentality.

The plot is moving much faster than I anticipated. I have to cast aside these nostalgic feelings. The truth is, I’d been operating under a massive delusion.

My name is Weiss Fancent. I am the notoriously slothful noble. In the world of Noblesse Oblige, I was never meant to be the hero; I was the "stepping stone," the mid-tier jobber meant to be crushed by the lead. I had completely lost sight of that.

A person’s fundamental setting doesn't just change. While this world has certainly undergone its fair share of alterations, the core pillars remain unshakable. Nobless Academy exists. Eva exists. The Demon Race exists. And—the protagonist, Allen, exists.

Perhaps I’d grown complacent because everything seemed to be going my way. I should have kept it burned into my brain: the center of this universe isn't me. It’s Allen.

◇

The catalyst for everything was the final "off-campus" period before graduation. Lowerclassmen who have maintained a certain number of points are granted a short vacation.

I didn't have any specific plans to go out. If anything, I wanted to spend those final days at the Academy. I wanted to squeeze in some extra training for the future, and, if I’m being honest, I wanted to see the Witch Sisters through to the end of their Graduation Exams.

Not that I’d ever admit that last part out loud, of course.

It was during this time that Cynthia had to travel to a certain town due to her family's circumstances. Apparently, it was a mix of business and a family trip. I had mixed feelings about her leaving, so I offered to go with her. As her fiancé, I wanted to stay by her side as much as possible.

But she turned me down.

She wouldn't give me a straight answer as to why, but I had a feeling she knew I wanted to witness the sisters' final moments at the Academy. In the end, only Lilith went with her. She insisted on going as a maid to support Cynthia on the road.

That at least gave me some peace of mind. Lilith is a woman I can trust with my life.

Their destination was a place called Verdi, located a bit south of Nobless Academy. It’s a peaceful country and a popular vacation spot for the nobility. I remembered hearing the name briefly in the Original Story. No major plot points happened there. I knew for a fact that it was perfectly safe.

"Well then, I'm off. I'll be back in a few days," Cynthia said.

"Lord Weiss, I'll bring back tons of souvenirs!" Lilith added with a smile.

"Yeah, have a good time."

I should have thought it through.

When I ran into a dragon that wasn't supposed to be there... When Billford Tucker attacked... When the Calamity suddenly manifested... When the Large-scale Invasion began...

I should have realized that whenever an important event occurs, the protagonist, Allen, is always right in the middle of it.

While Cynthia and the others were away on vacation, I spent my time at the Academy honing my skills. I was sitting in the cafeteria, chatting with the sisters while waiting for their Graduation Exams to start.

"I guess we won't be seeing much of Vai anymore, huh?" Sierra sighed.

"That’s true. Assuming Senior Sierra actually manages to graduate, that is," I teased.

"Of course I will! I'm the head of my house!"

Eleanor whispered, "Big sister, I don't think that has anything to do with your grades..."

Then, evening arrived—the hour the Graduation Exams for Sierra and Eleanor were set to begin.

That was when the incident happened.

Or rather, that was when I received the report from Teacher Milk.

Allen. Cynthia. Cecil.

—And Lilith.

"You're... you're joking, right?"

I never imagined an alteration of this magnitude could actually happen.