018 The Only Answer Is "Yes"

Naturally, this world wasn't limited to just one magic academy. There were plenty of facilities out there like Nobless Academy, but this place had one massive edge over the competition: pure, unadulterated scale.

The country practically tripped over itself to provide land for use as training grounds. Mountains, rivers, and even stretches of desert were swallowed up by the campus, allowing for the kind of reckless, high-stakes training that actually simulated a real battlefield.

It was all for the sake of filtering out the elite and preparing for the time to come.

Deep within a dense forest, we—clad in jet-black training uniforms—surged forward. I flooded my legs with mana, pushing my High-Speed Movement Magic to its limit.

"Cynthia, Lilith! Pincer them from the flanks and keep their eyes on you. I’m going for the flag."

"As you wish, Weiss."

"Roger that!"

At my command, the two of them vanished into the brush, splitting left and right. I skidded to a halt, closing my eyes to track their positions via Mana Sense while I mentally ticked down the seconds.

5... 4... 3... 2... 1.

The moment their massive mana signatures collided with the enemy's, I took off again.

Up ahead, I spotted our objective—the Dragon Flag. But just as I reached for it, a prickle of intuition stopped me cold. Spun across the entire clearing was a dense web of Magic Thread.

...Shari.

The threads were coated in a specialized adhesive magic. One touch and I’d be stuck like a fly in a web.

—Well, anyone except me, anyway.

I spiked my mana, cloaking my entire body in a shroud of light and dark blessing magic. This was an original spell I’d cooked up myself; it nullified enemy mana while constantly pumping a stream of healing into my own body.

I charged through the traps like I was brushing aside cobwebs and reached for the flag.

But then—

"I don't think so, Weiss!"

Allen dropped from the canopy like a stone, swinging a sword at the crown of my head with absolutely zero hesitation. I threw myself to the side, and the impact of his strike gouged a crater into the earth, the roar of the collision echoing through the woods.

It was just a wooden training sword, but when you reinforced it with that much mana, it might as well have been a chainsaw. I almost had to laugh at how little he was holding back. Then again, I was the one he was trying to hit.

I could have easily ignored him and grabbed the flag, but...

"Bring it."

I drew a small utility knife and fed it a microscopic trickle of mana. Allen seemed to realize I was pulling my punches and looked appropriately insulted as he charged me head-on.

"Hah!"

"Is that the best you’ve got?"

He was slow. Painfully slow. Aren't protagonists supposed to be, I don't know, legendary?

But the moment I moved to clip his neck and knock him out, Allen suddenly moved three times faster than before.

There it is. How the hell does he have these kinds of reflexes when his stats are so low?

It was infuriating.

Even after that, Allen kept coming at me no matter how many times I swatted him down. The brat only managed to dodge when I threw a finishing blow. He was like a cockroach that had read the script.

However—

"It's over."

"Wait—wha—!?"

I buried a fist into his ribs. Leaving the agonizing Allen to roll in the dirt, I calmly walked over and plucked the flag from the ground.

Instantly, magical fireworks streaked into the sky.

[Match over. Victory: Weiss Team. All students, assemble in the schoolyard.]

A magical bird circling overhead shrieked the announcement of my victory.

"Huff... puff... As expected... of... Weiss..."

I didn't even look back at the collapsed, wheezing Allen as I walked away.

---

[First Place, Magic Concealment Training: Weiss Fancent] [First Place, Magic Tracking Training: Weiss Fancent] [First Place, Magic Defense Training: Weiss Fancent]

It wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.

"500 points awarded to Weiss Fancent," Professor Chloe announced, her voice as flat and dry as usual.

A month had passed since the entrance ceremony. Ten people had already been expelled, and I had personally delivered the "Your Fired" notice to seven of them. More than half of those casualties were characters who were supposed to graduate in the original game.

The system wasn't designed to zero everyone out immediately, though. It actually took "growth potential" into account. I glanced at the point counter on my right hand. It shifted to display 5,700.

"Weiss again? That guy is a literal monster."

"It's not fair. He’s just cruising on pure talent while we're struggling."

"There's no way he doesn't graduate..."

The small fry could bark all they wanted; I didn't care. Graduation was the bare minimum. I was aiming for something much higher.

My real target for expulsion was Allen. But every time he got backed into a corner, he’d tap into some bottomless well of "protagonist energy" and wiggle out of it. It didn't help that Shari and the rest of his canon friends were constantly propping him up. Plus, he was getting stronger every day. It was annoying, but... I’d be lying if I said it wasn't a little entertaining to watch.

Ugh, I'm getting soft.

"300 points to Cynthia and Lilith. Next: 150 to Allen, 100 to Shari, and 50 to Duke."

The school published the rankings once a week, so I didn't have to do the math myself. I was firmly in first place, but Allen was clawing his way up the ladder.

The point system was a classic "carrot and stick" setup. Your rank was determined by your total: S at the top, followed by A, B, C, D, and E. I was currently C-Rank. Once you hit C-Rank, you were granted the ultimate luxury: a private room. Anyone below that had to rot in the communal dorms.

It wasn't that Nobless Academy was broke; they just knew that making students miserable was the best way to keep them motivated. You earned points through exams and mock battles, but staying at the top of every category was a nightmare even for me. The academy didn't just want meatheads; they wanted "balanced" elites.

The fastest way to gain points was through Inter-Class Duels. You could steal points directly from others, and eventually, you could even challenge upperclassmen. Most people avoided them because the risk of expulsion was too high, but I wasn't most people. I’d kick as many people into the abyss as I had to if it meant climbing higher.

After all, if you hit S-Rank while still enrolled, you could skip grades and graduate early. No one in the history of the school had ever done it.

But for me, it’s the only way to outrun my own doom.

"I'm so sorry... It's my fault we lost to Weiss again," Allen muttered, hanging his head in shame.

"Don't let it get to you, Allen! We’ll just win the next one!" Shari chirped, trying to comfort him. Watching them, I felt a brief pang of warmth. Ah, just like the game, I thought.

But a second later, a wave of pure, irrational loathing crashed over me.

Suddenly, a massive mountain of a man spotted me and started stomping over, looking like he was about to vibrate out of his skin. The ground practically shook with every step.

"Goddammit, Weiss! You bastard, you’re seriously playing on New Game Plus, aren't you!?"

"Has your brain finally been replaced by muscle, Duke?"

This was Duke, the eldest son of the House of Billian. He had short black hair and a physique that made him look less like a student and more like a refrigerator with a neck. His family specialized in body enhancement, making them elite knights. They were balanced in close quarters but historically sucked at long range.

Or at least, they used to.

The current Duke had mastered Creation Magic to forge magical projectile weapons. After I’d beaten him into a pulp once, he’d clearly realized that brawn alone wouldn't cut it. Yet another massive deviation from the original timeline.

He was a loud, annoying pest who picked a fight every time we breathed the same air, but he was honest. I liked him a hell of a lot more than Allen.

In the corner of my eye, I saw a tiny girl with white hair trembling while Chloe scolded her.

"Carta, you have immense talent. Your scores in written exams and Magic Theory are top-class. However, if you fail to score in the next practical exam, you will be expelled. Do you understand? If you do nothing but run away, your enrollment is meaningless."

"Y-Yes, ma'am..."

She had mastered Flight Magic, an incredibly rare affinity. Because it was non-attributed, it was notoriously difficult to control. Even I hadn't managed to learn it yet. But Carta was a coward. She never took the shot, even when the goal was wide open.

In the original game, she was supposed to be expelled in the next exam. Her best friend was then supposed to use that trauma as motivation to graduate—a classic side-story tear-jerker. Except... I had already expelled that best friend.

Looking at her now, it felt like a pathetic waste. She had the potential to reach heights no one else could, yet she couldn't find an ounce of Courage.

"Hey, Carta. Why don't you just lose all your points and leave already?"

"Huh...?"

A girl from Carta’s dorm was currently sneering at her. They were both D-Ranks. If Carta got the boot, the bully would temporarily get a private room.

I remember this. Standard-issue bullying scene from the game.

"You don't even want to be here, right? You're just here because your parents forced you. Now that your annoying little friend is gone, I can finally say it to your face."

"W-Why would you say that...?"

"Because I'm tired of watching two pathetic dropouts lick each other's wounds."

The girl’s cronies burst into laughter, mocking Carta.

I felt something stir in my chest. But "Weiss Fancent" didn't do "kindness." I couldn't afford to be soft. I had to play the part.

"By the way, Weiss, we're pairing up for the next exam, right?" Cynthia asked, leaning in.

"Lady Cynthia! I thought it was my turn!" Lilith interjected.

"Actually... I’ve already decided on my partner."

"WHAT!?" they both shrieked.

I ignored them and walked toward the source of the noise. I spoke quietly, my voice cutting through the laughter like a blade.

"There is truly nothing as hideous as a bunch of bottom-feeders squabbling in the mud."

The bullies froze. Carta looked up, her eyes wide and terrified.

"It's Weiss... crap, he's here."

"Let's get out of here. Seriously, move!"

The bullies scrambled away. Watching their retreating backs, I felt like I was looking at a version of myself from a future that hadn't happened yet.

"Why... why did you help me?" Carta stammered.

"I didn't help you. I just couldn't stand the sight of a coward who stays silent while being insulted. It was making me nauseous."

"How... how could you be so mean...?"

"Am I wrong? Those girls hate you. They spit on you. And you just stood there and took it. Do you have any idea how annoying that is to watch?"

"T-Then don't watch...!"

Okay, fair point.

"In the next exam, you are going to lose every point you have. Do you know why?"

Carta was silent for a long time. Finally, she whispered, "...Because it's a tag-team match."

"Exactly."

The next test had been announced: a two-man cell battle. Nobless Academy prioritized team tactics over individual glory. It made sense—no one follows a leader who can't work with others. Plus, the next match was the most important one yet for a very specific reason.

I knew I couldn't keep going the way I was. So...

"Partner with me."

"Wha... Eeh?! Why would... why would someone like you want to work with me...?"

The near-expellee and the top student. On paper, it was a joke. But I wasn't looking at the paper.

"Your Flight Magic is magnificent. It would be a crime to let it go to waste."

"But... I..."

She looked like she was either going to faint or bolt.

"Don't get the wrong idea. This isn't charity. I just decided that pairing with you is the most efficient way for me to win."

"Oh... I see."

"Good. Also... you're going to teach me how to fly. I’ve tried everything, and I still can't get off the ground."

"Wait... the Weiss Fancent is struggling with a spell?"

"I fall head-first every single time. I’ve almost died twice this week."

Carta actually let out a small, genuine giggle. I suppose the image of the "perfect" Weiss Fancent eating dirt was pretty funny.

"I’m the one who expelled your friend. I know that. It was a fair duel, but she’s gone because of me. If you drop out too, what was the point of her being here at all? Don't you want to shove your success in the faces of those girls who mocked you? Work with me, and I'll use your power to its fullest. In exchange, you can use mine."

I was officially shattering the original plot now. Carta's magic was a game-changer. It was a dangerous gamble, but I had already chosen my path.

Carta stopped trembling. She relaxed the white-knuckled grip she had on her staff and looked me in the eye.

"...Okay, Weiss. If you're sure about me... then please, let's do it."

"Good. But if you're on my team, we're taking first place. We don't have much time, so we’re training from now until dawn."

"Wait, WHAAAAT!?"

"The only answer is 'Yes.'"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

Wait... am I starting to sound like Teacher Milk?

Somewhere else on campus, rumor has it that Teacher Milk let out a very adorable sneeze. Probably.