030 Main Heroine

Nobless Academy had produced so many legendary graduates that their names practically filled the history books.

There were two main reasons for this. First, every bit of combat training and field work was geared toward actual combat. There was zero hand-holding. Being a noble didn't buy you any slack here; the school didn't hesitate to push us, and seeing students get hauled off with injuries was a common sight.

The second reason—which was the polar opposite of the school's no-holds-barred policy—lay in the special combat suits we wore for training. We’d all worn them during the Tag Tournament, but things got interesting when you took damage inside a pre-set magic circle. The system instantly calculated the projected lethality of an attack, drained a massive chunk of mana, and knocked the wearer unconscious.

Don't get me wrong, though—it didn't do a damn thing to dull the pain. It was just a special material designed to let us fight with "safe" lethality. Thanks to that tech, it was an undeniable fact that the school produced a level of talent that overwhelmed every other institution.

But this was another world. We weren't just training to fight people. Oh no, there were monsters to worry about too.

"I believe you’ve all been briefed, but tomorrow’s exercise is training... yet, at the same time, it isn't," Darius said, looking genuinely apologetic as he stood before the class. "Your usual combat suits will be useless. You have the right to withdraw, but keep in mind that these types of sessions will only become more frequent. You can sit this one out, but I have to warn you—it will affect your grades."

Darius looked like a grizzled veteran, sporting a massive, intimidating physique, but he was actually the kindest soul in the room. At least, I always liked him in the original game. He was the classic 'hero' type—helping the weak and refusing to suck up to the powerful.

Naturally, not a single person stepped down. These were nobles, and their pride was everything. Besides, any cowards had already been weeded out of the program. Darius knew that as well, which only seemed to make him feel more distressed.

"I see..." he sighed. "Then I'll need your signatures. Weiss Fancent, you first."

I stood up without a word and walked over. I scanned the document, spotting the same terms I’d seen a dozen times back in the game. Back then, it was just a bit of flavor text. Now, it was reality.

To put it bluntly: If you die, don't come crying to us.

Most of the students were the pampered children of high-ranking nobles, and the world wasn't short on helicopter parents. The Academy used these detailed pledges as a shield to avoid messy political fallout. Good old risk hedging. It was a massive pain, but Darius still gave me a quiet "Thank you" as I signed.

That line wasn't in the original game. It actually kind of touched me.

Before heading back to my desk, I stopped by Allen and Shari. "Why don't you two just sit this one out?" I asked.

They’d been warned when they enrolled that they’d eventually have to put their lives on the line, but hearing the actual terms of the exercise was a different beast entirely. They hadn't fully processed it yet. I could see the internal struggle on their faces as they tried to find their resolve.

"I'm not backing down," Allen said.

"Neither am I," Shari added. "Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"

Yeah, I figured as much. I already knew what you'd say.

A lot had changed since I'd taken over Weiss's life, but this particular event left me with a messy knot of emotions. Memories of my past life started resurfacing. God... what am I even trying to do here?

The next day found us several hours north of Mount Galial, in a desolate region that most people avoided like the plague. We hiked along the side of a sheer cliff before emerging onto a small, open plateau.

It was a picturesque scene of forests, rivers, and cliffs, but we weren't here for a summer camp or a scenic field trip. For starters, the ground was buried under a thick blanket of snow. The weather in this area was notoriously bipolar; one day it could be midsummer, and the next it could be the dead of winter. That was because the sky was crawling with "Mana Clouds" that completely ignored the seasons.

This meant the local ecosystem was a total disaster. It was a constant cycle of "eat or be eaten," resulting in a forest crawling with mutated subspecies. As far as game maps went, it was top-tier. As a place to actually be? Absolute garbage.

It must have dumped snow last night, which was clearly not part of Darius's plan. He looked more anxious than I’d ever seen him. But hey, weather was a random variable; in the game, the difficulty shifted with every playthrough. This was officially the "Worst-Case Scenario" pattern, but complaining wasn't going to fix it.

"You don't need to keep track of your own kills," Darius announced. "The Magic Mark on the back of your hand will tally them automatically. More importantly, your priority is to survive in this forest for three days. ...Good luck."

I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again: this world was a game, and it didn't do "soft" field trips. The difficulty was cranked up to eleven. Death Game. That was the nickname players had for Noblesse Oblige.

The pairs had already been announced. This wasn't going to be a group effort, either. We were going to be warped into random locations across the vast forest. Points varied by monster, but only the pair that landed the finishing blow got the credit. Sure, there were benefits to teaming up with other pairs for safety, but no one in this class was going to do that. They were all gunning for first place through sheer, individual dominance. That was the core philosophy of Nobless Academy, after all.

While the others looked like they were about to vomit from nerves, my eyes were fixed on one specific girl. This event was burned into my brain. Why? Because this was the first time in my life I’d ever experienced true, crushing grief. In the real world, players had quit the game in droves after this event. They just couldn't handle the emotional fallout.

"Shari Elias, Number 15. Lilith Scarlet, Number 17. Good luck out there for the next three days," Darius said.

"You got it, Instructor Darius!" Shari chirped.

"Understood," Lilith replied.

Shari gave a high-energy response and even flashed a wink at Allen. Her relentless, bottomless optimism was her best quality. I hadn't expected her to be paired with Lilith, but the script probably wouldn't change.

"Man, Shari and Allen are so close."

"They’re basically a couple already. No one’s ever going to get between them."

The students were right; they were a package deal. Shari was the first person Allen’s age he’d met after leaving his village and arriving in this country. They’d shared everything since then. Joy, sadness, pain, fear. Their bond was thicker than blood.

And yet, the main heroine of the game was Cynthia. When you put it like that, it sounds crazy, right? Why choose Cynthia—who he'd just met at school—over Shari, the girl who had been his rock from day one? It should have been plain as day who the better fit was.

But the fact that Cynthia was the "True Heroine" was set in stone. And there was one very big, very grim reason for that.

"Cynthia Violetta, Allen. Step forward."

Chloe was there too, apparently helping speed things up by warping two pairs at a time. She looked as indifferent as ever. Well, that was her charm, I guess.

"Weiss... my heart belongs only to you," Cynthia whispered.

"Yeah, I know. I believe you," I said, seeing her off. They were paired up just like in the original story.

Shari was busy chatting with Allen. I could remember their exact lines, word for word.

"I’m totally going to win this, okay?"

"I’m not gonna lose to you, Shari!"

What a sweet, wholesome moment. They’d supported each other through everything since coming here. They’d cheered each other on and talked about their dreams for the future. About how they’d graduate, travel the world together, and help people in need...

"And now, let the training begin."

As the two pairs vanished in a flash of teleportation magic, my eyes were still glued to Shari. Once this event ended, Allen’s life was going to become a living hell. The only way he’d survive it was by leaning on Cynthia, bringing them closer than ever.

The greatest trigger for the two to deepen their bond—the reason they became inseparable—was simple.

Shari Elias was going to die during this training.