Two days had passed since the Thunder Beast Incident.
I headed to the cafeteria alone for a meal, only to be stopped in my tracks by a chilling sight.
Kaname was sitting there, shrouded in a gloomy, oppressive aura. Her face was the picture of a woman on the verge of death. She hadn't even touched the set meal she’d ordered. This was a girl who usually inhaled her food, shouting, "Fast eating is a vital skill for a warrior, it is!"
To put it bluntly, she looked like a living corpse.
"Hey, Kaname. What’s wrong?"
"Ah... Lord Albert..."
In a daze, she continued to scribble characters onto a paper napkin. Her calligraphy was so refined it was practically illegible.
"Kaname, what have you been writing this whole time?"
"...A death poem, it is."
"Huh?"
I leaned in to look. Written in masterful strokes was a short verse:
—"Amidst the thunderclap / Is it my body that scatters / Like cherry blossoms?"
"What is this supposed to be?"
Kaname snapped her head up. Her face was ghostly pale, her eyes filled with a tragic, hollow determination.
"Lord Albert...! This humble one has realized the truth!"
"The truth about what?"
"The Thunder Beast. Its appearance... this humble one may have been responsible!"
I didn't have hard proof, but given her connection to Shiunin and her "Thunder Beast Shroud" technique, she was likely right.
"Why do you say you 'might' be responsible?" I asked. If she really was the cause, she should have known it instantly.
Kaname furrowed her brow. "...This humble one has no memory of that day. I remember activating my 'Thunder Beast Shroud' and running up the side of the school building, but after that, I was struck by lightning and lost consciousness."
"That actually happened?"
More importantly, how the hell was she still alive?
"My memories surrounding the strike are vague. I feel as though I saw something, yet I saw nothing... However, it is possible my 'Thunder Beast Shroud' transformed into that beast through some outside influence. Above all, thunder is inextricably linked to the name of my beloved Lady Shiunin...!"
Kaname gripped her chest tightly.
"The circumstantial evidence is damning! The one who birthed that monster and plunged the Academy into crisis was me...! How pathetic! To think I cannot even control my own power!"
Her hand moved toward the dinner knife on the table, her fingers tightening around the handle.
"As a samurai, I must take responsibility! I have no choice but to commit seppuku here and now!"
Can you even disembowel yourself with a dinner knife? No, that wasn't the point!
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!"
I lunged forward and grabbed her wrist.
She might be a weirdo obsessed with her ancestral traditions, but she was a dead-serious samurai. She was exactly the type to actually go through with it. I couldn't afford to lose her here. She was a vital piece of the puzzle for the Demon King Subjugation. If she didn't help Hero Leon defeat the Demon King, I’d be the one in trouble.
With Knight Klaus already acting unstable, it would be a disaster if Kaname checked out too.
"Calm down, Kaname! Don't be rash!"
"Let go, Lord Albert! To atone for this disgrace with my life is the Way of the Samurai!"
"It wasn't your fault! That was... right, it was a natural phenomenon!"
Crap. The nonsense just started flowing out of my mouth. What now?
"A natural phenomenon, it is...?"
Surprisingly, the words seemed to hit home. Kaname stopped struggling and looked at me, waiting for an explanation.
Right. To her, I was "the man who wields Lady Shiunin's power." To her, my words carried the weight of divine law.
Damn it all. I have to commit to the lie.
"Yes, a natural phenomenon! Think about it—this Academy is packed with elite mages. The density of high-quality mana in the atmosphere is staggering. When intense weather like that lightning storm occurs, the fluctuations can interfere with the ambient mana and manifest a monster. It’s a rare but documented occurrence!"
"Is... is that the truth?"
"Of course it is! I read it in a book once. Trust me—I’m the Top of the Grade!"
It was a weak excuse, even to my own ears. But for Kaname, it was enough.
"...I see. If Lord Albert, who handles Lady Shiunin's power, says it is so, then perhaps it is."
She looked convinced and finally set the knife back down.
"You have my gratitude. I almost acted with shameful haste."
I let out a quiet sigh of relief. I’d managed to talk her down... for now.
Just as I caught my breath, a stir broke out at the entrance of the cafeteria.
"Hey, look! It’s Leon!"
"The Saint is with him, too."
"I heard they’re the ones who took down the Thunder Beast... that’s insane!"
The students erupted into chatter. As the rumors suggested, Leon and Serafina had arrived.
News of the Thunder Beast Subjugation had swept through the Academy like wildfire. They had destroyed a monster that the faculty could barely contain. Regardless of Serafina’s status as a Saint, Leon—who had been a nameless commoner until now—saw his reputation skyrocket. Everyone in the school now knew his name.
All eyes were fixed on the heroes.
Leon walked toward the back of the room with Serafina, seemingly oblivious to the stares. Watching him, I felt a sudden, sharp pang of unease.
Wait, was he always like that?
The Leon I knew would have blushed or waved back awkwardly if he were the center of attention. At his core, he was a kind, sociable kid.
But there was no trace of that boy now.
He walked with a straight-backed, purposeful gait, as if the surrounding noise didn't exist. His eyes were fixed on nothing in particular, and his face was a total void of emotion.
Had the fame changed him? No, he wasn't that shallow. Something was wrong.
Clatter!
A loud noise drew my attention. A male student near Leon had accidentally dropped his tray, sending dishes and food scattering across the floor.
A normal person would have flinched at the sound and stepped around the mess with an apologetic or confused look. A nice person would have stopped to ask, "Are you okay?"
Leon’s reaction fit neither profile.
He didn't startle, he didn't look confused, and he didn't offer a shred of concern. He simply stepped around the debris with mechanical precision and kept walking.
...What the hell was that?
It wasn't just that his behavior was different; it was the way he moved. It was inhuman. Creepy.
Beside him, Serafina was the polar opposite. She wore a radiant, beaming smile, bowing gracefully to the other students. She seemed to be in a better mood than ever before.
On the surface, nothing looked wrong with her, but seeing the two of them together felt like looking at an optical illusion—as if a single button had been fastened into the wrong hole, throwing the whole image off.
What was happening to them?
Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury of dwelling on Leon’s personality shift.
"The Kingdom Festival is coming up soon, isn't it?"
"Who are you going to watch the fireworks with this year?"
The conversation from a nearby table reached my ears.
The Kingdom Festival.
The moment I heard those words, the memories of the original game came rushing back. In the game, it was a massive event—glamorous festivals, dates with the heroines, a peak of excitement.
But for me, it was something else entirely.
It was the climax of Chapter 2 of Arcana Academia. It was the day of the "Execution Event," where the villainous noble Albert von Kronstadt—the man whose shoes I was currently filling—would meet a gruesome and final end.
...It’s finally happening.
The ultimate death flag was drawing near, its footsteps growing louder with every passing second.
The story had already drifted far from the original script, but I couldn't let my guard down. Whatever was coming, I had to be ready. I was going to survive this, no matter what.