We fought off the stubborn swarm of dolls and returned to the building where Headmaster Alderson resided.
It wasn’t far, but even so, it felt like it took three hours.
The dolls literally clung to us like crazy.
Fortunately, there were no casualties... but the mental exhaustion was hitting me hard. It almost made me think fighting monsters would have been better.
The demon puppets didn’t feel like living creatures.
Not even the beasts I'd fought at the training camp or that grim reaper who collected souls had given the same vibe.
There was something about their reckless charges, disregarding wounds and even death, that made one weary of them beyond their strength.
“You have made it back safely,” Headmaster Alderson greeted us as we returned, battered and bruised.
His complexion was a little better than when I’d left. Barter, still catching his breath, responded, “I'm glad you're okay, Headmaster. I'm Barter Goodspring, second-in-command of the Imperial Special Forces. It's a pity I have to identify myself in a situation like this.”
Alderson nodded with a slightly displeased expression. “Mmm... It is all right.”Sir Barter's public identity was that of a professor within the Academy's swordsmanship department, but being a member of the Special Forces meant that was a cover.
From the headmaster’s perspective, of course he wouldn’t be pleased.
Anyway, the two of them began talking, exchanging information and so on...
Meanwhile, I looked around the building’s interior.
I saw the cadets who had been with Glenn. Their condition seemed to have improved a bit, they weren't quite so lost and unconscious as before.
“...What's going to happen to us now?”
“This is a nightmare. It's all a nightmare...”
“Ahh, ah... Urgh...”
“...”
Of course, it wasn’t necessarily a good thing that their sanity had returned.
I passed by the cadets muttering depressing monologues and reached the ones who were still sane.
The young heroes.
“...Luan.”
The ones sprawled in the hallway looked up when they saw me.
They weren't in the best shape either, but they were more exhausted physically than mentally, so I was at least able to have a conversation with them.
“Glad to see you're all safe. Are you guys okay?”
“We’re fine, but...”
“...I don't know what the hell is going on.”
They clearly wanted an explanation, so I said, “Come on, I told you already: Cultists infiltrated the academy, and the demon lord has already been summoned. In short, we’ve been dragged into the demon lord’s Veiled World.”
“We needed to save the cadets, right? But does this mean we ended up in the same situation as them...?” Sharyl asked dejectedly.
“You did, yes, but not me.”
“What?”
“I walked in on my own. I wasn’t dragged here, I came to hunt. Don’t treat me like we are in the same boat.”
Sharyl shook her head. “...I can't believe you're making jokes in this situation. You're definitely not normal either.”
But I wasn't making a joke?
Although they understood the situation, it seemed they were still panicked and confused.
I let the other young heroes have a moment of their own and pulled Evan to the side. He should have the best grasp of the situation.
“Explain what happened,” I said.
Evan gave a wry smile and explained, “Thanks to you buying me time, I easily made it out of the research wing. However, although I managed to make it to the main building without any trouble, I blacked out right after.”
“Hmm...”
“The only thing I saw before losing consciousness... was the people around me collapsing as well.”
After hearing his explanation, I roughly understood what had happened. “I guess it's fair to assume that everyone at the academy got dragged into this.”
“I agree. It's not about skill or mental strength or some kind of resistance... No one had any time to react. I did expect the princess to do something, but I didn’t expect her to act so quickly and aggressively.” In a serious voice, Evan muttered, “...Probably the entire resident population of the academy has been dragged to the Veiled Side. They've all been kidnapped, so even if things are quiet for a day or two, the empire will surely notice something is amiss eventually. What the hell is the princess thinking?”
His last words were more for himself than for me.
I thought for a moment, then said, “Maybe they’re thinking of finishing it in a day or two.”
“Finishing what?”
“Everything.”
As Evan looked at me with a puzzled expression...
BEEEEEEEEEEEEP.
A piercing sound echoed through the entire building.
It was ear-splitting, like a metallic screech, and very disturbing.
A communication crystal?
I'd seen a few inside the building, but I had doubted they worked.
The young heroes, cadets, and even the headmaster and Barter couldn’t do anything but quickly cover their ears.
[Hmm. I wonder if you can all hear me clearly? Attention, academy members].
That was the princess’s voice.
Her voice was crisp and cheerful, as if she was casually speaking while taking a stroll.
[My name is Ferith Scarlet. I am the one who invited you to this world. First, I’d like to begin by expressing my heartfelt thanks to those who are participating in my game. But...]
“...”
[Since I doubt any of you wish to hear that, I’ll just cut to the chase.]
With a low chuckle, the princess continued.
[The total number of “humans” currently in this world is 613. Of course, that excludes those whose souls are already held hostage by the dolls. On the other hand, the puppets scattered across the academy... total 3,600.]
Sharp gasps spread through the room.
Fear flashed across the cadets’ faces.
She had to be watching this unfold because in the next moment, the princess laughed again.
[Of course, that's not counting the armored cavalry that Headmaster Alderson so kindly gifted me].
“...”
[I'll give you a day’s reprieve. After that, every puppet in the academy will launch an all-out attack on the building you're in, Research Building 12. Now, that’s simple, isn’t it?]
The princess’ voice dropped to a whisper as she continued:
[However, if you reach Building 13, where I am, and kill me before then, it is your victory].
“...!”
[Then I wish you the best of luck. Please play by the rules and have fun.]
With that, her voice cut off.
It was a one-sided announcement.
* * * * *
* * * * *
“...She’s completely insane,” Evan muttered, and as he clicked his tongue, the room around him erupted again.
“Th-they’re going to attack tomorrow?”
“What's going to happen to us then?”
“I-I don't want to die yet...! There's still so much I want to do—”
Their panic was understandable.
It hadn’t been long since these cadets were simply focused on their studies and enjoying their youth, yet they had suddenly been dragged into this Veiled Side and effectively been sentenced to death.
Demanding they they calm down in this situation would be ridiculous.
Barter looked at Alderson and asked in a low voice, “Headmaster, what do you suggest?”
He didn't bother to listen to anyone else, but he at least showed respect for Alderson, an archmage.
“Hm...”
When the headmaster didn't answer immediately, Barter spoke again. “If nothing comes to mind at the moment, may I share my thoughts first?”
“Go ahead.”
“We must gather all our forces and attack the princess immediately. If we kill her within the day, we win. Failure, on the other hand, will mean defeat and our total annihilation.”
“...”
“I'll take charge of selecting and leading the attack force. If you are able, Headmaster, your assistance would be invaluable.”
“Wait a moment.” Alderson's gaze turned to me. “I'd like to hear from you as well, Young Hero Luan.”
Barter's eyebrows twitched.
He didn’t seem to understand why my opinion was being sought in this dire situation.
But to the headmaster, it was the natural choice.
Of all the people in this room, he was the only one who knew I had taken down a legion commander.
Speaking slowly, I shared my thoughts. “I agree with attacking the princess, but a large group won’t work. We should keep it to five people.”
“What nonsense—”
“Hold on, Sir Barter,” the headmaster said, to calm Barter. He turned to me with a measured look and asked, “There must be a reason, I suppose?”
“Of course. Pam?”
“H-huh?”
Pam, who had been quietly resting, was startled
She clearly hadn't expected to be called upon in this situation.
“You told me about some ghost stories related to the research wing, didn't you?”
“Y-yeah, I did.”
“Tell everyone.”
“Right Now? Here? Me?”
“Quickly.”
“Ah...”
With all the attention on her, Pam froze stiff. But her cheeks were flushed, as if she was a little excited to have the attention of such influential figures.
She said she wanted to be a journalist.
If so, she should learn how to take advantage when everyone’s attention was on her.
Her voice shaky, Pam started, “Th-the nonexistent Building 13 and the ghostly game of tag that takes place inside it, the woman in white wandering the halls, and the sound of tapping on windows but no one is there...”
“That's enough, thanks.”
“O-okay.”
I patted Pam’s shoulder as she took deep breaths, then turned back to the headmaster.
“So the ghost stories Pam mentioned, they’re actually happening here on the Veiled Side, albeit a little differently."
“What are you trying to say?”
“The princess said it herself: ‘Play by the rules and have fun.’ In this world, will becomes law, and the one who defines the law, the rules, is Princess Ferith.” Even after all this, their faces showed confusion, so I continued, “I also heard this: The princess is part of a club and wants to recruit up to five members.”
I felt Sellen’s gaze on me.
She was the one who had told me this information.
“We need to pay attention to the number five. Perhaps if we limit the attack team to five members, we’ll face minimal resistance and reach the princess more easily.”
Barter sneered. “That’s not worth listening to at all. It’s baseless drivel with no logic or basis. You expect us to bet our lives on some silly rumor?”
“My logic may be poor, but I do have evidence. Have you forgotten already? When we headed to Building 13 earlier, we were not attacked once.”
“...”
“There were exactly five of us then.”
“...”
Barter shut his mouth.
“There's no fancy reason for these rules. They’re just the princess’s whims.”
“...”
“As we’ve just heard, the princess views this whole situation as a game. Logic? Sure, such a thing is important in other circumstances... but not here. Why would you try to find logic in a madwoman?”
Sharyl sucked in a sharp breath.
As an innate noble, she was shocked by my remark.
Headmaster said, “You may have a point, but... is there a chance it’s a trap? A ploy to limit our team to five?”
“Schemes are for the weak, but the power disparity here is obvious; if the princess truly wanted to kill us, she could just crush us right now. With her thousands of puppets combined with the headmaster’s damned Platinum Knight Order... A day? Building 12 would be reduced to rubble in an hour.”
“...”
The headmaster fell silent.
“The only reason she’s not doing so is simple: She does not want a one-sided game. She wants to feel the thrill of possibly losing.”
I felt like shit for being so blatantly belittled by her, but given the situation, I had to accept it.
In fact, we needed to use it to our advantage to the fullest.
Sharyl, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up. “Now that you mention it... Inside Building 13, nothing happened until Karis and Mir joined us. As soon as they appeared, demons suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Before that, there were only five of us in the building.”
So Sharyl’s experience reinforced my hypothesis.
I nodded and said, “As I said. Anyway, I’ll be in charge of picking the attack team. It’ll be in this order: Me, Sellen, Evan, Charon, and finally, Mir. That makes five.”
“...”
Mir, who had been sitting in a daze, snapped to attention. “M-me? ME?!”
“Yes, you,” I replied simply, then looked to Barter, who was smiling. “Do you have anything to say? I’m open to advice.”
Barter kept smiling at me. Of course, he wasn't smiling out of joy. “...You're crossing the line, Luan Bednicker. I've been as respectful as I can toward you so far.”
I couldn't help but burst into laughter at that one.
Why did all authoritarians sound so alike?
Probably because they didn’t realize.
They didn’t realize that such a tone only appeared when they were trying to be disrespectful.
“What's your problem? I was just following Sir Butter’s philosophy.”
“I said it’s Barter. And what do you mean?”
“Who should take the lead in times like these?”
“...”
“Someone who can accurately assess the situation at hand, someone who can make the right decisions based on that assessment, and someone who can take responsibility for their decisions. In other words, the strongest person here... Oh my.” I covered my gasp with a hand and pointed to myself. “That's me,” I said with feigned shock.
“...”
____