I Stole the Heroines’ Tragedy Flags

"'…Lilith. How much have you gathered? If only four hours have passed, isn't it still insufficient?'
[ I can suppress the curse again, but indeed… there isn’t enough demonic energy to assist you with what you need to do. ]

'Then let’s stay like this until morning.'
[ Will you be okay? You must be quite exhausted from the curse. Wouldn’t it be better to do it now? ]
'It’s fine. I won’t be able to sleep again anyway, so keep me company until morning. You can use the time to gather more energy too.'

I stripped off my damp clothes and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water wash over me.
The tension that had stiffened my body melted away with the heat, leaving me feeling significantly less fatigued.
—Creak.

"Haa…"
Feeling refreshed both physically and mentally, I returned to my room.
I rummaged through my wardrobe, picking out one of my casual outfits.

Soon, a loose nightgown was draped over my bare body.
[ …Child. You’re not even trying to cover yourself anymore, are you? It’s making me embarrassed on your behalf. ]
'Didn’t you say you could see through anything I wear anyway?'

[ That is true, but… ]
'And weren’t you the one teasing me about this before? Why the sudden modesty?'
For a Succubus Queen, she sure got flustered over things like this.

I had always wondered about that when it came to Lilith.
Weren’t succubi supposed to be… experienced?
[ …T-that’s just nonsense humans made up! I’ve told you before—our kind values purity! ]

'Oh? Did I say that out loud? Eavesdropping isn’t a good habit, you know.'
[ We’re contracted, you fool! Of course I can hear your thoughts! ]
'Aha~?'
[ …How did I end up with such a wicked child for a contractor? ]

Hearing Lilith lamenting her misfortune made me chuckle.
I walked over to the window, placing a book on my desk before sitting down.
Then, I quietly gazed outside.

The moonlight streaming through the glass was stunningly beautiful.
For a brief moment, it made me forget all my worries.
But only for a moment.

Snapping myself out of it, I focused on the tasks ahead.
"Lilith. You remember what I told you, right? What I have to do after entering the Academy."
[ …Yes. The first key… event? I still don’t fully understand the terms you use, but I assume it’s about a week away now. ]

"When the time comes, I’ll wake you up. After that… you know what to do."
[ Understood. ]
"Thanks."

Even if this was just a contract, she had helped me tremendously.
If not for her, I wouldn’t have even been able to attempt this insanity.
Lilith’s presence was invaluable to me.

"Lilith."
[ What is it? ]
"…I’ll make sure to save your daughter. Just like how you’re helping me."

[ … ]
She was silent for a moment, as if choosing her words carefully.
Then, she finally spoke.

[ …You truly are a child I can’t figure out. ]
"How was that? Did that line sound cool? Did it make your heart race?"
[ Hmph. It would have been better if you hadn’t said that last part. ]

"…Hah."
Laughing, we exchanged meaningless banter until dawn.
Finally, morning arrived.

"…Mmm."
[ The sun has risen. And you look like you can’t hold out much longer, so I’ll be going now. ]
"…Yes. Please take care of it."

[ Be careful, little one. ]
Thump.
A heavy pulse crashed through my chest as something settled inside me.

At the same time, the drowsiness that had been weighing me down faded away.
Stretching, I cracked my stiff joints.
It was time for class.

***
Upon arriving at my classroom, I greeted Kiana.
"You're early."

"Ain, good morni—huh?"
"…?"
She suddenly stared at my face, completely fixated.

What? Did I have something on my face?
"What is it?"
"…Nothing. You just look way brighter than you did yesterday. Something good happen?"

"Hmm? I guess I just slept well."
"Huh~ I see."
Even though I had only gotten four hours of sleep, it was my first proper rest in two months.

It made sense that my mood was noticeably better.
…If only I could avoid those shitty nightmares.
"By the way, today’s the first day of elective classes, huh?"

"Yeah."
"Ain, what’s your first class?"
"Basic Swordsmanship."

If I had to pick one class where the most incidents happened in the game, it was always a tie between swordsmanship and magic.
Since it involved actual combat training, it had way too many event choices.
…More importantly, Ren was also in this class.

'After dreaming about all that, now I have to face her immediately?'
I could already predict how that was going to go.
Just imagining her holy sword stabbing straight through my stomach made me shudder.

…There were other students in class.
She wouldn’t just kill me in broad daylight, right?
A cold feeling crept up my spine, and I instinctively rubbed my neck.

I really needed to make it through my first class with my head still attached.
"Ain, do you even know how to use a sword?"
"I was an adventurer before coming here."

"…Wait, what?! You were an adventurer?!"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Why?"
For someone who was already so lively, she suddenly looked way more excited.

"Holy shit! You’re the first person my age I’ve met who’s actually been an adventurer!"
"…? There should be a few here at the Academy, though?"
"Idiot, we’re only on day two! I was stuck in my family estate before this, remember?"

"Oh, right."
"I’ve always wanted to try being an adventurer! But my dad never let me—said it was too dangerous…"
Yeah, no shit.

If a noble’s only daughter suddenly wanted to be an adventurer, what father would allow that?
Besides, adventuring wasn’t all about thrilling escapades.
It was the exact opposite.

"It’s not as fun as you think."
"Of course, but! My mom was an adventurer, so I grew up hearing all kinds of epic stories! Just thinking about it gives me chills!"
'Kiana Edenvice’s mother… that would be Filua Edenvice, right?'

If I remembered the game’s lore correctly, she was an A-rank adventurer.
One of the top 0.01%.
No—even stronger.

If someone like her was telling stories, I could see why Kiana was fascinated.
"Besides my mom, there was hardly anyone around me who was actually an adventurer. The knights in my family were all too busy to entertain me."
"And?"

"So. That. Means! Ain, you have to answer all my questions!"
"…What if I refuse?"
"Shut up! You can’t refuse! I even bought you food yesterday!"

…Threatening me with food? That was low.
But since the food was good, I reluctantly agreed.
"…Will you buy me food again if I answer?"

"Of course!"
Well.
Guess I had no reason to refuse."

***
"The exhausting Q&A session with Kiana finally ended.
After that, Professor Hallen’s mandatory morning theory class came to a close.

Now, it was time to move to my elective class.
'Seriously… what the hell was with Kiana’s questions?'
I heard there are a lot of brothels near inns. Is that true?
My mom said adventurers relieve their urges in places like that. Ain, do you?
When collecting monster trophies… do you see, like, reproductive organs? Do you collect those too?
Ugh… fuck, that sounds disgusting.
 

For some reason, all of her questions were weirdly focused on… that kind of topic.
…Kiana’s mother, just what exactly have you been teaching your daughter?
I massaged my temples, trying to push away the headache forming from our earlier conversation.

Right now, I had something far more important ahead of me.
'Is this the place?'
Following the map’s directions, I arrived at a space far larger than any normal classroom.

A massive open area—
And within it, a huge gathering of students.
It made sense.

Swords were the most commonly used weapon across all backgrounds.
As a result, the number of students who took this class was overwhelming.
Of course, among them, there were plenty of weaklings who wouldn’t even make it through the beginner course.

This kind of class usually weeded people out right at the start.
Especially because the instructors for weapon training were notoriously harsh.
Cautiously, I blended into the crowd, scanning the area.

With this many people, finding her was harder than expected.
'…There.'
A lone figure, standing apart from the crowd.

A gray ponytail caught my eye.
Sharp eyes, an unreadable expression.
She looked exactly as she did in the game.

The image of her sorrowful face from my dream flashed in my mind.
My body flinched involuntarily.
…Was I seriously still suffering PTSD from getting stabbed?

Carefully, I kept my distance, watching her.
Maybe it was because of the dream, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Fortunately, before I could get caught staring, a loud voice broke my focus.
"Haah~ There’s always so many new students, huh?"
A tall, familiar-looking woman strode toward us, speaking loudly.

A scar over her left eye, strong muscles, and a greatsword strapped to her waist—
All of it radiated sheer charisma.
And with each step she took, intense aura rippled through the air, radiating a heat that washed over the crowd.

'She’s making a strong first impression.'
"Alright! Class is starting, so cut the chatter—"
Clap, clap.

With just two claps, she drew every student’s attention.
The excited murmuring of the students immediately died down.
Because everyone knew exactly who she was.

"Mm… Guess I should introduce myself first? Nice to meet you all. I’m Chenxi, and I’ll be teaching you about swords starting today."
Chenxi.
A former adventurer.

A monster who held the rare S-rank adventurer title.
She was a living legend.
The hero who single-handedly defended the southern border from a large-scale monster wave.

The woman who slaughtered 100,000 undead, eradicating the plague of liches that once threatened the continent.
A confirmed Master-ranked swordswoman—
A professor with unmatched skill and reputation in the Academy.

She was the idol of nearly every student here.
Even now, their eyes were practically sparkling as they looked at her.
"Whew, I’ll never get used to that kind of reaction… Anyway! Since it’s the first day, I won’t go easy on you. We’re diving straight into class.

But before that—"
She gestured to her side.
The training area contained multiple sparring grounds—

Each one absolutely massive.
"As you all know, this is the Basic Swordsmanship class.
"But I also know that some of you here aren’t actually beginners.

"There are students here who are already pretty damn good."
Her gaze was already locked onto someone.
Of course—

It was Ren.
The undisputed top student.
And a Hero.

"So, if you think you’re skilled enough to skip to the next level, step forward.
"I’ll let you fight against each other, and if you impress me, I’ll move you up to the intermediate class immediately."
The students murmured amongst themselves.

But no one moved.
Because they all knew—
The next person to step forward would have to face Ren in a duel.

Which meant—
This was the perfect opportunity for me.
'…If I want to confirm things, now’s the best time.'

Step.
"I’ll do it."
"Oho~? I was wondering if I’d have to fight myself, but looks like we’ve got someone with guts."

Ignoring the professor’s amused reaction, I emerged from the crowd.
And—
"…?!"

"…It’s been a while."
I met her eyes."