MTLNOVEL chapter 14 - Side Effect
After the duel with Ren, I blankly watched the other students' matches, trying to shake off the complexity in my mind. Despite that, I couldn’t help but keep my gaze fixed on Ren, who was still a distance away. Naturally, my thoughts were filled with concerns about her.
'…I already knew this, but being a hero is a truly tragic life.'
From the moment the first hero killed the ancient demon king, the endless cycle began. Constant collisions between heroes and demon kings were reborn with each generation. It seemed like a law of the world; they could not avoid each other, and eventually, they would always face off in the end.
But now, there were far too many heroes compared to the one and only demon king. This was still a question I hadn’t completely resolved myself. For some reason, the world had granted the power of the hero to far too many people in the current generation.
'With the power given being limited, why on earth are they just handing it out like this?'
The total amount of power the world could grant to heroes was fixed. The first hero used this power to defeat the ancient demon king alone. So what about the current generation, where there are multiple heroes?
Surprisingly, the blessings granted to each of them had not been diminished at all. Everyone had exceptional potential, and given time, each one of them could become strong enough to face a demon king by themselves.
It might sound good—one could say—but as I mentioned earlier, the power granted to the heroes of the current generation beyond their limits came with extreme side effects.
They lost lifespan, emotions wore down, and many experienced memory loss. There were various other side effects, and all of these things would break and crush the hearts of the heroes. In the game, by the later stages, the news of fallen heroes who couldn’t endure these effects would spread all the way to the academy. …And this also applied to Ren.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
'Ren’s potential was so exceptional that the side effects she experienced were far greater than the others.'
She was already a person who struggled with the immense responsibility of being a hero. The pressure of having a mission forced upon her, along with the expectations from those around her, must have been overwhelming. And on top of that, the side effects caused by the power she had.
There were many ways the playable characters died in the game, but Ren’s deaths were mostly suicides rather than being killed by others. In other words, mental care was the most important thing if I wanted to save her. Especially dealing with the emotional wear and memory loss caused by side effects.
'For now, she seems to have improved a bit…'
To minimize the side effects, naturally, one should perform the opposite actions. I would provoke her to stir her emotions and bring out the intense memories deep in her heart. …After all, as her arch-enemy, I was supposed to be hated by her, so it was a perfect fit for me.
***
Time passed, and the long morning class finally came to an end.
"Alright! That’s all for today’s lesson, everyone. See you next time!"
Looking around, it seemed like many of the students were exhausted, with some lying on the floor, panting. Unlike them, Ren, I, and a few others who had advanced to the intermediate class had personal training time. If the schedule was adjusted for the intermediate class, we would start attending those classes from the next session.
'Has Ren already left?'
No matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t find Ren anywhere. I had been worried that as soon as the class ended, she might try to aim a sword at me, but that seemed like a foolish thought now.
'…Could it be that the duel we had earlier is already erased from her memory?'
If that were the case, it would be a big issue. That would mean the side effects were worse than I saw in the game.
I wanted to check immediately, but first, there was someone I needed to meet.
"Professor Chenxi? You told me to stay after class earlier…" "…Hmm? Oh, it’s you. Right, I remember now."
Professor Chenxi looked up from the paper she had been scribbling on and turned her attention to me.
"It’s nothing serious, just something I wanted to ask." "Me?" "Yeah. The sword technique you used earlier in the duel. Where did you learn it?"
The sword technique I used earlier. She was probably referring to the reverse swordsmanship.
'…Ugh, I thought she wouldn’t notice, but she remembers it after all. I even changed the movements a bit.'
She probably didn’t realize it, but this wasn’t the first time I’d met Professor Chenxi. Back when I was an adventurer, I had coincidentally gone on a few guild quests with her. Of course, I had been wearing a mask, so she had never seen my face.
'I can't say that I was that person back then, though.'
"I learned it from a knight I used to go on quests with when I was an adventurer." "Oh, an adventurer? Me too, up until a few years ago."
Of course, she was a well-known figure, someone who everyone recognized.
"But why are you asking this all of a sudden?" "Mm? Oh, it’s nothing, just that there was a kid who used a similar sword technique to yours back then."
"‥‥."
As if recalling a nostalgic memory, a hint of longing appeared on Professor Chenxi’s face. …So she still remembers that time.
"That kid who used a sword like that—he borrowed money from me and never paid it back?" "…Huh?" "And then he suddenly disappeared? Damn—do you know how much money I lent him?! He just went silent! If I see him again, I’ll make him pay."
"‥‥."
Listening to Professor Chenxi vent her frustration, I broke into a cold sweat. It was all the worse since I was the one involved.
'…I’ll have to take this to the grave.'
As Professor Chenxi released her aura in irritation, I quietly slipped away from the scene.
***
After finishing the morning classes, the peaceful lunch break came.
"Hey, why do you look so terrible again?"
Kiana, who was elegantly eating pasta, asked me with words that were far from elegant.
"…It’s nothing." "What do you mean, 'nothing'?" "It’s just that I almost got caught in a perfect crime." "…What? You're being an idiot again. I don’t know what happened, but I’m sure it’s some stupid issue. Stop being all dramatic and just eat your food, idiot."
Well, if you got death threats from a monster-level professor, you’d probably end up like this too, right?
I sighed deeply and ate the lunch Kiana had bought for me. After eating the delicious food, I felt much more at ease.
"Hey, we’re in the same class this afternoon, right? Magical Engineering." "…Oh, yeah?" "I signed up because I’m interested in magic tools related to alchemy. What about you, why did you sign up?"
Well, the reason I signed up was because there was someone I needed to meet in that class, but I couldn’t say that, so I just vaguely brushed it off.
"I’m kind of the same. There are quite a few magic tools that are surprisingly convenient for adventurers."
It wasn’t a lie. Unlike in the era of the first hero, the magical tools that had evolved over a thousand years were almost omnipotent. They were extremely convenient in any field and were tools that couldn’t be separated from daily life.
"Hmm~ So adventurers use magic tools often, huh?" "Well, you only have one life. Not using them would be stupid." "That’s true."
We continued our casual conversation, enjoying the brief moment of relaxation. Then, I overheard something Kiana said that caught my attention.
"Hey, you know, right? That one girl who entered the academy with us, the princess?" "…I know." "Well, I found out that she’s also enrolled in the same Magical Engineering class as us?" "‥‥." "Apparently, she has a natural talent for magical engineering…"
As I listened to Kiana, my mind was already on another meeting that awaited me later that day. Naturally, it was with the princess Kiana was talking about.
'So I’ll meet her today after all…'
The Third Princess, Hella Leonerit. She was the lowest-ranked child among the four princes and three princesses of the royal family. The citizens didn’t know, but there was a bloody struggle for the throne happening within the royal family right now. The decaying emperor was being replaced by this petty power struggle.
In the game, Hella would have been caught in the crossfire of their brutal fights, likely to die. It had been a problem at the palace, and even now at the academy, she was going to face threats. Fortunately, since I was assigned to guard her at the palace, most of the threats to her had been dealt with.
'Next week is the problem.'
The magic tool overload incident. A research student was developing a teleportation magic tool, and it malfunctioned. But in reality, it was someone intentionally making it malfunction to kill the princess.
As a result, the princess, along with other students, would be moved to an unknown location. There, she would be brutally killed by mercenaries waiting for her. And the one who orchestrated all of this in the game was the Fourth Prince.
Hella Leonerit’s arch-enemy. In the game, he was supposed to attend the academy and be hell-bent on killing the princess at every opportunity. But in this reality, he didn’t enter the academy. Or rather, he couldn’t.
'…Because I killed him.'
I killed her arch-enemy. Just like the director in the dream. Now, everything I had to do was clear.
"―Hey, are you even listening to me?!" "Yeah, I’m listening." "…No, why does your face look like such a mess again?" "‥‥."
Why? Because the first friend I made at the academy is about to cause some trouble here.