I Stole the Heroines’ Tragedy Flags

"Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Kiana, her face flushed red. Once again, she seemed lost in her own thoughts, letting out girlish squeals of excitement.
…It had nothing to do with me, so I ignored it and focused on the lesson.

Meanwhile, I began to feel a rather uncomfortable gaze piercing me.
"Isn't it a bit too obvious, Your Highness?"
I couldn’t turn my head for fear of meeting her eyes, but the feeling of being watched was overwhelming. It wasn’t quite a hostile look, but it was a little too ambiguous to be anything else.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
Of course, I understood her feelings perfectly. Compared to others, my relationship with her had ended rather awkwardly. There were lingering questions she had, and it made sense that she would be watching me, especially since we hadn’t seen each other in a while.
Unfortunately, my response to her was nothing but ignoring it. …At least until next week.

I deliberately turned my attention away from her gaze and faced forward again.
"—That’s why the magic tool before you was created."
Professor Hallen's lesson was transitioning into an interesting topic. I observed the object placed in front of the three of us. It was the magic tool Professor had distributed to each group. Its cubic shape displayed countless magic circuits clearly visible on its surface from a distance.

It looked remarkably similar to the restraints I had been wearing a few days ago.
‘It’s definitely improved compared to before.’
Back in the days of the first hero, magic tools were still unfamiliar items on the continent of Albrasia. They were simply accessories for mages to use for convenience. Nothing more, nothing less.

But now, thanks to great advancements, they had become so commonplace that even ordinary people could use them.
A miraculous advancement that had improved the quality of our lives. Just look at the gates created with spatial magic—magic tools were incredibly convenient.
"Some believe that soon someone will invent a magic tool capable of interfering with the concept of 'time'..."

"To be honest, that sounds like a baseless story. The concept of time is too much for a mere human to control."
"While spatial magic exists, time magic does not, and that is the reason for it."
"Even with spatial magic, we're still in the early stages of development."
Professor Hallen continued her explanation in a gentle voice. Though it was only a half-explanation, there was nothing incorrect about her words. In this world, there was almost no one who could interfere with the concept of time.

Even the sun and moon gods couldn’t manage it.
Thus, reversing time or traveling to the future was closer to a delusion. It was a concept that magic tools could never reach.
‘…Well, there was one, wasn’t there? Someone who could handle time.’

The Star God, Raiel. Once revered as one of the highest gods alongside the Sun and Moon gods. While few knew of him now, the concepts of space and time were once governed by Raiel.
However, he had vanished from the present world.
When he disappeared, the concepts he managed also became unstable. Fortunately, someone else had managed to take over the concept of space, but time was left without a successor.

As a result, time became a name-only concept that no one could handle.
‘Ah, I guess that’s true.’
The Sage of Stars. A McGuffin-like presence always appearing in the game, supposedly capable of handling time by inheriting the power of the Star God.

That was one of the reasons I was searching for him.
‘Ugh, I wish I could have such powers too…’
Then I could go back and change all those days I regretted—both this life and the one from a thousand years ago.

***
And so, the afternoon lesson was nearing its end.
"Alright, that will be all for today’s class. You've all worked hard."

"Thank you for your hard work!"
Professor Hallen's teaching method was both informative and fun. She must have had quite a bit of experience, considering her age.
As I looked at the enthusiastic reactions from the students, I stood up from my seat.

Glancing—
I stole a quick look to the side. Was the princess still deeply engrossed? She was still fondling the magic tool.
Seeing her so absorbed in it, unchanged from before, brought a smile to my face and a sense of relief. I had worried that her personality might have changed after that incident, but fortunately, it seemed my fears were unfounded.

"Hey, Kiana."
"…"
"...Kiana?"

I pulled my gaze away from the princess and looked at Kiana. Her face was still the same.
"Hey, I'm going ahead, okay? See you tomorrow?"
"...Mm."

She barely managed to respond, before going back to spacing out. I had no idea what she was daydreaming about, but it didn’t seem necessary to ask.
I left her be, keeping an eye on the princess, and quietly slipped out of the classroom.
. . .

"Ugh, I'm exhausted."
By the time I reached the dorm, I let out a sigh of fatigue. A day full of draining encounters had left me mentally and physically worn out. I made my way to my bed to take a short rest before I showered.
"…?"

However, the size of the blanket on the bed seemed strange. It looked like someone was lying underneath it.
—Swoosh.
I lifted the blanket, revealing a familiar face lounging underneath it.

"...Headmaster?"
"Mm, you’re back."
With her usual languid expression, the girl was licking a lollipop. Her blue hair stood out as she eagerly consumed the candy.

…Why was she here?
"What are you doing in my room?"
"You came looking for me, didn’t you?"

"Huh? …Ah."
Now that I thought about it, I had gone to the headmaster’s office to find the traces of the Sage of Stars.
—"I’ll let you know as soon as I get in touch. If it’s him, he’ll probably come to you personally."

‘So, that’s what she meant.’
I recalled Vice-Headmaster Sharin’s words and looked back at the headmaster. She had already finished the candy and was suddenly producing more from thin air.
"Wouldn’t your teeth rot if you keep eating so much?"

"You know my identity, right? I’m polymorphed, so what’s a little candy? It won’t even reach my liver."
"True."
If she released her true form, it would probably be several times larger than this dorm.

Still, seeing her eat so much candy wasn’t a great sight. It wasn’t like she ate it because she liked it.
"Mm… So, you have something you want to ask me?"
"Yes."

"Well then, should we change locations?"
"...Huh?"
Without getting up, she raised her hand and snapped her fingers in a familiar motion.

—Snap!
A pure white light filled my vision, different from the previous teleportation magic.
. . .

When the dizzying light finally cleared, the scenery of the dormitory was completely gone, replaced by a completely unfamiliar space.
An endless, vast space, all colored in shades of gray. It was so empty it felt almost nihilistic. In the middle of it all, a single sofa stood alone.
The headmaster immediately collapsed onto the sofa after arriving.

"Headmaster, is this…?"
"My personal void space."
"..."

A void space.
It was a space completely detached from reality, separated from everything. Such spaces were often used as magical tools, serving as inventories. But that was only within the context of magic tools.
‘Living beings cannot enter a void space.’

That was a law established by whoever governed the concept of "space." The very same concept once managed by the Star God, Raiel.
If it weren’t for the fact that she herself had created this rule, neither she nor I would be able to be in this space.
"Your name was Ain, wasn’t it?"

"Yes."
"You have something you want to ask me?"
"Yes."

"Hmm."
She straightened up and sat down properly, snapping her fingers again.
—Clunk!

A table appeared between us, and as I turned to look at the noise, the same sofa she was sitting on appeared behind me.
"How about a bet?"
"...A bet?"

"Yeah. I don’t know what you were planning to ask, but it’s no fun just telling you, right?"
"..."
I knew it.

She wasn’t going to give me anything willingly.
She had a mischievous side when she found something interesting, and she especially liked games and bets.
"Do you know how to play chess?"

"Yeah, I’ve played it often."
"Huh… Really? I thought you were common-born."
"What’s wrong with being common-born?"

"Commoners don’t usually play games like this."
As she said, board games were something only the nobility played in the empire. Especially chess, which had been around for thousands of years, long before the founding of the empire.
Of course, with the advancement of fantasy magic, simulation games had taken over, so chess wasn’t as popular anymore.

Still, it was a game that exercised the mind.
"Well then, here’s the deal. If you beat me in chess, I’ll answer any question you want."
"And if I lose?"

"Hmm, I’ll just eat you up."
She said that with an eerie nonchalance.
"...Just kidding. If I win, you’ll answer my questions."

"...Alright."
And so, our game began.