I Stole the Heroines’ Tragedy Flags

"This is the place."
"…Thank you for guiding me."
"Then please have a restful night."
Following the maid’s guidance, I arrived at the room assigned to me.
As soon as I entered the dormitory, the first thing I did was wash up.
Then, without a second thought, I collapsed onto the bed.
I had pushed myself too hard, and my body still felt like it was falling apart.
Exhaustion hit me like a wave, making my eyelids grow heavy.

‘Still, this turned out fine.’
In the end, I had been accepted as a student of the academy.
That meant I could now intervene in future events.
Thinking that I had managed to secure the first step properly, I finally felt like I could relax.
With a lighter heart, I sat on my bed and looked out the window.
Somehow, time had flown by, and the sun was already starting to set.
‘…Not bad.’

The view from my high-floor dormitory was quite impressive.
The sunset casting its glow over the neatly maintained fields created a scene that could only be described as breathtaking.
Since the academy was on another level in terms of scale, it wasn’t surprising that the dormitory grounds were equally vast, offering such an expansive and beautiful landscape.
Even with over a thousand new students, each of us was given an individual room, meaning I didn’t have to worry about an annoying roommate.
‘I’d love to just laze around like this for the rest of my life.’
Burying my face into the soft bed, lazy thoughts naturally came to mind.
But the moment I acknowledged reality, the weight of it all came crashing back down.
Sighing, I reached into my chest pocket.
Soon, my fingers wrapped around something familiar.

Rustle—
What I pulled out was an old, worn-out book.
The stains and frayed edges were proof of how often I had flipped through its pages.
Reading this book before sleeping had become a habit of mine.
‘…Forget it. I should just get some rest.’

I had read it hundreds, no, thousands of times.
I already had its contents completely memorized.
And yet, I kept reading it—probably out of anxiety.
‘Tonight, I should just rest without thinking too much.’
From now on, life would only get more difficult, not easier.
With that in mind, I closed my eyes and let myself rest.

Forcing myself to stay awake, pushing away the creeping drowsiness.
Thinking about the old acquaintances I would soon meet.
‘I never thought I’d be wearing something like this in this world.’
I looked at my reflection in the mirror.
The uniform the headmaster had sent to my dorm fit me perfectly.
A deep violet coat and a black tie—it even made someone like me, who had never worn anything expensive, look decent.
…How did she even get my measurements?

‘Did she use Dragon’s Sight? What a ridiculously overpowered ability.’
I kind of wanted it for myself.
As I continued inspecting my uniform from different angles in the mirror, I heard a commotion outside my window.
Curious, I turned my attention away from my reflection and headed outside.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Outside the dormitory, the area was crowded with students heading to class.
With over a thousand new students, it was no surprise that the dormitory was flooded with people.
If anything, the truly surprising thing was that the dormitory could even accommodate this many students.
The dormitory buildings were divided by year.
Likewise, the academic buildings were separated by grade level, meaning interaction between different years wasn’t particularly frequent.
Of course, depending on elective courses or club activities, there were some cases where students mingled more often.
‘Oh, so this is the Ella Academy Gate?’
The first-year students had gathered in front of a massive structure emitting a blue glow.
It was rectangular in shape, and its interior pulsed with an opaque blue energy.
This enormous construct, known as the Gate—or Portal—was the first recorded instance of applying spatial magic to a magic tool.

And, of course, it was created by the academy’s dragon headmaster.
Thanks to this invention, people across the vast Albracia Continent could travel freely and conveniently.
‘Ah, it’s already 7:37. I need to get through quickly.’
Depending on the type and quality, magic tools consumed vastly different amounts of mana stones.
And that Gate was, without a doubt, the largest one I had ever seen.
No matter how prestigious Ella Academy was, keeping something like that running indefinitely was impossible.
That’s why it was only activated for 40 minutes each morning, from 8:00 AM to 8:40 AM.

‘And if I’m late?’
I recalled the layout of Ella Academy from the game.
…Yeah, even if I ran at full speed, I’d still be late.
This academy was absurdly massive.
I quickened my pace, heading toward the Gate like the other students.
Once I passed through that blue expanse, I would arrive at the academic district where the classrooms were located.
Soon enough, as I stepped forward, the Gate’s blue energy touched my body.

Shhhhaa—
A momentary feeling of pressure in my ears, and in the blink of an eye, the scenery changed.
It felt similar to the spatial magic the headmaster had used.
The ride quality of the headmaster’s spatial magic was far superior.
This one was slightly—

"Ugh… my head."
"Wait, do we have to ride this every morning? This is absolute hell."
"Urghh—!!"
"Kyaaa—! Someone just threw up here!!"
The surroundings were a mess.
Most of the students who had just exited the gate were groaning in pain.
Since this wasn’t direct magic but a magic tool-based teleportation, minor side effects were inevitable.
If someone used the gate alone, it probably wouldn’t be noticeable, but when multiple people used it at once, their mana intertwined, causing discomfort for those with weaker control.
‘If your mana resistance and sensitivity are high, it’s not a problem at all.’

The few who remained unaffected were likely the skilled ones.
Well, even the struggling students would get used to it after a few months.
Riding the gate daily would be training in itself.
"I… I think I’m gonna—ugh!"
"Hey, you psycho! Don’t puke while facing me! Aaaah!!"
"Shit, my clothes!!!"
‘…Damn, that’s rough.’

I sent them my silent condolences and tried to head into the building.
Or at least, I intended to.
Until someone grabbed me by the scruff of my neck.
Thump!
"Guh! Cough, cough! Who—"
"Follow me."

A cold but undeniably beautiful voice.
It was a woman. That much was clear.
Without another word, she gripped the back of my collar tightly and dragged me behind the building.
I had no choice but to stumble backward, clutching my throat as I followed her.
Students heading into the building shot me curious glances, whispering amongst themselves.
No one, however, bothered to help me.
‘…This voice is familiar.’
Being pulled like this, I couldn’t turn around to see her face.
I racked my brain, trying to figure out who she was.
It didn’t take long.
I knew I would run into them all eventually, but to meet her like this, already…

‘This is going to be a mess—’
Thud!
"Urgh!"

A sudden impact.
My back slammed against something hard.
Pain shot through me.
Had she just thrown me against the wall?
The chill of the building’s stone surface seeped into my skin.
"Why the hell are you here?!"
Smack!

My back hit the wall again.
This time, she had grabbed me by the collar.
Only then did I get a proper look at her face.
"…Long time no see, Riley."
"Shut your mouth. I’m sick of hearing my name from you."
"…"
Her voice trembled as if she was barely holding back her anger.
Her glare was murderous.

"I told you, if you ever appeared in front of me again, I’d kill you. Didn’t I?!"
"You’ve gotten a bit more foul-mouthed."
"And whose fault do you think that is…? Do you even feel the slightest bit of guilt?! You killed my master, you did that to me, and now you act like you don’t even remember the disgusting, vile things you said?!"
What had turned her into this? …No, I already knew.
It was me.
Her once delicate face was twisted with hatred, her black eyes brimming with a deep, festering resentment.
She was one of the playable characters.
Her neat, dark blue bobbed hair was exactly as I remembered.
Back when I was a fugitive, running from my pursuers, she had been the disciple of the benefactor who had sheltered me.
It hadn’t been for long, but for someone like me—who had no home—her and her master had been my refuge.
…At least, until I destroyed everything with my own hands.

I tore my gaze away from her and glanced at the sky.
Until now, whenever I met the main characters of this world, I had always maintained an unwavering stance.
I approached them as if I were performing an act of kindness,
And then I took everything from them.
I tried to give them hope and salvation,
But to them, I was nothing more than despair and the root of all evil.

Fraud, murderer, trash, someone they once loved, someone who abandoned them, someone they despised.
I remembered every title they had given me.
‘…Yeah. I need to put on the mask.’
I had committed those sins, so could I really call it acting?
Even if it was a false villainy, wasn’t I still a villain all the same?
The thought crossed my mind momentarily, but I shoved it aside.

I buried my emotions deep and put on my mask.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about. Do we still have something left to discuss?"
"You bastard… you absolute piece of shit…!!"
I felt her hands tremble as they gripped my collar.
Her voice, filled with rage, wavered with suppressed tears.
For a split second, my mask faltered.
But I steeled myself again.

Shhh…
Her fingers slipped from my collar.
Then, her whole body slumped to the ground.
"Let’s not acknowledge each other at school. …It won’t end well for either of us."

That was all I said before forcing my heavy steps forward, leaving her behind.
"…I will, I will definitely—"
I ignored the voice trembling behind me and walked away.
Merging back into the sea of students heading to class.

‘…Fuck this.’
This life was seriously fucked.