I Stole the Heroines’ Tragedy Flags

I let out a long sigh, almost instinctively.
‘It’s already exhausting.’

Even so, my steps didn’t stop.
I had to avoid running into anyone else who might recognize my face.
Struggling to steady myself, I finally stepped inside the building.
Up ahead, I saw someone who appeared to be an academy staff member guiding students.
I simply followed the flow, blending in as I moved.
[B - 2]
Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the classroom assigned to me.
At that moment, tension crept up my spine once more.

‘…There won’t be anyone here, right?’
Since this was just a temporary class assignment before the entrance ceremony and subject selections, the class I ended up in was always randomized in the game.
Which meant—I had no idea who else was in this room.
Worst-case scenario, another uncomfortable reunion could be waiting for me.
Taking a deep breath, I cautiously stepped inside.
Step.

‘Alright, looks like I don’t recognize any of them—’
"That’s really her… Lady Seria."
"I can’t believe I’m in the same class as the Saint. Is this a dream?"
"She’s breathtaking…"
I froze.

The murmurs were impossible to ignore.
Scanning the room, I noticed that most of the students’ gazes were fixated on one person.
Naturally, my eyes followed theirs.
"…!"
Whip—!

I immediately turned my head away and ducked behind the crowd of students.
It seemed that the heavens had no intention of answering my prayers.
First Riley, and now her?
I averted my gaze so fast that I barely caught a glimpse of her face.
Swiftly, I moved to the very back of the room, as far away from her as possible.
Thankfully, her seat was in the front row—that was the only silver lining.
There were plenty of students between us, so as long as I stayed out of sight, we wouldn’t have to acknowledge each other.
…Not that it would last forever.
Fate had already tied us together, whether I liked it or not.
But meeting her again this soon—it was too soon.

"…Haa."
Another sigh, a habit I couldn’t shake.
I buried my head in my arms on the desk.
Unwanted thoughts filled my mind.
And of course, the common thread between all of them was the old acquaintances I had met today.
‘Riley aside… Seria looks exactly the same as she did in the game.’

Our first encounter back then had been entirely different.
It had taken some effort to find them at first.
Recalling those old memories, a wave of bittersweet emotions washed over me.
I subtly lifted my head and looked toward the front.
Among the students with their various hair colors, one figure stood out.
Her long, raven-black hair was just like mine—no, even darker.
It had an almost hypnotic allure, naturally drawing people’s attention.
Like a flower on the edge of a cliff, she sat by the window, gazing outside in solitude.
‘…So she really became the Saint after all.’
This world, the background of the game, had Demon Lords.
Alongside heroes, divine beings were an undeniable reality here.

And with them came their chosen representatives—Saints and Holy Ones.
The girl I was staring at was one such person.
Seria, the Saint of the Moon.
Gods were real in this world.
Not just one or two—many.
And even among gods, there was a hierarchy, much like the ranks of adventurers.
If you grabbed any random person and asked who the strongest gods were, they would always name two.

The Sun God, Iris, and the Moon God, Seora.
Two deities standing at opposite poles, maintaining balance in the world.
The Sun God governed light, life, and righteousness.
The Moon God oversaw darkness, death, and sin.
For any god, managing even one fundamental law of the world was already an overwhelming burden.
Yet, these two controlled three each.
Naturally, they held the most powerful influence in the papal order.
And Seria, chosen by the Moon God, was one of the most renowned figures.
In other words—she was a celebrity.

There was a time when the three of us—her, another, and myself—used to play together outside the monastery.
…But now.
‘She succeeded, while I…’
That realization stung.

In the game, her death was always tied to the title of Saint.
No matter what I tried, I could never stop her from becoming the Saint.
And no matter what, our connection had always ended in tragedy.
‘…I should stop looking.’
I forced myself to look away.
There was no point in staring—it would only bring up unpleasant emotions.
Instead, I needed to focus on my plans moving forward.

Turning my gaze, I looked at the pen and paper sitting on my desk.
The same sheets were placed on every student's desk.
Earlier, the academy staff had explained that these were course selection forms for choosing our primary field of study and subjects.
There were three main tracks: Combat, Support, and Administration, each with various subjects under them.
Students had to choose one main track, but they could also register for subjects outside their field.
However, at least three courses had to be from the chosen main track, and exams for that track accounted for 70% of the final grade—making it the most important factor.
I absentmindedly spun my pen between my fingers while scanning the form.
The first option was Administration.

‘Yeah, definitely not that one.’
That track was mostly filled with nobles who only attended the academy to get a diploma.
It required extensive prior education, making it nearly inaccessible to commoners.
It was also largely irrelevant to the game’s storyline.
Considering I’d be running around involved in all sorts of trouble, there was no reason to pick this track or any of its subjects.
‘…Oh, I should take at least this one.’

Scratch, scratch.
With a quick checkmark, I moved past the Administration track.
My real decision lay between two options.
‘Combat or Support…?’

After a brief moment of deliberation, I placed my pen over the Support track.
Logically, the Combat track would be the best fit for the subjects I planned to take.
But there was a major issue—class assignments.
After selecting a main track, students were grouped into homerooms based on their choices.
And most of the people I had past ties with… were in the Combat track.
If I ended up in the same class as them, I could already predict the disaster waiting for me.
‘Track selection is done. Now for the subjects—’

"Alright, the entrance ceremony preparations are complete! Everyone, submit your forms to me. If you haven’t finished filling them out, do it quickly!"
A middle-aged man’s voice called out from the front of the room.
Most likely a professor.
I glanced at the students leaving the classroom in a hurry before refocusing on my form and filling in the rest of the details.
‘…Done!’

Finally finished, I stood up with my form in hand—
And then I realized most of the students had already left.
The problem was—
"…"
"…"
She was still here.
And, to make matters worse, we made eye contact.

She had already noticed me earlier.
Her gaze was fixed on me—unwavering, unblinking.
‘…Shit.’
Nothing was going my way today.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
For several seconds, we silently stared at each other.
The time felt agonizingly long, like an eternity.
A heavy silence filled the now-empty classroom.
Step.

She was the one to break it.
Step.
Step.

She slowly closed the distance between us.
When she finally stood in front of me, her pitch-black eyes locked onto mine.
Like a lifeless doll, her expression remained blank, yet it exuded an eerie intensity.
"…Ain. It’s been a while. Hello."
Her voice was quiet, disjointed.
A rare, distant sound I hadn’t heard in a long time.
Hearing her voice again, I found myself unable to respond immediately.

She had been born unable to speak properly.
This was the case in both the game’s tutorial and in my first real-life meeting with her at the monastery.
Her speech impediment had been a permanent disability, something she had always been ashamed of.
But after becoming a Saint, she no longer used her actual voice.
Instead, she communicated through divine power, never uttering a single spoken word in the game.
That much hadn’t changed.
So why… was she speaking now?

‘…Why does she look so sad?’
Her eyes were filled with rage, just like Riley’s had been earlier.
But there was something far greater than anger in them—sorrow.
The sight of her on the verge of tears made it difficult for me to meet her gaze.
"Why. No. Response…?"
"…"
"I. Missed. You. So. Much. Why. Only. Now?"

Every word.
Each broken sentence.
They all stabbed into me like daggers.
"Ain."
"…"
"Ain!"
I said nothing.

"Back then… why. Did. You. Leave? You. Said. You. Would. Stay."
"…"
"Why. Did. You. Abandon. Us? Liar."
The girl who had always been expressionless—who had spoken in monotone even in the game—was now overflowing with emotion.
Yet, I had no words to give her.
She was the Saint of the Moon God, Seora.
Her divine eyes, capable of sensing evil, could also distinguish lies.
I couldn’t even pretend with her like I had with Riley.
Of all the people I wanted to avoid… she was the last person I wanted to meet in this situation.

"…Ain."
She slowly raised her hand, reaching toward me.
I didn’t know her intention.
But I could not let her touch me.
"You two over there! Have you finished filling out your forms? The ceremony is about to start!"
"…Ah, yes! I’m coming!"

The professor’s timely interruption from outside the room was a miracle.
Without hesitation, I escaped the classroom.
And just like that, she was left behind, all alone.
"…"
Shff.

Seria quietly withdrew her outstretched hand and clutched it with her other.
She had wanted to stop me.
She had wanted me to listen.
To explain the terrible, incomprehensible things that had happened that day.
…But she hadn’t found the courage to say it out loud.