NOVEL NEXT Chapter 39
“Today, we will interrupt all classes and have an off-campus lesson,” the homeroom teacher, the military woman, announced as she entered the classroom.
The students were in a buzz of confusion at the sudden announcement, but I, on the other hand, had a different reaction.
…So it’s finally happening… the off-campus lesson…
Yes, it had come at last. The first awakening event of the protagonist.
Let me say it again— the first awakening event of the protagonist…
I repeated it twice because it was an important matter, but the problem was that the protagonist, Eugene, was absent. He had been suspended for a month due to his attempt to discredit me, and he hadn’t come to school yet.
If I missed this event, my strength would drop significantly compared to the game. Well, it was his own fault, so I didn’t feel sorry for him at all… but the boss needed the protagonist to defeat him. Who would willingly take on such a troublesome task?
“Master! Does an off-campus lesson mean… we’ll get to see lots of magic, right?”
“Hey, Jin… when did you become the princess’s master?”
There were so many things I needed to think about, but these guys were being so noisy that I couldn’t concentrate.
“You guys are too noisy. I’ll explain everything to Rud later, so just be quiet for now. And I’ve already told you, I’m not becoming Cynthia’s master.”
When I said that, Cynthia pouted and became sulky, and Rud had a resigned expression.
I continued to think that being surrounded by people was quite a challenge. Just as I pondered this, the military woman started explaining the details of the off-campus lesson, just like in the game.
“The off-campus lesson was originally scheduled for a month later, but recently, the monsters from the ‘Spirit Forest,’ which is the setting for the lesson, have been appearing outside the forest and causing damage to multiple villages. The reason is unknown, but currently, both the Knights and the Magic Guild are tied up with other matters, so we’ve been tasked with this. Of course, there’s no room for refusal.”
The students expressed their dissatisfaction and concerns about this absurd situation.
“Why us!?”
“Yeah, seriously! At least let the upperclassmen handle it!”
“We won’t be much of a fighting force!”
What the students were saying made perfect sense. Even in the game, I thought, “Is this really appropriate for a school?” Well, I just accepted it as part of the game, but now that it’s becoming a reality, it’s nothing short of outrageous. It’s like telling the students to go die.
However, no matter how much we complained or voiced our dissatisfaction, the school’s decision remained unchanged.
“I understand what you all want to say, but you’ll be fighting monsters after graduation anyway, so don’t complain about this. Besides, the students in this class are all outstanding. The powerful monsters will be dealt with by us teachers, so I’m entrusting you all with the elimination of weaker monsters.”
With that, the military woman left the classroom, leaving behind a noisy atmosphere.
“Master! Let’s go quickly! And show us your magic!”
“Now… should we get some explanations?”
Of course, the people around me were also eager to talk.
Since I couldn’t respond to both of them at once, I poked Cynthia, the magic enthusiast, on the head and then turned to Rud.
With her usual familiar groan and a glare while holding her head, Cynthia, the magic enthusiast, can be ignored for now.
“Um, well… to put it simply, Cynthia is a hardcore magic enthusiast, but when I showed her some magic, she asked me to become her Master.”
“Yes, that’s right! But Master never becomes my Master at all…”
“…Hey, why don’t you become her Master?” Rud asked in a voice that Cynthia couldn’t hear.
“If I become her Master, she might invade my free time all the way to my days off. That’s a big no-no. My time with Mea is more precious to me than anything else.”
I wouldn’t tolerate anyone trying to interfere with my time with Mea, even if it were a god.
“Oh…right, with her kind of enthusiasm she might just randomly pop up on your days off and just say ‘I wanted to visit you’!'” Rud chuckled in agreement after hearing my words.
Rud had understood the other person’s character accurately within the past few days, showing the mark of a true assassin.
“Alright, then I’ll help so that she can give up on being a hindrance,” Rud said, making a dependable promise.
With such reassuring words, I had high expectations for Rud.
I glanced at Rud, who was speaking to Cynthia, with hopeful eyes.
“Princess? Jin is quite busy with various things, so it might be a bit difficult for him to become your Master…”
“Eh… Is it not possible?”
“W-Well… you see…”
Huh? The situation seemed to be getting a bit precarious…
“Lord Rud… could you please help me too? You’re the only one I can rely on…”
Saying that, Cynthia moistened her eyes and used a pleading gaze.
Upon seeing this, Rud…
“Princess, rest assured, I will definitely persuade Jin!”
“Thank you!”
—He quickly switched sides and betrayed me.
I silently slapped both of their heads.
“You two… cut it out. Seriously, I’m not becoming anyone’s Master…”
I realized my words were losing their force, but at the moment, I didn’t have the luxury to care. I thought it had become quiet at some point, but now everyone was looking at us. Not only that,
“Hitting the Princess’s head… that’s unacceptable…”
“And she’s younger and a girl, too.”
“To put it mildly, that’s just terrible.”
They started criticizing us.
“Damn it…”
I couldn’t stand it any longer. I also wanted to escape the angry gaze of the other Princess, so I left the classroom as if I were running away.
However, I was so irritated by the unfairness of it all that the moment I left the classroom, I used sound magic to make a loud explosion.
Everyone was surprised, falling off their chairs and tripping over themselves, which I found quite amusing, to say the least.
——–