Episode 33: Is This a Mary Sue?

“So this is… the Knight Wing”

After walking for quite a while, we finally arrived at our destination.

The overall grounds are huge, so there’s quite a distance between buildings too.

At this rate, if we moved right before class starts, we wouldn’t make it in time.

Is this perhaps a scheme to ingrain the knight’s practice of arriving five minutes early?

It wouldn’t be strange if there was actually such an intention.

“I came here during the exam too, but that symbol really is cool”

Looking up at the upper part of the building, Emma said with deep feeling.

It’s a symbol modeled after a Fenrir’s face.

Originally, monsters are targets to be subjugated, but some types are held up as symbols or objects of worship like this.

This Fenrir represents the knight’s attitude of being faithful to their master.

…Or so it was written in the scrapped settings collection, I recall.

Well, what’s fresh in my memory is the knight training program materials, but I remember there was something like that in my past memories too.

By the way, the nobility’s symbol is a Griffin, representing being noble and gallant.

This was mentioned in the early parts of the game too.

“Our classroom is… here!”

After entering and following behind the other new students walking ahead, Emma pointed to a nearby classroom and said that.

Come to think of it, I haven’t confirmed my own class.

Therefore, I don’t know which class I’m in or what kind of classmates I have. Well, regarding the latter, even if I checked I’d only know names, and the only person I know is Emma anyway, so it doesn’t matter.

“I wonder what kind of people there will be”

“Yeah! I hope it becomes a fun class”

With a slight sense of anticipation, I opened the classroom door.

…Instantly.

The classroom became wrapped in complete silence.

Several students were already seated, probably having been chatting and deepening their friendship, but at this very moment they showed expressions of astonishment on their faces and froze.

And all of them were directing their gazes toward us, having just opened the door.

…Huh, what?

What’s going on?!

I was startled by the sudden barrage of stares.

I was thinking about greeting them with something like “Good morning everyone!” but those words were pushed back at my throat.

“…Um,”

The moment I opened my mouth to say something, unable to bear the silence.

“You’re Arcs-kun, right!?”

Such an excessively excited voice rang out.

And using that as a cue… as if stopped time had begun moving again, “motion” returned to this space.

“Whoa! He really came!!”

“It’s the real top student!”

“Wow, even his presence is different!!”

A flood of voices came rushing at me in rapid succession.

At the same time, the students who had been frozen also approached, making a commotion.

Just like people getting excited after finding a celebrity.

…Huh, what?

What’s going on?!

I felt a déjà vu with an extremely short span.

***

“I was there during the magic exam!! That magic was amazing!”

“I saw you defeat your opponent knight during the swordsmanship exam!”

“Actually, I was sitting behind you during the written exam”

An avalanche-like barrage of words came flying one after another.

Surrounded by classmates I’d be spending the next year with, I sat in my seat feeling confused inside.

Why did things turn out like this… well, actually.

It seems talks about me had spread much more widely than I thought.

And this “more than I thought” was way more than I thought.

The various performances I did during the entrance exam.

I hadn’t paid attention since I only had eyes on special student admission, but apparently those weren’t things a normal examinee should have been able to pull off.

Using large-scale magic skillfully and completely destroying a magic target that wasn’t supposed to break.

Defeating an active knight… and moreover, someone at a level who could be placed in a fairly high position.

The highest-level magic I showed during the cooperative exam.

It seems all of these were more than just a little excessive.

…No, it’s not like I was unconsciously overpowered or anything, I was properly aware of it, okay?

The magic was something that becomes usable in the very final stages of the original game, and as for swordsmanship, that wasn’t supposed to be a scene where I “won”…?

I thought I understood, but… I didn’t understand thoroughly enough, I suppose.

And more than all these facts, what I understood least was that people enrolling in the Knight Course have quite a lot of enthusiasm.

Well, of course, since they’re people who broke through an incredibly difficult exam, it’s natural that their enthusiasm is also incredible.

Therefore, their admiration for strength seems to be more than average…

“What kind of training do you usually do?!”

“How did you control large-scale magic?”

“Did you do a lot of practical training?”

As a result, having become top student, I became the object of such admiration.

…Somehow, I’m starting to feel really apologetic…

Even though I’m not seriously aiming to be a knight like they are…

No, is this sentiment itself rude?

It might be coming off as an indirect flex.

…Hmm, I don’t want to betray the admiration directed at me either.

I’m really troubled about how to respond.

The one who threw me a lifeline in my troubled state was her.

“Ah, everyone! The teacher’s coming soon!!”

“Eh, crap”

“I’d like to avoid getting scolded on the first day”

Like a crane’s voice, the gathered classmates scattered and went to their respective seats.

Basically it’s free seating, but perhaps panicking at the warning, or simply because relationships haven’t formed that much yet, they took their seats leaving empty spaces.

“Ahaha, Arcs-kun. You’ve become quite popular”

“Emma-san… you saved me”

Narrowing her eyes and laughing like that was Emma.

“Don’t worry about it! Actually, the teacher really is coming soon!”

While settling into the empty seat next to me, she laughed “ahaha” again.

“Emma-san, did you know I was this well-known?”

“Hmm? No, I didn’t know either. So I was surprised. When we opened the door, everyone suddenly came over”

As silence was beginning to return to the classroom, she said while giggling and lowering her voice.

Is that so?

No, she hadn’t caught on to that weird name “Test Breaker” during the cooperative exam either, so she might be quite oblivious to such topics.

“Well, I did know that Arcs-kun is amazing though”

“…I see”

Well, she’s been giving me her stamp of approval since earlier.

…But, it wasn’t the same kind of “amazing amazing” about strength like the classmates just now.

She might not have much interest in strength.

“…Emma-san, you’re—”

Just as I was opening my mouth to say that, the door was flung open vigorously.

“Alright, is everyone here?”

In a slightly different way from Emma, it was a cheerful woman’s voice.

Dressed in the proper attire befitting a knight, and I don’t mean to make a fuss about gender differences, but she had quite a masculine-looking face.

I directed my gaze to the side.

Emma was sitting with her back straight.

I need to straighten up too… while pulling myself together with that thought, I readjusted my posture in my seat.