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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Entrance Ceremony
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Lily filled me in on what had happened.
She said that as soon as I placed my hand on the crystal ball, darkness had descended, and many people had collapsed on the spot due to an ominous aura.
Professor Dian had immediately cut off the magic supply to the crystal ball, and I had fallen unconscious there, not waking up for two days.
The faculty were speculating that the entity I summoned was an evil god, and that they would summon me soon, and so on.
"...So that's what happened."
Hearing details I hadn't been aware of, I nodded, lost in thought.
The events I experienced in that empty, void-like world were still vividly etched in my memory.
The maelstrom of emotions that swept over me,
The ominous energy and unpleasant voice that had seeped into my skin,
And the colossal eye that had been staring only at me.
'An evil god, huh…'
It was a fact I could be sure of, having seen it beyond the monitor.
The identity of that overwhelming entity was clearly the evil god, Volginus.
'But why?'
A question arose. Doesn't the illusion magic used for admission summon the strongest or most terrifying being one has encountered?
Yet, since possessing this body, I hadn't encountered an evil god, or even the Seven Deadly Sins.
So, an evil god shouldn't have appeared before me.
But the evil god appeared before me, as if to prove me wrong, and spouted nonsense.
Who had I led to ruin? And more importantly...
-「 You found it. 」
Why was the evil god looking for me? Because I was a Vessel of Sin? Or because I was a Transmigrator?
It's frustrating. Nothing is clear.
'Ah, maybe…'
Just then, a plausible idea suddenly came to mind.
Perhaps the reason I could summon the evil god was because I had seen him beyond the monitor while playing the game.
That would make sense. The evil god was the final boss of this game, so I might have unconsciously perceived him as the strongest being.
As I was thinking that, a dry voice spoke.
"Mr. Caramel."
My head lifted. The sickly girl I'd forgotten while lost in thought had a cigarette in her mouth.
"Saintess. My name is Camel."
"Ah, my apologies. Mr. Caramel."
I tried to correct her name, but it was no use, as expected.
The only improvement was that, unlike before, Lily replied with a faint smile.
"...Thank you. Were you perhaps in pain?"
"I merely did what was natural. And no, it wasn't difficult."
When I offered my thanks, the Saintess forced a smile, her face pale.
Watching Lily like that, an uncomfortable feeling settled in a corner of my heart.
'A lie.'
Her already frail body was visibly trembling slightly.
Her eyebrows were twitching visibly.
And sometimes she would flinch, her face contorting.
And I knew why Lily was in pain.
'Because she used divine power.'
Saintesses perform miracles with divine power.
They mend broken bones. They heal torn flesh, and at times, even reattach severed limbs.
The price of such miracles is the Saintess's own suffering. The more divine power she uses, the greater the pain she must endure.
And if that were all, perhaps. But when a Saintess performs a miracle on a person with divine power, she must also expose herself to the evil residing within that person.
"Mr. Caramel, you're not saying anything again."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm chain-smoking like this, as a Saintess, and you're not saying a word. You were the same four years ago."
"Well, is there a law that says a Saintess can't smoke? You're not doing anything bad, so why would I say anything?"
Honestly, I dislike smokers and tend to offer unsolicited advice.
But I deliberately grumbled, evading her question.
Because I knew that the cigarettes Lily smoked contained trace amounts of narcotics, which helped alleviate her pain.
"Hmm. You really are a peculiar person, Mr. Caramel."
Lily, who had been staring at me with a strange expression for a moment, then put her ninth cigarette to her lips and continued.
"Oh, Professor Dian asked me to tell you something."
"Professor Dian?"
"He said he was the one who received your admission application, and he's moved all your luggage from the inn to the Felix Dormitory, so you can just head there."
"Understood. And... thank you for everything."
Lily spoke to me, exhaling smoke, and I bowed my head in thanks.
"Oh, and this is something I personally wanted to say."
Just as I was about to step outside, I heard her voice.
I turned my head, and Lily opened her lips with a faint smile.
"Mr. Caramel. Congratulations on being the top scorer."
Seeing that smile, I gave an awkward laugh and vowed inwardly.
Though it was impossible right now, I would alleviate that sickly child's pain as soon as possible.
****
Hilda van Kerendius, the Headmaster of Arden Academy, asked the professors gathered in her office.
"Was it handled well?"
"Yes. We informed the applicants that this incident was due to a cursed artifact, and most seemed to accept it."
"That wasn't a very good explanation. But there's no helping it. We'll just have to coordinate our stories among the professors. Dian, how is the child doing now?"
The Headmaster stroked her grey beard as she asked Dian.
"Fortunately, he seems to have recovered his condition. He's currently resting in the Felix Dormitory."
"Good. He doesn't seem like an ordinary child, so keep a close eye on him for now. Then…"
Dian nodded, and Hilda stared intently at a stack of documents, about to continue speaking.
"Headmaster, if I may be so bold."
Just then, a professor raised a hand and called out to the Headmaster.
"Speak, Professor Zikel."
Once the Headmaster gave him the floor, he began to state his opinion.
"I admit that the entity summoned by that student, Camel, was an unapproachable being, but…"
"You admit it, and?"
"The student, Camel, caused harm to other applicants and collapsed without showing any countermeasures. I believe it was not a good choice to give such a child the top spot and assign him to the Felix Dormitory, which is reserved only for special individuals."
"So?"
"For the sake of fairness, I believe the dormitories should be reassigned and the scores re-evaluated."
Hilda let out a shallow sigh, then replied in a low voice.
"Listen, Zikel. As you said, that entity was an unapproachable being. And furthermore, while nothing has been definitively proven yet, this old man is certain. That entity was undoubtedly an evil god."
"..."
"This fact alone proves that child's worth. That he possesses a value incomparable to other students."
"But…"
"But what? I haven't finished speaking, so listen. You said, didn't you? That Camel showed no countermeasures?"
Zikel nodded, and Hilda infused mana into the crystal ball resting on the table.
A hologram began to bloom above the crystal ball.
"I restored this with great difficulty, so watch carefully. See if that boy truly did nothing."
In the hologram, Camel, enveloped in darkness, was slowly moving his hand.
"I guarantee you, the number of people here who could move their hand like that in front of that entity can be counted on one hand. And…"
As sounds of dry swallowing could be heard from various corners, Camel in the hologram drew his sword.
"...!"
"...!"
A brilliant light began to burst forth from Camel's sword.
The interior of the office was momentarily bathed in white, and the faces of those watching were filled with shock.
Watching the scene, Hilda muttered lowly.
"No one here could draw a sword in front of that entity."
Silence fell over the office.
*****
After leaving the temple, it was my first morning in the dormitory I had moved into. No, rather, it was dawn.
Thanks to the high-performance blackout curtains, no warm sunlight was entering.
For some reason, no birdsong could be heard either.
So, I should absolutely not have woken up at this early hour.
Clatter-clatter.
The noisy sound eventually forced me to get up.
"...Fuck."
Wondering what the sound was, I turned to its source and instinctively let out an expletive.
"Chirp-chirp!"
Clatter-clatter.
It was understandable. The source of the sound that woke me from my deep sleep was the squeaking of a hamster wheel being spun by a baby bluebird.
"Chirp-chirp!"
Did it sense my presence?
The creature, which I couldn't tell if it was a bird or a rodent, chirped brightly while looking at me, then began spinning the wheel even faster.
"No, why is a bird spinning a hamster wheel…?"
Feeling dizzy, I plopped down on the spot and lamented.
That hamster wheel was something Dian had displayed in my dorm, calling it a gift.
Besides that wheel, Dian had also placed a luxurious birdcage and some mysterious toys in my room, and upon seeing them, I had said:
-"Every single one of these is useless."
While I appreciated Dian's thoughtfulness, my words were sincere and true.
"Chirp-chirp!"
-Clatter-clatter
Or so I thought, but it seemed I was mistaken.
"No way…"
A sudden fear gripped me.
My gaze shifted.
"..."
What I saw were various kinds of toys.
Now that I looked, I saw a dog chew that hadn't been there yesterday. There was a feather wand that a cat would love, and even a huge cat tree set up in the corner.
I stood there with my mouth agape for a moment, then called out to the owner of these toys.
"Tweetie."
"Chirp-chirp!"
Tweetie chirped back excitedly, still spinning the wheel as if tireless.
I asked Tweetie.
"Tell me honestly. You're not a bird, are you?"
"Chirp?"
Tweetie tilted its head, as if asking what kind of bird noise that was.
****
Thanks to Tweetie, I had failed to get a good night's sleep, and now, feeling miserable, I was heading somewhere.
"Isn't that him? The guy who supposedly snagged the top spot this time."
"Oh, yeah, it is. The one who supposedly set off an artifact in the exam hall."
"Ugh, that kind of kid is going to read the oath at the entrance ceremony today?"
"The world's gone to hell. I feel like I came for nothing."
What the hell were these idiots spouting now? My mood was already foul, so my head snapped around, and my expression twisted into a menacing scowl.
"Gulp…"
"Hey, look away. He might try to hurt us."
"Ugh…"
The bastards then avoided my gaze and pretended to be busy.
If they were going to act like that, why bother gossiping loud enough for everyone to hear? It was utterly incomprehensible.
As I walked toward the entrance ceremony hall, feeling their subtle gazes.
"CA-CA-CA-MEL!"
Suddenly, a bright voice rang out loudly.
-Thump.
A soft thud on my back, and simultaneously, something clung to me.
There was no need to turn my head.
Red hair cascaded beside my face.
A faint rose scent that was impossible to forget.
Even the familiar weight on my back.
"Oh, Rose."
The one who had jumped on my back was a woman I knew all too well.