Chapter 13

“Ha-a-a-am.”

The day after I had strengthened my weapon.

I entered Class 1-A with a yawn.

‘I thought I’d oversleep since I went to bed late yesterday, but that was a needless worry.’

On the contrary, I wasn’t even late—I was actually the first to arrive.

After glancing around the empty classroom, I walked over to my seat and sat down.

‘I really did transmigrate into quite the diligent body.’

For some reason, my eyes had shot open at six in the morning.

It would take a few more days to be sure, but it seemed this body’s daily rhythm was simply very disciplined.

Thanks to that, I had been the first to arrive at the dining hall and could eat breakfast earlier than anyone else.

“Should I do some training in the morning or something?”

Classes at the Academy started at 8:30.

But even after finishing breakfast, I’d arrived at the classroom by 7:30.

With an entire hour to spare, I figured I should think about how to spend that time.

‘Now that I think about it, Jason trains swordsmanship in the mornings. Should I ask to join him?’

Thanks to my skills, my swordsmanship’s baseline was at a decent level.

But if I wanted to reach the peak, I’d have to put in more effort.

Training with Jason would definitely help.

‘Unlike Sara, Jason seemed rather friendly toward me… and given his personality, I think he’d get along with me well.’

Even among players, Jason was considered a likable character.

In the game’s lore—and in his in-game portrayal—Jason Hawkbat had always been depicted as genuinely good.

‘And just like Layla, he’s not the kind of person who cares much about social status.’

Whether noble, commoner, or slave—Jason Hawkbat treated everyone equally.

But there was one big difference between him and Layla.

Layla, having been raised in luxury, had only ever seen the beautiful side of the world.

That’s why she believed everyone could get along purely and innocently.

‘Jason, on the other hand, isn’t some fool who tries to befriend everyone. In short—he’s a meritocrat.’

He didn’t care about someone’s origin or status. As long as they had ability, he’d acknowledge and befriend them.

That was Jason’s motto.

So, as long as I could prove I had ability, getting close to Jason wouldn’t be difficult.

‘There’s nothing bad about befriending him, either. When it comes to gathering information, the Hawkbat Family is top-tier.’

The Hawkbat family had produced countless talented informants and spies.

Becoming close to him would surely be beneficial…

“Oh my, Gideon. You’re here early?”

“…Your Highness?”

I was lost in thought when a blonde girl suddenly entered the classroom.

The moment she appeared, I immediately stood up and bowed.

“Your Highness, it’s an honor to—”

“Gideon, I told you, there’s no need for such formalities at the Academy.”

“But still…”

“Then, Gideon. Let’s make it an order.”

“…Pardon?”

“An order—from me, as the Princess.”

Layla said with a bright, innocent smile.

“From now on, just call me Layla. At least while we’re at the Academy, there’s no need for such stiff manners.”

“If it’s an order… I suppose I have no choice, Your Highness—no, Lady Layla.”

“Right? You have no choice.”

Layla sat down beside me.

“By the way, you’re really early. I thought I’d be the first to arrive.”

“I tend to wake up early.”

“Oh, same here! I got into the habit of waking up early since I was little.”

“Is that so?”

I looked at Layla with a faint smile.

At a glance, she looked like any other ordinary girl.

But to think that such a girl held one of the greatest powers in the Empire… it was still hard to believe.

“By the way, Lady Layla, did you come alone?”

“Yes, I did. Why?”

“Don’t you usually go around with Lady Sara and Sir Jason?”

“Oh, Jason went off to train.”

“Swordsmanship training?”

“Yes. Jason trains every morning. And as for Sara…”

Layla smiled mischievously.

“Don’t tell anyone about this, Gideon.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sara’s really not a morning person. She sleeps in a lot.”

“So right now, Lady Sara is… still asleep?”

“Yes, probably fast asleep, even skipping breakfast.”

Layla giggled softly.

“When I wake her up, she gets all pouty—it’s really cute. I hope you get to see that side of her someday, Gideon.”

“…I’m not sure I’ll survive if I do. I think I’d lose my head.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you. But still, wouldn’t you like to see it? The usually sharp-tongued Sara acting all cuddly because she wants to sleep more?”

“To be honest, yes, I would. But it seems impossible to witness.”

“Couldn’t we sneak into her dorm room early in the morning?”

“…Entering the dorms without permission is grounds for expulsion, as far as I know.”

“Hehe, is that so? What a shame.”

Layla genuinely looked disappointed.

I couldn’t help but smile faintly at her expression.

‘She’s exactly the same as the Layla I saw in the game.’

A pure and idealistic princess.

But also playful, with a childlike innocence.

I wanted to protect that purity of hers—but considering what was bound to happen later, that might not be possible.

‘The side stories could be avoided one way or another, but no matter what I did, the main story couldn’t be stopped.’

At least, that was how it was in the game.

But this wasn’t a game anymore—it was reality. Things might turn out differently.

Maybe, just maybe, I could prevent Layla’s future kidnapping.

‘If nothing else… stopping the war would be the best outcome.’

Even though my goal was to become a knight, I didn’t actually want to charge into battle and earn merit through war.

I just wanted to rise in status enough to restore my family’s name.

So I needed to start thinking about how to prevent the incidents that would ignite the war.

“By the way, Gideon, who taught you swordsmanship?”

“No one. I taught myself.”

“Ohhh, then you must have incredible talent.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“Eh, I only said the truth. Ah, right. Come to think of it, I heard that the Kyrgram Family manages Serenus—does that mean Serenus is your hometown, Gideon?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

I was slightly taken aback when Serenus suddenly came up.

But regardless, Layla continued to ask with a look of fascination.

“I heard Serenus is a protected zone for other races, and that many live there. What kind of races live in that region?”

“Well… mainly, elves live there. And there’s also a herd of centaurs.”

“Ooh, fascinating. Can you tell me more?”

Layla looked at me with eyes full of curiosity.

In response, I tried my best to recall everything I remembered about Serenus.

‘At least I visited there a few times in the game for achievement quests.’

I focused on recalling the landscape and distinctive features of the area.

“There’s a large lake in Serenus. Around that lake, the different races each have their own territory…”

Before I knew it, I was passionately explaining what I had seen in the game to Layla.

Even though that was all I did, Layla listened to my story with a deeply intrigued expression.

As we talked, students began to trickle into the classroom one by one—and before long, Jason appeared as well.

“Lady Layla? What are you and Gideon talking about that’s so interesting?”

“Oh? Jason, you’re here. I was just hearing about Gideon’s hometown.”

Layla stood up as she said this.

“Sara’s not here yet, right?”

“Judging from how she’s still not here, she probably overslept again.”

“Should we go wake her up?”

“Shall I go by myself?”

“Hmm, no. Let’s go together. I want to see Sara panicking.”

After saying that, Layla looked at me again.

“Gideon. Are you going to come early again tomorrow morning?”

“I believe I will, for the time being.”

“Then let’s continue our talk tomorrow. Ah, and one more thing.”

Layla smiled brightly, clearly in a good mood, as she added,

“From now on, I’m going to speak comfortably. So, Gideon, when you feel comfortable enough, you can talk to me casually too.”

“Ah… yes, understood.”

With my reply, Layla left the classroom with Jason.

And the moment she was gone, I slumped forward onto my desk.

‘…Drained.’

She might have been a bright and pure princess, but… she was too bright.

That overflowing liveliness and energy were too much for a shut-in like me to handle.

Still, it seemed I’d have to get used to it.

‘…She said we’d see each other again tomorrow, right?’

For some reason, Layla seemed to have taken quite a liking to me.

Since I couldn’t possibly reject or avoid a princess, I needed to think about how to make use of this connection.

‘Coldly pushing her away… yeah, that’s not an option. If I do that, my head will roll.’

I’d tried doing that a few times in the game.

The result? I became the most despised noble in the Empire—marked by the emperor who adored his daughter.

It helped a little during the Rebel King route, but I definitely didn’t want to experience that in real life.

“Alright, everyone’s here, right? No need for roll call… huh? Sara, what’s with your hair—”

“I’m aware of it, so please don’t mention it.”

“…Alright, fine. Just fix it yourself. Anyway, there’s only one announcement today. There won’t be any afternoon classes today or tomorrow. Instead, during these two days, you’ll all decide which club to join and submit your applications.”

At the mention of clubs, the students began to murmur among themselves.

Luke quieted them down and continued speaking.

“Club registration is open until next Monday. Make sure to finish joining by then.”

“Sir, is joining a club mandatory?”

“Hmm… not mandatory, but I’d recommend it. Club activities can have quite an impact on your future careers.”

“Sir, then…”

Luke began taking questions from the students.

But I didn’t have any.

I already knew exactly how the Academy’s club system worked—and which club I was going to join.

‘I’ll go right after lunch today.’

It was finally time to meet the only member of Lysquare Academy’s Disciplinary Committee.

Time passed, and soon it was afternoon.

After a quick lunch, I headed down to the Academy’s underground floor.

‘Ugh, is this place even ventilated?’

It was dark, and layers of dust had built up.

At the far end of that underground hall was a single room.

And on the door, the words “Disciplinary Committee” were written.

“Phew…”

I let out a deep breath and knocked.

Knock, knock—

“Hm? Whoever it is, come in.”

At the response, I opened the door and stepped inside.

A red-haired girl was sitting on a sofa, reading a book.

“Who are you?”

She spoke in a flat tone, devoid of any emotion.

I did my best to respond calmly.

“I came to apply for the Disciplinary Committee.”

“…A freshman? First year?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s unexpected. I mean, even though club sign-ups start today, I didn’t think anyone would come right after lunch. Honestly, I didn’t expect any applicants at all.”

The girl spoke slowly, yet with calm composure.

Then, she stood up and walked over to me.

“You look familiar. Where have I seen you before? White hair… a peculiar sword… Ah, that’s right. You’re that one.”

The red-haired girl approached me and gently brushed my white hair with her fingers.

Then she looked at me with a curious gleam in her eyes.

“Gideon Kyrgram, right? The boy who beat Sara?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hm. So why would a swordsman that skilled come to such a shabby Disciplinary Committee?”

The girl—or rather,

Lisa Balmuth—looked genuinely curious.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep