Chapter 2

Chapter 1 - Encounter

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So, how did things end up like this?

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The Campbell family is a minor noble house located in a small barony on the empire's frontier. In the main story of Sara, it was barely mentioned in a single sentence. There are no dungeons with the empire's tentacles appearing, and the main industry is the tranquil dairy farming. The lord and his family are essentially just friendly neighbors.

It's inevitable that the Campbell barony, which is usually so quiet, would become a bustling place as if the world had been turned upside down by a minor incident.

In other words,

If the lord's son enrolls in the Royal Academy, it means that all the residents of the barony will cry their eyes out in a grand spectacle.

“Finally leaving, Daud.”

“Yes, Father.”

Armin Campbell, the baron. A middle-aged man who exudes a kind and friendly neighbor vibe, wiped away his glistening tears and hugged me.

“You are the pride of our barony. Please take care of yourself and graduate safely.”

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

I pushed my father away with a reassuring smile.

Well, this guy, despite his appearance, is all muscle. He’s hard as a rock when you get close.

Dairy farming and farming are incredibly strenuous, so even if you don’t want to, your body gets trained.

“But you must never cause any disputes. The Royal Academy is a place where the children of high-ranking nobles from all over the empire gather. For a family like ours, it’s best to stay as inconspicuous as possible…”

“Really, don’t worry.”

I cut off his 1823718029837th nagging, doubling the reassurance in my smile.

Well, it’s not like his worries are entirely baseless. Just thinking about the main plot of Saver Rising, for example.

Weak noble families often get caught up in various power struggles and end up being completely destroyed. There are plenty of powerful and temperamental high-ranking nobles.

Fortunately, I have no intention of going against my father’s advice in the slightest.

「Daud Campbell」

Strength: F

Agility: F

Endurance: F

Luck: F

Power: F

“…”

What a painfully clean status window.

All stats F is an unprecedented and unheard-of garbage starting line that has never appeared in all the playtime I’ve invested in Sara.

‘No matter what, it’s a bit dangerous…’

I turn my gaze to the small window next to the status window, a wry smile on my face.

While it’s a familiar window from the game, the very existence of a ‘Quest Window’ system is problematic.

The existence of a main quest means there’s a scenario to be cleared, and that means the academy I’m about to enter will be a den of villains’ plots.

‘I can’t just skip the main quest…’

If I think about the game system, not executing this will likely result in a ‘Game Over’.

That’s not going to be good for me.

At the very least, something akin to death awaits.

‘And I can’t break the quest myself either.’

My first principle of action is ‘never do anything that endangers my survival’.

I don’t know why I’m stuck here, but I need to survive until the happy ending where the world is saved.

Getting directly involved in the main events, where just brushing against them can be fatal, with my current stats would be insane.

There’s still the unopened ‘Special Gift’ option, but it’s hard to rely on that.

I haven’t even found a clue on how to unlock it since I was possessed by the game.

‘It was supposed to be a unique function that automatically unlocks when a character performs a special action…’

As a player character, I might know, but I can’t possibly know the conditions for an extra character’s gift.

So, what’s the best action I can take in this situation?

To be a good extra.

To stay as inconspicuous as possible, not make a fuss, and just maintain a low profile.

After all, the protagonist will take care of everything, right?

“Don’t worry, Father!”

Hmm. Thinking about it, the advice my father is giving me now doesn’t seem as wise as it did before.

It’s not nagging or anything.

“I’ll do my best to stay out of the spotlight at the academy!”

“…No, I didn’t mean to that extent…”

“I won’t even entertain the useless ambition of enhancing the barony’s reputation, so don’t worry!”

“…Well, I don’t really expect that, but…”

We exchanged such rough dialogues and set off from the barony.

The expressions of the residents seeing me off and my father were a bit strange, but at least it’s all good.

The life of a voluntary, inconspicuous nobody at the academy is about to begin!

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I used to think that way.

I had a truly hopeful future in mind.

Ah, those days filled with dreams.

“Do you need a doctor? Your expression isn’t good.”

“No, I’m fine.”

Actually, I’m not fine.

The person in front of me, to whom I’ve decided to be a good extra, is someone who makes me feel uncomfortable just by being there.

“…”

I glance at the person who is sipping tea while reading the daily newspaper expressionlessly.

Elnoir Arinarize de Tristan.

One of the most likely candidates for the final boss.

‘How did I end up with this person?’

I sigh inwardly.

The train heading to the Royal Academy of Elpante has a two-person per room structure.

While the roommate is assigned randomly, it’s understandable to complain a bit if it’s someone as intimidating as this.

This level of bad luck is mind-boggling.

‘Why would a duchess’s daughter ride in a cheap compartment used by a frontier baron’s family?’

Just as I’m thinking this, a response comes from the opposite side.

Her gaze is still fixed on the newspaper.

“The House of Tristan is very concerned about public perception. Rather than riding in the first-class carriage as a noble, they focus on creating a friendly image.”

“…”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t actually say what I was thinking. Your expression is interesting.”

The student council president chuckled.

“The thoughts of the people sharing a compartment with me are all similar. You were just showing the same kind of expression.”

“…Is that so?”

It seems like I’ve been through a lot.

Well, as the daughter of the House of Tristan, she’s almost as famous as royalty. Just sitting next to her can be intimidating for many.

“You won’t suffer just because you’re associated with me. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“…”

But it’s unusual for someone who makes others feel that way to care so much about them.

‘This is different from what I remember…’

In the game, this person didn’t seem to care much about anyone else.

A meritocratic approach, where everyone is judged by their value. A perfectionist who never tolerates flaws. A domineering attitude that always looks down on others.

These are the keywords I remember about Elnoir.

But the considerate and meticulous attitude she’s showing me now, what is this?

It’s a surprising sight, as she mentioned, for image-making.

“Doesn’t seem like you’re convinced. Do you have any other questions?”

“No, just that you seem like a good person, unexpectedly.”

Elnoir’s gaze finally left the newspaper.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, indicating some confusion.

“Unexpectedly?”

“Huh?”

“Have you heard something bad about me? Or met me before?”

“…”

Well, from my perspective, I know she’s one of the candidates to destroy the world.

But her villainous transformation starts after meeting the protagonist. It all begins from the inferiority complex she develops towards the protagonist, who surpasses her in every way.

Of course, one might think that just having an inferiority complex doesn’t destroy the world, but the ‘curse’ she carries is the problem.

‘The Gray Demon.’

I inwardly sneer, thinking of the name of the entity within her, the House of Tristan, and the world.

One of the worst villains among the ultimate villains in the creation myth, the moment it’s unleashed, the world is as good as over. The trigger is the moment her personality collapses.

Throughout the scenario, she continuously clashes with the protagonist, leading to her mental breakdown and the demon’s possession of Elnoir’s body. After that, it’s a straight path to the world’s destruction. No one can stop it except the fully grown protagonist.

“…”

And I just told this person, who carries such a thing, ‘I thought you had a bad temper, but you don’t?’

I must be crazy.

“…Just that I’ve heard you’re strict.”

It doesn’t seem like my impromptu excuse worked well, as Elnoir stared at me for a while before sighing.

“You’re a strange person.”

“Yeah, I hear that a lot.”

I turn my gaze to the window, awkwardly laughing.

I don’t want to continue this conversation.

My goal is to let the protagonist handle the main quest. Getting entangled with people who frequently appear in the scenario won’t do me any good.

My goal is a peaceful and quiet school life, so I’ll try to calm down by looking at the scenery outside the window.

The fully blooming spring scenery is a feast for the eyes. The scent of flowers seems to permeate everything in sight.

The flower buds blooming there, the lush vegetation stretching along the ground, the vast fields, and the large rocks flying towards the compartment window with the freshness of spring—

“…”

What the hell is that last one?

“Student Council President.”

“Hmm?”

“I need to excuse myself for a moment.”

As soon as I finish speaking, I lunge into Elnoir’s arms.

“…?!”

Elnoir’s eyes widen in my field of vision.

Even she would be surprised by such a sudden action.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the situation immediately unfolded without the need for an explanation.

-!

-!!

-!!!!!!!

A house-sized rock flew into the compartment, tearing apart most of the train car.

The train, which received such a shock while moving, jolted violently. The car body then tilted severely as it derailed.

-!

-!!!

-!!!!!!!!!!!

The entire train rolled over, causing a few chaotic rotations.

Screams were heard from various places but were soon drowned out by the following roar.

The entire train was thrown to the ground, and I heard a loud crash.

Throughout this process, Elnoir and I were unharmed.

It wasn’t just luck; it was due to the faint blue protective barrier surrounding her.

A defensive object made from the bones of an adult.

‘I’m alive because I knew she had this…’

I inwardly sigh with relief, sweating profusely.

If I had been hit by that alone, I would have died immediately. My stats are nowhere near enough.

“…Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, I’m fine.”

“Then could you move a bit? You’re getting heavy.”

Only then did I realize I was hugging her with my whole body, hearing her speak in a monotone from below.

“…”

It was a more awkward position than I thought, so I quickly got up. A moment later, the student council president also rose smoothly.

She was tidying her disheveled hair and uniform, looking down at the floor. Her neck and face seemed slightly flushed, perhaps due to the situation.

Well, what can I say.

I should apologize first, right?

“I’m sorry—”

“It’s fine. You were trying to help.”

What?

“I’ve never had such aggressive contact with a man before, but thank you. I understand your intention, so no need to apologize.”

“…”

Is that how it’s interpreted?

I just knew she had a protective barrier and wanted to benefit from it.

From Elnoir’s perspective, it probably looked like I was protecting her from the impact.

Well, she couldn’t have guessed that I knew about the barrier’s existence.

As I was thinking this, another sentence came from Elnoir.

“What’s your name?”

Huh.

In the game, this person only asks for names from people she likes.

It feels like answering will lead to frequent interactions.

“…What’s your name?”

I can’t say ‘use it as you wish’ to someone who’s looking at me with wide, innocent eyes.

That would be a worse choice.

“Daud Campbell.”

“Daud, Daud, Campbell, Campbell.”

Elnoir closed her eyes and repeated my name a few times before nodding.

“I understand. I won’t forget it. I’ll definitely thank you later.”

No, it’s fine if you forget.

Can we just not get entangled?

I awkwardly laugh, thinking this, when a window suddenly appears in front of me.

…What the hell?

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