Chapter 25

Chapter 24

Survival Tactics of a Possessor (Original Work Unknown) - 1

When I first transmigrated into this beautiful and wondrous world, there were exactly two things I deeply regretted as I writhed in agony.

One was that I had come into contact with the original work of this world, whose name I can no longer remember. I don't know how crazy the entity that threw me here is, but at least it wasn't so crazy as to throw someone who doesn't even know if there's an original work into this world.

The other was that I had only read the free chapters of the original work. If I had known I would suddenly experience the disaster of transmigration, I would have definitely read all the way to the end. But I only read the free chapters of the webtoon.

Worse still, the free chapters were about the characters' childhoods, so they didn't provide much useful information. When I first met Louise at the academy, I only recognized her after hearing her name. To me, the original work was like a cup of ramen with 0.0003% of the original flavor added—utterly meaningless.

"Other people go around destroying the original work or something."

I couldn't even tell if this was the original work or just my miserable fate. A transmigrator who doesn't know the original work is a powerless being.

But after a long period of hardship, the time has finally come for me to see the light. Even if I don't know the content of the original work, knowing that it exists allows me to deduce a lot.

If the main characters gather at the academy, it's natural that something will happen there. In stories, incidents and accidents inevitably revolve around the main characters. In other words, if I can block characters or groups that seem likely to attach themselves to the main characters, I can skip over the crises in the original work that I don't know about.

That's why, as soon as my assignment to the academy was confirmed, I rushed to the head of the information department to request information sharing. Fortunately, the head was moved by my sincere request and readily agreed.

"I'll bury the last incident, so please help me with this."

"Hmm..."

Of course, my sincerity was accompanied by a small token of appreciation. Asking for help without any gesture of goodwill is cold.

That's how I obtained the list of "planned academy destroyers." It's more numerous than I expected, which is annoying. The thought of playing a defense game against these people at the academy makes me feel uneasy. At least I'm glad I secured the list in advance.

First, I need to return to the club room before any incidents occur among the six main characters, so I quickly confirmed the anti-social groups that have some connection to the six main characters.

"Louise and Erih are not a concern."

Louise is an innocent child, so there's no reason for her to be attacked out of grudge. As for Erih, who has just entered the academy, if there's any grudge against him, it would be against the Krasius family, not Erih personally. Such groups have already been dealt with by me or the head of the family, so there's no problem.

"Ainter is also not a concern."

Currently, the most threatening presence to Ainter is probably me. However, I have no intention of dealing with Ainter myself, and the prince has no reason to ignore me and send another killer. Ainter is safe.

"The problem is the other three."

Especially since they are royalty and saint candidates, the possibility of terrorism targeting them cannot be ignored. If they are attacked in their own country, it's their problem, but if they are attacked at the academy, it will cause chaos for the academy and the empire.

First, the group associated with Ruitis' story is "The Fifth Empire."

A radical group that advocates for the collapse of the Kephalopon Empire and the establishment of a new empire led by the Armain Kingdom. The name "The Fifth Empire" comes from their desire to be the fifth empire in the continent's history, following the Kephalopon Empire.

While they are ignored in the Armain political scene due to their unrealistic claims, ignored radicals often do unimaginable crazy things.

They might cause a terrorist attack at the academy where Ruitis is staying to create chaos in the empire and use the death of their prince as a pretext to call for war with the empire. After all, Ruitis is not the heir to the throne.

Even if they sacrifice their own prince and risk their country's downfall if discovered, the possibility of such a reckless terrorist attack? It's at least as likely as the Armain prince insisting on attending the imperial academy. Damn.

Next, the group associated with Lather's story is "The Five Pillars."

A group that opposes the movement to unify the Yuban United Kingdoms, centered around Lather's homeland. They are relatively large compared to "The Fifth Empire" and are known to be secretly supported by the empire, albeit anonymously.

They are more likely to target Lather's homeland to cause shock rather than to attack Lather to fight the empire. Lather is an easier target than other royal figures surrounded by royal knights and guards.

If they attack the imperial academy, it will inevitably lead to conflict with the empire. However, the possibility of a terrorist attack? Again, it's at least as likely as Lather insisting on attending the imperial academy. Damn.

Finally, the group associated with Tanian's story is "The Dusk Sect."

A heretical group that worships gods other than Enen, the sole deity revered across the continent, including the Holy Theocracy. They are fanatics who want to become the new mainstream religion, opposing the Dawn Sect that worships Enen.

They are already known as fanatics who have caused significant trouble in the empire. Three years ago, they assassinated the cardinal responsible for the empire while the empire was focused on the north. The empire shuddered and tried to dismantle the Dusk Sect, but they successfully escaped and have survived to this day.

They will target Tanian, the next saint of the Dawn Sect. If they can kill Tanian, who bears the surname Enes, meaning "son of God," the status of the Dawn Sect and the Holy Theocracy will be severely damaged.

The empire's anger at losing its prestige in the process? Considering that, they are not fanatics. After all, they have already assassinated a cardinal in imperial territory, so it's not surprising.

There are also groups that target the academy itself, not just the main characters. These include the republican terrorist group "Red Wave" and the revived "Third Glory," a faction of the Avels Revival Army.

"Are these guys reviving again?"

I only just learned that the Avels Revival Army has reappeared. The empire had been so persistent in eradicating the Avels Revival forces. Now they are reviving? This group seems too obviously created for the original work's crises.

The head of the information department, who seemed to find this reincarnation ridiculous, left a strongly emotional evaluation at the end of the paragraph on the "Third Glory." He said it was like a rotten corpse starting to wander the world again. An apt description.

In any case, there are five groups that seem likely to create crises in the original work. I am once again impressed by the head of the information department's ability to quickly synthesize and send me this vast amount of information.

And I am also impressed by my own fate, which requires me to stop these five groups.

...

"Damn."

The difficulty is insane. Who set the difficulty level? It should be a reasonable challenge to make it satisfying, but this is just a mess.

I shuddered. Even dealing with two or three villain groups would be a headache, but there are already five groups that seem likely to swarm the academy. I don't know who the original author is, but they seem serious about destroying the academy. Did they get a lot of seeds planted by professors during their college days...?

I quietly put the communication device in my pocket and leaned against the wall. A minimum of five waves of defense? I rarely experienced such a challenge even when running around the field. I never imagined I would receive such a surprise gift. It's a surprise I really didn't want.

Still, what can I do? One of the reasons I'm staying at the academy is to prepare for such situations. Of course, the higher-ups probably didn't expect so many groups to target the academy.

In fact, I only deduced this because I am a transmigrator. Who would think that these five groups would casually destroy the academy? They would probably think these groups are secretly plotting to overthrow the system.

"If I had retired earlier, I could have avoided this mess."

My karma for not retiring is deep and profound.

Sighing pitifully won't change anything. In fact, it only increases the probability of an incident occurring at the club room while I'm away.

"I have to do this properly."

If even a minor incident occurs and a key figure is injured or killed, I can't predict what will happen to me and the empire. At the very least, my career will be ruined. I want a smooth retirement, not a dishonorable downfall.

In any case, my goal is simple. While staying at the academy, I need to detect and block any internal or external threats to the academy in advance. By doing so, I will ensure the safe graduation of the original work's characters.

Incidentally, I will also try to help Louise find a partner during this time. If Louise doesn't find a partner by graduation, the love-blinded fanatics might cross borders after graduation. If the academy is the first part, the second part will continue after graduation. I absolutely can't let that happen.

...Come to think of it, wouldn't it be the easiest to formally request a marriage to the Nierd family? The Nierd family would find it hard to refuse a marriage proposal from the Krasius family, and Erih would be happy to achieve his love. The head of the family doesn't care who I marry as long as he has a grandson to continue the family.

I shook my head to dismiss the fleeting temptation. No matter what, coercive means are not good. Especially since this method completely disregards Louise's wishes.

Maybe I'm just having pointless thoughts because my head is so complicated. I feel guilty about it to Louise.

Author's Note:

A massive number of villains from all directions... Of course, they won't all come at once like in a sworn brotherhood.

In the original work, the main characters defeat the evil villains with the power of (romantic) love, friendship, and unity! It's uncertain how it will play out here... I'll do my best.

By the way, I've been posting in the morning until today, but from tomorrow, I'll probably post in the afternoon.

Thank you for reading this chapter!

Thank you, Nililil, for your support!