Chapter 3

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"The reason I have gathered you all here today is none other than the selection of a new Miko. The Star Orb has chosen a new Miko candidate, and we will now hold the Miko selection ceremony. The Miko candidates are three in number, and all are students of this academy, as revealed by the divine message. Therefore, the selection ceremony will take place here at Vruhel Academy. The seven knights who will protect the Miko will be chosen now. ——That's all."

The man, who appeared to be a cleric sent by the king, announced this from the podium. His speech, accompanied by exaggerated gestures, was as long as a yawn.

Actually, this game has an abnormally long prologue, so I always saved just before the first chapter began and started from that save data. Therefore, Hiyono, who is Cecilia's past life, had only seen the entire prologue once.

(But why was it so long? The man's speech was long, but I feel like there was another reason...)

While she was thinking about this, the man's speech continued.

To summarize his roundabout and lengthy explanation: The Star Orb has announced the appearance of a new Miko candidate, so we will now hold the Miko selection ceremony. There are three Miko candidates, all students of the academy. Therefore, the selection ceremony will take place here at Vruhel Academy. The seven knights who will protect the Miko will be chosen now. ——That's all.

By the way, the Star Orb is a tool necessary for the Miko to receive divine messages, and the knights are the so-called targets to be conquered. The knights are chosen by the holy treasures, and the chosen knights will spend a year selecting a Miko candidate they believe is suitable to become the next Miko. Then, they will entrust their holy treasures to that person. The winner among the Miko candidates is determined by the number of holy treasures they receive. This one-year period until the next Miko is decided is called the "Selection Ceremony."

(In other words, the "Selection Ceremony" is a battle for votes.)

Cecilia looked up at the man on the podium who was still giving a lengthy explanation.

The "Selection Ceremony" is a system where the Miko candidate who receives the most holy treasures from the knights by raising their favor will gain the right to become the next Miko. The chosen Miko will then select one of the knights who entrusted them with a holy treasure and have the right to have them as a Holy Knight, essentially a romantic partner.

(If I don't step forward as a Miko candidate, the holy treasures will naturally gather to Lean, and if that happens, I'll be free! Even if Lean doesn't receive a single holy treasure, it won't matter if I have none either!)

The knights have the right to entrust their holy treasures, but they also have the right not to. If they believe none of the Miko candidates are suitable, they don't have to entrust their treasures to anyone. If no Miko candidate receives any holy treasures and it ends in a tie, Lean will be chosen as the next Miko due to the protagonist privilege.

However, even in that case, Cecilia will die, but that's because she is Cecilia and a Miko candidate. If she were just a nameless mob character named Cecil with no special powers, she could probably avoid the worst outcome.

(If I get through this, I'll be safe for now! I'll just watch Lean's romance silently!)

Just as Cecilia was thinking this, another man came from behind the podium. In his hands was a white cloth, and on it were seven silver bracelets that glowed. These were the holy treasures.

It is said that the holy treasures are inhabited by spirits that serve the gods, and the abilities of the chosen knights are manifested based on their compatibility with these spirits.

The knights will transfer the holy treasures from their own wrists to the wrists of the Miko candidates, thus transferring the votes. A Miko candidate can wear up to seven holy treasures.

As the man raised the cloth to the sky, the bracelets began to glow faintly. The knights were about to be chosen.

The moment the holy treasures floated up and scattered in seven directions—...

A deafening scream echoed through the auditorium.

Turning around, Cecilia saw a female student being pinned down by a male student. The male student, straddling her, was choking her with all his might. His fingers were deeply embedded in her carotid artery, and the female student was arching her back in pain.

"That's—!"

Black mist was visible emanating from the male student's body, and Cecilia gasped.

"Vruhel Academy's Miko Princess 3" is an unusual otome game that includes battles and character levels, similar to an RPG. The enemies are called "Obstacles," which are creatures that nest in the negative emotions of animals and humans. While "Obstacles" themselves are not particularly strong, they enhance the abilities of their hosts and cause their emotions to run wild, thereby harming people. "Obstacles" are said to be lurking everywhere in the country, and the current Miko's weakening power has led to their appearance throughout the land.

The most distinctive feature of someone possessed by an "Obstacle" is the black mist that emanates from their body.

He was currently being possessed by an "Obstacle."

"A, aah, aaaa..."

The female student's body began to convulse. Saliva dripped from the corner of her mouth, and her eyes trembled.

"Bad! If this continues—!"

She looked around for help, but everyone seemed to be frozen in shock at the sudden change in the male student.

Indeed, anyone would be frozen in such a situation. Even Cecilia would have been if she didn't have her past life's memories.

However, with her past life's memories, she could quickly understand the situation and remain calm.

She was the only one who could act in this situation, knowing that the male student was possessed by an "Obstacle."

Cecilia suddenly ran forward and tackled the male student.

They rolled over and hit the wall of the auditorium.

All the air was knocked out of her lungs, and tears welled up in Cecilia's eyes.

The male student, who had been tackled, stumbled but then stood up unsteadily, looking down at Cecilia with unfocused eyes.

(Oh no, this is bad! It's actually like this in real life?! This is really scary!!)

There's a huge difference between controlling a character in a game and facing an enemy as the character.

She managed to get up, but her knees were shaking as she looked up at the enemy.

She thought she heard someone calling her from the crowd, but she didn't have the time to pay attention.

(Certainly, the victory condition is...)

She recalled her past life's memories.

(Touch a bruise somewhere on the body, either by a Miko candidate or a knight!)

The next moment, the male student lunged at Cecilia. She barely dodged and observed him closely.

The twelve years of intense physical training she had done in preparation for this moment were now paying off. Well, it did lead to her being called "violent" by her step-brother, but if it was useful, it was all for the best.

She dodged the male student's grab and kicked him in the solar plexus. However, the male student, who had lost his mind, grabbed her leg without losing consciousness.

"Hans' Special Kick!!"

Shouting an incredibly cheesy move name, Cecilia spun around using her captured leg as an axis and kicked the side of his head.

The move was cheesy, but the effect was excellent, and the man fell to his knees again.

Her body was getting used to the situation, and her knees were no longer shaking.

"I found it!"

Cecilia noticed a black vine-like bruise on the male student's left wrist and pounced on it without hesitation.

Continuing to fight would only lead to her exhaustion.

The male student's strength was being endlessly enhanced by the "Obstacle."

The male student struggled for a while, but the moment Cecilia touched his wrist, he stopped moving. The black mist dissipated, and he collapsed, drained of energy.

Cecilia also fell on top of him.

"Hey—no, Cecil, are you okay!?"

The first to rush to her aid was her cute step-brother. As he helped her up, Cecilia's expression contorted.

"S-so scary..."

"Scary? Then why did you do something so reckless?"

"Well, the person being attacked was in danger, and my body just moved on its own..."

"But still..."

At that moment, Cecilia realized something. It was too quiet.

Looking around, everyone was staring at her. In the center of the crowd were the fallen male student and Cecilia, and Gilbert, who was helping her up.

Looking further, Lean was in the front row of the crowd.

She was staring at Cecilia, frozen in place.

(Ah, this... Could it be...)

The moment she realized, a cold sweat ran down Cecilia's back.

(This is the tutorial battle!!)

Let me explain!

A tutorial battle is the first battle in the early stages of a game, designed to teach the basic controls and systems through practical experience.

Cecilia always skipped this part because she found it tedious, so she always skipped the prologue.

(This is bad...)

Her blood ran cold.

Looking closely, behind Lean were the targets who had likely been chosen as knights. This meant that Cecilia had interfered with their first collaborative task. Moreover, since no ordinary person could subdue an "Obstacle," her identity was likely being questioned.

"Who are you...?"

Lean took a step forward, her eyes wide with shock. Cecilia's expression stiffened.

"Sis, here."

"Eh?"

At that moment, something touched Cecilia's left wrist. The cold, chain-like sensation sent a shiver down her spine.

"Just be confident. This should be enough..."

Cecilia looked at her left wrist at Gilbert's whispered words. There, a bracelet, the symbol of a knight, was wrapped around it. It was probably Gilbert's.

"Here!"

"Ho, the knight has already fulfilled his duty."

"Eh!?"

With a strained voice, she saw the man on the podium slowly walking towards them.

"Your duty as a knight was splendid. Although there were some risky moments, you are quite capable. Continue to protect the Miko candidates with your skills."

"Wh-what?"

He grabbed her hand and forced her to stand up. Applause erupted from the crowd.

In the crowd, the members of the "Prince Fan Club" were blushing and tearing up, having seen her heroic act.

"Amazing, Miss Cecil!"

"Our prince has become a knight! He's even more out of reach now!"

"Your performance was truly splendid! Ah, just thinking about it makes my body warm..."

The targets, who had been skeptical earlier, now looked convinced. That made sense. If Cecilia was not just an ordinary student but a knight, she could subdue an "Obstacle" on her own. Seeing her with a holy treasure, there was no reason to be suspicious.

For the moment, Cecilia had escaped the situation thanks to Gilbert's quick thinking.

However—

(This means Gilbert's holy treasure has been transferred to me!?)

The moment she realized this, Cecilia's face turned pale and she froze.

Her trials were only just beginning.