The Student Council has a sub-organization called the Leave of Absence Enforcement Bureau.
Not long ago, Mandela Castera, an upperclassman and Foundation Scholarship Student, thwarted a group of leave-of-absence students trying to raid the Third Year exclusive area, leaving them in a state akin to beaten dogs in the feast of summer.
Just seeing her presence makes it clear.
The Student Council is serious about preventing leave-of-absence students from invading the student areas.
Conversely, regular students must also avoid entering the dormitory zone for leave-of-absence students.
You never know what kind of crimes a student hungry for Points might commit against a regular student.
“I understand, but that means we have to hurry!”
There’s no guarantee that Charlotte will safely escape the Student Dormitory Zone next year.
Anything could happen in there, after all.
If something goes wrong, we need to check it out; if not too late, we have to rethink how to pull her out.
Why?
Hey, it’s obvious!
“Charlotte is a must-have character for Alice’s conquest!”
Some understandings can be so convoluted even the NPC themselves don’t know them.
An identity that hasn’t been unlocked yet!
Just like how you won’t open the understanding of the corresponding NPC without pushing their unique story or side stories.
Tough-to-unlock understandings yield stronger achievements upon completion.
Especially for Alice, whose rewards given from basic understanding are substantial, the rewards from unlocking her understanding must be even greater.
“This is a real reward compared to the hidden treasures scattered around this common Academy!”
If Alice ends up just gobbling up minor opportunities while exploring various connections, she might actually perish in the Student Dormitory Zone, where Charlotte is.
A typical setup that blinds you with small opportunities while you miss out on the bigger ones!
Such a setup triggered the opportunity detection sensors of the veteran players.
It was predicted that the opportunities available would be much larger once Charlotte is saved.
For the smooth Academy life of Jonnas and me, it’s time to slowly pursue Foundation events.
“So I’m going to use an unorthodox method!”
“You’re planning to sneak into the Student Dormitory Zone while avoiding the Student Council?”
“Yep. No matter how powerful the Student Council is, there’s something they can’t stop. Professor’s practicals!”
If we feign an accident during the lecture and naturally enter, how would the Student Council prevent that?
As luck would have it, there’s a suitable lecture happening.
━━━
[Naval Combat ①]
-Saturday 9 AM ~ 1 PM
-Professor: El Draco
-Adventure Department, General Knowledge
━━━
A naval combat lecture attended with Jigoku.
There’s a practical for naval combat this week.
When feigning damage from shells during the practice, if we infiltrate the leave-of-absence student area with the ship, we succeed in the mission of infiltrating the dormitory zone!
Of course, it won’t be easy.
The lecture is under the watchful gaze of the professor.
Instructors are also trying hard to prevent accidents.
We need to trigger unexpected situations that neither the professor nor the instructors could foresee.
Thus, I decided to prepare ahead.
“We’re going to kidnap a Goo Kraken!”
I’m going to capture a seawater monster, Goo Kraken, that will turn the naval battle into chaos.
Where?
From the Upperclassman Laboratory!
*
Friday morning.
Professor Weird, who headed to teach the class “Wrath of Nature”, manipulated the panel of the Magic Watch.
When a student marks attendance, it automatically sends the attendance spell to the Magic Watch, confirming the registration of their name into the attendance sheet.
“Oknodie. Oknodie student is marked absent?”
But strangely, something unusual happened today.
The model student, Oknodie, skipped the class.
Could it be that he was captured in the previous class?
Did he collapse from exhaustion on the way?
Or did his usual demeanor provoke senior students to kidnap him?
“Dorothy student, did you see Oknodie collapsed in the field?”
“No, I didn’t. I saw him jogging with the dolphin pants girls until dawn.”
“Rosgini student, did Oknodie skip breakfast and is he fainting in his room?”
“I skipped breakfast so I don’t know, but that genius boy never skips new dishes. They had some horrific fried fish today, which he must have eaten for breakfast without scaling.”
“Is there any other student who’s close to Oknodie?”
All the students shook their heads, clueless.
*
I take the captured Goo Kraken out of the laboratory and dip it into the seawater, which the parent Kraken can sense.
According to the original game, it would be the acts of a criminal organization trying to terrorize the academy, but this time I decided I’d be the one to commit the crime first.
They failed, but I will succeed, so I’ll be the superior criminal.
“Oh right. I promised to be a good child!”
Then I’ll be a bad kid until today and be good starting tomorrow!
After all, even if you commit a crime, you can just pray and repent, right?
On my way to execute the plan in the Upperclassman exclusive laboratory, someone spoke to me.
“Oknodie! What are you doing here?”
“Huh? What is Dobi doing here?”
“It’s only natural for a Production Department aspirant to attend Production Department lectures.”
Oh, I see.
I guess I’ll use Dobi while I’m at it.
Feigning the experience of a veteran player, I explained the situation!
“If you commit acts like this, won’t the end times come sooner…?”
“Think differently. I need to do what I want to delay the end!”
“Is that so… truly, your efforts to fight against the end are not understandable through the eyes of a criminal. Please reprimand my weak self for momentarily doubting you!”
“Reprimand, huh?”
“Yell loudly so that the guilt within my heart rings! Do it quickly!”
“Hmmm. Very reprimand-y!!”
As I shouted Bwa-ha-ha!, Dobi finally had a blissful expression of satisfaction.
“Is it done now?”
“Of course. I feel my weakness being washed away during the reprimanding. As a sign of repentance, I’ll join you in your humble endeavor.”
“Which club did you join?”
“Indeed, a savior from the end is different! You’ve noticed that I just founded the [Church of the End], right?”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you know?”
“Of course I knew!”
What the heck is that?
What is it, really?
“To prevent a disaster that would lead the world into the end during the academy, we’ve established this organization. Our Church of the End is a gathering of those who wish to assist you, Oknodie.”
“I see…”
“Ah, how amazing that you sought us right after establishing an organization to use us! A true hero confronting the end must have insight to even reach the darkest depths of the Academy!”
“I think I could do it alone, though. Would you like to leave?”
“Not even in the slightest! If a tool is not used by its master, indeed, how can it exist?! If you need more members, I beg you to allow me to assist you!”
The students passing by the corridor were restless at the sight of Dobi bowing deeply.
“Isn’t that the girl known as the Foundation’s Dark Princess?”
“It seems she’s already receiving loyalty oaths.”
“If you’re in your first year at the academy, you must have been someone who was pretty strong outside, but to be that servile… How harshly must they have treated her?”
“Shh! Lower your voice! We might make eye contact.”
“Ugh, so scary. Let’s hurry and leave.”
The students, not daring to make eye contact, increased their pace, vanishing quicker than shadows.
As my embarrassment grew, I forcibly pulled Dobi back up.
“Fine! I’ll go with you. Now get up quickly!”
“Thank you for using this humble life!”
As a student poked their head out of the classroom window to witness the lecture, my embarrassment skyrocketed by 3000%.
Turning red-faced, I dragged Dobi down the corridor, and seniors looked at us with fresh expressions.
Even professors who were in class remarked, “Hoo-hoo, those young folks these days…” That’s really makes me want to Bwa-ha-ha!
“Hmph. Saying they’ll help means Dobi, not me, so follow your lead inside the laboratory!”
“Don’t worry. Witnessing the moment of doom has made me keenly aware of my shortcomings; I’ve already been training my body with protein soup from Professor Plato and neglecting nothing!”
That’s truly crazy.
As the saying goes, “the insane recognize their fellow madmen,” the madness radiating from Dobi was something else.
But not long ago, he was weak, you know.
He was even being bullied by the Goo Spirits.
Let’s see if he can survive inside the Upperclassman Laboratory.
[Intruder Notification Spell]
[Mass Summoning Spell]
[Entryway Forced Lock Spell]
If we fail to deactivate the alarm system using the promised method, uninvited intruders will be captured, bound by summoned creatures, while the alerted teaching assistants of the laboratory rush in!
“Professor Millione is a spinster!”
Of course, the notification magic terminated automatically in front of a veteran player aware of the security spells.
However, while I could roam freely through the laboratory’s corridor, entering the lockup room where captured monsters were held was another matter entirely.
In fact, high-level monsters were doubly patrolling summon creatures to prevent the breach of security, leaving no choice but to tackle through!
†Summoned Creature #3 (Gigatron/Crusher/Noel Spirit Brigade)
†Summoned Creature #4 (Gigatron/Destructor/Noel Spirit Brigade)
Unlike golems that grow by attaching similar rocky or metallic substances, the predatory mineral creature, Tron, consumes and digests metal from other living beings to grow.
That Gigatron, evolved beyond a Megatron once it reached a certain size, is stronger still.
An inexperienced intruder would lose all their metallic gear and be left defenseless against such a creature, but I easily used [Stealth] to escape from Gigatron.
‘Let’s see how you like this!’
All the aggro was pulled toward Dobi behind me.
I had planned to help only after he cried out for assistance, but Dobi showed no sign of surprise, his eyes gleaming with madness as he infused his incantation with energy, proclaiming:
“A contract of servitude is established by offering the means to sustain loyalty and existence during the predetermined period. However, with the end of the world approaching, the day that contract ends is not far off!!”
“Eek?”
“Eek?”
“With the world’s end drawing near, why seek to devour small prey, wishing for oblivion together? Those afraid of the end, flee this instant!!”
[Concord Magic]
[Prophecy of Doom]
A fantastic magic operation linking fears of an apocalyptic disaster straight to the minds of others!
Panicking, the Gigatrons broke their contracts and fled through a dimensional gate into the mineral realm.
I couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.
“Did the newbie create a new meta…?”
