“Ru, Runiel! You’re Runiel, right!!!”
“……”
“J-just wait a moment! I have something to ask!”
Cecil, who was being carried away to the infirmary by Runiel beside Whitney, suddenly started struggling desperately and shouting.
“If you don’t stop, I’ll forfeit the selection tournament!”
Runiel continued to move away from Whitney without hesitation.
However, the moment Cecil said that, she had no choice but to stop running right in front of the infirmary.
“Y-you’re working with my brother, right?”
“…That is correct.”
“Then, you must also know his plan?”
Sensing an opportunity, Cecil struggled even more fiercely, bombarding Runiel with questions.
“Kidnapping the saintess, getting engaged to Lady Meredia, interfering in the selection tournament… What exactly is my brother trying to achieve?”
“Please tell me… Lady Runiel. Please….”
Seeing her desperate attitude, Runiel bit her lip in hesitation for a moment before finally setting Cecil down and answering in a low voice.
“I can’t tell you everything, but this much I can say for sure.”
“W-what is it?”
“At the very least, no one will get hurt because of Sir Whitney’s—no, my master’s plan.”
Even if she ignored Cecil and shoved her into the infirmary, she would likely barge out immediately.
At the same time, it wasn’t her place to overstep and reveal the truth either.
Thus, Runiel decided to at least provide a minimal explanation to ease Cecil’s anxiety.
“Just one, just one more question….?”
However, contrary to what she expected, Cecil was not afraid of the bloody events Whitney had orchestrated.
“Was my participation in the selection tournament also part of my brother’s plan?”
Cecil was trembling at the possibility that everything she had thought about Whitney was merely a misunderstanding.
“That would not be the case.”
“Oh.”
“When you announced your participation in the selection tournament, Sir Whitney was clearly taken aback.”
As that possibility became more likely, Cecil’s face grew even paler.
“Then… Did my participation mess up his plan…?”
“That is not the case. Sir Whitney’s plan is flawless….”
Runiel, who had been answering as sincerely as possible within the limits of what she could say, was forced to change her words when—
– BOOM!
With a deafening roar that shook the entire academy, the ground beneath them began to tremble violently.
“…It seems the plan has gone awry.”
“T-then what’s going to happen now?”
“A demon will appear at the academy… Ugh.”
As she frantically searched her pockets, she accidentally let something slip and quickly shut her mouth.
“Wait, is this the butterfly effect of me winning the match?”
“T-that can’t be it. Probably…?”
Even as she denied it, Runiel’s shaky voice made it clear that she wasn’t entirely convinced.
“A-anyway! I have to go help my brother…!”
“…No, wait. Sir Whitney definitely has a contingency plan for this situation as well.”
Cecil, on the verge of losing her rationality, tried to rush forward, but fortunately, Runiel pulled something from her pocket and stopped her, regaining her composure.
“Actually, before coming here, he distributed these to us in case the plan went off track.”
“W-what is this?”
“It’s called the Trickster’s Pouch, a strategy once used by an old tactician from the Eastern Continent. I don’t know exactly what’s inside. He told us not to open it until the plan started falling apart….”
Seeing the pouch, made of high-quality paper and bearing Whitney’s distinct taste, Cecil let out a relieved sigh.
“T-then, let’s open it now.”
“I was just about to do that, so don’t worry.”
Though still slightly anxious, Cecil urged her on.
Runiel then tore open the pouch to check its contents.
“…Gasp.”
A few seconds later, she gasped, her face turning even paler than Cecil’s.
“W-what’s wrong?”
Seeing Runiel’s clear distress, Cecil fearfully looked at the paper that had fallen out of the pouch.
“…Hic.”
At that moment, she immediately understood why even Runiel, who wouldn’t flinch if a blade was held to her neck, was so terrified.
“Last Will and Testament”
What fell out of what was supposed to contain Whitney’s plans was, of all things, his last will.
“Everything… Everything….”
Upon confirming it, Cecil collapsed to the ground, her legs giving out as large, jewel-like tears rolled down her cheeks.
“…It’s all because of me.”
*****
– BOOM! BOOM BOOM!
The tremors across the academy grew even stronger as the demon’s seal began to unravel.
“…I’m really glad I prepared a backup plan in advance.”
If I hadn’t set up a contingency plan for failure, I would have felt like crying right now.
“Parsha, you distributed the Trickster’s Pouches to everyone properly, right?”
“Of course! I distributed them without a single mistake!”
“Alright, I’ll trust you.”
Even so, just to be sure, I double-checked through my communication crystal linked to Parsha.
With a sigh, I picked up my pace.
‘If only communication crystals were more common, I wouldn’t have to pretend to be some kind of Zhuge Liang.’
Honestly, the Magic Tower monopolizing most of the magical artifacts was a real pain.
Next time, I should try negotiating with Adele using the necklace I got from her.
“…Excuse me. What exactly is this plan you prepared in advance?”
As I was mumbling to myself and stepping out of the arena, the saintess, who had been trailing behind me, sharply questioned.
“If I tell you, will you stop spouting nonsense about me being the Demon King?”
“Sigh, just hurry up and explain.”
Honestly, I wanted to sit her down and give a long speech to clear up her massive misunderstanding.
But unfortunately, I didn’t have the time.
“It’s simple. I’m going to enslave the demon that appeared at the academy.”
I wasn’t sure what exactly had changed within me, but I had recently made a deal with the leader of the black mages to serve as their stand-in.
Given that, the saintess had plenty of reason to misunderstand.
“Is… that even possible?”
“Even if it’s not, I have to do it. The demon appearing in the academy can only be defeated by the Hero.”
In the original story, the demon that appeared in the final chapter of Act 1 was essentially an event boss meant to highlight the protagonist.
The Holy Nation’s knight order, who had visited for diplomatic relations instead of the tournament, would be wiped out effortlessly.
Even the academy’s elite faculty and dean would only be able to stall for time.
At that moment, the protagonist—the Hero—would step in to slay the demon and make their grand debut to the world.
“But, I know a bug… No, I mean, a kind of loophole.”
Whether it was an unintended exploit or a hidden mechanic, I knew a way to completely break that unbeatable scenario.
“If I use that method, I should be able to control the demon myself, rather than letting the black mages enslave it.”
If I succeeded, I could buy a significant amount of time.
Of course, the risks were enormous, but—
“I may not understand everything, but that plan sounds incredibly dangerous.”
“Oh, well, yeah. It definitely is.”
Noticing that Hestia had quickly caught on to the crucial point, I shrugged and responded calmly.
“I even wrote a will just in case things go wrong.”
“Hah.”
“I’m sure it’s here somewhere… Huh?”
I had prepared a will before coming to the academy to convince the saintess, who was firmly convinced that I was some sort of Demon King.
I reached into my robe to pull it out, but for some reason, the folded paper was nowhere to be found.
“Where did it go…?”
“You… don’t tell me…”
As cold sweat ran down my back at the thought that I might have left it behind at the mansion in my haste, the saintess, who had been watching me in silence, finally spoke in a low voice.
“Are you willingly walking the path of the Demon King?”
“…What?”
“Walking the path of the Demon King to save the world… It’s ironic, yet noble. Honestly, I see you in a new light.”
No, I appreciated that she was finally acting more like a saintess, but wasn’t the reasoning behind it completely off?
“I’m a righteous white mage, though?”
“…A righteous white mage wouldn’t talk about enslaving demons.”
“But…”
“And… they also wouldn’t constantly flash such an evil smirk—ah, never mind. Forget I said anything.”
I tried to defend myself out of sheer injustice, but her firm response left me sulking instead.
“To be honest, I’m still confused. This whole situation, even you pretending not to understand, could all be part of some elaborate scheme to deceive me.”
“……?”
“But, I’ll cooperate. I suppose it’s time I took a gamble too.”
She was still saying incomprehensible things, but in the end, it seemed like she had decided to cooperate with me.
“…Actually, I did need your help for this method.”
To break through the game’s impossible mechanic, Hestia’s assistance was essential.
Glancing at her, I leaned in and whispered in a low voice.
“I’m too short on time to argue, so I’ll take your help, but that doesn’t mean I agree with what you’re saying.”
“…I figured.”
“Haha, your real personality is finally showing.”
Would it be too irreverent to admit that I kind of missed the Hestia from a few days ago, who used to tremble just from making eye contact with me?
“So, what do I need to do?”
“It’s simple.”
Pushing aside such idle thoughts, I explained the only way to resolve this situation to the now-cooperative Hestia.
“In front of everyone… kill me.”
“…Okay, got i—”
She had begun nodding reflexively, but then her expression stiffened, and she stared at me.
“…What did you just say?”
It was, without a doubt, an insane request, so her reaction was understandable.
Even so, I repeated myself clearly and precisely.
“I asked you to kill me in the arena, Lady Saintess.”
Because the only way I knew to break the game’s mechanic required me to die once—by her hands.
*****
“Kyaaah!”
“Is… is this an earthquake?”
As massive tremors from deep within the academy’s core shook the stadium, screams erupted from all around the audience seats.
“E-everyone! Please remain calm! The faculty is currently investigating the cause…!”
Amid the chaos, the head of the academic affairs office shouted desperately.
But in their panic, the crowd could barely register his words.
“Tch….”
Even in the midst of the commotion, Meredia, who had been maintaining her composure in the judge’s waiting area, frowned and muttered as she rose from her seat.
“They never get anything right—”
However, as she began moving towards the stadium, her words abruptly cut off.
– Rumble…!
Because at that very moment, she had just caught sight of a giant hand bursting through the stadium floor.
“W-what is that…?”
“H-hiiiik!”
Since it was clearly visible from the audience seats, which overlooked the stadium, the panic escalated even further.
“That… is that a demon?”
Even Meredia, who had initially remained composed, lost her cool and muttered in disbelief.
“…What the hell is he trying to do?”
A demon being summoned in the heart of the Empire, and during the selection tournament at the academy, was an event so catastrophic that it far exceeded the repercussions of the engagement incident—it would be recorded in history.
“L-Lady Meredia!”
“Evacuate the people. I’ll take care of that somehow…”
With an unusually tense expression, Meredia issued a command to the academic affairs director, who had rushed over.
She then hurriedly moved towards the stadium.
But just then—
“Sir Whitney is here!”
“…What?”
From the audience, a high-pitched voice rang out.
“T-thank goodness! He’s a white mage!”
“A-and he’s a hero, too…!”
“But who’s that maid next to him?”
As Whitney and Lady Hestia emerged from the entrance where the contestants were supposed to appear, the audience’s fearful gazes locked onto them.
“…So, this is part of the plan too, huh?”
Meredia, who had been watching intently, let out a sigh and was about to sit back down after confirming Whitney’s eerily calm expression.
– Stab…
But at that moment—
Not just Meredia, but everyone in the stadium froze.
“Guh…!”
Because before anyone could react, Hestia—the maid standing beside Whitney—had pulled out a dagger and plunged it into his heart.
“……”
A deadly silence fell over the entire stadium.
Except for Meredia, who watched in horror and unconsciously let out a scream.
“No…!”
Cliche Novel 
THIS IS GETTING SO GOODDDD
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