Chapter 41: Arcana Academy
POV Lia Elamin:
Seventeen years have passed since I arrived in this world. And now I am registering for the entrance exam of Arcana Academy on the Neutral Continent.
I stared at the flying island in the middle of the city with a fascinated look—Arcana Academy. Why am I fascinated? Here's why: first, the Academy in the game I played was on the ground.
Because this Academy will be destroyed during the war, which will happen approximately fifteen years from now, judging by the future.
"Amazing…" I muttered unconsciously, "Why does this have to be destroyed? If it wasn't destroyed, that game would have been even more explosive..."
I continued walking and entered the portal to go to the floating island. Why wasn't I surprised? Because I saw it once on the way here, so I'm no longer surprised.
Portals also existed in the game world, but that was it; I couldn't see them directly. But now? I can see it directly with my own eyes!
And here I am, in the courtyard of Arcana Academy, surrounded by thousands of exam participants. I looked around me with curiosity and amazement. People were talking, and there were various races: Elves, Dwarves, half-humans, and mostly humans.
Magnificent buildings stood on every side, tall pillars with magical carvings and ancient symbols that rarely even appeared in the game version.
"So this is Arcana Academy before the second war... it's beautiful," I whispered, almost disbelieving.
I don't know anything about this world because this world is much earlier than the game. I'm not like the protagonist who knows places to gain power, the future, and events that will happen—except for the second war and one traitor here.
So, I'm just a lost player...
However, while I was still admiring the sight before me, I heard people whispering.
That made me turn.
"Look, isn't that the Emperor's daughter?" someone asked.
"It is, that's her..."
"Wow, the aura she radiates is so graceful!" said another.
I blinked, looking in the direction they were talking about. A girl with glittering blonde hair walked through the crowd. She looked calm, yet every step carried a natural authority.
The Daughter of the Atlas Emperor... if the flow of this world is the same as the game I remember, she will be an important character in the game. Her appearance was like a beautiful, carefully polished doll.
I closed my eyes for a moment. In the game, Atlas was long destroyed—replaced by a new nation formed after the great war.
But in this era... they are still in power.
But the surprises weren't over yet; before I could calm down, the sound of other people was heard again.
"! Hey! Isn't that the Saintess of Light!?" someone asked in surprise, pointing at someone.
"What? Where!?" others replied, shocked.
I and the others who heard that quickly turned in the direction the person pointed and saw—a woman with golden hair and golden eyes like mini suns. Her appearance was so captivating it could cause a war if she were harmed.
The one blessed by the Goddess of Light herself, Abel Montain the Saintess.
Our breaths were caught in our throats for different reasons.
And next to her was a man who would determine the path of the world, someone who would save humanity Or destroy it, Noah Raven, the Hero. His black hair and red eyes stared steadily ahead.
His appearance was no less striking than Prince Leon himself.
In the eyes of others, they are the pillars of humanity against the demons, but in my eyes, they are not—The two of them, or more precisely: The Hero Noah Raven, will betray humanity during the war.
I heard and even saw it in the game scenario, when the protagonist entered the past dream world. Noah was the traitor to humanity.
But because of "that person," the world's destruction did not happen.
I stared at the two figures for a long time, swallowing the lump in my throat. Here they stood—the Hero and the Saintess, the symbols of humanity's light.
But in my eyes... they were not saviors. They were the starting point of destruction.
"Noah Raven…" I whispered, almost inaudibly. "This is the time when you are still considered a hero, huh?"
For some reason, my chest felt heavy. Seeing him here, young, calm, and... human. Noah was also the one who caused the Saintess's death near the end of the war and conspired with the Demon King.
But look at him now, there were no signs of the darkness that would devour him in the future. No shadow of blood or war.
He was just an ordinary handsome young man—and maybe that was the most terrifying thing.
How could someone that good become a Traitor?
"Hey, are you okay?"
A girl's voice beside me broke my reverie. I turned quickly, slightly nervous.
"Ah! Y-yes, I'm fine," I replied hastily.
She smiled, looking innocent. "You look pale. Don't tell me you're scared before the exam even starts?"
I gave an awkward laugh. "Haha... maybe a little."
But actually, it wasn't the exam I was afraid of.
What I was afraid of was that I knew what would happen to them... and couldn't do anything about it.
Because, if I truly was eighty years earlier...
Then I wasn't at the beginning of the game's story—I was in the prologue of world history.
And I... was no longer a player. I was a part of this game.
...
...
...
As I was engrossed in my thoughts, a Mana wave suddenly rushed like a tide, making me stagger.
Before the whispers and admiration subsided, the sky above the field suddenly trembled softly—as if the air itself was bowing to something.
Wuuuuushhh—
An incredibly dense Mana wave swept across the entire area, causing the exam participants, including me, to nearly lose their balance.
The wind swirled like an invisible storm, shaking the leaves and our clothes.
I reflexively held onto my flying hair, my eyes wide. "T-this Mana pressure... is insane!"
Some participants knelt, unable to stand. But then... the figure of a woman appeared, the Principal of Arcana Academy.
The Mana wave that had enveloped the place earlier came from her.
She stood in the center of the stage, looking at the thousands of participants with absolute composure, then slightly raised a hand.
Instantly, the storm subsided—the air returned to calm, leaving only tension in everyone's chests.
"Welcome, exam participants. My name is Helena Eliz, the Dean of this Academy."
Her words were soft yet pressing.
And a moment later...
She released an even stronger Mana wave that caused participants to faint. And now, less than half of the participants remained.
Every word made the air tremble.
I stared at her fixedly, gasping for breath. 'She's the Principal?' I thought in disbelief. The Aura she emitted was different from anyone else here—as if she wasn't just a mage, but a higher entity.
In the game, she was still alive and the Principal of the place where the protagonist studied. Because of that, in the game, I thought it would be an exaggeration to say that her Mana alone could make people faint.
Behind her, someone walked forward with calm steps—the blonde-haired youth, red eyes, wearing a white uniform with a golden emblem on his chest.
"Leonhard Astria…" I whispered.
He bowed respectfully to the Principal before speaking, "I will proceed, Principal."
The woman only nodded. "Make sure they know who deserves to be here."
Then she turned and walked down from the stage—her steps left a hot aura in the air, like a holy flame that had just extinguished.
I swallowed slowly, still staggering to keep from falling.
Right then, the Student Council President, or Leon, explained how the practical exam would be conducted, and as he counted down, another voice interrupted him.
All the participants and I turned towards the source of the voice and—my breath hitched. There was a man walking casually toward the Stage.
His white hair swayed as he walked. He wore a long white coat, and underneath, he wore a tight, long-sleeved black turtleneck shirt and black trousers.
His appearance was so striking and exceptionally handsome that even the gods would be envious, and goddesses would fight over him.
I froze, not moving, and so did everyone else. The girls immediately felt heat in their bodies.
Then with a small, curious voice, I said, "That's my favorite character?... Doesn't a face like that feel innocent??"
I knew he was handsome when the protagonist started the [past world] scenario, but I didn't expect him to be this handsome...
I unconsciously rubbed my face, then muttered, "Now I feel insecure about my own face..."
A few moments later, I snapped out of the captivating hypnosis, then looked around. The guys had started to regain consciousness, but the girls... They were drooling.
And I suddenly remembered something and quickly turned to a certain girl, or more precisely, the Saintess.
When I saw her, still with the Hero, I flinched instantly. Because the Saintess—she was staring at that man with a flushed face and her tongue sticking out as if she had found the most delicious food.
Her expression no longer looked like a holy woman; she now looked like a dog that hadn't been fed in years.
My skin crawled seeing her like that, then with an awkward motion, I turned back to the front, staring at that man, or Ren—as people called him.
In the game, he was a one-time use character, and that only happened when the past scenario started. And the frustrating thing was, to use his character, players had to pay a lot of money!
But strangely, all players—or more precisely: all female players—were willing to pay dearly to use him, even if only once. I was no different... hehe.
People even gave Ren the nickname: The Women's Money Drainer.