Lanne Kihano.
The eldest daughter of the Count Kihano family, a historic knightly household. A girl who had even earned a knightly title despite her young age.
She was currently breaking out in a cold sweat.
'How did this happen...'
Today is the day of the entrance exam. So she had left her family home and was on her way to the Academy.
—Help us!
While riding her horse like that, she heard a sound asking for help from somewhere.
For her, who revered chivalry and took altruism as a virtue, it was a situation she could not ignore.
Lanne turned her horse's head without a shred of hesitation.
At the end where the horse's hooves touched, a massive death was waiting.
A monster mumbling an incantation while holding hundreds of grimoires.
—Grrrraaaah, grrrr...
It was clearly an Apostle serving an Evil God.
Lanne grasped her spear and stood against it.
But it was beyond her strength. A gap that felt distant.
The girl's spear couldn't even make a scratch on the Apostle.
Eventually, Lanne, who became covered in wounds, was prepared for death.
"I am a passing traveler."
"..."
It was then. That the man in front of her appeared.
'Just now... the Apostle of the Evil God, and with just a single tree branch...'
He popped out suddenly, and in the blink of an eye, disposed of the Apostle.
It was a situation Lanne could not comprehend.
Because she was also a powerhouse counted on one hand among her peers.
He defeated an enemy that someone like her couldn't even scratch.
'It's strange.'
An attack that seemed like it would crumple the entire world. However, what was even more bizarre than that was...
'I didn't feel any energy...'
Beyond overwhelming, a strike that was to the point of being bizarre.
She didn't feel any energy from such a strike.
Mana, Aura, Divine Power... at the very least, she should have felt demonic energy.
'None...'
It was peaceful. She couldn't feel anything from the man's attack.
It was as if it was saying nothing had happened.
A situation where she came to doubt her own perception.
At that moment, there were words that inadvertently brushed past Lanne's mind.
—Skill difference... In the case where an overwhelming gap exists that cannot be explained even by such words.
—They say there are cases where even the opponent's presence feels blurred.
—Remember this, Lanne.
Childhood. Advice heard from her father, the best knight in the North.
—If the event that happened earlier feels like a dream, and thus everything looks like an illusion...
—Never antagonize the opponent in front of you.
Her mouth went completely dry. A situation exactly as her father had told her.
"..."
She couldn't even estimate it. Just how large of a gap existed between him and herself.
The boy was wearing a meaningful smile.
A relaxed appearance as if this level wasn't even amusement.
For the first time in her life, Lanne felt anxiety from someone's smile.
'Please.'
May the opponent in front of her not be an enemy. Lanne prayed inwardly.
Jangbung-i who was deleted without a trace. I offered a greeting afterwards, but there was no answer from Lanne.
"..."
"Hmm."
The kid is a bit frozen. Was she very scared?
'Well... Jangbung-i did look a bit scary.'
Because it was a visual that made your knees weak.
Even if she is an indomitable protagonist, her essence is a girl who isn't even an adult yet.
Having seen such a thing, it was understandable she would be mentally exhausted.
"Are you alright?"
"...Ah."
When I ask once more, the girl comes to her senses.
She bows her head with a stiff demeanor.
Her purple eyes shake.
"T-Thank you for saving me..."
"Don't mention it. I only helped because we ran into each other by chance, you know?"
A softly returned answer. I extend my hand with the world's most harmless smile.
"I am called Viktor."
"Ah... I am called Lanne Kihano."
"Nice to meet you, Lady Kihano."
We lightly share a handshake. The reaction was strange. Even though I speak softly, Lanne cannot meet my eyes.
I suddenly think about how suspicious I must look to myself.
A man who defeated an Apostle of the Evil God holding only a single tree branch.
'Uh oh.'
Don't tell me she was scared not because of Jangbung-i, but because of me?
Only then do Lanne's shoulders, trembling as if nervous, enter my view.
An emergency alarm goes off in my head.
'She doesn't think of me as a suspicious person, right?'
It was understandable. Even for me, if someone suddenly appeared and beat a crouching elephant to death with wooden chopsticks, it seems like it would be scary.
'...Or not?'
It might also seem a bit cool.
Anyway, this wasn't the time for this.
Because confirming the fact that I am not hostile was the priority.
Although I did save her from danger, I was also a thug whose identity was unknown.
Especially now when she was physically cornered, Lanne's response would be more sensitive than usual.
'I'll die...!'
No matter how exhausted she is, the protagonist is the protagonist.
On the other hand, I am a weakling with all stats fixed at Rank E.
Even if she just taps me with the back of her sword, I die.
Because I could handle bugs, but was frail in all other parts.
"Um... excuse me, Sir Viktor."
"Yes, Lady Kihano."
First, revealing my harmlessness was the priority.
Or else I might die!
I load affection points on the tip of my tongue.
The girl hesitates for a long while before opening her mouth.
"Sir Viktor, why did you help us...?"
"You ask a strange question."
"T-That is so..."
"Is a reason needed for a person to help another person?"
If it's a relief, is it the fact that I am a veteran?
I knew about Lanne better than anyone.
A relationship spent together for a whopping 14,000 hours.
I saw the ending of this world with her 1000 times.
We cried, laughed, started, and ended together beyond the monitor.
"Chivalry."
Lanne Kihano. Alias, Don Quixote de La Mancha.
"Fight for those who cannot fight, and do not retreat even knowing fear."
What she reveres. The seven virtues. Among them, I mention mercy and courage.
"I learned it as such. So I could not pass by those who were in trouble."
"..."
Aspiring knight.
Lanne grew up listening to the heroic tales of Northern knights since childhood, and naturally admired them.
To her, chivalry was the direction of life, and one who followed chivalry was a comrade walking the same path.
Even in the original work, if the conversation flowed in this direction, affection points used to rise steadily.
In other words, with just these few words, I have...
"Noble person...!"
Stamped my mark as a good person with a bang.
Grab-. Lanne's hands grasp my hand.
Purple eyes shining brightly without a single trace of nervousness.
That gaze was filled with goodwill to the point of being burdensome.
"I was moved by the noble person's spirit of sacrifice! Please forgive me for being wary even for a moment!"
"Haha, it is fine. Since it must have been sudden for Lady Kihano as well."
"Sir Viktor is truly a good person!"
"This is embarrassing."
"Please call me Lanne comfortably! I am also one who admires knights! If we are people harboring the same admiration, aren't we soon disciples under the same teacher!"
"Then shall I, Lady Lanne."
I smile good-naturedly. This is our protagonist.
'Northern Knight... honestly, rather than a knight, she feels like a naive country girl.'
She is exactly the type to get scammed by a con artist upon coming up to the capital.
To put it nicely, she is pure; to put it badly, she doesn't know the ways of the world.
It was a favorable point for me. It means she is easy to gently manipulate.
"I was surprised! To think there would be a powerhouse like Sir Viktor among my peers!"
"I am lacking."
"The words my father told me were correct. As expected, the world is wide!"
Did the tension completely go away now? Her shoulders that had shrunk were also straightened.
'Right, please don't be hostile.'
It's because I use bugs; as for raw stats, I am a weakling.
A body that can be KO'd even by an inadvertent flick to the forehead.
I mean they are stats that would lose even if I fought a passing farmer.
I smile towards Lanne, while inwardly begging for mercy servilely.
"Ah... then I will go check on the people in the carriage."
Lanne looks back as if worried even while chatting for a moment.
As expected of a protagonist, she was diligent in this aspect.
I wasn't particularly worried. Because casualties wouldn't have occurred thanks to her and my intervention.
Using the moment the surroundings became quiet, I examine the items that entered my pocket.
"Hmm."
What catches on my fingertips are a few items. Rewards obtained by repelling Jangbung-i.
Ding-!
[You have obtained rewards.]
-Mask of the Evil God x1
-Robe of the Evil God x1
-Grimoire that Should Not Exist x1
Mask, Robe, Grimoire. All are items that can only be obtained through the route of hunting Jangbung-i.
Originally, they are items that can only be obtained in the latter half of the original work, when Jangbung-i reappears in the story.
'I obtained them through cheating, though.'
A secondary purpose. Besides saving Lanne, it was to obtain these guys.
Just having these changes the future difficulty significantly.
[Mask of the Evil God]
-Classification: ???
-Grade: ???
-Description: Discard it. Discard it. Discard it. Discard it. Discard it. Discard it. Discard. Discard. Discard. Dis.
"Oh dear."
A significantly ominous description. The other two items were also similar.
Well, even if they look like this, the effects are outstanding.
[Mask of the Evil God]
-Effect: Nullifies attacks directed at the wearer three times. Activates only while worn.
-Current remaining count: 3
[Robe of the Evil God]
-Effect: You can store items inside the robe. Functions only while worn.
-Stored item count: 0/100
Attack nullification, and inventory. Both are performances that aren't a joke.
'Especially the mask.'
It doesn't matter if the attack directed at me is an Archmage's Meteor or a Sword Saint's slash.
An item that 'unconditionally' nullifies any attack three times.
For me, whose all stats are fixed at Rank E and who doesn't know where I might die a dog's death, there was no item more necessary than this.
To put it bluntly, I am a body that dies even if I get stabbed once while passing by.
'You have to see it as gaining three more lives.'
And the robe. In the game, there is a personal inventory, so backpacks were worn for storage expansion, but this is reality.
'There's no way a separate inventory exists.'
As such, I have to use items that played the role of a backpack in the original work.
The Robe of the Evil God is easily Tier 1 among such types of items.
It is the lightest, and the storage space is also the widest.
Thus, the mask and robe must be worn at all times.
[Grimoire that Should Not Exist]
-Effect: ???
The Grimoire is... there is a place to use it later. I'll keep it well stored until then.
First, I take out the ones I have to wear right now.
'Let's see.'
The appearance of the mask strangely resembled a clown.
Two eyes and a mouth that are smiling widely.
'It's kinda cute?'
I wear it on my face without hesitation.
The wearing comfort wasn't bad. Vision wasn't obstructed, and there was no feeling of it being in the way.
Should I say it feels not much different from when not wearing it?
As expected of a cheat item, the comfort is also on a different level.
[Equipping Item 'Mask of the Evil God'.]
[Equipping Item 'Robe of the Evil God'.]
Since the robe was just a black cloak, I wrapped it around my body without looking further.
Perhaps because they are set items, they looked quite stylish.
Ding-!
[Set Items Equipped, additional synergy occurs.]
-Your intimidation significantly increases.
-When others stare at you, they are engulfed in an unknown ominousness.
-Restricted to the eclipse 'Night for the Clown', the seal of ■■■ is released.
A flaw in the jade. Intimidation and ominousness.
Thanks to this, once I wear these two, it becomes difficult to raise affection points with other characters.
'Well, I have to endure this much.'
I finish setting up. Looking at it, it seems Lanne's side is also done organizing.
It was time to leave slowly.
'Have to go take the exam.'
To take the Academy entrance exam.
After the situation was organized.
"By the way, I was surprised. To think Sir Viktor was also on his way to take the entrance exam."
"It is a fascinating connection."
"I do not know how relieved I am. Honestly, since it is my first time leaving the North, I was nervous in many ways. Accompanying someone gives me truly great strength."
"I was also not bored on the way coming thanks to Lady Lanne."
The unfortunate event of being late for the entrance exam did not happen.
The people we saved, they gave us a ride in their carriage.
Since it was nearby anyway, they said they would drop us off while they were at it.
Is this why they say to live kindly?
They conveyed their gratitude bowing their heads several times.
"However, Sir Viktor. What is the mask on your face...?"
"It is a fashion item. It is a guy I enjoy using normally."
"Is that the trend these days! As expected, the world outside the North is always new."
Running like that for a few hours. We had arrived at our destination.
'Grandia Academy.'
The educational institution called the best on the continent.
It was not ashamed of such a modifier.
Did they say the scale was practically no different from a small city?
If I compare it to make it easy to understand, the land half the size of Seoul is entirely the Academy.
"It is incredibly vast...!"
"It has to be this much to be called the continent's best. They say cadets usually live in the Cadet Exclusive Zone located in the very center. Outside the Exclusive Zone, there are shopping districts, residential areas, workshop streets, etc. They say various elements are settled there."
"It is truly a place where the word Academic City fits."
We stood in line waiting for the entrance exam.
The noise of surrounding students glimmered in my ears.
Buzz buzz-.
I sink into thought steadily.
If it's the reason I came to the Academy, it was simple.
Because to stop the world's destruction, it was necessary to follow the original flow.
'Besides... the bugs I can use are much more numerous on the Academy side too.'
Neugeume. (Lanne & Grandia Academy: The Märchen)
As you can tell from the title, the main stage of the game is the Academy.
Since it is the stage that appeared most frequently, the bugs discovered are also the most numerous.
Naturally, inside is more advantageous for activity than outside the academy.
—Next applicant please enter.
While I was distracted for a moment, my turn had approached before I knew it.
"Then, I will go first."
"Yes! If it is Sir Viktor, you will pass without a problem. I will see you inside the Academy."
"I will pray for Lady Lanne's victory as well."
Since the hall Lanne and I were applying to was different, we parted ways for a moment.
Since we can meet again in Class A anyway, it won't matter.
I enter inside the hall. Inside, an assistant instructor in charge of supervision was standing.
The man frowns fiercely upon seeing me.
"An unpleasant guy. Wearing a mask like a clown."
"Haha, please look after me well."
Rude speech. It is probably an act to pressure the applicant.
Like a veteran, I pass it over with a smooth reaction.
"Slicking out. Come out to the front. As I instructed, the given exams one by one..."
The exam content was ordinary. Light ability measurement.
They were things you could likely see in any fantasy worldview academy.
Strength, Stamina, Mana Sensitivity, etc... it proceeded based on various devices.
It was barely around 10 minutes until I was notified of the exam results.
"Applicant 3720. Real name Viktor."
The exam finished with confidence. That measurement result was naturally...
"Theory A+. Rank E in all other sectors. Disqualified due to substandard levels."
"Eh."
I got my admission rejected.