SRS 171

Yohan woke up in a strange place. From the bed to the wallpaper, everything around him was pure white and spotless, a bizarre space devoid of even a speck of dirt. The first face that came to mind the moment he opened his eyes was Mikael’s. Before he could even figure out where he was, Yohan, worried about his friend, abruptly turned his head to look around. He searched for Mikael, but he was nowhere to be seen. All he could see was the stark white room.

In the vast room, there was nothing but the bed on which Yohan lay. The surreal scene, as if a single bed had been conjured out of nowhere in an empty void, evoked a sense of dread. When he finally realized where he was, Yohan frowned and sat up.

Crack.

Even though he had only tried to sit up, a bone-chilling sound emanated from his body. He had drunk a liquid that was close to poison, yet he had no idea why his entire body ached as if he’d undergone three hundred hours of grueling training.

Yohan frowned as he tried to piece together his memories. Though his recollection was hazy, he remembered that Mikael had done something to help him.

What happened after that? What was that liquid I drank?

Thoughts flooded in without pause. Just as he decided he had to get out of this unfamiliar place and set his foot down…

Click.

A pure white door, indistinguishable from the wall and which he hadn’t even realized was a door, swung open, and a familiar figure entered.

“How are you feeling?”

The figure asked after his condition in a calm, even tone devoid of any inflection.

“Headmaster.”

Yohan spoke, then gasped in surprise and clutched his throat. His voice was hoarse and raspy, as if his vocal cords had been savagely scraped by something sharp. A moment later, his throat started hurting and he grimaced. The headmaster handed him the cup he had been holding.

“I see you haven’t fully recovered yet.”

He offered the cup. Yohan hesitated for a moment, then took it and drank. Lately, he’d been accepting drinks from suspicious people more often than not.

“…Ugh.”

The liquid that entered his mouth had a viscosity and texture like mucus, it was absolutely dreadful. It felt as if he were drinking the scraped-off surface of a jellyfish, and just as he was about to throw up, the headmaster used his divine power to pinch his mouth shut.

Wow, it was nothing short of tear-jerking consideration. With his mouth sealed so he couldn’t vomit, Yohan stared at the headmaster in disbelief before finally swallowing the disgusting, strange-textured liquid. Unable to hide the horrified expression on his face, he wore it openly, prompting the headmaster to give him a playful smile.

Yohan frowned even more.

Did he feed me this on purpose?

“Don’t misunderstand. Ersille’s mucus naturally tastes and feels like that. It is mucus, after all.”

“…Ersille?”

“It’s the name of a plant that grows in the Divine Realm. It helps restore damaged memories and quickly heals internal injuries. Since the potion you drank was a memory-erasing poison, it would be best to use Ersille to recover. Even if Mikael managed to push it out, it wasn’t completely successful.”

…So that’s what happened.

The brief explanation clarified the situation he had experienced before losing consciousness. Now that he had a rough grasp of the situation, Yohan nodded, then he suddenly froze, his attention drawn to something he had almost let slip by.

Wait a minute.

The Divine Realm?

It was far too important a story for someone to be talking about it as if it were nothing. Didn’t that mean he had just eaten food from the Divine Realm? Shivers ran down his spine. Countless thoughts raced through Yohan’s mind. Legends of humans who had suffered misfortune after eating the food of the gods flashed through his mind and then faded away.

“Ersille doesn’t cause any significant side effects when consumed by humans, so don’t worry. Ah, well, your skin might improve a bit for a while. As long as you don’t eat it too often, there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

The headmaster explained with a smile, which made Yohan shiver even more.

Was his mind being read in real time?

Yohan, who had harbored reasonable doubts, realized that wasn’t what mattered right ​unauthorized copy​now. He rubbed his throat, which felt much better than before, and asked,

“Where is Mikael?”

“Student Mikael is in another space. His injuries are more severe. A temporary recovery space like this isn’t enough.”

“Are you saying this is a temporary recovery space?”

“Yes. I created it.”

No wonder the space felt so strange, it wasn’t a real place, but a makeshift space the headmaster had created to help the student recover.

Once he realized this, Yohan recognized anew that the being before him was a deity. If the power he possessed was connected to creation, then his status and power were far from ordinary.

“Hmm…”

Yohan cleared his throat, and his demeanor immediately became even more humble. unauthorized copyThe headmaster chuckled softly and took the cup from Yohan’s hand.

“Hmm…”

Yohan looked at the headmaster. Given the circumstances, he had rescued them from the commercial district… But how much did he know? Where should he start explaining, and what should he ask?

His mind wasn’t working clearly since he had just woken up. He hesitated to speak, still a little dazed from the time it took to wake up, but the Nameless One dispelled the shadow of silence hanging between them.

“First, I suppose I should explain who you encountered. Hmm. The people the two students met are those who have strayed from the natural order.”

Clink. The headmaster, who had used divine power to tidy up the tableware in a single sweep, summoned a sofa, sat down, and said,

“Unlike demons, they are mortals who have made contracts with evil gods that strayed from the order to gain power, and who survive by stealing the souls of the living with that power. Since their strength grows in proportion to the souls they consume, if you encounter these Evil Gods Contractors, you should take great care to protect your soul.”

“…Wait a moment.”

Since this was new information, Yohan was still trying to organize ​unauthorized copy​the knowledge in his still-muddled mind when he belatedly noticed something odd.

“Why are you talking as if we’re going to meet those Evil Gods Contractors again?”

It could have been a simple word of caution. Since they were dangerous individuals, it might have been advice meant to prevent accidents, but for some reason, the headmaster’s words sounded like a warning to Yohan. Since this intuition couldn’t be dismissed as mere worry, he pressed the issue, causing the headmaster to sigh in regret.

“You noticed?”

“…….”

“I’ll explain, so don’t make that kind of face. It hurts my feelings.”

At the headmaster’s request, Yohan’s expression grew twice as cold. Unfazed by his student’s expression, the headmaster crossed one leg over the other and rested his hands on his knees.

“Since things have come to this, I suppose I can’t hide it from the two students either. No, since this is something the school needs to know, you’re just finding out ahead of time.”

Yohan held his breath as he felt the prelude to an unusual story. After confirming that the atmosphere was set for a serious conversation, the headmaster spoke in a lighthearted tone.

“Across all dimensions, Evil Gods Contractors are appearing, shaking the dimensions to their core and plunging them into chaos. We’ve seen signs of this for a while, but an uprising on this scale is unprecedented. Therefore, as those entrusted with providence, we must fulfill our duty. I’ve told you before about how Fantasiademia came to be established and its founding purpose, do you remember?”

“…Yes.”

Fantasiademia is a place that trains heroes.

To prepare for a coming danger.

That was why Yohan had interpreted those words to mean that a dangerous age requiring heroes was approaching. And just as expected…it seemed that age of turmoil had finally arrived. Once he realized that, he could predict what the headmaster would say next.

Probably…

“A meeting was held in the Divine Realm, and a conclusion has been reached. From now on, the students of Fantasiademia will enter into covenants with providence, and as agents of providence, they will bear the duty of stopping those who stray from the natural order. Of course, with professors and powerful beings from other dimensions present, the students’ role won’t be significant immediately, but as they advance in grade, that role will gradually grow. Here, this is the official document.”

Snap. The headmaster snapped his fingers and produced a sheet of parchment in front of Yohan. The latter carefully unrolled it and checked the contents.

He skipped the long preamble and quickly read the official notice, which was simple.

It stated that from now on, all exams except for the end-of-month evaluations would be replaced by missions to stop Evil Gods Contractors, and that the higher the grade level, the more difficult the missions would become.

Although it was surprising, since he had already heard the headmaster’s explanation, the contents of the official notice weren’t particularly shocking. Yohan carefully read it once more before lowering his gaze. He had a hunch about something. Unsure if he should voice it, he rolled his tongue a few times, then made up his mind and looked at the headmaster.

After taking a short, deep breath, Yohan parted his lips.

“…You mentioned that Evil Gods Contractors have existed for quite some time.”

“That’s right.”

“And while Fantasiademia is a resurrection school that gives the dead another chance, its founding purpose is closer to resurrecting those with the potential to become heroes.”

“That’s correct as well.”

“The heroes born here inherit the duty to stop the Evil Gods Contractors.”

“That’s correct.”

“Then….”

Yohan paused for a moment.

“Then, are those who fall into the Nameless Realm the potential heroes who lost their lives at the hands of Evil Gods Contractors?”