Emergency Declaration Issued

It was about three days earlier.

During morning assembly, the vice principal had announced this.

“Yes! As you all know, an area-wide spell called Unquenchable has been placed around this academy, so you don’t have to drink water at all, indeed! For maintenance of this spell, outside contractors will be coming and going for about three days starting today, indeed! They’ll be working in places like the residential district and the forest, so don’t get in their way, indeed!”

I still did not know.

That this would become the first trial I would face at this academy—something that could be called the “Seven Days of Fire.”

A warning sign.

A final declaration of war from the principal and vice principal…

“Seven Days of Fire,” Day One.

I woke up much earlier than usual, so I organized my materials and rechecked my own status.

My current level was 17, but when I reviewed the jobs I had gained over time, I realized I had picked up quite a few new skills.

“These new skills look pretty good. I’ll try using them in today’s class.”

Thinking it was about time, I stepped outside to head to school.

As I walked through the forest, a shrill alarm rang out from the castle that served as the school building.

“Ahem! I am Nekodran, principal of the Royal Pioneer Academy! In my name, I am issuing an Emergency Declaration! For the next seven days, all classes and all development work are strictly prohibited! All students are strictly forbidden from leaving the residential district!”

Emergency Declaration…!?

In a development-focused academy, it was something the highest authority could issue only when an unavoidable crisis was closing in.

For example, if dangerous monsters like dragons were confirmed nearby, if conflict broke out with indigenous tribes, or if a plague began to spread.

To find out what had happened, I hurried toward the residential district.

But heavily armed guards had been stationed around it, and shields like an iron wall blocked my way.

And when I looked closer, those soldiers were my classmates.

The moment they saw me through the gap in their shields, they grinned.

“Heh-heh, surprised, you trash bastard? We got mobilized as the personal guard for this Emergency Declaration. If we do a good job, the principal will recommend us as royal guards.”

“The personal guard’s been delegated a ton of authority. We’d even be allowed to beat you to death for the crime of trying to enter the residential district.”

This time, even I might be at a disadvantage.

There were ten of them, and they were fully armed.

And even if I smashed through them and got inside, it would just bring real guards running.

So I had no choice but to back off…

That was when I saw two female students surging over from the residential district.

As expected—those two.

“Leo~~~n!”

“Master~~~!”

After the Emergency Declaration, they had apparently worried about me first and came running.

But the personal guard blocked them too—though with far more polite treatment than I was getting.

“You must not! Lady Monaka, Lady Kotone, please return! During the Emergency Declaration, you must especially follow our instructions, or we’ll have a problem! Disobeying orders can lead to a rank demotion!”

But threats like that did not work on them.

“Then if we accept a rank demotion, may we go to Leo-kun’s house!?”

“If that is the case, then as many as you like…”

The personal guard clicked their tongues.

Then one of them said something like he’d just had an idea.

“Hey… We’re in a position above regular students right now, aren’t we? And we’ve been given the authority to give students orders, right…?”

“Oh! Then we can do whatever we want with these two! And we can just pin everything we do on that trash over there!”

“That’s genius! We get to blow off steam, and the trash gets neatly disposed of…! Two birds with one stone!”

I whistled under my breath.

To come up with something that vile that quickly—if you asked me, that was a kind of talent.

“Geh-heh-heh-heh-heh! By the authority of the personal guard, I order it! A body inspection for Lady Monaka and Lady Kotone—NOW!”

Iron gauntlets reached toward them.

The two pressed close together and screamed.

“No! Stop it! What do you think you’re doing!?”

“Please stop! The only one permitted to see our bare skin is Master, indeed!”

“…I don’t really understand why I’m allowed, but…”

Muttering that, I swung the stone axe I had already taken from my coat in a single flash.

…ZUDOGA—SHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!

The huge armored brute who had been about to pounce on Monaka and Kotone was blown away in a sweeping sideways arc.

Everyone there snapped their gaze onto me—Huh!?—all at once.

“Leo-kun!?”

“Master!?”

But the girls were immediately covered up, as if an iron gate had slammed shut, by personal guards who rushed out from the side.

“You bastard—so you did it! Acting tough even though you’re weak!”

“Hey, look at this guy! He’s carrying a stone axe!”

Seeing me standing there with a stone axe in hand, the personal guard burst into mocking laughter.

“Gya-ha-ha-ha! You think you can take us on with a rock against our gear!?”

“Ihihihihi! With that, you can’t even put a scratch on our steel shields!”

“Hyaha-ha-ha! Let’s teach him real good what happens when you lay a hand on the personal guard!”

I kept my head lowered and spoke quietly.

“You’re the ones who are about to learn…”

I raised my face and fixed them with a hard, icy glare.

“What happens when you lay a hand on Monaka and Kotone…!”

I felt magma-like fury boiling up from the pit of my stomach.

I did not care how I was treated, but anyone who put their hands on Monaka and Kotone was unforgivable.

The personal guard I glared at recoiled with a weak “Ugh…!” and stepped back.

But one of them shook his helmet-covered head hard.

“Don’t flinch at jobless trash! We’re fully geared! No way we’re gonna get looked down on by some caveman with nothing but a stone axe—HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

He threw away his shield, yanked free the steel battle axe strapped to his back, and charged at me.

But in the very next instant, he unleashed a battle cry and a dying scream at the same time.

“Die—GYUWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?!!?”

A counterstrike sent his helmet flying as his face caved in.

Like he’d taken a giant’s fist straight to the body, the personal guard slammed face-first into the ground.

The other guards around him stumbled back with a startled “Wha!?” like they were dodging someone falling from a height.

“N-No way!? He split a helmet with a stone axe!?”

“The only ones who can do that are us Axe Battlers! And even then, only at a pretty high level!”

“No—no matter how high your level is, stone can’t crack steel, can it!?”

I spoke to the trembling, terrified lot.

“Funny coincidence. I’m actually in the mood to be an Axe Battler right now…!”

“M-Mood!? You did something this insane just because you felt like it!?”

“T-This is bad…! This guy’s way too dangerous! He’s a monster!”

“R-Run awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!?!!?”

The personal guard abandoned their posts and tried to flee, their armor clattering loudly.

But because they were not used to wearing heavy armor, they immediately tripped and fell, flailing like overturned turtles.

“H-Help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!”