Chapter 76

“…!? …! …Pfft!”

“I know you’re surprised, but don’t scream.”

“Ah, just to correct one thing: that last sound wasn’t a scream of surprise, it was an explosion of laughter.”

As the janitor—Lucas, wearing thick glasses and radiating an aura of unremarkableness identical to Elma’s—chided her, Irene added an unnecessary clarification that cut him to the quick.

“…Explosion of laughter… Is this look really that pathetic?”

“Well, if you’re asking if it’s pathetic or stylish, it has swung completely into pathetic territory. But, how should I put it? It’s like you’ve gracefully stepped over the final line of being a handsome man and… yes, you have a lovely ‘matching look’ with Elma!”

“…That’s because Elma was the one who applied the disguise techniques.”

Lucas could only offer a gloomy response to her desperately squeezed-out attempt at a compliment.

Irene hurriedly turned around to prompt Elma to say something as well, but she paused when she noticed Elma herself was standing there with a rare, vacant expression.

“Elma?”

“—Ah, yes.”

When called, she gave her usual flat reply.

Irene thought she might be imagining it, but as she inspected Elma closely, she noticed the girl seemed somewhat drained of energy.

“What’s wrong, Elma? Are you finally tired? I might be wrong, but your glasses look cloudier than usual…”

“Could you please stop trying to determine my health based on the luster of my accessories?”

Elma shot back a reasonable retort with a straight face, but then shook her head slightly.

“My head has been feeling a bit fuzzy for a while now. I may have caught a cold.”

“Oh, that’s rare. I suppose the rush of heading to Aurelia over the last few days was too much. Ah, wait, I brought some tea that’s good for colds.”

Frowning with concern, Irene hurriedly began unpacking her things and pulling out tea implements, determined to let Elma rest.

“Hehe, catching a cold and needing someone to fuss over you… you still have some rookie-like qualities after—”

“Ah, please don’t trouble yourself.”

But before Irene could finish, Elma produced a steaming teacup out of nowhere.

“I had prepared for such an eventuality.”

“When and where did you prepare that cup!?”

“From my bag.”

Furthermore, she handed a small vial to Irene along with the tea.

“By the way, this is a syrup made from boiled-down flowers with sedative properties. It’s delicious when taken with black tea, and since the calming effects spread quickly, it should be perfect for you in your current state, Irene.”

“I asked when and where did you get that— Whoa, this is good! So fragrant!”

Irene had intended to look after Elma, but the roles had somehow been reversed.

“…Honestly, you never leave an opening…”

Irene muttered softly, her words lost in the steam rising from the tea.

As Irene sipped the tea with a conflicted expression, Lucas asked thoughtfully in her stead.

“Elma. Is that really a cold? Is there… nothing else that comes to mind?”

“Other than a cold? Let me see…”

Elma placed a hand on her chin as if nothing occurred to her.

“Last night, I only read about thirty novels and did some handiwork until dawn before sleeping soundly, so I doubt it’s fatigue…”

“That’s definitely it!?”

Irene’s pensive mood vanished as she snapped back.

“What were you doing playing around at a busy time like this!?”

“Eh? It wasn’t play; rather, I was preparing for our trip to Aurelia…”

Elma replied with a blink of surprise.

When asked how on earth a reading binge and an all-night DIY session translated into travel preparations, she pushed up the bridge of her glasses and said, “I’m glad you asked.”

“Since I was graciously commanded to lead the operation for this mission, I simulated the common flow of events when infiltrating an academy and made the necessary preparations.”

“Simulated…?”

Irene and Lucas shared a look, a bad feeling already washing over them. Then, Lucas spoke up cautiously.

“Just out of curiosity, what exactly is this ‘common flow of events when infiltrating an academy’…?”

Elma nodded, her glasses glinting.

“First, the infiltrator enters the academy in an extremely drab or inconspicuous form. They are then harassed by elite rivals who say things like, ‘Hmph, a mere B-rank.’ However, their true ability is SSS-rank. While gracefully feigning indifference—saying things like, ‘Good grief, I really didn’t want to stand out’—they proceed to mow down their rivals in the martial arts tournament with flashy moves. Along the way, they might even defeat a legendary ancient dragon that appears due to some accident. Furthermore, in that moment, they awaken into a form with silver hair and heterochromatic eyes. Coincidentally, on the final day of the Holy Chalice Cup, they overcome a fateful confrontation with their father, who turns out to be the mastermind, and seize both the championship and the title of hero.”

“What kind of books did you use as a reference this time, and who gave them to you!?”

“Eh? They were novels for young men that Marc lent me. When I consulted him about the ‘royal road’ of infiltrating an academy, he kindly lent them to me, saying that this is the flow everyone simulates at least once.”

“Marc…! That brat…!”

Lucas and Irene stared at the ceiling, realizing that the page Marc was secretly nursing a case of chuunibyou.

“Although the preparation period was short, I’ve already shortlisted several catchphrases and even identified a few legendary ancient dragons that look like they might attack the academy accidentally. I’m planning to secure someone for the roles of ‘harassing rival’ and ‘mastermind father’ next, but I’d say we’re off to a decent start.”

You’ve started a slide straight into the abyss, Lucas thought.

“I was surprised to learn that one’s eye color is supposed to change during an ‘awakening,’ but if that is what’s considered ‘ordinary,’ I have to make it work. I managed to overcome that hurdle this morning by developing a type of colored glass that can be adhered directly to the cornea. Here they are.”

“I’m pretty sure that was a hurdle you didn’t need to clear at all!?”

Irene finally shrieked as Elma busily pulled ultra-thin glass discs from her cloth bag.

If Elma were to bring those colored glass discs to a stage of mass production, the continent’s ophthalmic surgical technology would likely leap forward by a century.

Irene and Lucas quickly exchanged glances, let out a simultaneous sigh, and placed their hands on Elma’s shoulders.

“It’s unfortunate, given that you even cut into your sleep for this, Elma. But it seems you haven’t understood the direction of ‘ordinariness’ required for this mission at all.”

“Eh?”

“Of all things, why do you always make such fatal mistakes in your choice of textbooks…?”

Elma looked stunned at the exhausted critique.

Then, an air of slight offense began to drift around her.

“That can’t be right. After all, the opening of the guidebook clearly stated: ‘The protagonist of this story is an ordinary student you could find anywhere’—”

“An ordinary student doesn’t have an SSS-rank true ability, nor do they win martial arts tournaments and become heroes! If you just look at the results, that protagonist is incredibly far-fetched!”

“…That may be true, but the mission given to me was to ‘ordinarily’ ‘take the top spot among the students’…”

As Elma began to show signs of hesitation, Lucas spoke out with a firm tone.

“That’s what is wrong.”

“Eh?”

“My brother’s order. Telling you—someone who isn’t even a citizen of Aurelia and possesses no Holy Power—to win the Holy Chalice Cup is fundamentally wrong.”

Elma knit her brows suspiciously at his blunt statement.

“But… does that mean you believe I should defy His Majesty’s instructions, Your Highness? Is it ‘ordinary’ for a subordinate to disobey their King’s command?”

“…I didn’t say you should defy him.”

Lucas answered lamely, searching for the right words before continuing.

“It’s just… yes, your interpretation is simply different.”

“My interpretation?”

“Instead of seizing the Cup through overwhelming performance… at the very least, a position where you ‘accidentally won after a bitter struggle’ would be more appropriate—”

Elma tilted her head, puzzled by his unusually wishy-washy attitude.

However, Lucas’s expression was coincidentally hidden by the glasses Elma had made, making it impossible to read.

“Your Highness……?”

“—I agree with him, Elma.”

Just then, Irene chimed in from the side.

She spoke with conviction, as if providing cover fire for Lucas.

“If we, who are essentially outsiders, were to brazenly snatch away the highest position in Aurelia, it would cause a massive public relations problem. I’m sure His Majesty’s order meant to fight in the Holy Chalice Cup ‘within a range that doesn’t deviate from the ordinary’… No, in fact, he might have meant for you not to win at all.”

“Eh? Is that so?”

“Yes, exactly. Think about it. His Majesty said he wanted you to take the top spot ‘to cancel out those bizarre achievements in Frenzel.’ In other words—he told you to master the way of an ordinary student.”

“Eh…? Really…?”

Elma showed quiet signs of agitation.

Lucas also looked back at Irene in surprise at her unexpected support, but she only gave a firm nod, her green cat-like eyes gleaming.

“Yes, that’s right, Elma. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. What you’re being asked for isn’t a victory or a seat in the Holy Trinity. You are being tested on how an ordinary student fights, how they lose… and just how thoroughly you can commit to being an ordinary, average student.”

“Ordinary…”

It sounded like an incredibly wild claim, yet Irene’s eyes were brimming with an unwavering intensity.

Hesitating to label it a lie based purely on her micro-expressions, Elma finally nodded after a moment of vacillation.

“I see…”

“Exactly.”

“…Precisely.”

And so, Lucas decided to gratefully hop onto Irene’s bandwagon.

“Just to confirm, that means I must not only refrain from winning the Holy Chalice Cup, but I must also avoid any standout performances, correct?”

“Right. Exactly.”

“And I must not awaken by turning my hair silver or manifesting heterochromatic eyes?”

“Right. Exactly. Any and all standing out is strictly prohibited.”

“Standing out is strictly prohibited,” Elma repeated, nodding once more.

“I understand perfectly. Standing out: absolutely forbidden.”

She even squeezed her hand into a tight fist as if to grasp the words.

But just as she was about to declare her resolve, the situation changed abruptly.

Kyu-uuuun!

Suddenly, a strange, ear-piercing sound echoed through the room.