The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

The test results came out as expected.

I scored 475 points, and Alice scored 492. Both of us had scores well above the passing mark.

For me, this was a surprising result. Sure, I had intentionally gotten some questions wrong, but Alice had originally entered the Academy with a score of 487 in the game, earning the reputation of a prodigy. Of course, even that score wasn’t low by any means, but the Alice standing before me now had achieved an even higher score.

"Impressive, Your Highness."

That’s what I said. There might have been a little emotion behind my words, but not enough to make a big deal of it. I had occasionally let my feelings show in front of Alice before. Besides, my reason for going to the Academy in the first place was to meet the main characters and heroines from the original story, so there was no need to hide my excitement too much in front of Alice.

After all, I’d be seeing her often from now on, so it would be hard to keep everything hidden forever.

I’d just have to be careful around the Emperor and his children.

"Hmm..."

However, Alice's reaction wasn’t what I had expected. The pitch of her "hmm" was much lower than usual. Unlike her usual pleased tone, this one sounded suspicious, as if she were openly doubting me.

Alice narrowed her eyes and asked,

"Are you sure this is your real score?"

"..."

Hmm.

She caught on immediately.

"You said it was easier than the mock exam while walking through the hallway that day. But your score didn’t improve—in fact, it went down. Doesn’t that seem strange? Especially for someone as meticulous as you."

"..."

"Did you intentionally score lower than me?"

"..."

Hmm.

She’s not the Emperor's daughter for nothing. It seems she inherited his talents.

Or maybe I just gave myself away too easily.

"You."

Alice continued.

"Don’t do that again. You’ll be working under me in the future, right? I need to know your real abilities. If you keep trying to make me look good, how am I supposed to evaluate your skills?"

I stared at Alice intently.

Alice had changed a lot from the Alice I knew.

I’m not talking about the Alice from her childhood—although she’s certainly different from then as well. The Alice I’m referring to is the Alice from the game.

The Alice who, from a young age, devoted herself entirely to studying swordsmanship and reading, never attending royal banquets or balls except when she was very little. She was so focused on following in her father’s footsteps that she ignored the need to socialize with the nobility, even though that was important for becoming Emperor. But then again, at fourteen, it’s not surprising she had a bit of a rebellious streak, thinking, "While others are wasting time, I’m studying imperial matters."

That part of her is still somewhat similar. But in terms of attitude, she’s different.

In the game, early on, Alice was portrayed as someone with very low self-esteem despite her high character stats. Outwardly, she appeared as an arrogant princess, but there were several moments where she felt envious of others who were better at swordsmanship or academics than she was.

In the early stages, she never openly acknowledged other people’s abilities like she does now.

But this isn't even the "early stage" anymore. Both Alice and I are fifteen years old now, yet her attitude toward me is far more mature and composed than the childish stubbornness I expected.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Alice, seeming a little unsettled by my gaze, asked.

"...It’s nothing."

I replied, slightly bowing my head.

"I apologize. From now on, I won’t hide my abilities from Your Highness."

"Huh? Oh, um, alright..."

Alice seemed flustered by my sudden compliance and responded hesitantly.

And that reaction—that felt like Alice. The Alice I knew from either version of her.

To be honest, I’m a little excited.

No, scratch that. There's no need for the word "little."

Actually, I could replace it with "incredibly."

In fact, even "incredibly" doesn’t fully capture how I’m feeling. There are no words in existence that can accurately express my excitement. If I had to describe it, I’d say it’s like a child jumping up and down on their bed after receiving a console game as a birthday present, unable to contain their joy.

Ten years. I’ve waited for ten long years.

Since I was five years old, when I first came to this world and realized it was the setting of the game I remembered, it took me ten years to finally meet the characters I loved. And, in reality, it’s probably taken longer since I’ve rewound time multiple times.

Even I’m amazed at how long I’ve waited.

I mean, I only spent seven years playing the Azernor Chronicles series. That’s shorter than the time I’ve spent waiting in this world.

After becoming one of the Emperor’s children, I often wondered how long my excitement would last. As an adult, there were dreams from childhood that seemed insignificant in hindsight, and possessions I had longed for as a child ended up feeling anticlimactic once I obtained them as an adult.

But... maybe it’s not always like that.

Sherlock Holmes fans waited seven years for a new book, and game or movie series often have similar long waits. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say that I didn’t wait the whole time consciously. I was busy with various things, and before I knew it, the time had passed. Even when you count the days at first, you eventually forget to keep track.

Maybe that’s how it was for me.

Or perhaps it was because the real-life versions of the characters from the game were nearby, constantly reminding me that I was still in this world. With the Emperor’s children, Alice, and Claire around, it meant that Leo Grace and other characters were out there somewhere, alive and breathing.

"Hoo..."

I exhaled deeply, trying to calm my nerves.

It feels like I’m about to meet a celebrity. I’d already met Alice and Claire, but when I encountered Claire, I didn’t even have time to enjoy the moment, as I was too busy thinking about escaping. And as for Alice, I’ve been with her since childhood, so she feels more like a younger sister than a celebrity. Though Alice would be horrified if she heard me say that.

Besides, meeting one person at a time is different from suddenly meeting several at once.

I had packed my belongings the night before. Not that there was much to pack. The uniform would be provided by the school, and the same went for textbooks. They did say we could bring personal items for the dorm, but the only personal item I had was my weapon.

And even that would be stored by the school. In the original game, there were a few characters who used firearms. And even if they didn’t, most of the weapons brought by students were deadly tools meant for combat, so it was natural for the school to take precautions. Who knows what would happen if some maniac decided to go on a shooting spree during class.

That’s why the school did background checks on all students.

In any case, there was no need for me to pack additional items. Which meant there was nothing to distract myself with. I wasn’t sure if I could even focus on a book right now.

So, I had been pacing back and forth in my room. As much as I wanted to jump on my bed in excitement, I had to maintain my character.

After pacing for a while, I heard a knock on the door.

[Lady Sylvia, we’re here to move your luggage. May we come in?]

While commoners carried their belongings to the school themselves, royalty and nobility had many people beneath them to handle such tasks. Their belongings could be sent to the dormitory in advance.

This was only allowed on the first and last days of the school term. It was a necessary safety measure to protect the students, so I had no reason to object.

I took a deep breath and, hoping my voice wouldn’t tremble, answered.

“...Yes, please come in.”

It seemed my ten years of acting practice had paid off.

The Imperial Palace and the Imperial Rondarium Academy weren’t far from each other. The area around the palace had the best security in the capital, so it was an ideal location for the Academy. There were several other academies in the vicinity, most of which only accepted students from prominent or wealthy families.

Although it wasn’t far enough to require a long walk, we wouldn’t be commuting. Even students with homes in the capital wouldn’t be commuting. The Imperial Academy had a mandatory boarding school policy for all students. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Public transportation like stagecoaches existed, but it wasn’t practical to pack people in like modern buses, and no matter how safe the Empire claimed the capital was, it wasn’t as safe as the middle of Seoul. To ensure student safety—or more accurately, to avoid being held responsible if a student was harmed—many schools, including the Academy, had adopted mandatory boarding.

Additionally, it was easier to guard someone while they were riding in a carriage, so we traveled the short distance to the Academy in one.

"Excited?"

"Huh?"

Alice suddenly asked me, catching me off guard as I stared out the window.

Lately, I’ve been startled by such questions more often. Maybe it’s because my heart has been racing with excitement. Thankfully, since it was Alice, it didn’t cause much of an issue.

Sitting across from me, Alice wore an incredibly smug expression.

Her expressions had become much more diverse. Was it because she had found peace of mind? If that was thanks to me, then perhaps my efforts to console and comfort her weren’t such a bad idea after all.

"Why do you ask?"

I still maintained a blank expression. I knew this without even touching my face or looking in a mirror. I’d been practicing keeping a neutral face for ten years, so this much was second nature to me.

But the fact that Alice could read my mood so well was concerning. If she could, then others might be able to as well.

That’s something I’d need to check and fix.

"Normally, you don’t care about the view outside. And you’re not even reading the book on your lap. Usually, no matter what’s happening around you, you’d just be focused on your book."

"..."

"And, it’s not like there’s anything new to see in the capital, right? I mean, I don’t know about me, but you must be tired of seeing these sights."

I had run various errands for the Emperor all over the capital, so I was certainly more familiar with it than Alice was. Actually, I was confident I could find my way around any corner of the capital since I had memorized all the major landmarks. No matter where I ended up, I could find my way.

"So, I just figured you weren’t able to focus on your book. If that’s not the case, my apologies."

Of course, when she said "my apologies," she was still smiling smugly, so it was clear there was no real sincerity in her words.

"..."

I didn’t bother responding to Alice. Even if I said, "No, you’re wrong," Alice would just respond with, "Oh, really?" And admitting she was right... well, that was something I wasn’t ready to do yet.

So, I turned back to the window.

And for the rest of the short trip to the Academy, I had to endure Alice’s smug expression.