"It seems the situation is finally coming to a close."

"Indeed, it’s difficult for one person to maintain control over so many dummies."

At the beginning, when all the dummies started rampaging at once, it had been a surprise. I had expected just one dummy to go berserk, but suddenly, all of them started moving simultaneously.

…To be honest, I was worried that this event might end too easily. In the game, players would handle it under the excuse of 'game logic,' and everyone would just go along with it, but reality isn’t so simple. The academy's teachers are all highly skilled. Even the least competent among them is only so in a relative sense; outside the academy, they would be highly regarded.

It would be strange to think that such capable professors would just stand by and do nothing in this situation. I had been prepared to use hypnosis if things started to end too smoothly, but it turned out there was no need.

Contrary to my expectations, all the dummies began rampaging together.

…I’m not sure why things turned out differently from the game. It could be because of my presence, or perhaps this was the original scenario, and the game simply didn’t depict it fully. I personally lean towards the former.

After all, the dummies are already starting to stop one by one.

"I’m not too familiar with mana, but this is quite impressive."

"Yes, it’s impressive indeed. Maintaining the mana required to control that many golems alone… But why do such a thing…"

"We’ll find out soon enough."

To maintain the dummies, the teachers had been supplying their own mana to them. The idea was to ensure that the dummies would operate properly as long as even one person remained connected, in case any of the staff were incapacitated.

The Principal had confirmed that what I knew was correct, so there was no doubt.

The traitor used that structure to make the dummies go berserk, and the teachers couldn’t do much besides evacuating the students.

But this structure wasn’t without its weaknesses. The dummies operated as long as at least one person remained connected.

That sounds impressive when you say it out loud, but…

On the flip side, it means that the person maintaining all these dummies has been reduced to just one.

It’s like paying rent.

Imagine living in a luxurious mansion that costs 5 million won a month in rent. The rent is exorbitantly high, more than your monthly income, but people don’t feel too burdened because they share the cost with ten or twenty others.

If one or two people leave, the burden on the remaining tenants only increases slightly—not too much to handle.

But what if one day, all but one person were suddenly kicked out due to some incident?

The last person left would have to pay the full 5 million won rent on their own.

That’s the situation we’re in now.

The nameless teacher, who had been maintaining the numerous dummies by sharing mana with the others, had managed to hold on until now… but they’ve finally reached their limit.

In an instant, they’ve gone bankrupt.

"Now we just need to find the culprit."

"You said before that you didn’t know who the culprit was."

"I don’t. But we’ll know soon enough. The culprit must be exhausted by now."

"…That makes sense."

As I mentioned earlier, the academy's teachers are all highly skilled. The reason they couldn’t save the Princess and the Overseer was because they were blocked by dummies, which were essentially indestructible objects that couldn't be harmed no matter what.

If someone among them is now gasping for breath or showing signs of extreme fatigue, that person is likely the culprit.

Of course, given the complexity of controlling so many dummies, it’s clear that the culprit must be inside the academy.

In the game, after defeating the dummies, a teacher would immediately appear in what could be called "phase two," so this will be no different.

"You seem quite calm, Teacher."

"Of course. At this point, the students have safely gained real combat experience."

What was important was how the students responded to an unexpected attack.

If they learned from this, that would be enough.

In game terms, they’ve gained experience points.

The possibility of a game over had already vanished by this point.

I had been worried that one of the five students might be seriously injured, but…

In the end, they were all standing unharmed.

…To be honest, I’m surprised. I didn’t expect the students to fight like this.

I had imagined seeing them work together like this someday, but…

I didn’t think I’d get to see such cooperation so soon. It was a pleasant surprise.

Seeing the playable characters combine their strength to defeat an enemy was something that almost made me as excited as a child.

If the Principal hadn’t been watching via video call, I might have actually jumped with excitement.

"Cooperation... That was an unexpected gain."

"…You speak as if you never imagined they’d cooperate."

"Of course. Can you picture Princess Stella working together with anyone to fight?"

"Ugh…"

"…"

That reaction was a bit much, wasn’t it?

What exactly is the relationship between Stella and the Principal…?

"Forgive me. That was an involuntary reaction to such a terrible thought…"

"Ah, it’s fine…"

"Hmm, I’d prefer it if we could spare the traitor, if possible…"

Was she embarrassed?

The Principal’s voice wavered slightly as she tried to change the subject, awkwardly steering the conversation back to the traitor without any real context.

…It’s best to just go along with it. She’s done a lot for me.

"Don’t worry. I’ll spare them if possible."

"How? …Wait, don’t tell me."

"I was planning to head over there anyway. Don’t hang up, okay? If it’s you who speaks, everyone will listen."

Promising something that couldn’t be kept, I slowly made my way toward the practical exam site.

"Is everyone okay?"

"Th-Thank you, Overseer."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

No need to thank me so much.

Anastasia wanted to say that, but she held her tongue.

Even though she had protected them, if they learned that the reason for the attack was because of her, they might end up resenting her.

And as human as she was, Anastasia didn’t enjoy being blamed.

So she decided not to say anything unnecessary.

"…It’s over."

She looked up at the dummies.

The dummies that had been raising their arms to attack the students—no, to attack Anastasia—stood still as if they had been designed that way, not moving an inch.

…Back when she was at the Holy Church, she had been warned that this could happen when she enrolled at the academy.

The academy's security could never be as tight as the Church’s, and there was always the risk of a terrorist attack against the Overseer. She had been reminded of this multiple times by a devoted follower whose face she now recalled vividly.

At the time, she had dismissed it as an overreaction.

But to think that a terrorist attack would happen so soon after she enrolled…

She felt a headache coming on.

"No, it’s not over yet."

"…Teacher Ian?"

"I expected failure, but I didn’t think it would be this disastrous. How disappointing."

"Was this your doing?"

"Yes, I did it."

She vaguely remembered seeing him around.

The academy’s swordsmanship teacher. She didn’t have much interaction with him, but his hearty laughter had left an impression.

"…You’re aware that there’s no leniency for terrorists, right?"

"I know. I’ve caught plenty of those scum myself."

"Then why…?"

"Revenge."

"Revenge?"

"Yes. A few years ago, the Holy Church and the Royal Family…"

"Oh, for God’s sake, why are you spilling your sob story? And why are you listening to it?"

"…Orca?"

Just as she was about to hear his motive for the crime, Orca, with her usual crass demeanor, barged in between them.

"I don’t care about your sob story, you know?"

"…How vulgar."

"So what? No matter what story you have, can’t you see the situation now? Your revenge or whatever, it failed, didn’t it? Look, people are gathering around. Now you have to face the consequences, criminal."

"You talk big for a delinquent."

"Who are you calling a delinquent?! With your mismatched stockings!"

"That’s fashion… No, never mind."

People began to gather around.

Perhaps they had sensed that the situation was coming to an end.

"…Teacher, why?"

"Leo, Eileen… I’m sorry."

"Tsk…"

Teacher Ian looked around and seemed to realize that he couldn’t do anything more.

He sighed, then pulled out a device from his pocket and discarded his outerwear.

His body was covered in what looked like dangerous devices, even at a glance.

"Though I’m truly sorry to my students… you’ll have to die with me."

"A bomb…?!"

"If my revenge has failed, at least I can attempt a murder-suicide."

"Wai—"

We all tried to stop him, realizing the danger, but seeing him press the detonator with all his might, we knew it was too late.

We were too late to stop the explosion.

"Stop."

At the moment when everyone braced themselves for the explosion, a voice rang out from behind the students.