I sat at my desk and opened a notebook.

...It’s nothing serious; I just wanted to review the events that have occurred so far.

Each student has their own story, and some of their stories are interconnected. If I stay idle, I won’t be able to keep track of how far things have progressed.

Because of my presence—something that wasn’t in the original story—many events have been skipped.

I spent some time comparing the original flow of events with what has happened so far.

"Let’s see... About halfway through, I’d say?"

As a result, I concluded that I’m about halfway there.

...Some might find that strange, considering that, except for Orca, the other four students have just started moving.

You might think that we’ve only just begun, rather than being halfway through.

And that wouldn’t be wrong. Based on the game’s storyline, the world is about to get a lot more chaotic.

Countless incidents and accidents will descend upon the academy.

But that’s in the game. The reality that has changed is different.

"It’s about time to meet with those two... and I need to find the Sword Saint’s location too... Sigh, I’m going to be busy for a while."

First, Orca’s story has been deleted. Twenty percent of the overall story is gone.

Since she’s realized that she doesn’t lose control, the main quests have all been erased, even if she might get into some minor scuffles.

Orca no longer needs to avoid fights or reveal herself to others.

Next, I’ve integrated the students’ stories.

I’ve grouped the remaining four students, excluding Orca, so they move in pairs instead of individually.

As a result, the detailed storylines in the game have become useless scraps of information...

And the number of main storylines has been cut in half.

...Looking at it this way, it feels like I’ve progressed a little more than halfway.

As I held my aching head and tried to figure out what to do next, the phone on the table began to ring.

"Hello?"

"Teacher."

"...Stella?"

"I’m in a hurry right now. There’s no one in the counseling room, right?!"

"No, well... there’s no one here."

"Great! I’m coming over right now! Don’t let anyone else in—no, just call the Observer and turn everyone else away!"

Click.

Stella abruptly hung up after saying what she wanted.

"...What was that about?"

Instead of feeling annoyed at being hung up on, I could only feel bewildered.

Stella was a polite child. There was no reason for her to suddenly call in such a rude manner.

Something must have happened.

"She said to call the Observer."

I picked up the phone again and dialed the number.

It didn’t take long for a blindfolded nun to arrive at the quiet counseling room.

"Huff, huff..."

"...You’re practically dying."

"You look like you’re dying."

I wondered why she was coming to the counseling room, especially with Anastasia.

As I pondered this, enjoying the tea, Stella suddenly burst in, and we were all shocked.

She seemed to have rushed over, as she was panting heavily. Her clothes were soaked with blood and sweat, with some tears as if they had been cut by a blade, and blood was seeping through.

She looked like someone who had just been in a fierce battle.

She had probably fought with that man she dragged in here.

...It was quite a sight to see a girl who didn’t even reach 170 cm dragging a man who seemed to be about 190 cm tall.

Well, I suppose I shouldn’t be too impressed since she’s using mana.

Even if I know that, it’s still impressive.

"Were you attacked?"

"Huff, huff... Yeah. It’s driving me crazy."

"Please stay still. I’ll heal you."

As Anastasia muttered something, Stella’s pained expression visibly improved, and her wounds began to disappear.

Magic is amazing, but healing wounds with holy power is just as remarkable.

Honestly, I still don’t really understand the difference between mana and holy power.

"Whew... This is something. As expected of the Observer, your healing ability is exceptional. I feel even healthier than before I was injured."

"You’re too kind."

"...So, who is this person?"

I didn’t want to interrupt the pleasant atmosphere with compliments, but I couldn’t hold back my curiosity.

Someone Stella had dragged to the counseling room, wounded.

There were traces of blood around his mouth as if he had vomited and passed out.

His complexion was so bad that it seemed like he might die at any moment.

"Can’t you tell by looking? He’s an assassin."

"...He’s a bit too big to be an assassin, don’t you think? No, that’s not the point. Why did you bring him here?"

No one was surprised by the revelation that an assassin had come.

Everyone knew that Stella was in a dangerous situation.

The question was why she brought him here.

"We need to save him. Even if it’s just a formality, we need to know who sent him. Besides, it’s an opportunity to gather information about the enemy. Can you save him?"

"...His internal organs are crushed. If you want to save him, you’ll have to hit a little softer next time, Princess. He’s already on the brink of crossing Heaven’s gate."

"So, it’s impossible to save him... Understood. I’ll be more careful in the future."

"I didn’t say I couldn’t save him. I’m just saying that if it weren’t for me, he’d be dead by now, so you should be careful."

His internal organs are crushed?

Yikes.

I took a careful step back from Stella.

If she can crush the internal organs of a person specialized in combat with just a punch, wouldn’t I pop like a balloon if she hit me too hard?

"...? Teacher, why did you suddenly step back?"

"Uh, well... I just thought I should be a little more careful."

"?

"Cough..."

"Oh, he’s alive. That’s amazing."

"Wh-Where am I...?"

The man who had vomited a lot of black blood seemed to be regaining consciousness, but he still didn’t fully grasp the situation.

...It’s good and all, but why is an assassin so muscular?

Aren’t assassins supposed to be lean and wiry?

"Are you conscious?"

"The princess... I’ve been defeated."

"Yes. It’s foolish to think you could take me on alone."

"..."

"Do you have anything to say?"

"...There’s nothing to say. Kill me."

That’s a line only a beautiful female knight can say, you idiot.

A hairy, muscular guy like you shouldn’t be saying that!

I wanted to say it so badly, but I swallowed the words because the students next to me might look at me strangely.

It’s a line I’ve always wanted to hear, but from a beautiful female knight, not a guy like this.

I don’t like this guy.

"Step aside, Stella. Anastasia."

"Ophelia-sensei...?"

"I’ll handle the interrogation."

"...Teacher, that guy was trained by the royal family as an assassin. He’s been trained not to spill any information, even at the cost of his life."

"Don’t worry."

The fact that this guy showed up means that the royal family has caught wind of Stella’s situation.

They probably sent an assassin after hearing that Stella was making friends.

It happened sooner than I expected, but it shows how much they underestimated Stella.

To think they only sent one person.

In the game, they sent at least six assassins.

Did they send an assassin to kill her just because they found her annoying?

To get more details, I needed to interrogate him.

And I’m better at extracting information than anyone else in this world.

"I’m sorry, but could you spend about an hour outside the counseling room?"

"...Ophelia-sensei, it’s a waste of time."

"Ah, but you never know until you try. Despite how I look, I’m well-versed in psychiatry."

"Even so, I doubt a member of the royal family would give in so easily..."

"It’s better to try than to not try at all, right? I’m better suited for this than you, Princess, or Observer."

That’s a lie.

As far as psychiatry goes, I only know surface-level stuff.

But they don’t know that, and naturally, they’d think it’s better for someone with knowledge to handle this rather than someone without it.

"Fine. It wouldn’t hurt to try."

"That’s right. From here on, this is an R-18 zone. Shoo, shoo. The kids need to leave."

"...Ophelia-sensei, you might want to work on your sense of humor."

"I agree."

"What?! This is so funny! Torture sessions with assassins are supposed to be filled with blood and screams..."

"Yeah, yeah... Wait a minute."

"Aaaaaaah!"

Crunch.

Just as they were about to leave, Stella casually approached the man as if she had forgotten something and then grabbed his arms and legs. The sound that followed was terrifying.

The man’s agonized screams echoed as his limbs were crushed like paper.

"I had to make sure he couldn’t move. Well then, I’ll leave the interrogation to you."

"...It’s already R-18..."

Even after the two of them left, the man’s painful groans didn’t stop.

His arms and legs were crushed as if they had been pressed by a machine, so it’s no wonder he’s groaning.

Honestly, it’s a miracle he’s still alive.

"Ugh... No matter what you demand or offer, I won’t say a word..."

"Oh, you don’t have to speak."

"...What?"

"I already know everything."

I know this event well.

While the specifics, like the assassin’s identity and appearance, might be random, the reason for the assassination attempt is always the same.

All I need to do now is confirm the facts.

"Let’s see... The one who ordered this was the First Prince. He must have heard about Stella making friends and thought, ‘Oh, that girl is still alive.’"

"What... What nonsense are you talking about?"

"He probably told you something like this: ‘Stella is weak, so don’t worry about it. If you kill her, I’ll give you a great reward.’ Am I right?"

"···."

"He’s not responding..."

I expected some kind of reaction, but as soon as I touched on sensitive topics, he showed no response at all. Clearly, this man had been well-trained.

...But it’s a meaningless gesture.

"In that case, I’ll just have to ask your brain directly."

After all, I’ll make sure he spills everything he knows.