This was why he didn't want to be the leader.

After completing the strategy for Persona Gate, just before being sent out, the students gathered together to discuss who should be reported as the team leader.

To be honest, it wasn't a weighty debate. It was predetermined from the beginning.

Nevertheless, Baek Yu-Seol stubbornly considered recommending another student.

Perhaps, in the original game, Eisel would have been in the position of the leader.

In the original game, if Edna would have been in that position, and even though it might not seem like a big deal, it was incredibly important.

After finishing the strategy report for Persona Gate as the leader, Eltman Eltwin suddenly appeared.

At that time, in the original, Edna, who was the leader, would have had a private meeting with Eltman, which would later become a turning point....

But that was not important.

It was already too late.

How did it end up like this?

Yeah.

Clearly, right after he defeated the powerful Great Blade Spider, he briefly lost consciousness.

After striking it with his whole body, he quickly threw a wire to reduce the fall damage, but he hit the wall by mistake.

Fortunately, he didn't sustain any major injuries, and thanks to Hong Bi-Yeon waking him up soon after, he was able to get up.

Then, when he arrived at the party hall where all the students were gathered with the support of other classmates, they happened to be discussing the "leader."

So, he subtly argued like that.

"Ahem, I think it's better for Eisel to be the leader."

Anyway, since Eisel was the one who was the leader in the "original," he tried shouting it out for now.

If other students objected, he was prepared to recommend Edna or Hong Bi-Yeon.

However, from the beginning, it fell apart because Hong Bi-Yeon went completely crazy.

"Peasant, I have my eyes wide open, and you dare to ignore my contributions openly?"

"No, what are you talking about?"

For some reason, as if there was a switch attached to the word "Eisel," Hong Bi-Yeon scrutinized him as if she would devour Baek Yu-Seol.

"Even so, it's not like that..."

He said no.

Edna also rarely agreed with Hong Bi-Yeon’s words.

Eisel also refused.

So, in the end, it turned out like this.

"Nice to see you. It's been a while."

Stella’s Tower One, Principal's Office.

The highest place in Stella, where one could clearly see not only the view of the Academy branch but also the scenery of Arcanium.

Somehow, in this place full of Gothic vibes, Baek Yu-Seol was confronting Principal Eltman Eltwin.

‘I'm not a mage, and I don't have much to gain from him, so how did it end up like this?’

"Is this our third meeting? You seem taller than last time. You were... quite young back then."

"What?"

‘What is he talking about?’

As he tried to understand it, suddenly, a certain memory passed through his mind like a panorama.

A small village was being battered by a snowstorm.

In a deserted field.

Baek Yu-Seol was standing there.

At that time, despite having a body which could not use magic, he was diligently training only one spell, [Flash].

Then, by chance, a boy who discovered him approached and said, "You're fascinating."

He didn't know that the boy was Principal Eltman Eltwin of Stella Academy.

"I'll write you a recommendation, so take our academy’s exam later. There will be bonus points."

After saying that, the boy suddenly disappeared…

Suddenly, he regained consciousness.

"Hmm..."

"Why? Do you have to go to the hospital? Is it an aftereffect?"

"It's not that."

Baek Yu-Seol shook his head.

Memories of a different "Baek Yu-Seol" occasionally flickered through his mind like that. But, it didn't feel like his own memories at all. It just felt like watching a scene from a movie.

So he quickly forgot about it.

Anyway, there weren’t many opportunities to confront Eltman Eltwin, and he couldn’t waste this golden opportunity.

He had to gain something.

He obtained a clue, and Edna promised to teach him about magic.

Then, what could he gain?

‘Well, there is one thing.’

He had to mobilize all the knowledge he had. Eltman Eltwin was also a figure within Edna’s antagonist realm, and thanks to that, quite a bit of information had been investigated and collected.

He activated the function of the Sentient Spec he had worn in advance.

[Eltman Eltwin]

[Top 10 in the World's Power Rankings]

[Alignment: Good]

[Spatial Attribute]

[An old man of 200 years]

And so on…

The protagonist's records were listed one after another.

Although his appearance was minimal, the presence was so strong that it seemed that way.

"What are you looking at?"

"... Excuse me?"

"Are you looking at empty space? Not at me."

As he quietly skimmed through the information, Eltman Eltwin smiled and said that.

Baek Yu-Seol’s heart skipped a beat for a moment.

"Can I take a closer look at those spec?"

As Eltman said that and reached out his hand, Baek Yu-Seol nonchalantly pretended and took off the spec, placing them on his hand. It didn't matter if he found out anyway.

Of course, he had no intention of just letting it go.

"Yes, but please handle it with care. It's my mother's heirloom."

Baek Yu-Seol’s ultimate fire attack, "Mother's Assault," was activated.

Trembling, Eltman's hand shook.

Even if he was known as the strongest in the world within the realm, as the head of Stella and a moral human, he couldn't defend against the "Mother's Assault."

"I... I see..."

"When I'm nervous or troubled, I often wear these spec. It reminds me of the time when my mother put them on me...."

As Eltman heard with a faint expression, his hand trembled slightly. He pretended to look at the spec, then handed them back.

"These are fantastic specs. Your mother had great taste!"

"Thank you."

Using the morality of a kind person for his own gain was something that pricked at his conscience, but what choice did he have? If his secret were to be exposed, his life could truly be in danger.

"I called you here because, well, thanks to you, I was able to prevent a potentially difficult situation. I don't plan on publicizing this incident externally. If many students had died or been injured, it would have been difficult to cover it up."

If Eltman said he would keep it a secret, it would truly remain a secret.

No mages would dare to reveal this incident to the outside world.

Well, maybe one or two ants might wriggle and make it difficult to maintain complete secrecy.

"Perhaps some larvae have infiltrated the academy..."

In an instant, his expression turned cold, but it was only momentary. However, even with just that, cold sweat ran down Baek Yu-Seol’s entire body.

Eltman slowly looked at him and asked, "... Within the Gate, were there any 'bugs' by any chance?"

The legendary mage who gained the nickname "Slaughterer" for killing thousands of enemy asked him that.

Here, he had two choices.

Lie and say there were none, or tell the truth.

Baek Yu-Seol told the truth.

"Yes, there were. A student who died experienced the Dark Magic Corruption targeting me."

"I see, it's unfortunate."

However, his expression didn't look the least bit sympathetic. Being affected by corruption meant that there were dark emotions within oneself from the beginning, and one didn't resist it.

He truly despised those who were weak-willed and succumbed to the corruption.

"Oh? Haha, no need to be so tense. I'm not here to interrogate you."

‘… But why are you looking at me with such an intimidating expression?’

"Besides, I was also curious about who the top contributor was in conquering the Danger Level 5 Persona Gate. And, surprisingly, I saw a familiar face. You're only a first-year student, but you've already achieved two remarkable feats, huh?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Oh, this won't do. You seem bored. Coffee? Or tea? Do young people these days like carbonated drinks?"

Eltman asked him with his sparkling, characteristic smile.

Others might not have realized it, but from here on was the start of a proper conversation.

In the original game, the canon choice was coffee. He knew exactly what type of coffee Eltman Eltwin liked, and thanks to his prior research to match his preferences, the conversation naturally flowed.

However, even there, there was another branching point.

If it were a game, perhaps such a choice wouldn't have appeared.

[Recommend what Eltman Eltwin should drink. What will you choose?]

*[Coffee]

[Tea]

[Carbonated drink]

[I want to have a sip of dew flowing from your twinkling eyes, which are deeper than the sea and shine brighter than the stars in the sky]

Actually, he didn’t remember the last option very well, so he just made it up roughly. Anyway, choosing coffee in the traditional way would yield a decent level of reward from him.

However, that might be all there was to it.

Users who played the full-rail character somehow came up with ingenious routes to build a strong rapport with Eltman Eltwin, and that was by choosing the "tea" option.

Of course, it shouldn't be just ordinary tea.

"I would like to have tea."

"Tea, good choice. I like it too."

When Eltman stood up to retrieve some green tea or black tea, he hastily added, "Oh, do you happen to have it? It was something I used to drink often, called 'Riltea'..."

"Riltea?"