Raid The Academy

Prologue

Everyone, at least once in their life, experiences something absurd.

I’m no exception.

‘To end up inside a game….’

Is there anyone besides me who’s gone through something more absurd than this?

I’d bet there isn’t.

“…….”

But honestly, I was starting to get used to it by now.

I mean, it’s already been over a week.

The shock was immense, but over the course of that week, I managed to pull myself together and was gradually adapting to this damned reality.

The problem came after that—right now.

These bastards.

They’re trying to saddle me with an outrageous task.

“……What did you say? Say it again. One more time.”

“The contract with the Beltus Cult has been finalized. Master, for the next two years, you must carry out espionage activities at Frey Academy on behalf of the cult. In return, we’ve been promised full financial support from the cult.”

“W-Where did you say?”

“The Beltus Cult.”

“No. Not that. The one before.”

“Frey Academy, you mean?”

At the response from Luis, the guild’s butler, I wore the expression of a man who’d lost his country.

“……Ah. Shit.”

I clutched my face with both hands.

Hoo── The long exhale naturally turned into a deep sigh, reflecting my complicated state of mind.

As expected.

I hadn’t misheard.

The worry that had been complicating my thoughts for the past week, the one I’d hoped wouldn’t come true, had now become reality.

“Just in case you’re wondering, this contract can’t be canceled like the last one. There’s no penalty for breaking it. Not that I’d let you cancel it even if there was.”

“No. That’s not it! This deal is no different from telling me to go die…!”

I started to argue in a fit of anger but stopped.

I realized it was pointless.

What kind of nonsense is this, he’d think.

So I just vented my frustration.

“Ah. What’s with this sudden contract? Huh? And with the Beltus Cult, of all people? Do you even know what kind of people they are? Huh? No, you don’t!”

“Of course. I know very well.”

Huh?

That’s strange. That can’t be right.

“They’re the ray of light sent to save our failing Shadow Guild. That’s why they’re clients we must treat with utmost care.”

“…….”

“Isn’t that right?”

Luis stared at me intently.

His words were laced with thorns. I wanted to deny it.

But I couldn’t. Because he was right.

“Hoo. What am I supposed to do with them at the academy?”

“What does a thief do when they go somewhere? Steal, of course and this is something you directly ordered, Master.”

……Me?

“No way.”

“No. Exactly two weeks ago. You directly instructed me to make a deal with the cult we’d been in contact with. Pretending you forgot now won’t do you any good.”

Pretending I forgot, my ass.

I don’t know anything about it and that’s because two weeks ago was before I was forcibly possessed into this damned body.

So, whatever it is, I don’t know. I was just insanely pissed off.

Oblivious to my feelings, Luis continued speaking in a business-like tone.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to rebuild the guild. So…….”

The rest of his words didn’t reach my ears.

I’m anxious.

No. Beyond anxious—it’s despair.

Because I know the consequences this deal will bring later.

It hasn’t even been long since I recovered from the shock of possession….

The outcome was far too harsh for someone like me to accept.

The problem isn’t elsewhere.

The character I’ve possessed.

This body itself is the problem.

“Here’s the contract sent by the Beltus Cult…. But seeing as Master doesn’t look too well, I’ll read it to you myself this time. Don’t make excuses later and keep your ears open.”

In the game Heroes of Frey, there’s a character named ‘Gerard.’

A proud cadet of the 888th class at Frey Hero Academy, two years senior to the protagonist, who’s in the 890th class.

His role? A third-rate villain who clashes with the protagonist early on and gets taken out.

A passing extra used for a brief moment of catharsis.

“The Beltus Cult proposes that the thief guild, Shadow, take the lead in espionage activities at Frey Academy. Espionage activities refer to stealing and providing the cult with comprehensive information about Frey Academy’s resources, personnel, organizations, and research materials, as well as destroying key facilities, spreading propaganda, and causing internal disruption.”

That’s what I thought.

He, Gerard, wasn’t just a passing extra.

A villain.

His true identity was a thief secretly siphoning off the academy’s research materials, artifacts, and key information to the Beltus Cult, the game’s greatest mastermind.

“The contract takes effect the moment it’s signed. Simultaneously, the thief guild, Shadow, is obligated to carry out the cult’s requests, and compensation will be paid separately from the advance.”

And so, as a villain, Gerard dies.

By the hands of the player character, the protagonist, and other characters.

There’s no deviation from this.

“……I read it to you, but judging by your expression, you still don’t seem to get it.”

And that Gerard is me.

“I’ll summarize it simply so you can understand.”

So, to sum it up simply, this is the situation.

“Raid the academy.”

I’m totally screwed.