"Ughhhh-! Uggghhhhhhh-!"
Daniel flew through the air, writhing from the overwhelming pain.
He was a precious child who had never been hit, not even by his father or older brother.
This kind of pain was utterly foreign and terrifying.
"If you do something wrong, you deserve to be in excruciating pain. That's how you learn to reflect."
X turned to face the gazes directed at him.
'Looks like they didn't see me use aura. Good.'
He had intentionally infused his attack with aura for a moment to make it hurt more.
It was truly for just an instant, so the students hadn't seen it.
What they saw was just one thing.
The commoner, X, had struck Daniel, a member of the High Nobility.
"Wh-what the hell are you doing, you crazy bastard!"
"You, you just laid a hand on the son of Count Dremore!"
"Don't you know that he and his older brother are Swordrang Executives!"
The Swordrang Members went ballistic seeing X's atrocity.
No one could stand by and watch their leader-figure get knocked down so pathetically.
But X was calm.
"So?"
That short retort left Swordrang dumbfounded.
"So...? Do you even understand the situation?"
"I turned Goldie's face into half-a-face."
"You just disgraced the honor of Count Dremore! And not even in a duel, but with a sneak attack...!"
"Hmm, even I have to admit, it was a perfect sneak attack."
"You lunatic...!"
X ignored the blind accusations and calmly pointed at Daniel.
"Instead of shouting, why don't you take him to the infirmary? If you're late, he'll live like that for the rest of his life, and then it'll be your fault for neglecting him, won't it?"
"S-Sir Daniel! Please come to your senses!!"
Only then did they help Daniel up and rush toward the infirmary.
"Just you wait! We'll remember you!"
"Yeah, sure. See you later. Next time, I'll make you a Silverie."
"Eeeek-!!"
And with that, the situation was settled for the time being.
X immediately went to Vincent and helped him up.
"Are you alright, sir?"
"Oh my, you don't have to do this..."
"I'm not nobility, so you can speak comfortably with me."
"What?! Then just now... No, you're student X, aren't you?!"
Vincent had assumed X was from the High Nobility, given how suddenly everything had happened.
But when he stood up and saw his face, he realized it was X, famous for his bizarre behavior.
In other words, a commoner had just attacked a noble.
"You, what on earth have you just done!"
"I was just educating the kids a little."
"Attacking a noble, are you out of your mind!"
"Why is everyone so worried about the rich kids these days? They'll manage to live just fine on their own."
"I'm not worried about the noble, I'm worried about you!"
It wasn't that he didn't know.
For now, he just shrugged his shoulders and replied.
"It'll work out somehow."
"Like hell it will!!"
"Please continue the class, Professor. I'm listening attentively."
"I said, like hell it will!!!"
Vincent clutched his head, thrown into chaos.
"How am I supposed to handle this.... My career, the time, and the effort I've built up until now..."
"Then I'll be returning to my seat."
X returned to his seat.
Stunned gazes followed him, but he paid them no mind.
The only one who concerned him was Leon.
"Damn it, if only I'd made up my mind sooner..."
Leon was also utterly shocked by what had just happened.
He seemed to be blaming himself, but that was fine.
'So far, everything is within my predictions.'
He had caused a huge incident.
News of this would spread throughout the entire Academy in less than an hour.
Andras would hear about it, and so would Swordrang.
'A reaction should come by the next period, at the earliest.'
X calmly reviewed his plan again.
Looking at Vincent, it seemed this class was a lost cause.
Elia, who had been watching this, was confused.
"Mr. X?"
"Hm?"
"Why did you do that?"
A contradiction must have formed in Elia's mind by now.
X, the Evil Being who would bring Destruction to the world, had just beaten up a student who was, by all accounts, a bad person.
So, X replied like this.
"Who knows. Why, indeed?"
He wouldn't give her the answer she wanted.
The answer to this contradiction was something Elia had to find for herself.
Of course, it would be an incredibly difficult task for Elia, and...
"...I don't know."
That was the true Trial.
*
"Hey weed, let's have a word."
The reaction to the incident came after the second period.
The Practical Mercenary Arts class had passed like a study hall, and the Martial Body Analysis class had just ended.
Several Delinquents showing off their shoulder muscles blocked his path in the hallway. It was Swordrang.
"Let's talk for a minute."
"Talk?"
X snorted once and replied.
"If you have something to say, say it now. I have to get to my next class."
"This bastard, still..."
"Alright, talk's over."
X didn't wait.
Crack-!
He immediately swung the club he carried and smashed it into a thug's shin.
Completely unprepared, the thug screamed at the soul-crushing pain in his shin.
"Aaargh-!! My, my leg!!"
"Th-this crazy bastard!! Get him!!"
Swordrang had probably intended to handle things out of the professors' sight.
No matter how much power they held, they couldn't just go around causing trouble openly.
But when confronted head-on like this, there was no other way.
He started a fight with Swordrang in front of all the students.
Soon, five thugs were groaning at X's feet, clutching their shins.
'Four 2-Stars and one 3-Star... a close win.'
For X, who had been through continuous Hell Training with Rockswell, these run-of-the-mill thugs were no match.
"Hey, what are you doing!!"
The professors' intervention was swift.
At the unexpected appearance of a professor, Swordrang sensed that things had gone seriously wrong.
For X, however, the situation was flowing exactly as planned.
'Drawing the professors' aggro worked perfectly.'
The professors took X and the Swordrang members to a Separate Room.
Some of the professors couldn't help but be nervous.
This involved Swordrang, the Academy's power faction.
Matters involving the Nobility had to be handled with care.
That's why they tried to corner the commoner X, threatening and even using force to extract a favorable testimony.
But X only said one thing.
"Please call the Chairman. I have nothing else to say."
Weary of X's silence, the professors glanced at the nobles' reactions and finally brought X before the Chairman.
"You again."
The Chairman sat across from X at a table and pressed his fingers into his forehead.
His head felt like it was about to explode from the stress.
He had no idea how to resolve this issue.
But he summoned as much patience as he could and spoke.
"Student X. Do you, by any chance, have a complaint about the Academy?"
"How could I not have any complaints?"
"Alright, student. Tell me what your complaints are."
X leaned back comfortably in his chair and answered.
"The idea that commoners and nobility are equal at the Academy is a fiction, professors and good-willed students are suffering because of the violent behavior of some students, and some professors act as if commoner students don't even exist..."
"It seems you are unaware of your current predicament, student."
The Chairman cut X off.
Although he knew what that meant, X deliberately asked back.
"My predicament? What predicament are you talking about?"
"I'm saying that the consequences for the trouble you've caused have yet to be decided, only because you are a student of this Academy. A commoner attacking a noble? Do you think this is something that can be overlooked?"
It was only natural.
Nobles were beings who generally possessed extralegal authority. Because they had that much power.
Conversely, a commoner was a commoner because they lacked such power.
That was the biggest reason for the division of social classes.
But that didn't mean he had to say, 'Yes, I was wrong.'
"I suppose it's fine for a student to kick a professor in the head at this Academy, then."
"That is none of your concern."
"It's none of my concern when I and other students were harmed?"
This was another valid point that was difficult for the Chairman to answer.
Disrupting a class was clear grounds for disciplinary action.
The only reason it was a fiction was that the students were nobles.
The Chairman didn't press the issue.
Instead, he decided to show him a more definitive problem.
"Aside from that, your actions have gone too far. With my authority, I can not only expel you immediately but also decide whether this incident warrants a trial."
"Ah, that will be difficult for you."
"...What?"
"Chairman, you enjoy weighing the gains and losses, don't you?"
The Chairman's gaze sharpened.
That last remark was clearly insolent.
It wasn't something a mere commoner student should say.
"...Explain."
But he waited for the next words.
He trusted the instincts that had kept him in the Chairman's seat for years.
X nodded and continued.
"I know why you care so much about your external image and why you flatter the nobles. It's for the proper management of the Academy, I presume."
"Flatter? What do you know to say such things? Do you even know how this Academy is run?"
"The funding from the Imperial Family. It was cut off five years ago, wasn't it?"
"...!"
The Chairman's eyes widened.
Information that only a few of the executives knew,
was just spoken by a mere student before him.
X shrugged once and continued.
"Well, it makes sense. The founding principle was to train Heroes, but in over 40 years, not a single Hero has been seen. The Imperial Family must have started doubting the institution's management."
"What nonsense is this...! The value of the Academy's operation lies in cultivating many Talented Individuals! What do you know to say such...!"
"Think about it with common sense. From the Imperial Family's perspective, they'd think there's no benefit to it. Giving military power to uncontrollable nobles is a liability, not an asset."
"Shut your mouth!!"
The Chairman drew his sword and pointed it at X's throat.
"What do you know to dare speak of the Imperial Family's will! Realize that with that statement alone, I can have you summarily executed!"
But X didn't even blink.
"So what happened in the end?"
"..."
The Chairman panted, glaring into X's eyes.
Then he sheathed his sword and slumped back into his chair.
"Yes! It's just as you said! Five years ago, the Imperial Family's funding was suddenly cut. Funding that accounted for over 50% of our operating costs!"
Just as the setting X knew dictated.
A significant portion of the Academy's operating costs was covered by funding from the Imperial Family.
Even with high tuition fees, running an actual institution requires far greater expenses.
But that funding was suddenly cut off five years ago.
'Because that incident happened.'
As a result, the Academy's management was shaken.
Thanks to the Chairman's competence, the problem didn't escalate.
But that created another problem.
"Is that why the benefits for the nobility were strengthened?"
"Don't you dare question me about that. If not for that method back then, you all would have seen a ruined Academy."
"I have no intention of questioning it. In fact, I think it was an excellent response. To have operated normally for five years after losing 50% of the operating budget is an achievement beyond words."
"...Hmph, don't flatter me."
Thinking about it again at this point, the Chairman wasn't an Evil Person.
If anything, he was a competent public official.
It's just that his method of carrying out his duties had to be a bit cold.
Of course, he hadn't come here to flatter him.
"But that's also reaching its limit, isn't it?"
"..."
"The nobles from Swordrang must have pressured you to sell them a share of the Management Rights. Am I wrong?"
"...You, how do you know that! No, where on earth did you learn everything you've said so far!"
'Because I was the one who suggested that setting.'
It was a setting X had suggested to Elicia when creating the conflict between Leon and Swordrang in the original story.
It was strange for the Empire's Academy to run without issue for nearly 50 years and then suddenly have incidents occur.
So, it felt more natural to have this kind of problem lurking beneath the surface.
'It's also weird for nobles to be running rampant in an institution funded by the Imperial Family. The imperial family and the nobility are political rivals, after all.'
So, all he had to do was create a reason for the nobles to run rampant.
The Imperial Family cut the funds for some reason, and the Academy's management shares were being passed to the nobles.
That way, the appearance of a villainous group like Swordrang also becomes natural.
'This was also foreshadowing that there were problems within the Imperial Family.'
So now, he would use this knowledge.
"Chairman. Let's be honest."
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
"Those Swordrang nobles, you can't stand the sight of them, can you?"
"...!"
"After you painstakingly nurtured this place, barely saving the dying Academy, only to have a bunch of hyenas try to snatch it up for a cheap price. Didn't you find that disgusting?"
The Chairman felt a strange sensation.
They were words he shouldn't have heard, but he empathized with them so deeply that he was momentarily reminded of the past.
Seizing that moment, X leaned forward, grabbed the Chairman's hands, and cried out imploringly.
"Five years ago, when the Imperial Family's funding was suddenly cut without any reason! Remember that time when the Academy's management became difficult and you asked for help, but everyone turned their backs!"
"Th-that time was..."
"The sorrow and sadness of that moment when you made a heartless decision, bracing for everyone's condemnation! You overcame that and built this Academy with your own hands. With these very hands!"
"I-I did.... It was me, and no one else..."
"But those damn hyenas are trying to take it all away. Are you going to stand by and let that happen? You have to do something! If you want to protect this Academy!"
"Do... something... Hah! Let go of me, you brat!"
'Tch. Not easy.'
The Chairman shook off X's hands and came to his senses.
"I understand what you're saying, but operations will be normalized. A student chosen to be the Hero has appeared among the students. It means the Academy's founding principle was not wrong."
This was the Chairman's gambit.
The root of all problems was the lack of a Hero, which led to the Imperial Family cutting their funding.
But a Hero had appeared.
"So we can get the funding back..."
"No, that's not enough."
X said firmly.
The Chairman was puzzled by the words 'not enough' rather than 'wrong'.
"Not enough?"
"Chairman, there is one thing you must acknowledge."
"What do I have to acknowledge?"
"Listen carefully, Chairman."
X spoke with more seriousness than anything else in the world.
"Heroes are not made. They are chosen. The difference between these two is clear."
The statement was so obvious that the Chairman felt let down.
"What's this all of a sudden... Who doesn't know that? If Heroes could be made, this whole thing would have been... long..."
As he was speaking, the Chairman suddenly realized.
The meaning behind the difference between 'can be made' and 'is chosen'.
X confirmed his realization.
"That's right. It means this kind of thing will happen 'again'. No, in the worst-case scenario... they might even decide to 'dispose of the Academy since its purpose is fulfilled'."
"No, that can't be..."
"Because Leon being chosen as the Hero has proven that the Academy has never once made a Hero!"
"That can't be true...!"
"From the Imperial Family's perspective, it has become more profitable to wait for someone to become a Hero than to spend a fortune trying to train one!"
"No, no...!"
"Hero Leon's awakening is, in fact, the equivalent of a death sentence for the Academy-!!"
"Noooooo-!!"
At those words, the Chairman was first shocked, then covered his eyes with his hands in despair.
He tried to hold back the tears welling up, but the weight of his sorrow was too heavy.
"Then... what did I run this Academy for...?"
The Chairman before him was now nothing more than a pitiful middle-aged man.
It was natural, as his entire life had just been negated.
So, now was the chance.
"Chairman, I said 'not enough' earlier, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did... But what can be done now..."
"What if... there was a special education that could only be taught at this Academy? A method that could grant abilities rivaling those of a Hero, do you know what would happen?"
"What are you talking about...? If something like that were possible, it would revolutionize education. The Hero would no longer be important. But that's just a fantasy. It could never happen..."
"If you think so, then please watch this."
X spread his hands and continued.
"Chairman, what is the most famous of all the legends of the Hero?"
"That would be... the most famous is the legend that they wield 'All Powers'. That they use Internal Power, Mana Power, and Divine Power..."
"Like this?"
At that moment, X shattered common sense.
Magic in his right hand.
Aura in his left.
The destruction of the common sense that magic and aura could not be used together,
he showed it to the highest authority of the Empire's Academy.
"If this is something that can only be taught at this Academy."
It was an 'offer he couldn't refuse'.
"What do you think will happen?"
This was X's second cheat.