Fjodora is someone who knows shame. I can't imagine her willingly forcing dangerous work onto others, taking credit for their sacrifices, and standing on stage to bask in the praise.

I could say with certainty that she was merely acting as the mouthpiece of the Imperial Family.

Even knowing that...

A powerful wave of revulsion washed over me.

After all, she was still a member of the Imperial Family.

She was the one standing beneath the bright spotlight, receiving everyone's admiration.

While we, the ones who would actually be risking our lives... remain hidden in the dark.

At this point, you would expect them to shine a spotlight on the people destined to become humanity's "hope."

They did no such thing.

They had probably anticipated exactly what kind of expressions would be on the faces of those suddenly offered up as sacrifices without warning.

That was why they couldn't afford to put us on display.

"N-No way... That strange device they installed at the entrance... No... it can't be... Please don't let it be..."

A muttered denial drifted from somewhere behind me.

The voice trembled with overwhelming fear and despair.

But only the handful of people seated on the black carpet were likely close enough to hear it.

Because—

"We expect the number of Awakened to increase with time. However, at present, their numbers are woefully insufficient. Therefore, this humble one shall also train at this Academy as both an Awakened and a representative of the Imperial Family."

—Princess Fjodora's speech continued uninterrupted.

Her dignified voice, amplified by an Ether microphone, echoed throughout the auditorium.

A faint whisper like that never stood a chance of being heard.

I wonder how Reisir is taking all this...

Unable to suppress the complicated feelings welling up inside me, I subtly glanced sideways.

Just as I expected.

As he gazed up at Fjodora on the stage, his profile was filled with resentment.

Hostility.

Disgust.

"...Even so, we cannot simply send students, still in the springtime of their youth, into the Demon Realm alone. Therefore, the Imperial Family has also recruited Awakened individuals capable of entering the Demon Realm alongside them to guide and protect the students. They are exceptional people—talents who possess not only qualifications worthy of serving as professors, but the power of the Awakened as well."

Before long, Fjodora concluded that portion of her speech and moved on to introducing the instructors who would oversee the Special Class for the Awakened.

Instead of returning the microphone to the host...

She called each of them forward personally, reciting their accomplishments one after another.

Right... so that's how they're handling it.

Every last one of them...

Supporting characters from the original story.

I'll leave the explanations of who they are for later.

Because something far more important had just happened.

According to the original story... that person shouldn't have awakened yet either.

My eyes fixed on one of the professors standing on the stage.

Unlike Sveinn, this was someone I trusted completely.

There was no possibility that he had lied about when he awakened in the original story.

The faint discomfort I'd brushed aside when I learned in Chapter 150 that the First Princess had awakened...

The sense of incongruity I felt in Chapter 153 when I discovered none of the ordinary professors had awakened...

The ominous feeling that surfaced when Djúpr became a professor in Chapter 160...

The strange déjà vu that struck me when I encountered the centipede-shaped monster in Chapter 165...

The question that arose when I met Skati again in Chapter 167, only for me to dismiss it as coincidence...

The confusion Pret's appearance caused in Chapter 169...

And the shock of discovering Sveinn had already awakened in Chapter 170...

Even the lingering unease I'd felt during countless other moments...

Every one of those memories surged back all at once.

The thought I'd repeatedly recalled...

Only to suppress each time...

Finally took shape.

The time had come to stop denying it.

I can't keep explaining all of this away as the original story correcting itself.

There was a limit to claiming it was only natural for original supporting characters to gather around the original protagonist.

Or for the original events to repeat themselves.

There were certainly many supporting characters whose awakening times had never been specified.

Others had been due to awaken soon anyway.

But...

Two people who absolutely should not have awakened yet...

Appearing as Awakened?

That's impossible unless someone deliberately interfered.

And there was only one being capable of doing something like that.

The creator god of this world.

The author of the original novel.

Senna.

That being was still actively influencing this world.

Continuously.

In other words...

This isn't the original world I read.

It's a remake.

If the author herself still existed...

Then why had I been granted the 【Writing】 skill?

Was I expected to steal this world's copyright...

Its authority as an author...

Away from Senna?

But... aren't we practically co-authoring it already?

The dialogue I spoke was appearing exactly as I said it.

Entire developments had changed because of my actions.

Was it Senna's own will that brought me into this novel?

If so...

Did Senna know I existed?

Or...

Did she believe she alone had written everything that had happened so far?

If it was the latter...

Then she might once again continue killing and replacing characters without the slightest hesitation.

Just as she had before.

...Come to think of it, the professors' failure to intervene during the graduation ceremony wasn't because the story demanded it...

It reflected Author Senna's own intentions.

My thoughts branched endlessly.

They tangled together into an impossible knot.

A throbbing headache pounded through my skull.

The world began to spin.

It felt as though I might lose consciousness if I relaxed for even an instant.

For one brief moment...

The temptation whispered that perhaps collapsing here would at least bring a little peace.

But I had no confidence in dealing with what would happen afterward.

So I gritted my teeth and endured.

"Myah..."

Yor let out a soft cry.

She had noticed something was wrong.

I gently stroked the baby dragon's soft mane, desperately anchoring my fading consciousness.

"...Every one of them possesses remarkable ability. They have accumulated long and distinguished careers within their respective fields. However, guiding students requires more than expertise alone. This humble one questioned whether it was appropriate to entrust the students entirely to those who lacked experience as educators."

While I was drowning in my own thoughts, Fjodora's voice gradually returned to me.

Not clearly.

More like something humming in the distance.

Even so...

I could still understand what she was saying.

"Therefore, it was decided that the head professor responsible for overseeing the Special Class for the Awakened would be selected from among the existing faculty. Someone with ample experience. Someone who possesses both expertise and the heart of an educator. Someone lacking in nothing, and capable of truly guiding the students."

An even stronger sense of foreboding settled over me.

For some reason...

I wanted to cover my ears.

But even if I did...

It wouldn't change the words Fjodora was about to speak.

There was no point looking away.

Knowing that...

I ignored the warning screaming through my instincts and listened.

"The professor who has devoted many years to researching Ether Attributes... and who teaches the Ether Attribute Enhancement course every semester..."

A piercing ring exploded inside my ears.

I couldn't hear another word.

But I already knew.

I already knew exactly who she was introducing.

Fjodora stepped aside from the center of the stage.

She turned toward the professors seated behind her.

One of them quietly stood.

He was someone far too familiar to mistake.

Someone who had become incredibly close to me.

Professor Radvisin Prodrake.

He took Fjodora's place at the podium and began speaking.

I couldn't hear him.

The ringing in my ears drowned out every word.

The professor's complexion looked even more exhausted than it had a few days ago.

He tried to appear composed...

Yet the turmoil hidden beneath his expression couldn't be concealed.

Several times while speaking, his eyes drifted toward the paper in his hands.

That alone told me everything.

This appointment...

Had been as sudden for him as it was for everyone else.

Of course...

If he'd known the Imperial Family intended to send students into what amounts to a death trap... and that I was among those students... then after our conversation a few days ago, he would never have acted as though everything was fine.

He would have been crushed by guilt.

Remembering what happened in Chapter 168, I dismissed the pointless suspicion that had briefly surfaced.

My faith in the professor remained unchanged.

And yet...

The confusion refused to subside.

The ringing in my ears only grew louder.

If he was chosen to lead the Special Class over a faculty filled with original-story characters... then...

...then he too...

Like them...

Was one of the characters meticulously created by the original author.

I'd believed he was simply one of this world's naturally occurring background characters.

I had been wrong.

No wonder... his characterization was so extraordinarily complete.

In the original story, Reisir withdrew from the Academy.

Professor Radvisin was never utilized.

His entire role had simply been discarded before he could even appear.

But in this remake...

Where the Academy arc continued...

Senna must have finally given him the role originally prepared for him.

Come to think of it... even the senior researchers had personalities that were far too distinctive.

Perhaps Reisir had originally been meant to catch Professor Radvisin's attention.

To build relationships with those researchers.

No...

Senna must have designed them with exactly that purpose.

And without realizing any of that... I was the one who approached Professor Radvisin first and asked for his help...

Whenever I spent time with Professor Radvisin and the senior researchers...

I'd always felt at ease.

Because they weren't major characters from the original story.

I believed they weren't bound to predetermined deaths.

I never struggled to keep my distance.

I maintained only the minimum amount of acting required while interacting with them naturally.

Comfortably.

But all that peace...

Had been an illusion.

The moment I understood that...

My breath caught in my throat.

The ringing became even louder.

The headache worsened.

The dizziness intensified.

"........."

"..............."

"......"

"....................."

By the time Professor Radvisin finished his speech and returned to his seat...

By the time Fjodora said a few more words...

By the time the Academic Affairs staff member wrapped up the orientation...

The tightly shut doors of the auditorium swung open.

Brilliant daylight poured inside.

One after another, the ordinary students rose from their seats and began leaving.

I don't remember much after that.

Somehow...

I managed to walk back to my dormitory under my own power.

And once I got there...

I think I blacked out.

When I regained consciousness...

I was lying on the floor.