“How did this happen...?”

This was my second lamentation of the day. I know that life doesn’t go smoothly, but even so, the second round of my life is turning out way too poorly.

“I’ve wanted to meet you for so long!!”

“Please, give me a break...”

Why is it that I always end up encountering people I’d rather not see?

—Just like with Weiss, it’s almost like I’m cursed.

The girl in front of me, my greatest trauma of all time, is strangely blushing and fidgeting. She has lustrous, long black hair and sharp purple eyes, and her porcelain-like skin seems like it could fade and disappear with just a bit of sunlight. In a word, this woman is exceptional when it comes to appearance.

Normally, if she were acting so adorably, I’d find it cute, but instead, I can’t stop feeling a chill. I just want to faint and foam at the mouth. I want to throw everything away and run. Memories of how she deceived me so cleverly yesterday come flooding back.

—That’s right, it was during the spring of my second year when she claimed she needed a piece of jewelry and got me running around to find it…

“No, no…”

My mind unwillingly drags up memories I really don’t want to remember. I should also mention that the search for that jewelry turned into a fight to the death with Weiss.

To put it bluntly, this woman has a way of triggering my trauma. Her name is—

“Um… I’m sorry for suddenly talking to you! My name is Levia! I’ve been wanting to thank you… to thank you, Lord Bradley!!”

Levia Haydenrott is the worst kind of villain. I know it sounds like I’m just repeating the word "evil" too much, but it’s the truth, so what can I do?

So why is she here, standing in front of me with no connection to me? What exactly is she thanking me for? I have no memory of this, and it almost feels like I did something like that.

“No, I heard you, but… did I do something to you… Levia?”

In a slightly confused state, I cut off the traumatic girl and ask. I also feign ignorance, like it’s the first time I’m hearing her name. The traumatic girl, however, doesn’t seem to care that I mispronounced her name and answers with a sad expression.

“D-Don’t you remember? During the recent joint training, when I was saved from the rampaging magic of Lord Glass?”

“During the duel with Glass…?”

It’s irritating, being forced to remember by this woman, but if I don’t recall, this situation won’t change, so I reluctantly try to remember.

It was just a few days ago, and the scene is still vivid in my mind. Indeed, at that time, I helped a girl who was too slow to escape from Glass’s out-of-control magic…

“No way, could it be…?”

“Yes! It was me!”

“────”

Stunned into silence, I’m struck by the fact that the girl I helped was this woman. I never imagined that.

—I was in such a hurry at that moment, I didn’t even notice… I didn’t have the luxury to care about something like that.

Sometimes, helping others or doing good deeds leads to this. It seems like the world really dislikes me. …It’s like the world really hates me.

“L-Lord Bradley? Are you okay?”

“Huh? Ah—yeah, I’m fine, I’m fine…”

Seeing me slump over the desk, the traumatic girl begins to worry, which is infuriating. Please, stop. I’m not even remotely happy to be worried about by you. In fact, it only gives me chills, and my condition worsens.

—I have to get her to leave quickly...

Luckily, it seems like she just came to thank me, and I’ve already accepted it on the surface. There’s no need to interact further. I cough exaggeratedly and continue speaking.

“Um… helping you was just a coincidence, and there’s no need for you to feel indebted. You’ve thanked me directly, and I’ve accepted it. So you don’t need to worry about it anymore.”

I barely manage to hold back from letting slip some harsh words, and the underlying meaning of what I said was, “Just leave, you woman!!” but—

“No! I can’t just bow my head and leave it at that! As a lady of the empire, I cannot simply end things like this. Please, let me repay you!!”

“You don’t have to worry about it… wait, did you just say empire?”

“…? Yes, I did.”

She shows no sign of backing down. And at her words, I feel something strange. What does she mean by “empire”?

—What’s going on here?

My memories start to differ from this version of events. Right now, this woman is clearly claiming to be from the empire, but in my first life, her hometown wasn’t from the empire; it was from a faraway Eastern land. I can’t remember the exact name… but I’m sure of it.

My mind races. I reflexively ask her to clarify.

“Are you from the empire?”

“Yes! I am the second daughter of the Haydenrott family, a count family of the Shade-End Empire, our allied nation.”

“...Huh???”

My thoughts grind to a halt at her response. I had no idea about any of this. In my first life, I had met this woman, had a history with her, and she was the cause of my downfall, but I don’t remember anything about her being from an empire.

—Has the future changed?

That’s impossible... or so I want to say, but though there may be slight differences, no one’s background or origin has ever changed in my previous life.

So what is happening now?

—Did I get deceived by her in my first life… or were my memories altered?

That idea makes more sense. I realize that some of this woman’s memories are vivid, while others I’ve completely forgotten, and the difference is striking.

“Lord Bradley?”

“!!”

Suddenly, the woman before me morphs into something unrecognizable. The expression of concern on her face seems fake, as if it’s been forced onto her. I thought I knew everything about this woman in my first life, but it turns out I was completely wrong.

Her eerie, violet eyes shine brightly. If I get drawn into them, my thoughts start to drift, and a forced dream begins to encroach upon me. That feeling is all too familiar, and in my first life, I would have been helpless against this allure.

“—What did you do to me?”

This time, I can resist. I clearly feel foreign magic invading my body without permission, an odd sensation. My body’s defense mechanisms activate, and my blood circulation is boosted. The magic is fully integrated into me now, and I could easily strike down this intruder at any moment.

“Eh?”

Her eyes avert from me. It’s clear now, she was trying to do something to me. I recognize it as hostility and let the killing intent I’d been holding back flow freely.

“Don’t play dumb. Answer my question… If you can’t answer, then get out of my sight right now— you’re disgusting.”

I truly want to sever her head right now, but I know that if I let my emotions control me, I won’t be able to accomplish my true objective.

—I know it’s naive.

Still, I have no choice but to let her go this time. But if she threatens me again in the future—

“I’ll let it slide this time. But there won’t be a second chance.”

“...I’m sorry!!”

Without a word more, the woman rushes out of the library, and I breathe a sigh of relief, thinking the situation is resolved…

“...Oh, crap.”

The moment I revealed my killing intent, a strange tension and silence filled the library. To dissolve this, the person who caused it—me—must leave as well.

—Well, I don’t have much reason to stay here anymore…

With the picture book I borrowed in hand, I get up from my seat.

Thus, I had another encounter with my greatest trauma and successfully repelled it—

“I feel like I’m going to throw up…”

But that was completely wrong, and it was just the beginning of even greater trouble.

~End of Academy Entrance Arc~