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n

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nRanked last in the midterms…

nEveryone knew that it’d happened because of unavoidable circumstances. No, I mean, as long as I had normal common sense and was even just normal academically, I couldn’t help but get better grades than Ludwig just by looking at my notes properly, you know?

nWhat did they see me as?

nAnyway, due to my circumstances, I was fortunate enough that people didn’t think that I was an even bigger idiot than Ludwig.

nI had earned some achievement points, and the consequences were rather small.

nI was a bit flustered because Harriet suddenly burst into tears.

nIn the end, no matter what I had prepared or planned, the routine of Temple’s curriculum passed the midterm exams.

nIt was time for the next step…

nThe group mission of the second semester.

nAfter the group mission came the final exam, then the festival, and then our winter vacation.

nA clash between the Orbis Class and the Royal Class had originally been scheduled during the festival, however, that event had completely disappeared. I wondered how the student council would fill the hole that the Orbis Class VS Royal Class competition, one of the festival’s main events, left behind.

nI hoped that it wasn’t something that would inconvenience the Royal Class.

nWe had already received a notice from Mr. Epinhauser.

nThe first mission had been advantageous for those with excellent physical strength. However, not all missions were like that. It wasn’t about being skilled in magic or combat, but it was more about how one utilized one’s talent. Otherwise, guys like Louis Ancton, who was talented in academics, or Lanian Sessor, who had a talent in music, would just continue to be unable to stand out.

nThe first semester’s mission was for those who were physically fit, were able to improvise, and liked to play active roles.

nThe second semester’s mission was, therefore, advantageous for intelligent people.

n‘The theme for the group mission of the second semester is Reasoning.’

nWhile they added this and that and interpreted it a little differently, it was just that.

nA game of Mafia.

nSimilar to how I’d set up the first group mission on the deserted island as I watched “Law of the Jungle”.

nWell…

nWhen I set the second mission up… Mafia had been very popular.

nEvery time I went through those things, I felt how uncreative I had been.

n* * *

nAfter the midterms, the group mission would be held for a week just like last time.

nI had finally pretty much recovered that week as well.

n“Are you fine now?”

n“Yeah, pretty much.”

n“Can you start training again as well?”

n“I don’t want to overdo it… But I should slowly start again.”

nWhen I said that my body had returned to its original condition, Ellen started to ask me some questions.

nThat girl, did I see wrong, or were her eyes actually twinkling?

n“…”

n“What?”

n“Let’s try strengthening ourselves with magical power a little, then.”

nEllen and I were taking lessons on Magic Body Strengthening from the Yoga Master, so then she asked me to use Magic Body Strengthening little by little during our training.

n“…I’m sorry, but I haven’t gotten the hang of it just yet.”

n“…Why?”

nAh, I hate you!

nYou’re just too special. You know, I’m actually special now as well?!

nWhy are you treating me like I’m slow?

nThis is unbelievably fast for me, okay?! I was even recognized as the most talented student in Temple by Mr. Epinhauser, you hear?!

n“When will you…?”

n“…Trust me, I’m the one who wants the answer to that question more than anyone.”

nEllen seemed to contemplate what she could do while strengthening herself with magic as she sparred.

nIn the end, she was a teacher who cared a lot about her students.

nI was so moved that I was about to cry, but sometimes, I felt majorly depressed because I was treated like something incredibly insignificant.

nAnyway, I’d probably lost a lot of muscle because I had rested for far too long. I knew that the price I paid was really cheap considering that I gained a rough understanding of Magic Body Strengthening.

nAll of that happened because I’d forced myself to do something as absurd as Ellen while I wasn’t even as talented as her. What Ellen and I had done wasn’t something anyone should imitate.

nJust being out of commission for a few weeks really was a mild consequence.

nAnyway, after the group mission, I would have to spar with her again and undergo a lot more personal training.

nWhile it was a game of mafia, it was still a group mission.

nOf course, we wouldn’t just sit around in a circle from start to finish as one would do in the actual game.

n“Wow…What’s this place?”

n“It’s creepy…”

n“Rather, why is it snowing here at this time of year?”

n“They didn’t tell us to dress warmly for no reason, after all…”

n-Whooooosh…

nOctober…

nAlthough the season had changed to fall, it wouldn’t normally snow around that time.

nWe were in the northern regions ravaged by blizzards.

nThe ancient castle, Epiax.

nWe’d left the Imperial Capital and arrived before that dreary, snowed-in ancient castle, the site of the group mission.

nA silent castle located in a snowy field… Rather than calling it beautiful, it seemed dilapidated, and it had a creepy atmosphere hanging over it. It seemed even creepier because it was snowing.

nThat was the place where we would hold the second semester’s group mission.

nSo…

nIf one thought of summer, the sea came to mind.

nAnd if one thought of winter, one would think of hot springs.

nWe were approaching the hot springs episode. Of course, it would only happen after the mission.

nThe main event was the mission.

nEvent quest – Group Mission

nDescription : Don’t be eliminated until the end of the mission.

nReward : 1000 Achievement Points

nThe 1000-point reward was more than significant.

nIt was a group mission, after all.

nTo be honest, if our normal school life just continued, while I wouldn’t have enjoyed it, I would have thought of it as just normal.

nQuite frankly, I couldn’t help but only think of all of it as a waste of time at that point.

nI had only recovered to a certain extent at best, but I simply wanted to exercise and train.

nHowever, I had no intention of just throwing the mission—achievement points were at stake there.

nI had to do my absolute best.

nBut you know what?

n“Does everyone agree to execute Reinhardt?”

n“Yes.”

n“Yes.”

n“Yeah.”

n“Of course, I agree.”

n.

n.

nDidn’t I secretly want something like that to happen?

nAlthough the detailed conditions and some rules were slightly different, that group mission was basically a game of Mafia.

nA mission to prove one’s reasoning and logical thinking capabilities…

nThey tried to throw me out on the first day with no reasons or grounds for their decision.

n* * *

nOf course, it wasn’t like I didn’t protest.

nWe held a meeting in the castle on the first day right after we heard the explanation of the rules.

nThere was one mafia member for each class, so a total of two. Of course, they changed the name to ‘assassin’, but anyway, they were the mafia members.

nAmong 22 students, two were mafia members.

nEven before things really started, everyone’s eyes were already on me.

n…Why are they looking at me?

nEveryone looked at me strangely.

nThere were many reasons, but in the end…

n‘This is my first time doing something like this, but I think it would be good to eliminate any variables in this kind of situation, don’t you think?’

nThose were Charlotte’s words.

n‘Well… That is true.”

nThat was Bertus’s reaction.

n‘I think it would be best in this situation where we severely lack information to identify the culprit by executing the person most likely to cause a mess.’

nEveryone nodded at Charlotte’s words as if they had the same thoughts.

n‘Certainly, Even as an ally, Reinhardt seems somewhat unstable.’

nEveryone was convinced by Bertus and the A-Class’ response.

nThose two were the mafia members for sure.

nAnd as such, I had been executed.

nThe group mission—

nEvent Quest failed

n—ended for me with an immediate elimination.

n* * *

n* * *

nOf course, as it was a group mission, the rules were a little different from an actual game of mafia.

nOne assassin was designated for Class A and B respectively.

nThe assassins were a team—they would get the highest score regardless of which class they were from if they ended up winning.

nWe could not go outside the castle during the mission.

nThe mafia members could assassinate two people every night. Of course, they didn’t just point at them to assassinate them like in the actual game.

nRegardless of whether they just killed someone that passed by them, they had to go to the other person and declare that they killed the target as if ‘sentencing’ that person to death before leaving the scene.

nThe others had to examine the scene of the murder, check the alibi of their classmates, and figure out who’d seen the victim last; then they had to determine whose alibi was unclear for that time and what route they had taken.

nBy deducing those things, they could identify the culprit.

nOnce they had identified the perpetrators and gathered everyone’s opinions, it was possible for them to discuss whether they should execute a certain person or not, and they could nominate one person from Class A and one from Class B.

nThe assassins had to kill two people a night, and the citizens could also execute two people a day. Of course, the citizens weren’t forced to execute anyone.

nThey wouldn’t know whether who they’d executed was an assassin or not. Even if there was only one mafia member left, they could still kill two people a night.

nThe class that correctly identified and executed the perpetrator would get additional points. Of course, they would get negative points if innocent citizens were executed.

nHowever, ‘The discussion itself’ was also included in the evaluation criteria. The more uncooperative one was, and the poorer choices that were made, the worse their evaluation would become.

nIt was important to showcase how logical one’s reasoning was and how well they were able to identify the criminal—that was why the smart ones were at an advantage in that mission.

nAnyway…

nThe group mission would end when either the mafia’s or the citizens’ victory had been confirmed.

nAfter that, the teachers’ evaluations would determine whether Class A or Class B won overall.

nIn the original, no one died during the first day’s meeting, but I was executed immediately at that time.

nThe one who usually got executed on the first day during Mafia, especially under the premise that one knew the people one played with, was usually just someone everyone felt uncomfortable around or someone everyone was comfortable eliminating.

nI was probably the former.

nEven so, it was a group mission, but both Class A and Class B got together and executed me on the first day with no rhyme or reason.

nThat was all.

nNo one gave a **.

nCharlotte had immediately said that I should be executed.

nEven Harriet and Ellen had agreed.

nIt seemed certain that everyone thought it would be more advantageous to just execute me immediately and that they would have less to worry about then.

n“Teacher, isn’t this just completely absurd?”

nAs soon as my execution had concluded, I was summoned to an area outside of the mission area with a recall artifact similar to the one from the deserted island. I immediately started complaining to Mr. Epinhauser.

nMr. Mustrang looked at me with pity.

n“It was simply a wise choice made by your classmates.”

n“Was it?”

nMr. Epinhauser seemed to just take it as the natural flow of things.

nNo! I was innocent, right?! How is executing an innocent citizen helping the others?!

n“Because you might’ve taken actions outside the scope of the mission, they probably wanted to avoid confusion.”

nIf no one agreed with my opinions, I might’ve resorted to swearing or maybe beating someone up, so they’d banished me first because they didn’t want to worry about what I might do later.

nRight…

nIf they didn’t agree with me, I might’ve actually gone, ‘Ya bastards! I’m right here,’ and then lightly smack some of them.

nWhether they were citizens or mafia, it was only right to kill me off first…

nI was an innocent citizen, but I wasn’t an innocent classmate.

nThat was why they’d executed me. Despite there being no real basis for them to do it at that time, they’d still seen it as the right decision.

nThey were just getting rid of an unstable variable.

nBoth Charlotte and Bertus had made the right decision.

nSo did that mean that they weren’t the two mafia members?

n“So who are the mafia members?”

n“Mafia? What do you mean?”

n“N-no, I mean, the assassins. Yeah, the assassins.”

nUrg…

nI had cold sweat running down my back because of my stupid mouth.

nMr. Epinhauser calmly opened his mouth as if it didn’t matter if he told the guy who had already been eliminated.

n“Number A-1, and Number B-1…”

nGoddamnit.

nI was right about those two.

nA collaboration between the two narrow-eyed characters who were really good at managing their image would get very serious when competitions were involved and were incredibly smart.

nOh well, at least I knew that the other citizens were going to lose as well.

n* * *

nIn the original, it was Bertus and Dettomolian who were the mafia members.

nIt was a pretty hard combination to picture working together.

nThe original condition of Mafia was that both the citizens and mafia members had equal chances, but in my version, they were a bit unequal.

nIf even one of the assassins was still alive by the time of the last meeting on the fifth day, the mafia would win.

nHow many of the mafia members survived didn’t matter.

nIn the original, Bertus had even assassinated himself to cause greater confusion, leaving behind some instructions for Dettomolian.

nOf course, one might think that it would be possible for the mafia members to not assassinate anyone, but that was made impossible by the rule that they had to pick two targets every night.

nWhile the process was pretty complicated, that idiot Ludwig had eventually managed to uncover the identity of the Mafia members.

nActually, the reason Ludwig survived until the end was because he was stupid.

nIt was the exact opposite of me.

nIf I got executed because they thought that I was a ticking time bomb, Ludwig was treated like an idiot that was harmless to both citizens and the mafia.

nSince it was clear that the mafia members were incredibly smart, Ludwig couldn’t be one, so he wasn’t suspected at all.

nAll his lines of reasoning were wrong and served well to confuse the others, so it was better for the mafia members to keep him alive.

nThat was how he almost survived until the end. However, the storyline was more about how Ludwig had uncovered the identity of the assassin after monitoring everyone in any way he could through his grit rather than figuring it out through reasoning.

nI looked forward to seeing how it would turn out this time.

nThe Bertus-Dettomolian combination had changed to the Bertus-Charlotte combination.

nSince the two of them had a rather bad relationship, things might end up rather dirty

nAnyway, with how things were developing, they would assassinate the smart ones first.

nLike in the original, it would be Harriet and Louis Ankton who would get killed on the first day.

nAs I had been eliminated immediately, the event quest had ended in failure.

n1000 points…

nIt was a shame that I couldn’t get them, but I didn’t think I would have survived for that long anyway if I wasn’t executed like that. When I thought about it more, it was a pretty natural choice to execute me immediately because of the actions I had shown them up to that point.

nIt was actually a battle of wits completely disregarding one’s physical skills, so I wouldn’t have been able to stop the assassins with a sword or anything.

nAnyway, until the mission was over, time was slipping through my fingers. It was hard just sitting around like that.

n“Can’t I go back to Temple?”

n“You can’t.”

nI wanted to do some personal training at Temple, but it seemed like I couldn’t. After all, all of the Royal Class was currently in the middle of a group mission, so the place was completely empty, regardless of grade.

nDuring the uninhabited island mission last time, after the mission was over, we were able to hang out and eat our fill in a well-organized vacation resort-like environment filled with bungalows.

nHowever, for the second time, the environment wasn’t as great because the place was just completely filled with snow.

nThe ancient castle Epiax was located in a frigid snowfield.

nI was in a mansion located somewhere in its vicinity. Of course, the ancient castle had such a spooky atmosphere that it made people shudder, however, the place I was in wasn’t like that.

nAs I’d set up the group missions to be like field trips under the guise of missions, the mansion actually had a hot spring.

nAlthough it wasn’t that grand, there was also a training room and some staff that would prepare our meals.

nThat night…

n“…What?”

n“…I got eliminated.”

nEllen was summoned to the mansion.

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