"So, with your enrollment secured, how would you feel about a tour of the campus? With so many of our students absent I've got plenty of time to spare!" The young instructor asks me as we walk away from the crazy dean's office

"Perhaps some other time. Why exactly is the academy so devoid of students?" I ask out of curiosity

I remember him talking about something happening that spooked them all away, but he never said what it was exactly. If I'm going to be returning here in the future I should probably figure out what it was that started this whole mess.

"...I suppose there is no harm in telling you. Even if something like this happens again i'm sure you would have little to worry about." The boy says as his look turns a bit sour

This idiot just put me in the same room as that psychopath. As beneficial to me as that may have been, I'm not exactly going to trust his measure of "safe" at face value.

"During the entrance exam, one of the students magic went wild. She was only supposed to produce a small fireball but instead, she produced a military grade fire spell that almost wiped out the academy. Much of our student body is made up of the children of nobles, so some have taken to calling the incident a purposeful attack against the nobles." The young instructor explains with a pained look

Wait... isn't that story familiar?

"What happened to the student? I imagine the nobles wouldn't let something like that go easily?" I ask

"We denied the student entry to the academy, but it seems the nobles wanted more of a punishment than that. Until a little while ago there was a huge rush among the nobles to track down the young girl, but it seems she ended up joining the Yuusha's party before anybody found her. Now she is basically untouchable." The boy continues

So it was him after all. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. It's not like I didn't already know that kid was a dangerous wackjob. That Yuusha sure knows how to pick 'em doesn't he?

The instructor still seems to be misunderstanding his gender though... Meh? Not really my problem at the end of the day.

"So everybody left because they were scared of another attack? Wouldn't increasing security solve the issue then?" I ask

I don't know exactly what it is that they intend to have me do, but it should be pretty easy to up the security if the students are mainly nobles. I don't see why I'm even needed?

"That's just it, nobody is really scared of the attack. With my grandma here just about anything short of the Maou isn't really a threat. No, the reason why everybody is gone is the nobles have begun to boycott the academy." He answers

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Is that loli-baba really that strong? I mean I know she had me on the ropes, but I'm still far from the strongest thing out there. Heck, I don't even know if I'm the strongest thing fighting in this tournament. If someone like Afeuro attacked the academy would the dean really be able to beat her?

"Like I said before, they think that our punishment was far too light. They claim that less harsh punishment is a direct insult to the honor of the nobles. The more influential families have started boycotting the academy and forced even the more reasonable nobles to withdraw their children." He explains as he clenches his hand in frustration

sigh "I think I'm starting to see the issue here." I say

So it's another matter of the nobles causing issues then?

bzzt "Hey, princess. Got a moment?" I hear Kera's voice say through the comstone in my inventory

There is a hint of urgency in her voice.

I pretend to pull the comstone out of my pocket as I remove it from my inventory to make the sight of me responding less weird.

"Kera? What's up?" I respond in an anxious voice

"The adventurers guild has put out an urgent request. You and Kiel should be exempt from accepting since you are in the tournament, but it sounds like something you should check out." She continues in the same urgent tone

"What do you mean? What's up with it?" I ask hoping for more info

"We can talk later" she sharply responds before the call ends

"I'm sorry, but it seems like we will have to pick up this conversation another time," I explain to the boy as I shove the stone in my pocket and quickly dash away

The look on his face is also one of worry, which is probably why he didn't try to stop me at all.

I swear if this all turns out to be some prank by Kera, I'm going to finally beat some sense into her.

On Kera's instructions, I rush to the adventurers guild, where a large group of what seem to be armed adventurers have assembled out front. I suppose it would be more accurate to say that there are so many of them, that they are pouring out onto the streets.

With so many people here I can't even make my way through the crowd to see what the commotion is about.

"Oi! Princess!" I hear Kera call from behind

When I turn to see her I am surprised to see that she has already gathered everybody, and they are waiting as a group nearby.

"What is all of this about? Did people learn about me?!" I whisper in a panic to her after rushing up to them

How big of a large scale subjugation does this have to be to need this many people? I didn't even know this many adventurers lived in the capital? It's only several hundred, but even still it seems like a rather ridiculous number.

"Don't get scared, you're still in the clear... well mostly. Here, this is what everybody is freaking out about." Kiel says as he hands me a flyer

I take it from him and begin to carefully read it.

The flyer describes a large army of undead that has started moving as a group towards the capital. It seems the reason why this is such a big request is due to how quickly the undead gathered, and the fact that they seem to be moving with a purpose. Undead are a rare occurrence, and they lack most forms of basic sentience. The signs point to something raising them and controlling them.

At first, I feel a sense of relief as I read the flyer. It doesn't mention anything about the possibility of it being the Maou at fault. Until the last line...

"...An unknown pink ball of light has also been seen with the horde on multiple occasions, caution towards it is advised." I read aloud

Kiel gives me a knowing nod.

Great, the first tragedy that I'm actually the cause of is a result of me trying to make something as harmless as possible.