Side Character Who Became the Pseudo-Protagonist

Chapter 19: The Strategic Division

Grant froze, raising both hands in the air before turning to face me slowly.

Even with a loaded gun pointing at his face, the man didn’t seem all that scared or anxious, honestly. His face practically said "I can dodge this at any moment".

And a part of me was inclined to believe him.

Still, I’ll press my advantage if possible.

"Start talking."

"..."

"No."

Suddenly, Grant took a step forward with so much hostile intent that it caused my finger to twitch involuntarily, pulling on the trigger.

[Push]

THUD—!

The entire force of the Spell slammed into the Manager, throwing him backwards into a cluster of desks and chairs.

’Oh shit... I didn’t really mean to shoot him!’

Grant laid there in the rubble, out of it for a moment before getting his bearings once more. Riley went over to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"He gotcha good, you gotta admit."

And for the first time ever, Grant smiled softly, brushing the dust off of his uniform.

"Yeah...he really did."

Claire stood up from her seat and clapped both hands together with a wide grin on her face.

"That enough to convince you Grant? I told you we didn’t have to go through with it. My decisions are never wrong!"

I looked back and forth between Claire and Grant, trying to figure out what the hell they were even on about.

"Can someone please tell me why that just happened?!"

The student council president made her way over to me, sticking out her tongue mischievously like a kid who just finished a successful prank.

"You see, there’s an event coming up that’s really important to Asgard Academy. One that...honestly is extremely important for our school to do well in..."

"And I want to give you a spot."

Ahh, so she was talking about that.

Ygg National Seven Branches Tournament, or simply ’The Seven Branches’, was a fierce sporting competition between the seven Operator academies within the country.

It wasn’t the reward, but more so the prestige, as the event happened once every year.

All sorts of influential figures will be there, scouting talents.

To put it in simple terms, that requirement to graduate? Yeah, throw it out the window. If someone finds you doing well in the tournament, you can instantly get sponsored and graduate.

For that same reason, getting a spot was as important as ever, and most cadets would jump for joy if they were picked. However, since prestige and winning was important, freshmen were rarely picked, if at all.

The three leaders, who were pretty much revered like gods during these times, decided to pick me out of the hundreds of other Operator cadets?

"Why me? There should be other more capable and willing candidates?"

Claire cleared her throat. "Ah, let me clarify. I want you to join our Strategic Division."

"..."

It did sting a little knowing that the student council president doesn’t think too highly of my combat capabilities, but staying out of danger was all that mattered.

But still, the Strategic Division, huh?

There really wasn’t any reason I should refuse. Being part of it gave me access to three things:

(1): Their name, allowing me to spout whatever nonsense and then say "Oh, but its for the the Strategic Division."

(2): Their clearance and priority, allowing me to get into certain events earlier.

(3): And the Mimir Database, one of the largest resource of knowledge in the world, built by the Founder of Asgard Academy.

Even if the downsides were gaining attention and having to be closer to the flags, the benefits far outweigh them.

I took a deep sigh, putting the gun back onto one of the tables before turning to Claire. "Alright, I accept. Who else is on the team?"

"For this year? Me, Grant, and you."

"That’s it?"

"That’s it."

...What have I gotten myself into.

Grant finally approached me, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Sorry for doing all that, we just wanted to test you a little."

"Right," I answered. "But that still doesn’t answer my question. Why go through such a roundabout way to recruit me?"

Claire shook her head, a shameless expression on her face. "Ahh, it was what Nora did to us back when she was the Student Council President. So we just wanted to get some get-back on her kid brother."

...The Midgard name comes back to bite me in the ass once more.

Thank you, sister.

Grant cleared his throat. "Well that was Claire’s reason. I just wanted to see what you would do under pressure, that’s all."

"Alright, since you did this to me, I think I deserve some compensation?" I asked with a serious look on my face.

"I’ve got an important favor."

"As a Midgard?" Claire asked immediately.

"Yeah."

Seeing my expression, both Grant and Claire exchanged a glance before taking a seat. The mood changed and their responsibility kicked in, not as my seniors, but as heirs of the Nines.

"Have you two seen the public sentiment around the Astaron exchange students?"

Upon hearing the topic, Claire clicked her tongue. "Tch...it’s hard not to hear it everywhere nowadays."

"Right," Grant added on. "We’ve seen it. However, the scale, at least right now...makes it hard for us to do anything. No major incidents have been reported and no complaints from the Astaron students themselves to warrant any action."

"Mmm," Claire hummed. "If we step in recklessly, our positions within Asgard’s student administration would needlessly complicate things."

I had expected this problem.

The reason given in the game as to why the incident had gotten so big was because, at the time, it was too small for the Lords of the Nines to handle.

Yet, too political for their heirs to ignore.

Though Grant seemed to have caught onto my scowling expression, leaning forward in his chair.

"You asking us this means you know something?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "A public seminar is being held in two days, one centered on the very same topic and is allegedly going to host students from Astaron."

"...Including their princess."

Claire tilted her head, tapping her fingers on the table. "That’s concerning, but still civilian. Unless you have something that connects it to Asgard or a hostile actor, our hands are tied."

"No, you can’t," I shook my head. "However, what I suspect is way larger than the sum of its parts."

"The Anti-Operator Terrorist Organization...White Noise."

"They’re involved in this, I’m sure of it."