I, Murmur, know nothing about Torlin Stoneheart.
He’s not an NPC I’ve ever encountered while playing Legend of Academy, nor have I seen his name in the setting book.
Honestly, he might be a new character added in a DLC or something like Aunt Colette who suddenly appears and causes chaos, hinting at some alteration in reality.
But whatever, it doesn’t matter much to me.
You see, I, Murmur, am here because there’s a massive gain right in front of my eyes—it’s not about saving Torlin.
“Torlin! Murmur’s here! Snap out of it!”
Torlin was tied up in exactly the same spot as in my memory.
Imprisoned just like the senior elf.
“Mu… Mur…?”
Torlin, half unconscious, spoke with a trembling voice and looked at me, Murmur.
The lifeless eyes sparkled upon recognizing us and tried to move despite being bound.
“S-stop moving! Torlin!”
“We’ll untie you soon, so please stay still! Uh… what was that spell again for untying ropes…?”
Torlin’s cheeks were swollen red.
His hands were also puffed up, and his clothes were embarrassingly torn apart.
…So the secret of the Holy Sword wasn’t a joke after all, huh?
It seems they planned to torment him even worse than when they were taking out their frustrations on the senior elf.
“Mu… Murmur… Did you really come to save me?”
“Yes. Murmur came to save you, Torlin.”
Torlin sniffled loudly and shed big tears.
“Ah! It’s undone!”
With Esme’s wave, the ropes binding Torlin’s body to the chair slid off smoothly onto the floor.
Now free, Torlin tried to stand but collapsed back down almost immediately.
“Ugh… uuuugh…”
“I shall heal you now. Please remain still,” Monica said quickly grabbing Torlin’s hands and kneeling beside him.
Her hands glowed with bright white light, and the swelling and pain visibly disappeared at an astonishing speed.
“Mu… Murmur… I’m fine now. We need to hurry!”
“Nope. Murmur isn’t going anywhere.”
“But… don’t we have an exam today?”
Torlin sniffled again.
“Murmur needs to become a Hero, so you shouldn’t make me lose points because of you.”
Torlin shook his head vigorously as he spoke.
“Murmur has more important things to do than take an exam.”
Cosmos Academy selects Heroes.
They pick students with excellent grades and test if they can overcome five trials.
Only after enduring such hardships are they recognized as Heroes.
I knew this setup better than anyone, yet I couldn’t stop saving Torlin.
“Murmur will return with Torlin. That’s what matters most right now.”
If I abandon a friend I alone could safely rescue just to score well on an exam, would that make me a proper Hero?
If becoming a Hero means choosing between someone and a good grade, how many people must I forsake next?
“Murmur…”
I lifted Torlin into my arms like a princess, holding him with both hands.
…Glad I asked Monica to cast a blessing earlier.
“Give up, Torlin. I’ve already pleaded endlessly, but they wouldn’t listen.”
“Even Citrine ended up helping Murmur until the end, didn’t she?”
“Mistress Murmur is truly a magnificent Hero!”
Listening to my friends’ compliments, I carried Torlin and started walking.
Sacrificing immediate gains to save someone precious sounds straight out of a fairy tale, doesn’t it?
This feels like the real Hero route.
“B-but… I’m sorry Murmur gave up the exam for me.”
“Murmur’s fine. Besides, I probably wouldn’t have done well in running anyway.”
Esme snickered.
“That’s true. Murmur still can’t run well. Barely passing might’ve been the best we could hope for.”
“B-but… Grandma always said it’s polite to properly thank someone during moments like these.”
Torlin fidgeted his fingers anxiously as he spoke.
“Murmur doesn’t need that.”
“E-eh… But…”
“Murmur didn’t come to save you expecting some grand treasure.”
Honestly, this annoying status screen hasn’t even revealed what rewards await from this fight—probably never will.
“T-then why?”
“You looked hurt.”
Considering Garitosa’s despicable nature, I figured torture was involved.
And if I had the power to save you and chose not to, it’d feel like complicity in that torture.
“Murmur saves friends when possible. That’s what Cosmos Academy teaches us.”
Torlin sniffled loudly before hugging me tightly.
“W-waaaah! Someday! I’ll definitely repay you!”
“Mistress Murmur isn’t someone who expects repayment.”
With Citrine’s playful comment, we slipped away from Garitosa’s creepy ‘Demon King Castle.’
“Torlin will sleep with Murmur tonight. Vesta will help nurse you, so no running away!!”
Torlin doesn’t have a maid. He’d probably feel incredibly lonely if left alone in his room.
“A-alright. Thank you, Murmur… You really do look like a Hero.”
Not “look like” one—you are one.
A strange sense of pride welled up inside me, and I smiled.
*
“H-ha… Foolish brats…”
Garitosa de Monte Negro leaned heavily on her staff, trembling violently as she moved.
“D-dirty dwarves or whatever… you let me go just to save them? Haha… You’ll regret this.”
Murmur showed no interest in punishing Garitosa further.
Rescuing Torlin mattered more than ending this pathetic, stupid racist.
Thus, Garitosa avoided groveling naked and begging for mercy in her own urine-stained state.
“J-just wait… When I ask that woman… No, with my family’s power, I’ll crush you completely this time.”
Garitosa limped, leaning on her staff.
“Yeah, yeah! Like last year… I’ll drive you insane. No matter how much the Academy favors you, I’ll make you unable to bear it anymore…”
“It seems you plan to continue such despicable acts, Senior Garitosa.”
Garitosa stopped muttering to herself as Nicasia Holimpia appeared before her.
Nicasia’s usual soft tone was absent.
“P-princess?”
Behind Nicasia stood the three maids, flanked by Professor Malea and Vice Principal Dorothea.
“Well, this is convenient. The professors are here too.”
Garitosa smirked.
Faculty members are always on her side—or so she thought.
“Look what those brats did to me… And they destroyed my belongings too!”
“This happened because Senior Garitosa kidnapped Torlin. If anyone asks who started it, the fault lies with you.”
Garitosa gritted her teeth.
“Professor Malea, say something! That dirty demon brat interfered with me!”
“Murmur is quite diligent and kind.”
“Wha… What?! A demon?! They’re garbage, aren’t they?! The thing you hate most in the world!”
Malea chuckled.
“True. As you say, I dislike demons. I find them hard to trust. However, Murmur is different. How can I call someone evil who sincerely works hard every day preparing for exams with blood and sweat?”
Garitosa shivered and took a step back.
“R-revenge…”
“Go ahead. Try. Every letter you send, I’ll burn. And whenever visitors come asking for help, I’ll pretend to be busy and ignore them.”
Faced with Malea’s fierce demeanor, Garitosa recoiled further.
“If the Academy’s finances worsen, don’t bother coming to me later!”
“That won’t be a problem. Princess Nicasia has already intervened~”
At Dorothea’s words, Garitosa stared dumbfounded at Nicasia.
“Senior, it seems you’re mistaken about something.”
“H-huh…?”
“In Cosmos Academy, once you start relying on your family’s influence, the strongest person isn’t…”
Nicasia stepped closer to the trembling Garitosa, looking slightly down at her.
“Y-you… R-respected…”
“Senior Garitosa.”
Garitosa finally realized who stood before her.
Not just any quiet girl playing the role of the Academy’s figurehead—but someone who could inherit imperial authority anytime if needed.
A girl capable of ruling the Academy entirely on her own whims if she chose.
“I-I’m s-sorry… S-so sorry!”
Nicasia Holimpia simply refrains from such actions.
Because she doesn’t want to grow up too fast.
Because she doesn’t wish to become like her sister.
Because she wants to enjoy a normal student life.
“The Empress said that if Senior Garitosa makes noise over trifling amounts of sponsorship money, she might offer some assistance.”
“Aaah…”
Garitosa trembled.
“And she remembers your name. She seems eager to meet again in the Imperial Parliament someday.”
“R-R-Revered Princess N-Nicasia…!”
Garitosa fell to her knees, sobbing and pleading.
“I-I did! I-I was wrong! I was wrong!”
“Why such sudden apologies?”
“I-I…”
“Senior Garitosa, you may leave now. Continue harassing non-human students and faculty as you’ve done before.”
Garitosa shook her head violently.
“N-no! I won’t! I promise I won’t!”
“Feel free. Imagine what might happen if the Empress remembers your name. What consequences could arise?”
Garitosa clung desperately to Nicasia’s feet, her face pale.
As a noble, Garitosa understood the insatiable greed of aristocrats better than anyone else—and thus, the value, allure, and danger of justification.
With justification, one could possess lands and titles thought unattainable forever.
One could commit theft-like deeds and slaughter countless people yet still be hailed as a hero.
“P-please… F-forgive me!”
“What a misunderstanding. Surely I wouldn’t ask the Empress to punish Senior Garitosa… right?”
“N-never!!! N-never!!! I won’t do it again!!! Princess! Revered Princess Nicasia!! I’ll properly compensate Torlin and Murmur too!!”
Garitosa cried out painfully, smearing her face and chest against the muddy ground.
“S-so… P-please! P-please! Tell Her Majesty something nice… J-just once…!”
Watching Garitosa cry and beg, Nicasia wore a faintly satisfied expression as she placed her left foot near the back of Garitosa’s head.
“Senior Garitosa…”
Yet she didn’t press down; instead, she quietly placed her foot nearby.
“Don’t just apologize to Murmur and her friends. Perhaps you should first apologize to the faculty in this state, as you did last year?”
Malea’s eyes lit up.
Last year, a colleague professor resigned after helping an interspecies student. Back then, she could do nothing against the nobility’s pressure.
She couldn’t support her colleague while already indebted to the Cosmos Academy Headmaster, forcing her fiery temper to simmer down.
“An explanation regarding last year’s incident seems necessary.”
Dorothea smiled gently as usual and stepped forward.
“Of course, there’s no need to explain everything right away~ Just take your time, very slowly, and visit each faculty member individually.”
“I-I’ll do it…!”
“You must do it properly, yes? Remember, Garitosa, you’re no longer a cute, soft, innocent elementary unit student but a middle schooler~ You must take responsibility for your dirty deeds~”
Malea finally grinned triumphantly, clenching her fists.
