Chapter : 3
Bad Ending Route: I’ll Save You All
S-Tier Characters
Games have something called a tier list — a chart ranking characters from S-class down to D-class based on performance.
Among them are the S-tier characters. They’re hard to recruit as allies, but if you do manage to bring them along to the war a year later, they’re powerful enough to lower the game’s difficulty by several notches.
For reference, Airan is F-tier. She’s so unworthy of even being placed in D-tier that players personally made a special F-slot just to slap a zoom-in of her eyes from her full illustration in it.
Unlike Airan, two overwhelmingly powerful S-tier characters were walking into the cafeteria at that very moment.
“OMG, it’s my first time seeing Lady Frea in person. She’s so beautiful!”
“I really want to talk to her… do you think she’d answer me?”
“Shh! Keep your voice down. Lady Frea hates hearing that kind of stuff.”
Frea’s eyes — icy cold — shot straight toward the chattering group of girls.
The girls flinched, then peeked at her again, unable to stop themselves from wanting even one more glance at her bewitching eyes. Frea turned away with a look of disgust and brushed back her snow-white hair.
Frea Celeb Neoage Lartea. First daughter of a ducal family bearing royal blood.
A noble maiden with skin so pale it looked translucent, fine delicate features, and a graceful figure dusted with a soft rose glow on her cheeks.
Anyone could see she possessed beauty and presence worthy of worship. The queen bee of the school.
We players called her the Absolute Ice Queen.
“It’s loud. Since when is a student walking into the school cafeteria a cause for such a commotion?”
She snapped irritably and walked to place her order. The one who calmly accepted her sharp words was the other S-tier character in this game.
“Can’t be helped. You always complained school food tasted bad and went out to eat. Picky palate and all.”
The boy who countered her without flinching was her cousin — Aron Rossio Ice-ran Zennight.
He had jet-black hair like midnight and golden eyes like a hunting beast.
A sharp nose, well-shaped lips, and a body honed by years of sword training — even his neatly worn uniform made him feel like a noble prince.
His face held no hint of softness, and his fierce, razor-edged gaze carried an aura that overpowered everyone around him.
They’re insane. These two don’t look like they belong in the same world as us.
Seeing them in person instead of through a monitor felt like being confronted by Hollywood stars. This must be what walking into the Louvre feels like.
“I hate strong smells. And noise.”
“And did I say anything? I can’t stand noise either, so let’s just eat quietly and leave.”
And then — a bucket of cold water splashed over the crowd buzzing about the two campus celebrities.
“What are you two doing here? Don’t tell me you’re taking winter make-up classes?”
Silence fell over the cafeteria. People only clinked their spoons. Aron and Frea’s eyes locked onto the student.
That moment told me exactly where in the timeline I’d landed.
Ah. This is the incident where Frea and Aron’s graduation project goes missing, and the two end up repeating a year and stuck in remedial classes.
Normally, both would’ve graduated early. But two days before the deadline, their joint project suddenly vanished. With no submission, they received a zero.
And so the two repeated a year — and in the following year, they would meet the game’s protagonist.
It’s bizarre experiencing a story I only saw in-game, months before the protagonist arrives. I guess transmigrating makes this possible.
“You didn’t hear? They got held back.”
“W-what?! Held back? Both of them?!”
As the excited voice rose louder, Frea stepped in front of the girl.
“You think gossiping about other people is fun? Enjoying the show?”
“N-no… no ma’am…”
The girls froze solid under her icy stare.
“S-sorry…”
Frea smiled — eyes curved, lips sweet — but thorns glittered beneath the beauty.
“Please. You are enjoying the show. Why get so loud all of a sudden?”
As Frea returned to her seat, a low voice came from behind me.
She sat at the table behind mine, still prickling with irritation as she spoke to Aron.
“This is why I hate eating in the school cafeteria. Why isn’t the restaurant open at this hour?”
“It’s winter break. Most students went home.”
Aron took a drink of water.
“If I knew, I’d have skipped. Father’s furious enough already.”
“What’s uncle saying?”
“He said he’s going to complain to the headmaster. Demanding to know how the school guards its property.”
Aron curled his mouth bitterly.
“You don’t care about catching the culprit?”
“Of course I do! But we have zero clues!”
Frea twirled a lock of silver hair. A deep line creased Aron’s brow.
“What happened to my ‘opinion’?”
“…I told you not to bring that up. Don’t suspect my page.”
“You just keep covering for her…”
“I’m stating facts! She’s my friend!”
An icy current flowed between them. Aron broke it first.
“Enough. Pointless arguing. We’re stuck repeating a year — let’s just keep our heads down.”
“…Fine.”
Despite growing up like siblings, a wall stood between the cousins. Then — a flash of inspiration hit me.
Wait. I can use this, can’t I?
I arrived three months before the plot begins. Which means I can act now.
Something only possible right now—
Then a loud crash.
Clatter!
“Kyaaa!”
Pina screamed. I shot up, thinking she was hurt.
And then immediately wished she had been.
Mashed potatoes and carrots dripped from Frea’s hair.
She stood silent, head bowed. Even from the back of her head, you could feel her fury.
Frea wasn’t a bad person — but she was a cold, sharp-nerved noble girl.
Her gaze speared toward Pina.
Pina trembled like a leaf, eyes brimming with tears.
“L-Lady Frea, I… I…”
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to get napkins and wipe this?”
Frea slicked her wet hair back behind her ear. Aron sighed and placed his handkerchief into her hand.
“S-sorry. I’m so sorry. I— I— I’m sorry…”
Pina stood frozen, unable to move. Frea snapped, rage sparking.
“I don’t need your apologies!”
More eyes turned toward them. Pina paled like chalk.
“Frea, calm down.”
Aron placed a hand on her shoulder. Color returned to her cheeks as she exhaled.
“…It’s fine. Don’t apologize anymore. I’m not burned.”
I let out a huge breath of relief.
If a duke’s daughter had been burned, things would have been irreversible. But Pina was still in shock, unable to think.
“W-what do I do… I…”
A commoner like Pina had never stood face-to-face with a noble girl like this.
“Lady Frea… I’m truly sorry. I’m so sorry…”
“What now? She’ll have to pay for that, right?”
“She can’t afford it. She’s a commoner. She could sell her house and clothes and still not make up the cost of that ribbon Lady Frea’s wearing.”
“Pathetic.”
Snickers rippled through the room. Pina’s lips turned blue.
Frea clearly heard them. She stared at Pina and spoke.
“You don’t have to compensate. My page already returned home. So you can send my uniform for cleaning in her place.”
‘Page.’ The term originates from medieval knight apprentices. At this academy, it means a lower-class student who assists a senior student.
Like mentor–mentee or apprentice–master. A page gets 1:1 tutoring in exchange for errands and companionship.
It’s a coveted position because the right upperclassman can help massively with assignments and exams.
But Frea’s page is currently away on break.
Hold up — this is it!
I felt a lifeline from heaven drop into my hopeless F-tier lap.
I squeezed Pina’s arms gently and soothed her. Then smiled brightly at Frea.
“No, Lady Frea. I should do it. Pina fell because of me… she tripped over my foot.”
“What?”
Frea stared at me in disbelief. Murmurs spread through the crowd like waves.
“So please let me take responsibility.”
Then a knife-edged voice stabbed into my ear — from Yerina, the NPC who bullies Airan.
“What the hell is she doing? Don’t tell me she’s aiming for Lady Frea’s page spot?”
