I Became a Veteran Heroine in a Harem Story

“Now that the adjustment period is over, it’s time to get started.”

“I’ve obtained all the lists.”

In the lounge of the third-year students’ dormitory. Several students were gathered there, engaged in a serious conversation.

One notable thing was that some of them were second-year students who had just been promoted this year.

According to regulations, they shouldn’t be together unless on official business, but no one pointed this out—not ordinary students, of course, but not even student guidance officers wearing shoulder badges who were supposed to supervise other students.

“You can do it well, right? Just do to your juniors exactly what you experienced last year.”

“O-of course, sir.”

The third-year students chuckled as they stood the second-year students they had selected and brought in.

In contrast to that light atmosphere, the second-year students stood frozen in attention position, extremely nervous about making any mistakes in front of their seniors.

“It must be burdensome. We felt the same way. But if you think about it calmly, it’s fine. What’s the problem? Whatever your status outside, in here we only follow the school rules.”

Someone who had been watching spoke up.

Surprisingly, when he opened his mouth, everyone who had been chattering became quiet and looked at him.

That’s how much influence he had among the students. Not just the second-year students, but even his peers, the third-year students, watched his reaction when he spoke.

“Are you afraid of getting caught violating regulations? This has been repeated for over a decade. Are you worried about retaliation? It’s a tradition passed down from above, so who could retaliate against whom?”

With his feet up on the table, speaking comfortably, he smirked.

“If you understand, go and prepare. You need to crush the promising new students first so they’ll learn to behave properly like you.”

“Yes, Mr. Raines…! Understood!”

The summoned second-year students, startled by his casual-sounding words, gathered their wits and rushed out of the lounge. His words carried that much weight.

The primary issues weren’t that he was the third-year student guidance leader or that he was a prince of the kingdom.

It was simply because he was strong enough to command everyone here despite behaving that way.

“Raines, there are people from the second princess and the Adenberg family on the list. Everyone else is average.”

At that moment, a peer handed him a list. It was a list of those who had shown talent and passed the first test, the physical fitness evaluation, early.

What the peer pointed out was Kiina’s name written on the list.

“Ha, Deina is fine. As a proud member of the royal family, she’ll humbly accept the academy’s tradition. But remove this person.”

Raines didn’t hesitate and with a smirk crossed out Kiina’s name with his pen. This was different from his earlier words telling the second-year students not to worry about potential retaliation or punishment and to act wild regardless of who they were dealing with.

‘Her family begged me to look after her, so I have no choice.’

Of course, it wasn’t because he was afraid of messing with the daughter of a great family. Children from families of similar size to Adenberg couldn’t escape the harsh initiation of the academy either.

He removed Kiina’s name purely because of a personal request he had received.

“Then, we’ll deliver this list to the second-year students as is.”

In the end, the list was passed on with Kiina’s name removed.

* * *

‘This is quite delicious.’

The academy, which was as bleak as it could be, almost like a military, did have its advantages.

One of the biggest advantages was the magnificent facilities befitting the kingdom’s premier academy. Here, one could fully enjoy this world’s magical civilization where expensive materials and spells for nobles were invested without restraint.

The ice cream I was currently devouring was one of them.

In my first possession, as all civilization collapsed and the world was devastated, from the fourth year onwards I lived in a state little different from the wild, so this cold, sweet taste invaded and conquered my brain—which had deteriorated through my first possession—through my tongue.

‘I think I’ll buy this every day.’

I sensed I might become addicted. Of course, that didn’t matter. Because it was delicious.

“Early passing is nice. They even give a day off.”

“I thought we’d go straight to the next training…”

If there was one regrettable point, it was that I wasn’t sitting alone at this table in front of the snack bar.

Erich and Lunara, who kept sticking around for reasons I couldn’t understand, were also with me.

Well, it’s actually education time now. A time when other students are still struggling to pass the test while experiencing hardship.

Only those who received a day off as a reward for passing early could enjoy this leisure time. Thanks to that, this usually crowded snack bar was now empty.

“I’ve been coming to the snack bars every day since admission but never saw you. You seem to like it quite a bit, so why haven’t you come until now?”

“Because it’s tiring and annoying to have to salute first as a private wherever I go. Saluting superiors is in the regulations, so it can’t be avoided.”

Erich asked me why I hadn’t come to the snack bar until now. It might simply be that our schedules didn’t align, but his words were actually true.

This was my first visit since admission. And the reason was fairly simple.

“I thought you were the type who doesn’t care about such things, or rather enjoys them. This is unexpected.”

Erich gave a wry laugh at my answer. It seems he’s misunderstanding something, but my strict adherence to regulations is merely to leave no room for criticism for the sake of my goals.

I found no reason to genuinely follow anyone I met at this academy. Everyone seemed weak, young, and distant.

Even knowing this was an aftereffect gained from my first possession process where I experienced numerous deaths and losses, it wasn’t easily fixed.

All I could do was console myself that if I climbed higher and met stronger people, I might be able to fill that void.

“You also seem quite familiar with it. Things like discipline and control, command hierarchy and repeating orders.”

“…I might be familiar.”

I subtly probed him too. As someone who had rolled in actual battlefields before reincarnation, the academy’s discipline would probably seem like child’s play to him.

At that, he smiled meaningfully.

“But I’m the same. I don’t particularly like it. Above all, this isn’t a real battlefield.”

“Um, excuse me.”

But as Erich was about to continue, Lunara looked behind and pulled our arms with a pale face.

‘Damn it.’

We immediately had to stand up and salute. This was because several second-year students were approaching our location.

“They really were here. At ease, at ease.”

“Hmm, are first-year students who haven’t even been here for half a year allowed to sit on facility chairs these days? Haven’t you heard yet?”

They weren’t visitors to the snack bar. They were people who had business with us.

From my position of having to follow regulations to become a member of society, it was natural to feel annoyed. And I could see the other two people tensing up at the sudden appearance of senior students.

‘One guy says be at ease, and another rolls his eyes.’

Especially that gaze scanning our bodies without a break was clearly looking for something to nitpick forcibly.

Who doesn’t have some dirt when examined closely? Even I would have to apologize immediately if they found something out of place and criticized it.

“You seem quite comfortable, have you fully adapted? I have a lot I want to say…”

“Be patient. They probably haven’t heard yet since the student guidance for first-years hasn’t been selected yet.”

Whether it was good cop, bad cop, one particularly muscular guy muttered while glaring as if he was ready to pounce, while another tall guy held his shoulder to stop him and laughed easily.

“Actually, we came here because we have something to discuss with Lunara and Erich. Could you two come with us for a moment?”

The tall guy who had been laughing easily called out the two people excluding me with a kind expression. There’s no way they could refuse when asked so softly and kindly.

The two, who had been cautiously gauging the situation, had no choice but to say okay and follow them. Still, Erich seemed to have roughly caught on and nodded at me.

‘This feels familiar somehow.’

I grasped at the tickling trace of memory from this familiar situation. One episode from the work was vaguely remembered.

But the memory didn’t easily surface.

Given that the protagonist Erich was involved, it shouldn’t be an event that wasn’t mentioned in the work.

“Not my business.”

I stopped thinking there.

Come to think of it, there was no need to deeply consider their affairs. I should focus on my own business.

“Um, excuse me. Kiina. Do you know anything about Lunara?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“You all had a day off together for passing early. She hasn’t come back yet, so I thought you might know…”

What disturbed my peace was the news that came in the evening.

This girl, who claimed to be Lunara’s friend, came looking for me with a face that seemed about to cry, and with a trembling body like a puppy that needed to pee, she barely managed to speak.