I Stole the Heroines’ Tragedy Flags

I glanced sideways at her face.
"…"
I had expected her to be surprised, embarrassed, or even angry. But, contrary to my expectations, she simply stared at the chessboard without reacting.

...This is really awkward.
An uncomfortable silence followed. One minute, two minutes, three minutes. If she would at least react, I could try starting a conversation, but she didn’t seem inclined to speak at all.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Just as I was wondering if I should be the one to start talking—
"…Sigh."
With her sigh, the awkward atmosphere lightened a bit. She leaned back on the sofa and took out a new candy. Then, she spoke.

"Well, I didn’t expect that… but, at least I won once, right? Go ahead and ask your question."
"…Aren’t you going to ask anything else?"
"What do you mean? About knowing my identity?"

"You know that, huh?"
"…"
She chewed on the candy and, after thinking for a moment, sighed again, continuing to chew it.

Crunch!
"If you say you're not curious, that would be a lie… but I just don’t feel like asking."
"Isn't it a bit too much to just brush it off like that?"

"I think you’re misunderstanding something. It’s not that I’m too lazy or trying to be kind by not asking. It’s not like that."
Crunch—crack!
"Hey, I did some research on your past before you came to the academy. You really lived an interesting life, didn’t you?"
"…It wasn’t particularly interesting."

There’s no way a life like mine could be considered interesting.
"Anyway, from what I’ve seen, I think I get the general idea of why you came to this academy."
"…"

"Want some help?"
"…? What?"
"Do you need help?"

I looked at her in surprise at her unexpected words. Her lazy eyes locked onto mine. As our gazes met, she spoke again.
"I know about it. That strange flow of events centered around my academy. Something big is going to happen soon, right?"
"…You knew?"

"Would you expect me not to? You must know who I am and where I stand by now, right?"
"…"
Her question made me think back to what I knew about her.

Dimension Dragon Lily. She was a survivor of the Dragon Wars that took place thousands of years ago. And she was the only dragon kin left in this world.
The headmaster of Ella Academy, she was deeply attached to the academy and would even risk her life to protect it. But in the game, she wasn’t a character that appeared often.
If anything, she was more like a Deus Ex Machina. In certain choices, she was a hidden element that would easily resolve a stuck plotline.

However, in other appearances, she always showed up after an incident had occurred. To be honest, she often gave the impression of an academy with poor security and incompetent leadership.
‘Yeah, honestly, it did seem a bit odd.’
She wasn’t a normal human, and she wasn’t just a dragon either. She was a being who inherited and governed the concept of "space." Despite being able to sense the laws and flows of the world, she couldn’t even anticipate what would happen at her own academy? And even though she had such a deep attachment to it?

"Can you explain why?"
"What reason? You’re asking me something I already know?"
"Yes."

"Are you seriously asking because you don’t understand? I’m asking because it’s something I can’t do myself."
"...You think I can do something you can’t, Headmaster?"
"You joined the academy under the premise that you’d help remove the shackles I carry, right? This is just an extension of that."

…Now that I think about it, she did say something like that when we first met. Maybe people really need to keep their mouths shut sometimes.
"…The reason I haven’t pried into your life is exactly because of that."
"That’s a bit much, don’t you think?"

"Well, this is the kind of thing you’ve been doing up until now. No one else could do it, because everyone in this world is bound by fate."
"…"
"Changing the ‘target’ of fate… it’s a fresh approach, but not something anyone can do."

She had already figured that out, hadn’t she? Her insight was sharper than I imagined.
As she said, what I had done so far—and what I would do in the future—was something only I could do. Changing the "target" was a skill only possible by an outsider who wasn’t bound by fate.
"…So, you’re offering to help? How?"

"Well, honestly, my constraints are especially strong. There’s not much I can help with directly, but as Headmaster, at least I can support what you’re going to do."
"So, I won’t get expelled?"
"As long as you don’t go too far, we’ll keep things within a reasonable range. If it gets too big, even I won’t be able to protect you."

"That’s enough for me. Thank you."
"…Sigh. Fine."
She sighed again, not wanting to talk any further on this topic, and laid back on the sofa. Finally, I was able to get to the point.

"So, now I can ask my question, right?"
"Yeah, sure. What’s on your mind?"
"Do you know of the Sage of Stars? He’s a man with white hair, a bit shorter than me, and much better looking."

"Hey, how am I supposed to know that with such a description? Come here."
At her gesture, I stood up and walked toward her. As I got closer, her finger touched my forehead.
"Try to picture the Sage of Stars you’re talking about in your head."

"…"
—Hummm!
In that instant, an overwhelming amount of magical energy emanated from her body. It was just a brief moment, and she immediately pulled her hand away from my forehead. She nodded as if she had understood while chewing on her candy.

"Hmm, so that’s what he looks like?"
"…Do you know who he is?"
"No? First time hearing about him."

"I thought he was a student here."
"My memory’s pretty good. I remember every student’s face and name. But the face you’re describing, I’ve never seen before."
Her statement left me silent with a complicated mind.

‘He didn’t even attend the academy?’
I didn’t have a lot of information to begin with, but in the game, he always appeared no matter what route I took. I had assumed that he was at least present at the academy and that the Headmaster would know him. But to hear that she didn’t even recognize him?
"By the way, Sage of Stars... that’s a strange title."

"He’s the one who’s connected to the concept of time from the Star God Raiel’s domain."
I decided there was no point in hiding this part from her and told her the truth. I might be able to get more information this way.
"Raiel? How do you know about him?"

"It’s similar to knowing about your identity."
"...Oh, now you’re not even trying to hide what you know? So, why are you asking me about his whereabouts?"
"Because he’s connected to the same Star God concept as you. Since you manage the concept of space, I thought you might know his whereabouts too."

"Do you know that too? I really want to crack open your head now."
"Please don’t say such scary things…"
Her title as "Dimension Dragon" wasn’t just a fancy word; it was a power she gained by inheriting the concept of space from the Star God.

‘The reason we can enter this void space is because of that power.’
Of course, the relationship between the Star God and her was something that was never fully explained in the game, so even I didn’t know.
"…Sigh. Well, it’s my fault for not asking you anything."

"Haha…"
"Still, in that case, I can definitely say one thing."
Click!

"The Sage of Stars is absolutely not connected to time."
"What?"
Her words, spoken as she chewed her candy, were shocking.

"Space and time are very closely related concepts. If such a person existed, there’s no way I wouldn’t be able to sense them."
"…So, then—"
"One of two things. Either he has nothing to do with time, like I said, or… he doesn’t exist at all."

"…"
The McGuffin-like figure from the game had suddenly disappeared. Now that it was reality, all these unnatural differences were starting to feel unsettling. There’s no way it just vanished without any logical explanation.
‘Where did that Sage go?’

A bad feeling began to creep up.
***
"…Thank you for your precious time."

"Are you leaving now?"
"Yes, I have to attend class tomorrow—"
"Alright, alright, go ahead."

Click!
After sending off the boy who had been a nuisance to her, she lay back on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling. She didn’t particularly like this colorless, scentless space, but it was a good place to sort out her complicated thoughts.
‘From the look on her face, it doesn’t seem like things went well.’

I had never heard of the Sage of Stars or anything like it. Chasing after something she didn’t even understand herself, it seemed like she was living a troublesome life as well. Where did she even get that information from?
‘Ugh, seriously. Should I go find him now and open his head?’
I barely managed to suppress the impulse, but as I lay on the sofa, my legs nudged the desk.

Thud.
One of the chess pieces fell to the floor. I clicked my tongue, feeling bothered, and picked it up. It was the piece that had been the last one remaining from all the pieces the other had moved.
"…Of course, it’s me."

Looking at the chess piece reminded me of my powerless childhood self.
…It wasn’t exactly a memory I wanted to recall.
‘Tch, if I were still like I was back then, I’d have just killed that thing.’

Very few people would have spared something after digging up their past like that. It wasn’t just because I needed his help that I let him live. Sure, that was part of it, but it was something else—
‘…He strangely reminds me of that hero.’
A thousand years ago.

The first human I played chess against.
Strangely, I had felt a similar aura from that boy just now, but was it just my imagination?