Dishonesty

Opening my eyes, I was met by what could only be said to be a completely white room, for some reason now lying in one of many beds all lined up next to each other.

"Where... am I?"

"In the infirmary."

"I see... Huh?"

Turning my head, I couldn't help but be flabbergasted by the fact that George was sitting beside the bed, all while not doing anything. Then, as soon as he noticed that I was awake, he suddenly stood up and prepared himself to take his leave.

'Was he always like this?'

It wasn't as if I was about to stop him, as he probably had better things to do, but I still wasn't about to let him leave without saying anything.

"It was you who brought me here, right? If so, thank you."

"..."

George didn't even turn around as he kept walking and exited the infirmary. Still, I also didn't miss the slight flush that appeared on his cheeks in response to my words.

'Strange.'

It was weird. How the hero was now acting completely different than when I met him during our first day at the academy. Almost as if he had consciously decided not to be that happy fellow anymore, instead opting to act like this. Pretending to be cold and distant.

With a large emphasis on 'pretending'.

Someone who didn't care wouldn't choose to stay by my side for no reason, obviously waiting until I woke up before taking his leave. In other words, he wanted to make sure I was okay before he left.

'But man... to think I would really pass out...'

If not for the fact that I was still alive, proving that I, strangely enough, had completed the mission, I might have been a bit embarrassed about it, but now I only felt thankful that I wasn't dead. It was pretty great to be alive, after all.

However, I still couldn't understand why I was supposed to take part in the PE course.

Obviously, I understood the importance of being physically fit, at least enough to make sure it didn't stand in the way of me running away from something dangerous. But wouldn't it be enough for me to just do some lightweight training in my free time? Maybe go for a jog every other day or so, or go for a swim two times a week.

You know, something not quite as extreme as to force my weak-ass body to run 30 laps around a 500m track field?

Now, due to the fact that even Samantha who was a dainty princess could do it easily, it did open my eyes a bit to the standards of this world. But wouldn't it be better to start off with a pebble before growing a mountain?

"Haaaa... Do I just have to hope that the author has some kind of plan? If he actually is a god, then he should have some idea about what's good for me, right?"

Ultimately, I just had to accept things for what they were. It wasn't as if I had much of a choice anyway. All I could do was be thankful that I had completed the mission successfully, meaning I could finally relax for a bit.

That was until I remembered something very important.

'...didn't I have that daily mission as well, though?'

*Bing!*

Almost as if it recognized my desires, the mission panel showed up in front of me, quickly confirming my thoughts.

==========

[Act 1, chapter 2: The duty of a student!]

Ongoing missions:

-- As an honorable student of the Stellar Academy, you must show equally honorable grades! A failed grade is not allowed

Penalty: Death

-----------

Daily mission:

- Complete 4 hrs. of personal training!

Penalty:

- Curse of the mummy.

Timer: 5hr 45 min 32s

==========

'...fuck.'

Too riled up to even care about the weakness that still lingered in my body, I stumbled onto my feet and hurriedly made my way out of the infirmary. At the same time, I made sure to made a mental note of something I found very entertaining, something that I found out when I saw the timer of the daily mission.

'What a dishonest man he is. Sitting here for hours on end, and then trying to act like nothing.'

****

[George's Pov]

*Bam!*

Just like yesterday, I had planted my feet in one of the training grounds on campus, one which was a bit further away from what one might call the central square of the academy. Far enough from the actual academy buildings that there was no one else around.

*Bam!*

As I was continuously pouring out strikes against the wooden dummy in front of me, I couldn't stop my mind from twisting due to the sequence of events that had just gone down. Because there were so much that I just simply didn't understand.

From how Alex had pushed himself so hard that he even fainted, to how he had just casually spoken words of genuine gratitude despite him being someone I viewed as a traitor and a snake.

*Bam!*

No matter what I thought about my classmates, that I was sure that they were just like everyone else in this world, fake and insincere, I was never going to let that affect me to the point where I wouldn't try to help everyone. Which was the reason I had been worried about him when he suddenly dropped to the ground.

It was never a matter of who deserved to be helped, I simply acted in a way that I found to be correct. Doing the things that I would have wanted people to do for me in the past, as well as walk in the path of my master who had shown me that kindness wasn't useless.

*Bam!*

So, I had no issues with my own actions. What made my mind warp and twist was the fact that I just couldn't get a read on Alex. Who was he? Why did he make me follow him on that first day, lying about finding his key in the grass?

'Did he know that Robert was getting bullied? If so, why didn't he just talk to a professor? And why was he so stubborn about taking part in the physical education course?'

Nothing made sense about that man, enough so that I couldn't help but have some slight suspicions that he might even have been the one who helped me out during my arrival to the academy. Though, when I thought about how cowardly he was, I quickly shut that possibility out of my head.

*Bam!*

There was one thing I was sure of, though. I didn't trust him.

At the start, I had believed that because he was a commoner like me it would be fine to get along with him, but it had turned out that he was even more fake than Mike. Of course I didn't think he was as big of an asshole as Mike, but his personality was just as false.

*Bam!*

"Huff...huff..."

Lowering my sword to the ground, I unconsciously allowed my gaze to travel upward to the now dark sky where a crescent moon was looking down at me.

I didn't like the moon. Because it reminded me of two very bad memories of the past. There had been two nights that I would never be able to forget. During both of those nights, the moon had stood as a spectator above as if it was laughing at my misfortune, unwilling to step in to save the ones I had loved.

These memories were what drove me forward, what allowed me to keep walking no matter how hard things got. They had given me strength when I was weak, and now they were given me the strength to grow even stronger. For that was what required of me.

Ever since I was young, I had dreams showing me a world of nothing, telling me of a future where everything would inevitably fall. My parents... had told me that they were just nightmares, that they didn't mean anything. And so, as a young child, I had accepted that.

Which was why I also hadn't believed the dream which showed me how both of them would die, in the hands of bandits that pillaged our little village. There had been no survivors. Except for me.

Hiding underneath the floor of our house, I had seen through a crack in the wood how my father thought valiantly against a large, bearded bandit with his sword, standing in front of my crying mother.

My dreams weren't just dreams. They were depictions of a world could be, what might happen unless I do something about it. Those dreams had led me to my master, and, as a result, also led me here after she passed away.

'-Solitude is the bane of success, George. No matter how strong you are, there are certain things that cannot be done on your own.'

Words of my master, left to me as her physical body lost the war to the curse that had befallen her. Words that I wanted to honor, but had only left me even more hostile toward the people around me.

"Certain things cannot be done on my own? That would just mean I wasn't strong enough!"

*BAM!*