Bonus chapter thanks to @HotJava and @Seirra1172 from Ko-fi!
I'm called "Sloth" among the students these days.
No, not just students, it seems like everyone within Constel, including teachers and staff, knows about my nickname.
From Human Sloth to Sloth... It feels like the meaning is the same, but I guess it's a better evaluation.
Therefore, my honest impression of the changed title is…
"It's so embarrassing, I want to die..."
My mood rapidly deteriorated because of the whispering voices and stares as I walked to school.
Somehow, it's worse than the fame I had in my first year. Back then, I mostly had to endure mocking and contemptuous looks, but now it seems like my image has changed to something more... terrifying.
Senior Quinie and the other third-years have graduated, and I've become a second-year. I heard that Senior Ellen is acting as the temporary student council president.
It was a bit unexpected. In the original game, the student council president election proceeded without any problems. Of course, someone other than Senior Ellen becomes the president.
However, since they barely appeared in the game scenario, they weren't a named character.
Honestly, the treatment of the student council and the president wasn't very good in Constel. Since students don't focus on school life, the student council naturally becomes ineffective.
But for some reason, Senior Ellen volunteered to be the student council president. I wonder if I'll be able to see a different side of Constel than the one I knew.
There are a few things that have changed since becoming a second-year, but the most noticeable is...
Several figures greet me as I enter the classroom.
It's natural that the class changed since I became a second-year, and I'm in Class 1.
And this Class 1 is where all the named characters are gathered. Aster, Elodie, Sybil, Lunia, Robald, and so on. Plus, Aten, who was originally in the same class as me, is also here.
'I knew they would all be gathered in one class, but...'
I never thought I would be here.
Moreover, this time, Kora, the beast-human who wasn't originally a Constel student, and Selena, whom I brought, are also in this class.
In the game, Frondier disappears after a while, so I was actually quite curious about which class I would end up in.
But Class 1... Is this the pattern set for Frondier if he stays at Constel, or...
'Did the Headmaster intervene...'
No, surely the Headmaster wouldn't intervene just to put students in one class. Let's just think of this as the originally intended fate.
"Mr. Frondier, we're seatmates again."
"I guess so. Nice to be with you again."
Aten smiled brightly next to me.
My seat is by the window in the back, not much different from my first year. Aten sitting next to me is the same, and of course, Kora is nearby too.
However, the fact that the other people I see are different is quite refreshing. Aster and Elodie in the same classroom... I wondered if I would ever see them studying in a classroom.
"Frondier of Sloth! Hello!"
Sybil approached me with a grin. Just hearing that one word started to give me a headache.
"Why, it's a good nickname! Frondier of Sloth. It's better than Human Sloth Frondier."
"I don't know. These days, it feels like the same thing."
Aten, who had been listening quietly, asked,
"'Sloth,' as in one of the Seven Deadly Sins?"
"...It's probably not meant to be that deep."
The Seven Deadly Sins, the seven vices that are said to be the source of human evil.
In reality, they are sins defined by the church, but in the game Etius, the image of 'demons' is much stronger.
Each of the Seven Deadly Sins has a corresponding demon, and in the case of Sloth, the corresponding demon is 'Belphegor.' As one of the Seven Great Demons, it is said to possess terrifying power.
However, none of the Seven Great Demons have ever appeared in Etius.
Even after searching the entire community, no one has ever witnessed them. Occasionally, some attention-seekers would spread rumors and exaggerations, but they were all lies.
'But they still exist as knowledge.'
If you want to research the Seven Great Demons in this game, you can find information about them easily.
It's in the library, bookstores, and even occasionally mentioned on Wizard view.
That's why gamers at the time often said, "Why would they put information about something that doesn't exist in the game?" So, the Seven Great Demons were one of the constantly recurring topics.
Yet, since no one has ever seen even one of the Seven Great Demons, a dead game is still a dead game in the end.
"Frondier, are you actually Belphegor!"
Robald, who was next to me, exaggeratedly acted surprised. Thanks to him, all the surrounding students stared at me.
I covered my face with my hand.
"Stop it. It's embarrassing."
"No wonder! I thought it was strange that a guy who should be fine at home sleeps all day in class, but if he's a demon, he could definitely..."
This jerk, he's talking loud enough for everyone to hear.
The surrounding students were whispering to each other and nodding their heads.
Did they actually believe him?