Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

As they prepared to leave their rest area and meet the student representatives for the Academy tour,

Countless people waited in nervous anticipation.

Fuyuki Magecraft Academy was hailed as the world's first—and only—magecraft academy.

Built under Qin Shi Huang's decree, it served as a large-scale experimental ground for magecraft.

Once the trials were complete, magical education would be rolled out across Japan's vast lands.

It was only natural for the leaders of three nations to visit.

The student representatives stood in place, their faces pale with tension.

Among them, of course, was Souma.

He was jointly recommended by "friends" like Illya, Rin Tohsaka, and Julian, becoming the representative of ordinary students who would have close contact with the Heroic Spirits.

Everything seemed to be orchestrated by some unseen hand behind the scenes.

Even though he didn't want to interact with the Heroic Spirits, they still sought him out.

Was it Alaya's doing, or that bastard dream demon Merlin's?

Souma had no time to dwell on it.

Because the Heroic Spirits had emerged once again.

The real crisis had arrived!

Julian said casually from the side, "No need to be nervous. The Heroic Spirits won't do anything to an ordinary person like you."

"I'm not nervous at all."

Souma wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Of course, it was all an act.

As a top-tier actor, it was effortless for him to keep others from seeing through him.

Think about it—would it be normal for an ordinary teenager to remain completely composed in front of Heroic Spirits?

Huh? Why did he sense something unusual?

Souma pretended to casually glance around.

A faint, mysterious aura flickered past, like an illusion from a dream.

Could it be that bastard incubus?

Souma's heart jolted—he finally understood why he always felt like he was being manipulated.

As expected, Merlin was definitely involved in all this!

Damn incubus, just wait until I survive this ordeal—I'll settle the score with you later!

...

Dozens of meters away from him.

A handsome man in a tailored suit stood watching the approaching Heroic Spirits from a distance.

It was Merlin, who had come all the way from the Tower of the End just to enjoy the show!

"The grand performance has finally begun. Where are you, Nameless?"

His gaze swept over the crowd, searching for any trace of Nameless.

But it was all in vain.

Even when he had previously tapped into the essence of Avalon to recharge its power, he hadn't been able to locate him.

But it didn't matter.

Artoria and the others would find him for him!

All he had to do was be a proper VIP spectator and quietly watch from the sidelines.

In truth, he wasn't alone.

Countless netizens around the world were glued to the live broadcast, afraid of missing the moment Nameless appeared.

Everyone was here for the spectacle, eager to witness Nameless's inevitable downfall.

What did sympathy for Nameless have to do with wanting to see him get the "knife"?

As the Heroic Spirits made their entrance, Merlin quietly concealed his presence.

As a candidate for Grand Caster, not even Heroic Spirits could see through his disguise.

Now, the real show was about to begin!

Amidst the cheers of countless onlookers, the Heroic Spirits left the Fuyuki Grand Hotel and arrived at Fuyuki Magecraft Academy.

At the entrance, a dense crowd had already gathered, erupting into excited cheers at the sight of the Heroic Spirits—

"King Arthur!"

"King of Heroes!"

"Dark Saintess!"

...

The voices of the masses surged like a tidal wave, reverberating in all directions.

The student representatives stepped forward to present flowers and act as guides, leading the Heroic Spirits on a tour of the campus.

A seemingly ordinary young man in a neat school uniform walked up and stood before the King of Heroes.

His face slightly pale, his voice trembling faintly, he said, "Greetings, King of Heroes!"

"No need for nerves. This king is merely here for a visit."

Gilgamesh smiled warmly, as if basking in spring.

But inwardly, he found it all quite amusing.

The boy before him was none other than Nameless!

Tch, what a convincing act—perfectly playing the part of an ordinary teenager awestruck by a Heroic Spirit.

"King of Heroes, I will be showing you around the campus next. I'd appreciate your guidance," Souma said earnestly, though beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

Then,

He heard the other's voice enter his ears without the man moving his lips, smiling all the while: "Not bad acting. Let's see if you can keep it up in front of those two."

"You flatter me, King of Heroes. I'm just an ordinary, unremarkable person."

Souma suppressed the urge to kick him.

This guy was undoubtedly reveling in extreme amusement, just waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

What a great friend indeed!

At that moment, he heard the other's voice again: "Did you know? Before I came here, Merlin sought me out."

"King of Heroes, which areas would you like to see first?"

Souma's heart jolted, confirming his suspicions completely.

As expected, that bastard incubus was the mastermind behind this.

"Let's start with your teaching facilities."

Gilgamesh watched him with keen interest and continued telepathically, "Mordred and Jeanne d'Arc were also summoned by him, you know."

"..."

An overwhelming urge to kill that guy surged in Souma's heart.

So the arrival of these three kings in Fuyuki City was entirely orchestrated by Merlin!

"Besides Merlin, those foolish false gods across the ocean also seem to be planning a trip to Fuyuki."

Gilgamesh dropped another bombshell.

"...Illya is already waiting on campus."

Souma grew increasingly uneasy.

Those who sought to achieve mechanical ascension and become true gods would undoubtedly covet Illya.

With Illya in their grasp, they could gain the means to summon the mighty Heracles.

Those fanatics might even be willing to wage war, reducing the entire city of Fuyuki—or even the entire Japanese archipelago—to ruins.

Truly, the tree may crave calm, but the wind will not cease.

Souma sighed inwardly.

Was it really so hard for an ordinary high school student like him to just attend school in peace?

Screw this—stop interrupting my education!

"Hahaha, my dearest friend, there's no hiding anymore!"

Gilgamesh's smile widened with delight.

Once again, countless brutal battles awaited him, and no one knew what the future held.

But this time—

He was here.

"..."

Souma had no intention of humoring him.

This guy thrived under the spotlight, basking in the world's attention—the exact opposite of Souma himself.

That the two of them had become such close friends was nothing short of a twisted fate!

Walking past the golden king, Souma found himself being warmly received by other Heroic Spirits.

The Emperor of France fixed her golden eyes on him. "Oh, so you're the ordinary student representative from Academy City? Souma, was it?"

***

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