Who Isn't a Herrscher?

"Report!" An intelligence officer stood in the office and addressed the wide-backed office chair.

"Wallenstein of the Twelve Apostles was killed by the rampaging White Night during contact with White Night."

That brief sentence conveyed the general situation to the figure behind the chair.

"You may leave."

"Yes."

The office fell silent once more.

"Looks like it's time to carry out the first phase of the plan."

Then, the entire office floor became seemingly transparent, revealing the space below.

The vast underground area looked like a military factory—or rather, it was a military factory.

On the machinery under construction, a mechanical needle injected a trace of purple liquid into an identical blond man. Behind him stood hundreds, perhaps thousands, of clones.

"Little Mio!"

Saikyo Neine abruptly threw open the medical room door.

Luo Mio, who had just opened his eyes on the bed, shifted his gaze from the ceiling toward the door upon hearing Saikyo Neine's voice.

Her petite figure was draped in a crimson kimono. Her long, beautiful black hair fell behind her, and her face was filled with anxious concern as she looked at him.

"Yo, old lady," Luo Mio teased with a smile.

Hearing that familiar tone and form of address, Saikyo Neine's worry turned to relief.

"You little brat."

Saikyo Neine walked over and sat on a stool beside the bed.

Seeing the anxious expression she had worn just now, Luo Mio apologized to her. "Sorry for making you worry."

"Smack."

A painless blow landed on Luo Mio's forehead.

Saikyo Neine smacked his forehead with the folding fan in her hand and gritted her teeth. "Then stop trying to play hero! You faced someone from that Domain all by yourself, and then something like that happened..."

It turned out that after returning to Hagun Academy's medical room, Saikyo Neine had received word from Toudo Touka.

Luo Mio looked into Saikyo Neine's eyes and saw the concern within them.

"Yeah, I understand..."

"By the way, my sister and Ikki..."

Hearing Luo Mio's question, Saikyo Neine told him, "They're fine. After you drew away the One-armed Swordsman, they returned to Hagun Academy safely."

"They're probably still in class right now. After all, you were unconscious for an entire day."

"A day..." Luo Mio was slightly startled upon hearing that.

Fu Hua's voice sounded in Luo Mio's mind.

"Even with Feather of the Dust, it took some time to awaken your consciousness."

So that was it...

Saikyo Neine looked at Luo Mio lying on the bed and suddenly gave a wicked grin.

"What?" Hearing her sinister chuckle, Luo Mio shuddered.

"Hehehe..."

Saikyo Neine's eyes gradually began to gleam.

Shinguji Kuroko stood outside the door with a cigarette between her fingers.

"Fuck, what are you doing?!"

"Hehe! What do you think I'm doing?"

A burst of noisy commotion followed.

"Damn it, old hag! That's going too far! Stop pulling down my pants!"

"It's just a routine examination! Let me take a look!"

"Fuck, you're even using your ability! Don't come any closer!"

"It's an examination! I need to see whether you're injured!"

"Neine, no!"

"Be good! Don't make any pointless resistance!"

"Then what's that camera on your head for?!"

"Hehehe..."

Shinguji Kuroko listened to the conversation inside with amusement. After extinguishing the cigarette in her hand, she left the medical room entrance.

Changes in the World and Akatsuki Academy

"Brother Miohua! I came to see you."

A young girl opened the medical room door. Her jet-black, snow-bright eyes held the innocence and purity of a child her age, while her silky black hair fell behind her and framed her delicate, adorable face.

"Oh? Naru." Luo Mio looked at the little girl, who was around six years old, in surprise.

"Why are you here?"

The girl skipped over to the bed with a grin. "Mom said Brother Miohua got hurt and was taken to the medical room, so I ran over."

"You really are..."

Luo Mio pinched the girl's delicate cheek.

The girl before him was named Naru—her full name was Shinguji Naru, and she was Shinguji Kuroko's daughter.

The little girl had inherited Shinguji Kuroko's beauty. Despite her young age, she had already grown into a graceful little beauty.

Not long after Luo Mio and Shinguji Naru began chatting.

"Miohua, we came to see you."

The door opened, and Ikki and Stella walked in.

Ikki spotted Shinguji Naru first and exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this Naru?! It's been so long."

Shinguji Naru's eyes lit up when she saw Ikki. "Brother Ikki?!"

Looking at the considerably taller Shinguji Naru, Ikki said, "It really has been a long time. You've grown so much."

"Hehehe." Shinguji Naru stuck out her tongue. "Brother Ikki is the one who's gotten so tall. You weren't this tall before."

Watching the innocent little girl stand on tiptoe to compare her height with Ikki's, Luo Mio shook his head with an amused smile.

Stella asked Ikki, "Ikki, who is this child?"

Ikki came back to himself, took Shinguji Naru's little hand, and introduced her. "Her name is Shinguji Naru. She's Aunt Kuro's daughter."

Stella said in surprise, "Oh, really?"

"Hello, I'm Stella. It's nice to meet you, little Naru." Stella spoke gently to Shinguji Naru and held out her hand.

The little girl was also very well-mannered. She sweetly said to Stella, "I'm Shinguji Naru. It's nice to meet you too, Big Sister."

As Luo Mio watched Stella and Shinguji Naru shake hands, his thoughts returned to the final question he had asked the system before waking from the Consciousness Space.

"System, although I've lived in this world for a long time, I still want to ask: is this really the same Chivalry of a Failed Knight World I remember? Many points in the timeline and plot don't match."

In response to Luo Mio's question, the system said, "Because of the host."

"Me?!"

"That's right. Because the host appeared in this world, the World Consciousness altered the original world into one that accommodates and adapts to the host. This change transcended both space and time."

"So that's why the plot differs from the original world line, becoming an entirely new storyline?"

"Correct."

"Miohua?" Ikki's call pulled Luo Mio back from his thoughts.

"Ah, what is it?"

"It's nothing. You just seem distracted. Are you really okay?"

After hearing Ikki's words, Shinguji Naru hurried to Luo Mio's side with a worried look and gazed at him. "Really? Brother Miohua, if you feel uncomfortable anywhere, tell Little Naru."

Luo Mio shook his head, patted Shinguji Naru's head, and smiled. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

"Miohua?"

Another voice came from outside the door.

Touka pushed open the door and looked at Luo Mio through her large glasses, her chestnut-colored eyes visible behind the lenses.

"Sis." Luo Mio greeted her and asked, "Finished with Student Council work?"

"No. I was worried about Miohua, so I pushed the work onto everyone in the Student Council." Touka spoke somewhat sheepishly.

Then Touka greeted Ikki, Stella, and Shinguji Naru inside the room.

Touka sat nearby, looking at Luo Mio with concern. "Miohua, is your body really okay?"

"I'm fine. Besides, Sis, can't your ability tell whether there's anything wrong with my body?"

"Brother Miohua, it's Grandpa Tsukikage."

Shinguji Naru, who had been playing with Luo Mio's Student Handbook while sitting nearby, looked through the news and noticed something. She raised it for Luo Mio to see.

Luo Mio's eyes narrowed. "Naru, give me the Student Handbook."

After taking it, Luo Mio synchronized the news inside it to the screen installed in the medical room.

In the news, Tsukikage Bakuga stood at a podium and told the major media outlets below, "This year, we will change the selection system for the Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival."

That simple statement was like a heavy stone falling into a lake, stirring up wave after wave.

"!"

Luo Mio's eyes narrowed before the screen. Touka and Ikki beside him reacted the same way.

Tsukikage Bakuga continued, "In previous years, the Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival selected several outstanding students from seven academies to serve as representatives."

"But those representatives were always chosen through competition within their own academies."

"However, this year, we will change the selection system."

"We will hold qualifying battles between the seven major academies!"

"We will select the truly outstanding representatives from the seven academies to participate in this year's Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival!"

Luo Mio rubbed his chin as he watched Tsukikage Bakuga's announcement on the screen.

"A free-for-all between seven academies?"

"What's wrong with this year's qualifiers?"

Since it was Stella's first time participating in the Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival, she did not think much of Tsukikage Bakuga's words and asked the question.

Luo Mio answered her, "This year's Sword Dance Festival qualifiers will probably be the most difficult selection battles in history."

On the screen, Tsukikage Bakuga announced another shocking decision.

"This year, there will not only be seven academies, but an eighth academy as well!"

"National Akatsuki Academy! It will replace the Seven Stars academies as the strongest academy in our country and carry the nation's future!"

Tsukikage Bakuga made the astounding announcement in a loud voice.

"And our academy will send six student representatives to participate in this year's qualifiers and the Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival!"