The principle was the first to break the silence.

"There must have been a malfunction; someone please bring out the spare appraisal magic tool!" The staff immediately prepared another magic tool and I repeated the process.

Level 99.

Yep, it's the same result as before.

The teachers, to their credit, kept taking turns measuring their own levels. I suppose they wanted to be extra sure that the device wasn't broken. The students, on the other hand, began to get noisy. Amidst the uproar, I was trying my best to escape reality.

The reality being that I, Katarina Claes, had actually gone and reached Level 99 and no one would take it seriously.

What a waste!

Once the teachers confirmed that neither magic tool was broken, the principal approached me.

"Lady Claes, are you aware of your level?"

I thought about deceiving him, but quickly decided that it wouldn't work. The magic tool wasn't broken. I must truly be level 99 and as the school days rolled by it would only become more and more apparent.

So, I decided to be honest.

"No, but I don't think the magic tool made a mistake."

"There's nothing wrong with the magic tool, did you interfere with it in some way?"

"No, I'm positive that my level is 99." I don't think repeatedly conquering the dungeon near my house alone would have been possible otherwise.

"You might not be aware of this, but people can't level up without defeating a monster."

Was he implying that I cheated the system? Even though I answered honestly, I'm being suspected of level manipulation?!

The students continued to make a ruckus and it seems like even the teachers weren't convinced by my explanation. The principal looks at me with disappointment before attempting to calm the class down, "Everyone calm down, the truth of her words will become clear once class begins. Lady Claes please return to your seat."

So he really doesn't believe me.

Would you believe me if I wiped this academy off the map? You rude geezer! This world sure is cruel to honest folk huh? There's no point in trying to explain myself, it's just like the principal said. The truth would become clear once class began.

The rest of the level measurement ceremony went off without a hitch, though it seemed like everyone was pretty restless.

Oh yeah! Maria Campbell, the only student besides the two prince's that stood out during the level measurement ceremony in the game due to her commoner status and light magic, was level 2.

I'm sorry for stealing your spotlight Maria!

They held a buffet after the ceremony, to welcome the new students to the Academy of Magic. However, due to the fact that I didn't know anyone there, I spent most of my time just standing in the corner.

The buffet table corner.

I didn't really know how to approach Keith after all.

However, I didn't last long. Stuffing my face could only sooth my loneliness so much. As a result, I decided to return to my room early, giving one of the chaperones a generic excuse before excusing myself. As I made my way over to the girl's dormitory, I locked eyes with one of the last people I wanted to be involved with.

"Hey Claes, what kind of trick did you pull to mess with the Level Appraisal tool? Don't you feel any shame?"

Without even exchanging a greeting first the fourth prince, Alan Stuart, began to insult me.

Alan Stuart, If I remembered correctly, was Gerald Stuart's younger twin brother. He was engaged to the ideal noble lady, Mary Hunt, and was basically Gerald's opposite. Where Gerald was a well-rounded genius, Alan shined in the arts. Where Gerald had been stuck in a bad engagement, Alan lucked out. Honestly, if it wasn't for his personality being equal to that of a child's, with stats to match, I may have actually used Alan back when Fortune Lover was a game.

Obviously, I benched him.

"Um... Good day to you to Prince Alan." I greeted, remembering the lessons Anne had drilled into my head as a child, "Are you referring to the level measurement?"

"Obviously! I know you want to stand out, but don't you have any pride as a noble?!"

"Calm down Alan, I understand your feelings but you should know better than to threaten a lady. This is nether the time, nor place, to cause a ruckus." The one who appeared to try and pacify Alan was none other than his older twin brother, Gerald Stuart!

Or was it Geodude? Honestly, at times it seemed like even the game wasn't sure what his real name was.

Nevertheless, I repeated the greeting I had given Alan before.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Prince Gerald, my name is Katarina Claes."

"I'm aware, you're Keith's sister after all. The apple doesn't seem to fall far from the tree."

"I'm sorry?" That was different too. Did that mean Keith was a delinquent?!

Was I going to have to take responsibility for the delinquent brother I'd never met?!

"Lady Claes, Alan has been working hard on his swordplay and magic ever since he was a child, and even managed to reach level 10 before entering the academy. Surly you can see why your little prank would rub him the wrong way."

Why did everyone assume I was lying? Would you believe me if I put you in a body cast? You blonde sadist?!

"But I didn't lie though..."

"So, you're really going to insist that you aren't in the wrong? Don't come crying to me when it blows up in your face." As Gerald finished speaking, Alan butt in "You're lucky you're a girl, otherwise I'd show you the real difference in our strength."

"I don't mind dueling you if it'll get you to accept reality..."

"You-!"

The people around us had begun to eavesdrop on our conversation, they weren't even being discreet about it! It was here that Doom flag #2 finally arrived.

He looked at me like I was walking garbage.

How rude!

Forget Alan, forget trying to fulfill my sisterly duties, the expression on Keith's face is compelling me to want to punch him.

But I won't, because I'm an adult.

Keith, for his part, didn't notice my displeasure and began speaking "Level 99 isn't realistic. I mean, is it even possible? If it was then surely one of the royal knights would have reached it by now. I would have thought better of you sister, but you seem to live in your own little world."

Ugh. The genius sadist, the worthless brat, and the whiny playboy. I knew there was a reason I benched everyone here but Sophia after the Academy phase!

"Liar! You totally used Gerald till the bitter end, it's why you got his ending!" Katarina Claes yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at Katarina Claes.

"And you used Raphael too!" Katarina Claes added

"But didn't he die midway through?" Lady Claes muttered.

She was ignored.

"Hey, are you going to say something?" Keith asked, taking my silence personally.

"Mmh, I don't think you'd believe anything I say anyway so is there really any point?"

"You! Are you even going to try to defend your lies?!"

"I sense a lot of aggression coming from you, maybe you should take a nap?" I suggested, this only seemed to make Keith angrier.

"Enough, do you make it a habit to get on everyone's bad side Katarina? You really haven't changed all that much since you were a child." Gerald's words gave me pause.

So, we HAD known each other as children!

Keith's eyes widened, Gerald looked taken aback, and Alan snorted.

Oops, did I say that out loud?

I had managed to escape to the safety of my room after Alan's snort turned into a full-blown laughing fit. Having left the party early, I spent most of my remaining free time working on a secret project. Classes began in earnest the very next day, so Anne forced me to go to bed early. It wasn't until I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, that I realized… I didn't really know much when it came to my life before remembering Japan. Did I seriously not notice that I'd been suffering from lowkey amnesia for all these years?

Questions for later.

Classes were a bit more important for now and they were everything I imagined them to be. We had classroom lectures in the morning, and basic practical lessons in the afternoon. I suppose the evening would be reserved for dinner?

I had even shown up early, but naturally I was ignored. I guess making friends is hard when you're on both the 3rd and 4th prince's bad sides. Sitting by my lonesome, I decided to entertain myself by listening to the nearby gossip. Apparently, I was as dumb as bricks and believed in myself for no reason.

I see, so I was a Chūnibyō now was I? Should I wipe out the royal capital to prove my strength to you people?!

However, before I had the chance to go deeper down that rabbit hole, the capture target trio Maria entered the classroom. They were chatting with each other like they were the best of friends.

Hold on. What?

Isn't this development too early?!

The heroine of Fortune Lover, Maria Campbell, was a commoner from some ghetto out in the middle of nowhere. She had blond hair and blue eyes, truly a pure-blooded member of the Aryan race. The only reason she was allowed into the academy at all, despite not being a noble, was due to the laws of the land which stated that anyone with magic power had to attend.

Perhaps that was it? She'd gotten chummy with the capture targets early because they were all part of the student council?

However, upon making eye contact with the light mage protégé, I was glared at with resentful eyes.

Ooof.

I guess this really was my fault?

The rest of class went on without much fanfare.

The first afternoon class began with swordsmanship training. I call it swordsmanship, but the weapons used varied. Some people used tome's that were meant to amplify or focus their magical powers while others used bows or axes. I myself favored my favorite gardening hoe.

There weren't many others like it, and this one was mine and mine alone.

I never received any formal training after all, so I might be a little unorthodox when it came to fighting.

However, everyone else didn't seem to reach the same conclusion I did. Indeed, it almost felt like they were laughing at me.

"Alright class, gather round, gather round, we will run some mock battles today. I'd like to confirm everyone's ability so we'll go in pairs. The first pair is... You, the headcase that claims to be level 99!" The professor announced.

Ah, they were indeed laughing at me.

"Her opponent will be... Sir Byron Whitney." Literally who? She wasn't going to fight Alan? That was a shame, he seemed so eager to fight yesterday too... The peanut gallery seemed pretty excited though, the girls were cheering like they'd just found their prince charming.

"If you step down now, you can save yourself the humiliation."

I ignored Byron's warning, giving my wooden sword a few practice swings. Of course, they wouldn't let us use real weapons in a mock battle. I'm sorry hoe, but you'll have your chance another day. Turning to Byron, who looked like he was staring at something disgusting, I gave a polite bow.

"I look forward to our match."

"Tch."

"Both of you, prepare yourselves!"

Ah, that's right.

I never used a sword in my life, I don't know the proper stance or how I'm even supposed to hold it! Um... Maybe if I hold it the same way I hold my gardening hoe?

Byron gave me a suspicious look.

"What are you doing? If you're going to surrender, get it over with already!"

"I'm sorry, it's just that I've never held a sword before, feel free to start whenever you want Lord Whitney!"

You can hear snickering coming from the crowd of students watching our routine play out, ah! Someone's laughing at me! It kind of sounds like Alan...

Byron goes red in the face "You-! Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a girl! Don't think you'll be able to get out of this without a few broken bones you chuuni brat!" Without even waiting for the signal to begin, Byron rushes forward.
"Whitney Slash!"

He's slow.

In response, I swung my sword.

I was aiming for a parry, confident that he would catch my attack with his own wooden blade, but I had overestimated his speed. As a result, Byron ran face first into my swing and was sent flying straight into a nearby tree.

Said tree was located about a hundred feet from the ring.

"..."

He's not dead, is he?

The second afternoon class was magic practice. The magic training area was lined with scarecrows in metal armor, just as I expected for a school funded by the patriarchy.

"Alright class, let us begin with a demonstration! I want you all to use your magic to hit the training dummies." I see, the swordsmanship class focused on the student's physical ability while the magic class focused on the student's magical power. What a barebone's system, I do hope it'll get harder as the year progresses.

Otherwise, I fear that Maria and friends will die before they even see the Demon King!

Fortune Lover's magic system was made up of 6 basic elements: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Light, and Darkness. However, as I watched everyone use their magical powers, and fail to reach the target, a thought occurred. Light magic is supposed to be rare right? That's why Maria was invited into the academy despite being a commoner, but... Isn't Dark magic supposed to be a state secret?

"W-what do I do?! The only other spell I know is Dirt Bump!"

"Calm yourself Katarina Claes, I have an idea!"

"You do?!"

"Indeed!"

"Truly?"

"Indubitably!"

"I se-!"

"GET TO THE FUCKING POINT!"

"?!"

Katarina began to cry, another Katarina glared at the third Katarina Claes.

"You don't have to be so mean!"

"I'm mere-!"

"Can we focus! It's almost our turn!"

"Holy crap you're right!"

"Chairwoman Katarina, swing your mighty hammer!"

Chairwoman Katarina swung her mighty hammer alright, right into Katarina's face.

"As expected of prince Gerald, how wonderful! You truly are a genius."

"It was nothing." Gerald replied, dusting himself off, but he looked awfully bored. Suddenly, he noticed me staring at him.

Oh no, why do I suddenly have a bad feeling?

"I look forward to seeing what out alleged level 99 is capable of, she's the only one who hasn't shown her magical abilities after all. I wonder, what kind of incredible magic we should expect from the all-powerful Katarina Claes, slayer of novice swordsman?"

I might be wrong, but Gerald looked rather gleeful as he said that... Like he'd found a new toy.

Alright Mr. Sadist, I WILL show you the greatest magic you'll ever see!

"Um, professor... Is it okay to destroy the target?"

"What?" The teacher, who hadn't been expecting my question, was taken aback.

It was Gerald who answered for her.

"The training dummies were made to withstand attacks on par with a dragon's fire power. You think you're capable of breaking one of them?"

"Yes." I answered offhandedly, still staring at the teacher and waiting for her response.

"Only a royal knight should be capable of destroying it, but if you truly feel like you can do it then who am I to stop you..."

I took that as permission and got to work, using my newest (literally just thought it up) and strongest spell.

"Dirt Bump 2.0!"

A tiny bump of earth appeared underneath the training dummy.

Nothing happened, beyond the dummy tilting from its newly uneven support.

Someone snorted, it was probably Alan again.

Gerald sighed and turned to me.

"See, now may-!"

The dummy exploded.

We were cleaning up the training grounds when it happened. To be honest, I was taken aback when Byron Whitney, decked in a full body cast, and Keith arrived at the magic training grounds, accompanied by the school principal.

We had been in the middle of cleaning up the mess I made too, talk about bad timing. Note to self, don't use spells you haven't actually tested yet. Using Dirt Bump to hide a heavily compressed shadow was good on paper but exploding armor tended to launch projectiles that had a habit of impaling people.

Good thing everyone was low level, otherwise Maria might have not been able to heal them all.

She didn't have to look at me like I was a monster though...

"Katarina Claes, complete this withdrawal form. Someone who would lie in the presence of the royal family isn't worthy of attending our proud Academy of Magic."

I thought it was weird that I hadn't seen Keith all day, so he was actually trying to get rid of me.

Ah, my poor bleeding heart! Hated by my own brother, even when we haven't been formerly introduced yet!

Baron glared at me from the eyehole on his cast. He seemed upset; did I really break every bone in his body? I only hit him once!

"It'll be hard to live as a noble in this country if you get dismissed from the Academy of Magic. Let this be a lesson to all of you, don't lie!" The principal said, like he was in the right for getting rid of his strongest freshmen.

"I see, well it may be a little early but I guess it is a good chance to go out and see the world. I can visit the Kingdom of Solcie, I heard they had a ton of unconquered dungeons."

Upon hearing of my plans to leave the country, everyone with functioning brain cells began to panic.

"Now hold on a minute Mr. Principle, she's a rare dual magic user who was able to blow up one of the training dummies and send a level 5 student flying several feet. Her level is most certainly high, so expelling her now would be a grave mistake!"

"Are you sure only a royal knight could break it? I understand that you want to protect your reputation professor, but what you've just said doesn't prove that she's level 99. If you want me to cancel her expulsion, you'll need to try harder than that to convince me."

Ah, the principal seems convinced that his conclusion is fact. Even Gerald looks like he's starting to get annoyed. Should I be doing something?

"Let's just let things play out. Even if we get expelled it's not like anyone we'll die." Katarina said, pulling out some popcorn and putting her legs on the table like a delinquent.

"That's true!"

"What did Gerald mean when he called us a dual magic user"

"I agree with Lady Katarina Claes, we will see how things play out!"

"Ah, you're ignoring me then? That's nice."

"Lady Claes, please use your strongest spell. Don't bother hiding it with that pathetic dirt bump." Gerald asked, bringing me back to reality.

"Eh? What do you mean?!"

"Get on with it, I don't want to be bothered with trying to fight off this old man the old-fashioned way. It doesn't matter what you do, just show us something that proves, without a shadow of a doubt, that you're level 99!"

Just when I was looking forward to roaming the land as a sage of immense power, you look at me with those honest eyes?! What happened to the sadistic prince from before? What have you done with him!

"Ah, Gerald must value his country more than his pride. It's hard to refuse him when he asks us so honestly..."

"Katarina Claes, you traitor!"

"Let's use Explosion!"

"Lady Claes, not you too?!"

"Come on your honor, we can blow up the academy's prized flower garden~"

"Grr... Fine! You win!"

"I understand. May I use any spell I want Prince Gerald?" I asked, interrupting the ensuing argument between the principal and the magic teacher.

"What? Yes, wasn't I clear enough before?"

"Are you sure?"

"Wha-! Yes!"

"But when something happens, who will take responsibility..."

"I will! Just get on with it!"

Alright, I'll hold you to it. If someone does have a problem with me blowing up the academy's prized flower garden, then I'll just blame it on Gerald.

"Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark, I beseech thee, combine with my deep crimson..."

Gerald had joined our magic teacher in arguing with the stubborn principal, who insisted that I wasn't worthy of attending the Academy of Magic and that Gerald was only making a fool of himself. The rest of the students weren't sure about what they should be doing, and stood around awkwardly to the side. They hadn't expected to see someone so obviously against the prince on the first day. Only one person looked my way upon noticing my strange chant, and she seemed familiar.

"The time of awakening cometh."

"Justice, fallen upon the infallible boundary, appear now as an intangible distortion!"

"Dance, Dance, Dance!"

By now everyone had stopped what they were doing just to stare at me. The girl who'd been looking at me from before began to visibly pale, which was impressive considering the fact that her completion already screamed albino.

"I desire for my torrent of power a destructive force: a destructive force without equal! Return all creation to cinders, and come from the abyss!"

"Gerald, you have to stop her!" the same girl from before finally cried, by now everyone could feel the pressure of what was to come.

"This is the mightiest means of attack known to man, the ultimate attack magic!"

Literal magic circles of darkness had appeared above the academy's prized flower garden at this point. Some students began looking horrified "Wait, Katarina... What are you doing? Katarina? Katarina-san! You've proved your point; you can stop now! Katarina-sama! Kata-!"

I ignored Gerald in favor of continuing my immersive experience. I always wanted to recite the speech in my old life, but never got the opportunity. It would be a waste to stop now!

"Save yourselves!" The white-haired albino, who I now recognized as Sophia Ascart, one of the rival characters from Fortune Lover, and one of the few characters from the Academy Route I actually used, cried as she ran away from the school screaming.

"EXPLOSION!"

Gosh, I sure am glad these training areas are within walking distance of the school's prized flower garden. I don't think I'd be able to destroy them if they had been further away or a wall blocked my line of sight. If that had been the case, I may have had ended up having to use something that wasn't as visually impressive, like Black Hole, to prove my point.

However, that also meant that the training area had no way of protecting the students from the oncoming force. As a result, when people finally wised up to what was about to happen and followed after Sophia, they were caught by the shock wave.

Naturally, I too was included in this statistic.

Though, all things considered, it was a beautiful explosion.

By the way, Sophia was the only student that got away from the incident unscathed.