He became the man of the hour when he was admitted to the top of the class.
　In case you're wondering, substandard magic, original magic, and assassination techniques, as originally planned.
　He finished the exam with all of that hidden.
　To this extent, it's within the range of excellence and fits in, and can't be called substandard. It was fortunate that he was even just a blind man named Noish.

''It seems that we're pretty much expected to get a call from the headmaster all of a sudden.
Of course they did. After all, it was only the four of us who were called in, not the whole S class.

While the other classmates immediately headed to homeroom, only Noosh, me, Dia, and Tart are told to head to the headmaster's office.
　Perhaps there is something to be said for those with the highest grades.
　If the written exam wasn't extremely low, the brave Epona would have been here too.

'Mr. Lug, your sister and her servants are both excellent. Of course they will help you when you come to me, won't they?
'In the first place, I never said I was going to help Noish.
Ha-ha, don't worry. I'll make you feel better.

He's laughing, but he's saying some pretty scary things.
　In fact, it's not impossible to do so if you're a duke.
　The only people who can have an opinion on the dukes are the royalty or the grand duke.

If there is a problem, there are dukes with deep ties to the Touahade.
　It's the only other house besides the royal family that knows what's going on behind the scenes.
　And those connected to that family also attend the school. It's one generation older than that, though.

My father said that the three people to watch out for in this school are the brave man, Noish and that guy.
　The dukes don't get along very well with each other. And Gephis, Neusch's house, and his house are bickering with each other.
　From the standpoint, Touahade can't lend his power to Neusch.

You're thinking about the house. 'Don't worry, I'll take care of that one too.'
You know what you're talking about.
Of course. How could I possibly change the country without doing something about it? Well, at least you're here. The Dean's office.

He was right, we were at our destination.
　I greeted the servant and he knocked on the door.

'Come in.'

A grave voice comes back.
　The door opens and we step inside.
　The headmaster is a grand old man with white hair.
　But he shows no signs of physical deterioration and his well-trained body is still in good shape.

His white hair is like the mane of a lion, and his whole body radiates a special aura.
　The head of the school is strong. Until five years ago, he was the man who was a Knight Commander and was said to be the best of all time in terms of both ability and leadership. It's even said that he's stronger than the current Knight Commander even now that he's retired.
　Such a man opens his mouth.

You will be able to find out what the best way to do it is to have a look at it. I am grateful that you all knocked on the door of our school. And that too, at this time of year.

This time of year........
　Undoubtedly, he is referring to the time period when the brave man was born, but let's check.

''Is it referring to a brave man?''
'Yes. Epona was chosen to be a brave man, and she is strong. But she is inexperienced. She will need help. The best and brightest of them will be the best companions for a brave man. In the near future, you will travel with the brave men to various places.

So that's why.
　The fate of this country depends on the activities of the brave men and women.
　It's only natural that even this academy will do its best to support the brave.

And it just so happens that we have such excellent pieces in our generation.
　Then there was no reason not to take advantage of that coincidence.
　Noish let out a sullen atmosphere for a moment and then erased it.

''Headmaster, with all due respect, we're still inexperienced. We are inferior to the knights and mages of our day job. Even if we were judged superior in ability, we would fail to deal with unforeseen situations in the field due to our lack of real battle experience. The big job of accompanying a brave man is beyond our control. Please reconsider.

Surprising. I didn't expect him to say no to his desire for advancement and self-expression.
　Accompanying a brave man was the highest possible honor.
　After all, if everything went well, he would have the honor and achievement of having literally saved the world.
　And then everything would be just as it should be.

"Spare me your modesty. In the entrance examinations, Neusch and Lugues proved that even at this point in time, they've surpassed the Vice Knight Commander... there aren't many people stronger than that.
So, as I said before, our lack of experience in dealing with unforeseen circumstances is preventing us from being able to respond to them.
Then you'll be stronger. That's what this school is for.

The Knights of this country are strong.
　The knightly order is the target of longing for the second and third sons of noblemen who were born into an ordinary family with magical powers and who are unable to take over the reigns of the family, and they are not allowed to join the order unless they survive the tough competition or graduate from this school with excellent grades.
　And because the possibility of becoming a real nobleman arises if you rise in the order, you will never neglect to study after joining the order.
　Hence, there are only excellent people in the Order.

In addition, it is the only battle group that the country has at its disposal, a battle group of only magicians, who are often mobilized, have a lot of actual battle experience, and are trained in the field.
　Noish is a hard worker who has been raised in the best environment, with exceptional talent among the thoroughbreds who have continued to accumulate strong blood.
　In my case, I only barely won because I was a student and my opponent was caught off-guard because I was a student, and I was able to catch the flow of the game by surprise and just push through.
　We're just an anomaly, and students aren't the ones who can win.

'But I can't bear such a heavy responsibility,'
Are you still pouting? Don't play games, Neusch Gefis. No, I can assure you that being one of the brave men is not a detour from what you want to do. I can assure you that joining a brave man will not be a detour from what you want to accomplish. And if this is not enough, you know what is.
Yes, sir. I'll give my strength for the sake of the brave.

Neusch gives an aristocratic bow.
　He must have realized that there was no use in arguing further.
　The quickness of his discernment in that area, that's also his virtue.
　I understand the situation. Then there's one thing I'm curious about.
　I have a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about, but I'll ask.

''Headmaster, why didn't you invite the crucial brave man to come here?　...What do you want us to do?　But if it was just to be one of the brave men, it would have been better to invite a brave man to this place.
'You have noticed. 'You are strong, Lug Touahade, you are strong. But we value your brains more than that.

I'm sure it's not just about the exam.
　Since he says he wants to make them the companions of the brave, I'm sure he's looking into the candidates' backgrounds by all possible means.

Then we shouldn't play dumb here.

'The role you expect us to play is that of the brave Epona Rhiannon's chain. You are not to act as a mission, but as a good friend or a true companion. Earlier, the headmaster dismissed Neusch's words of 'there are people better than us', but that's not true. In fact, if it's someone better than us, even I can think of a few people who are better than us. ........However, we are the only excellent pieces that can be Epona's best friends. That's why we were chosen to be the companions of the brave. To be honest, I'm not too keen on it.
Kaka, you're right. That's what I call a Toahaade. He's got a good son.

You're right, Touahade........
　I wonder how much he really knows. Or maybe the royal family is providing the information due to a crisis in the country of the brave.
　If that's the case, it's troublesome.

I don't know what you mean, Rogue. I don't know what it means," he said. Tell me more about it.
The brave man is the most powerful creature in the world. Its power is out of the ordinary as shown in the entrance exam. You can't bind the brave man. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more information on the subject. That's as far as it goes.
'Yeah, I can see that. He's that strong.
Then let's move on. To be clear, a monster without a chain is scarier than the demons, demonic tribes and demon kings that are going to appear in large numbers in the future. So I'll bind their hearts. In short, I have a good friend who makes me want to protect this country. Or, that friend will guide the brave man's thoughts in a way that is convenient for this country. The brave don't inherently need support. They're too different in power from the rest of us to be a liability. The role we're expected to play is that of a watchman, a chain that binds our minds.

Cold theory.
　If the brave man was still a real child, he could have done something about it with brainwashing.
　But he grew to the age of fourteen, and from there he suddenly gained power.
　It was no longer possible to play with the brave man himself.
　So, he uses his friends and appeals to their emotions.
　It seems ruthless, but it makes sense for the sake of protecting the country.

"Hmm, I have nothing to say to you. Everything that Lugues Thouahade said is true. I do not ask if you can do it. You will do it. In a way, you'll be doing more for your country than any brave man could. And you can expect to be rewarded for that.

Tart's shoulders are shaking.
　Then he pulls it back, trying to say something.
　I send him a look and urge him to speak up, and he raises his hand timidly.
'Shit, I mean, what would happen if the conversation in the here and now leaked out?
"This will be considered treason against the Kingdom of Alvan. It's also the highest form of treason. That's what happens if you fail.

What that means is extreme punishment, not just for him, but for everyone involved.
　If the tart did that, I and my parents would be put to death.
　Noish and I looked at each other. We chuckle at each other.
　I mean, what do you think they're going to do to a fourteen year old kid?

'I understand. Let's open up Epona's mind and be best friends.
I'll be there to show you.
'It's the only way I can do it. I'll do it too.
Yes, I'll do my best!　Well, I mean, if you're with Master Lug!

And so we were obliged to be friends with the brave.
　The academy even seems to support us in this.
　Even though becoming friends with the brave is the prescribed route, I didn't expect this trend.
　The academy will use me and I will use the academy. In a way, it's the best kind of cooperation. It's a lot less hassle, but on the other hand, it's also more weird hassle.
　When I left the headmaster's office, one of the instructors came over.
　He was a big man who seemed to be well taken care of and smiled at me.

'Oh, I see the headmaster has finally finished speaking. Come to the dormitory cafeteria. Today is your welcome party. There will be plenty of treats!　Then I'm going to ask Neusch and Roug to give a freshman representative address. Think about it.

The atmosphere of stupor that had been present a moment ago is lifted.

'I'm not very good at that sort of thing, though.
You're a liar. What's wrong with a guy like Neusch?
'You found out ... about earlier, but you and I can do whatever we want. It doesn't matter if you're afraid of strangers, unsure of yourself, and cajoling one spoiled child who wants to be bothered by your habit.

You're right. From the look of it, it wasn't that hard.
"Hmmm, you and I are working together all of a sudden. And now that I think about it, it's not so bad. I'm going to have to take a look at some things.
Let's bargain, too.

Neither of us said anything else as we headed to the welcome party.
　But there's one thing that's really bothering me.

That's what the Goddess said.

''After the brave men defeat the Demon King, they always go mad and try to destroy the world.''

........What kind of premise is that future, what kind of future is it going to be?
　If it happens even in the future where me and Noish have become Epona's best friends, then we might be the ones who trigger Epona to go mad.

Betrayed by us, the heroes will go mad and turn on the world.
　I guess I'm overthinking it.
　But, well, there's no doubt that we're the traitors, or that Noish has divided it up as a job, and as for me, I'm close enough to kill him.

I feel a little sorry for Epona.
　At the very least, I'll support Epona and make her laugh while she's a friend, even if it's under false pretenses.
　That's about as much compassion as I have for her now, and in doing so, I'll be closer to a future where Epona won't go crazy. I'd prefer that if I didn't have to kill her, too, and it's too risky to assassinate a monster like that in the first place.

........Although, I don't plan to neglect my preparations to kill it if it doesn't work out at all.
　When I went to the venue, I found Epona surrounded by a circle of people, but she was lonely.
　Let's go say hello. The first thing we'll do is to get them to remember us.